Inspiring creator series: Keegan Evans from Parker Lane Productions

Keegan Evans is a high energy content creator and educator based in Tampa, Florida. Along with his fiancé Nicole, they run Parker Lane Productions where they specialise in food and product photography and videography.

The aspiring filmmaker originally discovered his passion for food photography while running a waffle business. Getting hands on with marketing food products lead Keegan to discover that he enjoyed photographing waffles more than selling them so he pivoted to full-time content creation instead and hasn’t looked back.

As well as producing high end professional content for his clients, Keegan publishes educational material for other creators demonstrating ways to create from home using simple and accessible props. Keegan’s content is a great source of inspiration for many photographers and he helps those starting out on their creative journey by including accessible iPhone tips as well. Keegan is an inspiration to other creators and brings a great sense of creative camaraderie to the creative community.

Keep scrolling down to learn more about Keegan, soak up his creative energy and be inspired to create scroll stopping content too.

Meet Keegan Evans

Welcome Keegan! Tell us a bit about yourself.

Hi, I’m Keegan! I'm originally from Upstate NY but I'm currently living in the Tampa FL area. Here’s three fun facts about myself which you will learn have all shaped my journey in photography so far:

• I'm a huge movie fan.
• I'm engaged to my high school sweetheart.
• My fiancé and I used to own a High Protein Waffle Business

How did your journey to photography start? Have you always been a product photographer?

I first got into photography because I wanted to become a filmmaker. In college, I actually started using Photoshop before I even started photographing anything. The idea of composite images always intrigued me since my closest idea to them were movie posters.

Once I got a DSLR in my hands, I just wanted to shoot everything and anything to figure out what I loved. I shot weddings, senior portraits, sporting events, small business videos, and an occasional product photo.

When my fiancé and I started our waffle business in 2016, I began shooting more and more food out of necessity which led me into the niche of food and products.

What equipment do you currently use for your food and product photography?

I use a Canon R5 camera, mostly with my Canon RF 24-70 or my Canon 100mm macro lens. I shoot with strobes and with constant lights so you'll find me using anything from a Neewer TT560 to a Nanlite Forza500.

Can you tell us more about your lighting setup?

Strobes are still my favourite to use though continuous has been growing on me with how you can see it in real time. I just love the power you get from strobes. They are also a lot easier on eyes than super bright continuous lights.

Do you have any advice to share with other aspiring photographers?

Don't be afraid to copy as practice. Trying to recreate someone else's work is how you can push yourself to better your skills. If you're going to post it though, make sure you tag them as your inspiration!

Your behind the scenes videos on Instagram and TikTok are very popular, any advice for other creators wanting to produce this type of content?

Try to show the process as clearly as possible in a very short amount of time. I'm still learning each day what is performing well and its always changing. So don't be afraid to adapt your style a bit!

One of Keegan’s highest performing videos on TikTok with over 6.1M likes and 36.4M views, faking a beach with sand and water texture. Source: @keeganevansphoto

How do you keep learning and evolving your skills?

I wish I could spend more time learning! I've been so lucky to have so much work that I can't find the time to learn, but it's so important. At the moment, I use my TikToks as a way to teach myself new skills and push myself.

A learning resource I've always been a massive fan of is phlearn.com. It's how I originally learnt photoshop. I'm also a big fan of Joanie Simon from The Bite Shot on YouTube. She does a great job at breaking down scenes and lighting. Recently I've been keeping an eye on Haas House who has been sharing some amazing lighting and studio tips.

I also have so many creator friends that I find inspiration from. Kyle from @Kylenutt has become a great friend recently and we are always pushing each other. Oliver from @oliver_Howells is another who I'm constantly in touch with, sending images over to see what he thinks. Michael and Brittany from @haashouse_ and Elle and Arabela from @weekendcreative too…there are just too many to name!

What are your three favourite props to use?

• My Kotto Helping Hands bendy arms. I love how versatile they are to hold up all sorts of props.
• Atmosphere Spray. I LOVE adding some mood into an image and atmosphere spray is perfect for giving that cinematic, hazy look.
• My acrylic tray from Every Day Co. That 24" x 24" acrylic tray is the BEST. I absolutely love it for any sort of water photography. It also comes in handy when I'm trying to not make a massive mess.

Keegan making the most of two of his favourite props, atmosphere spray and his acrylic water tray from Every Day Co. Source: keeganevansphoto

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Lastly, we would love to know - what’s next for you?

I'm hoping to continue to become an educator in the space! I'd like to start limiting how many shoots I actually do and focus more on quality vs my quantity of output!

Thank you Keegan for sharing your journey with us and inspiring so many in our community. You can see the rest of Keegan’s work on his website and follow more of his behind the scenes on his Instagram and TikTok.