Given this being my first blog post ever, I feel it is important to introduce myself.
My name is… Evan Tucker Gurman, CPA. Yes, you read that right… CPA...Certified Public Accountant. You are now asking yourself why in the world is a boring accountant dabbling in the creative world of photography. Two reasons. First, I have been doing photography long before accounting. I have been shooting photos semi-professionally for well over 15 years. I started when I was 13 as an assistant working for an excellent event photographer who was also a great mentor. Second, and most importantly, photography is my creative release from my very logical and procedurally-driven life as a CPA. The ying to my yang. So, I started my own photography business.
With accounting, there is usually only one right answer (or for my tax people, “it depends”). There is also very little room for creativity. Do not get me wrong - I can get very wild when creating excel spreadsheets. But, try getting “creative:” in accounting or tax and you will most likely end up on the front page of the New York Times for not so good reasons.
With photography, there is no such thing as a right answer. I can be as creative as my clients will allow me to be. Once I have built up a rapport with my clients and know that they are comfortable with me, I can really get the ball rolling. My creativity and personality enable me to capture beauty, emotion, leadership, desire, love, family, pride, and happiness all through my lens. I strive to always capture whatever the moment brings in my photos. That is what gets me excited about doing photography. I get to satisfy and excite people through my art.
The only intersection that brings the accounting and photography worlds together is the ability to work with people. If you ask anyone, my soft skills always trump my technical skills. That does not mean I suck at accounting as I do a decent job with it. However, if you were to put me in a room with random people I would have no issue building a connection with them. Knowing how to make that connection is a priceless skill I have and makes a world of a difference when it comes to taking their photos or doing their taxes.
The next question you are asking yourself is, “Can Evan do my taxes?” and the answer to that is no. I work a 9-5 job for most of the year, which, according to Fiveer’s new Superbowl commercial, makes photography my 5-9 (and weekend) job. Having the ability to do both accounting and photography creates that balance between my two worlds which works really well for me.
Enough about accounting and photography. Here are some other fun facts about me. I come from a very large Jewbano family (Cuban Jews). I am the oldest to three younger siblings, six if you include the three pitbulls my family has. I reside in Long Island City, but I am originally from Marlboro, New Jersey so I usually travel between the two depending on what is going on. After work, if I am not doing photography you can for sure find me at the gym. I am a huge nerd and absolutely love Star Wars, Marvel, Disney. If I have the time, I do enjoy playing video games with friends or watching Netflix. Usually, I take my coffee black, cold brew is amazing. Also a fan of IPAs.
I hope that gives you insight into who I am. Now, I am interested in learning about you. Feel free to reach out and contact me. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Maybe I can take your picture :)