Stephen Savage, Photographer and Short Film Producer, Fairhope

“I’ve had an amazing life, and every day is still wonderful,” says Stephen Savage.

Stephen Savage is a fixture in the Scenic 98 Coastal community. As an event photographer, you will run into Stephen at almost every Eastern Shore function. If not there, you’ll see him on Facebook or Instagram. His photos capture the good times and create memories. Stephen is a third-generation Washingtonian and grew up in DC. He earned his degree in Art History at George Washington University and tells me he has been working in photography since his 20s.

After college, he managed commercial buildings in Downtown DC, including the iconic Atlantic Building at 930 F Street.  It housed the coolest music club in the city, the 9:30 Club. “I was there most every night.”

“I started photographing bands, doing their album covers and promotional shots, and they started paying me. Even though film, prints, and developing were expensive for a young person with limited income, I began making enough money to afford to be a photographer.” He continued to study art history and worked as a part-time photographer to hone his craft.

Stephen worked in art museums in the DC area and became the Director of Special Events at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. There, he was responsible for parties and galas attended by senators, celebrities, business executives, and politicians. “Lots of politicians.” In 1989, he met Emily McMillan, an intern from Mobile, Alabama, who was living in Dallas, Texas.

Growing tired of the Big City life, he and Emily, now married, decided to move to Mobile in 1996. “We had been visiting here for five or so years, and I found the folks and the lifestyle here so interesting, much different than Washington DC.” The next year, Stephen opened the Savage Photo Lab and Gallery on Old Shell Road in Mobile.

“I’ve always had an interest in photographs and history. Moving to Alabama and leaving my comfort zone changed my perspective. Photography went from being a hobby to a full-time job.” He tells me that Savage Photo led him to become more of a mentor to young people. which was exciting for him. He offered an intern program and hosted photographic workshops. “Anyone interested in photography would stop by.”

That was back in the day of film processing. Savage Photo Lab and Gallery had a new show every six weeks. “Lots of photography.” Stephen has seen many changes in the industry and the economy. “After 9/11, there was a big dip in the economy, so I decided to close and sell the business. I sold just before photography moved to the digital world. I wouldn’t have been able to give my expensive equipment away if I had not sold when I did.”

Stephen taught the History of Photography at the University of South Alabama for several years and then for 20 years, taught  Photography and Art History at Springhill College. He is now in his 25th year of teaching a photography class at the Eastern Shore Art Center in Fairhope.  He earned his Master of Liberal Arts with a concentration in Fine Art Photography from Springhill.

“When you teach as long as I have, you have to stay current and on top of the game. I have had the privilege to study with nationally acclaimed photographers like Joyce Tennyson, Keith Carter, and Christopher James. That gave me the confidence that I could be a success as a photographer.”

His work has been featured in the Washington Post, the New York Times, and magazines including Garden & Gun, Oxford American, the Utne Reader, AARP, and Mobile Bay magazine. Nowadays, Stephen’s photographs are seen throughout the Scenic 98 Coastal area. “These days, much of my work is as an event photographer, and I enjoy it very much.”

He tells me he remembers the first event he organized. “I was 11 years old, and there was this house for sale where my friends gathered in the backyard, and we had a party celebrating the end of school for the summer. We drank Cokes and ate potato chips, and were living the good life, then we rode home on our bikes. I like being one of the people that makes the show go on.”

In DC, he worked for District Curators, Inc., a non-profit that put on big artistic events at places like the Kennedy Center and Warner Theater. He also managed bands. “It was event planning. It was a natural thing for me to become an event photographer. It’s always been a big part of my life.”

Locally, Stephen served three years as Executive Director of the Baldwin Humane Society and one year as Executive Director of the Center for the Living Arts, now the Alabama Contemporary Art Center, in Mobile, “When it was trying to figure out what it wanted to be,” he says. He is also a narrative short filmmaker (He’s not that short…) and has had four films shown at the Fairhope Film Festival.

Today, in addition to event photography, Stephen works with non-profit organizations and small businesses to help create promotional content. He’s currently working with St. James Episcopal School to help increase enrollment and publicize their message. The Hope Community Center is another fundraising project he is working on. The Hope Community wants to create a community garden and gathering place, to mentor and develop a workforce. 

I visited with Stephen at a recent book signing for Howell Raines' new book, The Silent Calvary, hosted by Walter Kirkland and Judy Culbreath at their home on Weeks Bay. “I received an invitation to attend, so I called Judy and said why don’t I take a few photos.” He did a promo film for Judy’s new book, Bedford Garden Club Originals, and has also photographed at the “house concerts” they hosted.

“I enjoy collaboration. I like working with people. I find the outcome is always better than the sum of its parts. My quote about making portraits is, ‘A portrait is a collaboration between the subject and the artist.’ My goal is to make the best photograph you’ve ever made..”

He is working on a retrospective of his work and says it’s about a year away from completion. “I hope to be ready for the Eastern Shore Art Center in 2025 and then to show elsewhere in the state. I am a Fellow in Photography from the Alabama Council on the Arts, and I think there will be interest in my show.”

About the Scenic 98 Coastal community, Stephen says, “It’s the charm. I didn’t grow up here, but I embraced the culture. It is the crawfish boils at the barn. It’s the Lighting of the Trees in Fairhope. It’s making a short film with Ann Dorman for Facebook’s Fairhope Now. My only concern is with all the growth, that we forget what’s here.”

He closes by saying, “I am very fortunate and grateful that people reach out to me to do their photography. I am very fortunate indeed.” Well said, Stephen. It was a pleasure to hear your story. We can’t wait to see your latest work!

https://www.facebook.com/savagephoto/

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