About Scott Newton

I’m a 70 yr old self-taught photographer living in Austin, TX. I’ve been here since 1970, having transferred to The University of Texas from a long succession of all the places that having a US Air Force Fighter Pilot Father will take you... I was raised on, or near, Air Force bases all over the world. There were millions of us. We grew up seeing the world as a largely American place. We were as cosmopolitan, with a worldwide viewpoint, as any generation of Americans, up to then were. I can spot a fellow service brat in a crowd. Its a select club. I was, and still am, one of them.

Having seen a lot of the world growing up, I knew home when I finally found it in Austin. I graduated UT in 1972 with a degree in English Llt. After that, in 1973, I figured out I was a photographer and started taking pictures for a living. I eased into it, with no training, just shooting anything that excited my interest. Essentially, I just picked up a camera and started documenting my life and the life of my city.

I got married, had three sons, and found work shooting musicians and politicians. Politically, I only photographed Democrats, and was pretty good at it, but unfortunately Texas stopped electing Democrats in 1992. The musicians, however, kept on coming. I worked as a freelancer throughout the 70s; for several years (‘77-’82) was the house photographer at the Austin Opera House (owned by Willie Nelson) with my darkroom in the building.

That turned into a gig as the still photographer at Austin City Limits (the PBS TV show) in 1979, 40 years ago. I’m still doing that. We’re now taping season 45; I started on Season 5.

Now, as I write this, it is July 9, 2019. I just turned 70 this year. I’ve been shooting, gig after gig, never advertising or hustling work, shooting for whomever knew to hire me. It has been a great life...

Now it is time to gather up the shots that have piled up behind me and show them to y’all. That’s what this website is. First, I’ll show mainly music stuff, then as my scanner chews through all that film from all those years, everything I think you might like to see. Music, politics, Nature, portraits, Family, personal art, anything my camera liked over 5 decades..

Hope you enjoy.....the site is a work in progress.

This site is dedicated to my partner of 9 years, Suzy Valentine.