Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Moreland.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Mike. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
I always loved photography but thought I needed to be practical with my career, so I applied to two colleges during my senior year of high school. Mercer University in Macon where I planned to pursue Accounting. Then I applied to Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara California as my plan B. After one semester of accounting at Mercer I knew that accounting was not for me. There had been a year waiting list to get into Brooks Institute, so I finished up a year of college at Mercer and then headed to Santa Barbara.
Six months later I flew back home for my brother’s wedding, and my father told me that he was not going to be able to pay for my school any longer because of my mother’s huge medical bills. He wanted me to come back home and then we could save up money and go back later. I knew if I came back home, I would never get back to Brooks so I flew back to Santa Barbara and dropped out of school for one semester, got a job at French Restaurant and applied to every grant I could find. Brooks was a very expensive private school, but I paid my way through school, and that is the reason I am where I am today.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Technology has changed photography in so many ways. I do not know of any other profession that has changed as much from technology then photography has in the past 15 years. On the technology side, you have to be in tune to all of the changes and adapt.
The digital world has been incredible for the creative side of photography however in the film days a photographer was a photographer. Now a photographer is a photographer, a lab, an editor, a retouching expert, a computer technician, a marketing director, and a sales manager.
In the film days, a photographer would photograph a job, take it to the lab and then deliver it to the client. Very different today. Due to the technology in cameras, lenses, printers and overall technology, there is a giant flood of photographers in the industry.
20 years ago a good photographer made a great living just from word of mouth, but today you have to constantly be marketing. The creativity that is possible today in photography has no ceiling.
We are able to create amazing creative images that would have been impossible or extremely expensive in the film days. Yes, technology has been a struggle but so worth it as an artist.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Moreland Photography story. Tell us more about the business.
Moreland Photography is a full-service portrait studio located in Roswell GA. We create custom photo shoots for our clients by having consultations with them before a shoot to plan an incredible experience for them. Being a storyteller, I want to know all about my clients so we can tell their story with our images. It could be a high school senior that is involved in sports, music or has a specific hobby.
They may want to be a model for the day with a hair and makeup artist and a stylist on the shoot, or they may want relaxed, casual outdoor images or urban style images in the city. It may have a maternity client that wants something different, and we set up an underwater photo shoot where we create magical images of them underwater with flowing fabric.
They may want some beautiful nature portraits outdoors by a 25′ waterfall, maybe images at the beach at sunset or fine art black and white studio images. We may have a family that wants new family portrait for their home, but not stiff posies images. Their goals may be some large canvas portraits to hang in their home or a coffee table book.
We may go to their lake because they have a boat and this is where they spend most of their time; we may plan a Fall shoot with beautiful fall colors or a lifestyle shoot to capture real moments. For all of our clients, we plan custom shoots designed specifically to them and carefully choose the locations, discuss clothing, props and the goals from the shoot.
At every shoot, I have at least one assistant with me that is sometimes there as a stylist to make sure everybody looks great, other times they are may be helping me set up our studio lighting outdoors, or they could be the wind flowing out the fabric.
Our clients are drawn to the lighting in our images, to our creativity, to our storytelling images, to the amazing experience we create for our clients and to our unique and high-quality products we offer to each client.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I really do not see luck having any role in my business. It has been about having a career doing something I love and driven to be the best I can be.
Contact Info:
- Address: 11835 Mountain Park Road, Roswell GA 30075
- Website: www.morelandphoto.com
- Phone: 770-993-6059
- Email: mike@morelandphoto.com
- Instagram: Moreland Photography
- Facebook: Moreland Photography
- Twitter: Moreland Photography
- Yelp: Moreland Photography
- Other: Moreland Photography
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