Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Moreland.
Mike, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
It all started when my father returned from a business trip to the Bahamas in 1970 and he brought back a 35mm camera. We had been a Polaroid camera family up until this point. I made it my mission to teach myself how to use this camera and as a result, I fell in love with photography. From there I started working at a local camera store at age 16 and was on my high school’s yearbook staff. After one year at a local college, I move to Santa Barbara to attend Brooks Institute of Photography where I graduated in 1982. I started out as a freelance assistant to multiple commercial / advertising photographers for the next 2 1/2 years before I gradually started my own photography business in 1986. I worked in commercial photography for the next ten years shooting corporate assignments but most architectural interior shoots for national magazines. Then a very good friend of mine told me she had ovarian cancer. She was a wedding photographer at the time and even though I had never photographed a wedding, I told her that I would photograph all of her weddings until she got well. This is how I got into photographing weddings. From that point, I concentrated on photographing weddings and telling a story about the bride and groom’s I photographed. My friend recovered and is doing well, we are photographing an assignment together in Ft. Worth TX in June of 2017. I became a lifetime photographer for many of bride and grooms by photographing their families. Today on four acres of property is my home and a barn that we turned into a photography studio. I also started a photography workshop business called Creative Edge Photography Workshops where we have hands-on shooting workshops and I also have online and coaching options.
Has it been a smooth road?
I think technology has changed photography more than any other career I can think of. The digital photography revolution has changed our industry so much from the days when I shot film. I love digital for the creativity it offers from shooting to retouching to design. However, in the film days I was only photographer and sent my film to my lab and then I delivered the final product to my clients. Now a photographer is also the lab and you can be married to your computer. So you have learned to outsource these to have a life. I love shooting and doing the final creative enhancements to my favorite images but I have other people edit, color correct and design for me.
What’s the hardest part of your job?
Marketing is a huge part of our job and it is always challenging reaching our ideal client.
How do you define success?
My business success is to see my business constantly growing at a very steady rate with clients that constantly spending more money. So I am doing fewer jobs and making more money.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
As of October 1st, I will be the owner of a national photography workshop directory business. So not only will I be expanding my photography workshop business and adding e-commerce products but I will marketing other photographer’s workshops and e-commerce products.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.morelandphoto.com
- Phone: 770-993-6059
- Email: mike@morelandphoto.com
- Instagram: @mikemorelandphotography @morelandphotographyweddings @morelandphotoseniors
- Facebook: MorelandPhoto Morelandphotoseniors Creativeedgeworkshops
