Looking Back at the Year that was...and Looking Forward to the Year ahead!

Jan 01, 2021

For those new to the "family", let me tell you a little about my myself, my work, and our mission.  I live, work, and play on a small barrier island called Mustang Island in Texas, in the community of Port Aransas, and here I am able to combine my love for the outdoors, and my passion behind the camera, with seemingly endless beaches, wildlife, and a beginning and end to the day punctuated by the rising or setting sun.  It simply doesn't get better than this. My work is focused on one primary goal, and that is that every photo that I take captures the mood at that moment in time; a mood that changes just like the seasons, the light, the tides, the time of day…ever-changing.   Another important part of my style is that I carefully craft a narrative combining my words and an appropriate quote that seeks to tell the story of how the image came about, and what it means to me, and hopefully serves to enlighten and inspire a growing and interactive social media viewership; you will also see the same written imagery in the "full description and specifications" that is provided with the vast majority of my work on my website, as shown below. 

If there is one thing that I strive for, it is to form a connection with the people that view my work.  Social media has provided me with an outlet where I have the pleasure of creating and sharing a combination of images and the written word that often resonates strongly with a viewer of my work, and is often cited as the reason a client selected a specific photo.  By following me on Facebook or Instagram you will have the opportunity to start your new day with a photo most likely captured the day I posted it.  Often times my photo and the accompanying narrative and quote will resonate so strongly with a viewer, evoking strong memories of time spent with loved ones on the coast that they reach out and inquire if it is available for sale as they recall and relive these special times.  That shot that moves you in that way may not yet be on the website, but I assure you that a daily "virtual visit" will nourish the soul in these trying times!   Facebook Follower CLB comments - "Mr Morris, your God-inspired photography speaks to our hearts!! I too love the coast...love listening to the waves, walking the beaches, watching the sunrises and sunsets, collecting my seashells and rocks... enjoying God's beautiful world. Thank you for blessing us with your phenomenal photos!!"

The photo below "Follow Your Path" seems to sum up my journey thus far, from fisherman, to fireman...and somehow along the way photographer.

Soft Beginnings". As I pulled up, instead of setting up on the crossover, my plans were altered for the next 10 or 15 minutes as I worked from the tide line, ultimately capturing several really nice shots looking both up and down the beach. It was a morning of mostly understated and subtle beauty, as I pivoted back and forth as the colors and clouds continually changed. But as I wrapped up, very happy with the morning, I watched a rainbow form and it looked like it might intersect with the path through the dune. Sure enough, as I followed the path back to the base of the dune crossover, the rainbow arrived right where I'd hoped it might. This leads me to think about how I arrived at this chapter of my life...what circuitous path had I been following? A love for the coast dates back over 50 years, growing up on the west coast, working on fishing boats, then 30 years spent in the fire service, working in California, Florida, Italy, and finally Texas...always on the coast. Somewhere along the line I picked up a camera, though became serious about it only in the last few years after retirement in December 2016. Now I find myself not just drawn to the art of photography, where capturing the image is the goal; but maybe more importantly, also trying to present a lesson through a combination of my thoughts and a quote that dovetails with the image, my words...and my mood at the moment. What is your path...have you arrived yet? 

"If the path be beautiful, let us not ask where it leads."~ Anatole France "If you follow your bliss you will find a path laid out before you that has been waiting for you all along and you will begin to live the life you ought to be living."

~ Joseph Campbell 

Port Aransas, Texas

Looking forward to 2021, we hope to see in-person shows reopen, and are looking forward to additional opportunities to show my work to broader audiences.  Of course if you are in Port Aransas, my work is currently available at the Port Aransas Art Center, Lisa Mayo Interiors & Lifestyle Boutique, and beginning in January 2021 my work will be featured Irie's Island Food.  Most exciting is an effort to publish my first book that will be a combination of a coffee table book that highlights my photos, but will also capitalize on the broad appeal of the inspirational and uplifting element of my writing...more to follow as this develops!

As I look back at the year that has passed, crazy, and at times heartbreaking, I truly feel blessed.  We launched a business as a worldwide pandemic began, not what I would call great timing, but through it all we have persevered, and in times of lockdowns, social distancing, and all the rest, I had something to stay focused on as Donata and I built our business against all odds.  My near-daily social media posts have become hugely popular, and have provided virtual visits to thousands of followers also homebound over the past months.  I was often energized by the many responses such as "Thank you so much for the good memories. When we were feeling sad you gave us those beautiful images that made us smile..."  The daily posts have served as a catharsis, being able to share a piece of myself in the midst of all that has occurred.