About Chris Morris
About
Funny story...
After earning my BFA in Graphic Design from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), I worked in the industry for about 10 years. During that time, I ended up doing a lot of photography for my clients and decided to go back to SCAD to learn more.
In 2012 I earned my MFA in Photography from SCAD. With this I was able to start teaching and working as a commercial advertising and editorial photographer. Shortly after graduating, I moved to São Paulo, Brazil and was fortunate to work with some of the biggest names in the music industry and professional athletes down there. I was also doing quite a bit of documentary photography because the culture is so vibrant. I felt compelled to capture as much of it as I could.
Even though Brazil has a special place in my heart, it was getting dangerous down there, so I decided to take advantage of an opportunity to come back to the States to teach photography in 2013, and moved to Knoxville, TN.
Tennessee has given me so many opportunities to grow as a professor, graphic designer, photographer and in the film industry. I was the principal photographer and graphic designer for National Fitness Center and Froyoz - and built my commercial base working with clients like Supra, Power Systems, and Draft Agency to name a few. In the film industry, I worked on more than 35 top television shows movies and commercials for networks like HGTV, TVOne, Investigation Discovery and more. I was also a professor at in the accredited photography program at Pellissippi State Community College and have grown my client base for my own Chris Morris School of Photography for over a decade.
Another fun fact...
After being accepted into the Masters program at SCAD, I met with Rebecca Nolan, the head of the Photography Department at SCAD. She asked me what I wanted to do in Photography and my naive response was, "I'm here to do a Masters Degree, so I want to be a Master." She shook her head and explained that it didn't work like that and I needed to find a niche. I didn't agree so I did everything in my power to achieve my goal. I did all of my electives in the film department to enhance my knowledge of lighting and process, spent an extra year in the program and earned my Master Degree. I felt I had achieved my goal and just needed experience at that point.
After a couple of years of working in the industry, I finally realized what Rebecca Nolan was talking about. Niching down was a necessity in the industry to be able to showcase a portfolio of work that you really specialize in so your client considers you a "Master" of what they are looking for and will happily pay your fees to get results you have demonstrated you are an expert in.