Today we’d like to introduce you to Carolin Morgan.
Carolin, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Hi everyone! My name is Carolin Morgan and I am a professional photographer. I am originally from Prague, Czech Republic, but right now, I am living my second year abroad. Leaving home was a big step for me but I love new experiences and I always feel the need to move forward. Otherwise, I would feel stuck; that’s why I decided to move abroad and I am really enjoying it!
When I was little, I changed my mind hundreds of times about what profession I would like to do, but I have always been drawn me to arts. I specialized in photography and received a degree from an art school in Prague. Student years were hard for me because I paid for my education and rent by myself, but on the other hand, it taught me to work hard and go for what I want. And of course, I never forgot to have fun too. At my studies, I went through all genres of photography – landscape, documentary, advertisement, etc. and most of all, I enjoyed capturing women’s beauty. It does not matter if I am photographing beauty, fashion, glamour or nudes. I love the femininity, elegance, curves of women’s bodies, provocation and controversy.
It’s hard to be a freelancer and make a decent amount of money. At the beginning, I tried photographing weddings and events, but it didn’t fulfill me, so instead, I chose to accept lower budget commercial and fashion photoshoots – they were more true to my passion and in time my client base grew. I remember the day when one fashion magazine published my photographs for the first time – I felt so proud and I knew that all the hard work was definitely worth it.
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?
I would not say it has been a smooth road, but one of my close friends once told me, “Good things takes time”. It’s not easy to be a successful photographer, especially nowadays, when everyone who has a DSLR camera and social media accounts calls themselves a photographer. But that is okay, there is competition in every business. If you are consistent, passionate and put a lot of effort into what you are doing, you’ll be rewarded. Plus, when you are in this industry for some time, you’ll start to connect with other creative people and work on projects together – I was surrounded by good people.
In my early teenage years, I met a girl named Koki. She is a renaissance-type of person. She is a great model, makeup artist, photographer and, as a bonus, she has an awesome personality. When I needed someone for my photoshoots, but could not afford a professional, she was there for me and I did the same for her. We helped each other grow and find better clients. And she was not the only one – I met a lot of young people who just started with their own small businesses and asked me if I can work TFP (time for prints) or take photos of their products and then keep some of them instead of being paid.
I think my origin story is like many other young artists – a career that begins by trading skills, working for lower pay and completing internships for bigger names in order to collect broader experiences and knowledge before branching out on their own.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
In my opinion, in photography it is very important to find your own unique style. Since the beginning, I knew I preferred to photograph people rather than a bowl of fruit. Over time, I have really worked out my style. Of course, I am influenced by my favorite photographers like Helmut Newton, Patrick Demarchelier or Antonin Kratochvil, but I still put my signature style into my photographs.
I work on every aspect, every detail. I am also very flexible. When I am working on something for my clients, I really try to understand what is their idea and what message is supposed to be delivered. But when I am working on my own projects, it is different. My work might evoke a variety of feelings – excitement, curiosity, controversy… but I still want to keep it on a professional level.
I like watching people’s reactions when they see my work. It is hard to answer the question of what I am most proud of. I feel very proud every time I see that clients are happy with the results or even when I see my shots published or printed somewhere. I also enjoy hearing someone speak about my work.
A few years ago, the city of Prague created a project called “Art for the Public.” The city chose a selection of artwork created by local artists and printed it on a billboard, advertising spaces and at public transportation sites throughout the city. I was so excited to learn that my photograph was one of the selected pieces. It was incredible to travel throughout the city, see my photograph on a huge billboard or on the walls of the metro and overhear people discussing my photograph – I knew it caught their attention.
What were you like growing up?
During my childhood most of the time, it was just me and my mom, so I learned how to be very independent and self-sufficient. When I was six years old my mom accepted a great job offer in Germany and we lived there for a while. Even back then, I liked to learn the differences between cultures. That is one of the reasons that brought me here to the U.S. I have to admire that every time I travel I prefer to eat street food, hang out with locals and explore hidden gems rather than be transported from airport to the hotel resort, because in my opinion that is the best way to really know the place I am visiting.
In the last few years, I have tried many new adventures: skydiving, long road trips with friends, wilderness camping and cliff diving. Besides that, I am a huge fan of snowboarding. I would say it is my favorite sport. I also ride on a skateboard and, since I am in California, I had to try surfing as well. Simply, I love exploring and learning about pretty much everything. Just this month, I started guitar lessons.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.behance.net/CarolinMorgan
- Email: carolinmorganphotography@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carolin_morgan/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carolinmorganphotography/
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