Name: David Morris

University:Windsor

Major: Economics

Favorite Quote: You don’t know what you don’t know

My favorite songs

1. 1.American Pie
   

2. 2.If I Had $1,000,000
   

3. 3.The Load-Out / Stay
   

My favorite links

1. •www.aimtechglobal.com
   

2. •www.morrisdigitalimaging.ca

Most would say I started my photography career in 1985, others would say it didn’t start until 1987, but in fact it start at birth. As a third generation photographer, I can still remember staging and lighting toys at the age of 7 or 8.

From 1987 to 1999, I built a studio with my father from nothing to an organization that employed 25 people in a 30,000ft facility. Our clients included JC Penney, Sears CDN and USA, Canadian Tire, Avon and an endless list of others.

Some day I may write a business book about Morris Studios, but until then, here are some of the highlights.

In 1990 I combined the new auto-focus Canon EOS 1, with the just released, Fuji Velvia 35mm E-6 slide film. The long story short, is this innovation changed the face of catalogue photography and distinguished Morris Studios from everyone else.

Sometimes not doing something is also a milestone. Through the 1990’s all of our competitors where spending time and money on digital photography. I started tracking the digital revolution in 1990-1991 and concluded that the technology was too new, too expensive and sacrificed quality. It was not until 2000 that the quality issues were resolved, but it’s just been recently that the cost barrier and reliability issues have been overcome.

In 1999 Morris Studios was the last independent commercial studio in Toronto. In 1987 there were 7 major commercial studios, many that were 50 years old or more. In ten short years the number was 3, Morris Studios and the corporate giants, Networks Studio owned by St Joseph’s Corp and Que Studios owned by Quebecor. On June 15 1999 we finally capitulated and sold to Networks Studio.

Morris Studios survived the most traumatic decade in photographic history through innovation, hard work, luck and the support of the best people in the business.

Today, I’m in the position to give something back to an industry that supported my family, my father’s family and my grandfather’s family since 1910. As noble as this sounds, I really just wish to participate in the dramatic resurgence in the Art called Photography.