We had the good fortune of connecting with Jamie Morris and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Jamie, why did you pursue a creative career?
I grew up playing sports and my dad was always on the sideline with a camera. I loved seeing the photos he took of me playing sports and my teammates always raved about getting new pictures. As I got into my full-time job as an athletic trainer, I loved incorporating my hobby into my daily life. I would bring my camera to practices and games. My athletes got so much excitement getting photos and immediately shared with their parents. I had parents messaging me, thanking me for capturing a part of their child’s life, it was a memory they would cherish forever. This grew into taking graduation portraits for my athletes as another keepsake and as I grew comfortable, I was having sessions with people outside of my athletes. It brings me joy to watch people feel confident in themselves even while going outside of their comfort zones. In sports photography, I love to catch the emotions of athletes and capturing memories for people that will represent some of the best years of their life.
Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am actually a full-time athletic trainer at a Division II university in the upstate of South Carolina. Being an athletic trainer, it helped me get more involved with photography and start making it another career path. I would take my camera to practices and games of the sports I was covering to get more comfortable. My athletes would post the pictures I took to social media and tag me, which helped get my name out. I started doing portrait photography with athletes taking graduation portraits and this eventually turned into taking on clients I did not already know. As an athletic trainer, I am with athletes daily and with them every step of the way before, during, and after an injury. Being able to capture an athletes first time back on the field or court is indescribable. Being able to catch their raw emotions after scoring their first goal or celebrating with their teammates brings me joy.
At first, I was only comfortable taking photos in a certain light in, at certain time of day, which limited me and the time I had to accept new clients. As I gained more confidence and seeing the positive reactions of clients when they received photos, I was able to take on more and push myself. I like to keep my images natural and close to reality to truly capture the memory.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
So many options! In Greenville, I would start our morning visiting Vintage Coffee Shop for breakfast, before heading downtown to walk along the Reedy River and Falls Park. I would take us shopping down Main Street. For lunch, I would go to Cantina 76, where the Dirty Queso and margaritas are a must. Any guest that comes to visit, I always take by Rustic II Refined for home decor shopping. They are the friendliest staff and have the best selection. If wanting to stay out of downtown in the afternoon, I would take us to either City Scape Winery or Warehouse at Vaughns in Simpsonville to hang out. You can enjoy drinks, snacks, and live music. My absolute favorite restaurant to have dinner is Stella’s Bistro. You always have to start with the Southern Platter.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The biggest shoutout goes to my dad. He gifted me my first beginner camera and taught me the basics of photography. He came to all of my soccer games growing up and took pictures of me and my teammates. He was also a rugby coach and while coaching, he walked around with his camera. It inspired me to incorporate what makes me happy into everyday life and not just when I have free time.
Website: https://jamieneilphotos.mypixieset.com/
Instagram: jamieneilphotos