KEVIN MORRIS
Who am I?
Who am I? I am Kevin Morris. I am a husband, a
father and friend. I am a business owner, a photographer and motorcycle
rider. I am a gamer, a black belt and an optimist. I have an Associate
Degree in Commercial and Industrial photography and am also a Certified
Professional Photographer through Professional Photographers of America.
In 2001 I partnered with two coworkers to become owners of Stouffer
Industries, an international company providing quality control devices
for photo-sensitive systems. Recently I achieved one of my life’s goals
of becoming a 1st degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do at the age of 57 and
am on the path to a 2nd degree belt by the time I reach 60.
Why do I do what I do?
Growing up I was lucky to be surrounded by a creative family. My mother
had a ceramic shop, my sister was an artist, and my brother was a
photographer, Dad, well, he was happy to be there to support us. Like
many little brothers, I idealized my big brother and got a camera in my
hands as soon as I could. Having a camera seemed right to me and by the
time high school came I had worked my way up a 35mm after going through
several 110 instamatics. What really paved the way of a life as a
photographer was taking action photos of my friends while they were
racing motocross. The excitement and anticipation of capturing that
perfect moment in time as the action was taking place on the racetrack
was addictive. Not only was I taking pictures of my friends I was also
racing but no one was taking pictures of me. There are very few images
of me racing and that is when I realized that I wanted to be sure others
would have good memories of them to look back on. It is that
realization that started my path in a career in the photo industry.
Photography classes and working for the high school newspaper helped
guide me into expanding my knowledge.
Going into college I had grand ideas of being a National Geographic
photographer and traveling the world. As it so often happens, plans
change. During the course of learning photography I found that I had a
passion for darkroom work and that lead me into a slightly different
career direction. Working in custom photo labs is what kept food on the
table and allowed me to still be close to the photography industry.
During the years of custom lab work I was also able to pursue several
different types of photography such as weddings, portrait, motocross and
one of my favorites, covering theater productions.
Being in the right place at the right time and knowing the right person
got me to where I am today. Being involved with Stouffer Industries has
allowed me to continue my passion for darkroom work along with the added
benefit of creating new products that help photographers, manufacturers
and medical facilities maintain high quality standards. The unique
working atmosphere at Stouffer’s also provides the time I need to
continue growing my photography.
What drives me?
Learning, improving, and striving to be better is what drives me.
Setting goals keep me looking forward. At Stouffer Industries my goal is
to continue growing the business while working into a partial
retirement over the next few years. Personally, achieving the next level
of black belt is an exciting prospect. Photographically, I have recently achieved my goal of becoming a Master of Photography through the Professional
Photographer’s of America’s degree program, passing the Certified
Professional Photographer exam was the first step toward obtaining that.
Fine art black and white photography is driving me to expand my
portfolio which, in turn, opens up my creativity. What drives me the
most, though, is being a good husband, father and friend.