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.

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.

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 am working to become 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.