We recently connected with Norris Moorehead and have shared our conversation below.

Norris, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I taught myself most of what I know. Whether it be through online tutorial videos helping me understand my equipments capabilities, as well as learning on the go while stepping out of my comfort zone accepting opportunities I’d typically turn down. I think it would have been very beneficial for me in the beginning to find structured courses breaking down the photography business.

To me, paying close attention to detail while staying hungry to learn something new every time you use your equipment are the most essential skills.

In this business I’ve noticed not everyone is eager to help you. In the beginning there were many people who laughed at my initial investment to purchase a DSLR camera. Seemed like everyone I asked at that time would tell me to figure it out on my own. That was a big obstacle for me to overcome. After that I started to peel back every single layer of my camera and editing platforms, truly helping me understand the language and functionality of each feature.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My photography journey started in 2012, with simply an iPhone. At the time, my friends and I had a clothing brand we wanted to promoter on social media. I took the initiative on our marketing strategies. as we all know and understand how powerful the cameras are that come with cell phones these days, and began to capture all of our content. Shortly after that enough people inquired about photography shoots with me, that I began to consider investing in a DSLR camera. I started on the low end with an entry level camera and it seemed like every 12 months I was upgrading my camera and lens. In my 3rd year I decided to buy a drone, and that’s when everything changed. The photos were amazing and it gave me a different perspective on everything. The video footage from the drone was soo good, I decided to learn how to edit videos. At that moment I realized that photography and videography may seem more similar than they actually are, in fact videography is a whole different world and I was very anxious to figure this skill out. I became obsessed with anything they helped me get better flying the drone and editing the videos. More and more opportunities came to work for people, so with that came the confidence to start taking all of these things serious. There is a great deal of discipline involved, staying committed to your craft, figuring out what styles work best for you, while saving all funds to upgrade equipment.

While the clothing brand with my friends didn’t seem to pan out, I never lost the passion to create clothes. With my photography business taking off, I decided to start making clothing with my logo that I could wear while working. People began to inquire, so I started to fill orders. It started with hoodies, custom embroidery on shoes, custom shirts and jeans. Each time someone asked me for something I hadn’t made before, I’d do as much research as possible trying to find the highest quality and most cost efficient product, which was now helping me build up my partnerships with production companies.

A lot of my clients have been from word of mouth and social media. I love that because it feels more organic to me. I don’t have a big name backing me or maybe the schooling credentials to have helped get me in the game. I connect with everyday people, helping them bring their ideas to reality. I’ve always been considered a visionary, so as I’ve grown with my craft I understand exactly how and where to help. Most of the time with photography, it’s just helping the client relax and feel comfortable. I pride myself on that.

Right now I think I’m most proud of the overall journey. In 2011 had you told me I’d be in this position because of photography, I would have laughed at you. But seeing as tho this skill has taken me all over the world on different occasions capturing moments for myself and others, I’ve truly embraced every single detail of my journey and it drives me to this day to get better.

Overall I want people to understand my main goal with my brand is to inspire others. I want everyone to know that each detail in my work had a reason, ultimately giving it life and longevity in my opinion. I’ve adapted the rose as one of my logos. For me it symbolizes beauty, love, passion, and courage. I’ve always been drawn to the “rose that grew from concrete” symbolism. For me, that represents the ability to turn a negative into a positive.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I’d say once I started to travel more, and capture more of this world that my mission became to travel as much as possible taking on all these new experiences. Each time I’ve left the country I’ve gained such a different outlook on life. I’ve learned How to communicate with people when you don’t speak the same language. Capturing the most natural aspects of this life, providing a window for those who may never get to see these places 1st hand. More inspiration.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I’ve built up my core audience online with consistency. That is huge is this business. You have to find ways to stay relevant or people will forget what it is you actually do. I’d strategize and research other successful people to understand exactly what works for them. Not everything is a copy and paste type of learning experience. For most of these I’d take one or two elements and add it to my process. The biggest thing for me was to realize I had to take full advantage of these free platforms. When you think in those terms, what do you have to lose? I posted a lot more then than I do now. In the beginning I was eager to find my style, or what it is people expected from me. Now I know right away what the most impactful project will be and I build buzz around that. I post less now but it’s more intentional and impactful. There is a mystique about my brand that I absolutely love. People don’t know when content is coming now, but they trust that it is my highest quality and are excited to comment and share.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.noirxxxi.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/kingnoir31?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/noirxxxi?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Image Credits
Norris Moorehead