We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Andrea Morris a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Andrea , appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

Photography is a unique medium in that it visually tells a story without using a single word. When you become a photographer, you get to choose the story you want to tell. For some, it’s weddings. For others, it’s fashion. For me, it’s the story behind small businesses.

In my viewpoint, small businesses are the heart of the community, and each business has a special story to share. Business owners are highly resilient people who invest in their community and staff, overcome daily obstacles, and bring a spirit to their community that is invaluable. My passion lies in using my photography to highlight these small businesses. Whether it is photographing an artist working in their studio or a bartender behind the bar, I love to use my photography to help tell their stories.

Andrea , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

When I was 18 years old, my photography journey began – thanks to my cousin sharing her love of photography (and my best friend’s brother selling me a DSLR at a killer rate). As with most photographers, my path started out as a hobby based on pure experimentation. From photographing flowers in my mom’s garden to my college friends in the park, it took over a decade to figure out the areas that fueled my passion the most. Plot twist – this existential question never goes away in a creative career!

My journey was also unique in that I did not go to school for photography. I studied special education and was an educator for seven years – photography was my outlet and my extra funding in the summer. When my husband and I moved across the country to Portland, OR, I began my next chapter in life as a full-time photographer.

I am the owner of Apis (like the bee!) Photography and I provide photography services to small businesses and entrepreneurs. With the photography needs of small businesses varying greatly, this can include lifestyle, branding, portrait, food and drink, product, and retail space photography. My purpose is to be a “fly on the wall.” The work of small businesses speaks for itself – my job is to capture it.

With my photography journey being nontraditional, I feel most proud of being self-taught. To clarify – since the word “self-taught” implies that I did this all on my own and I did not – I am proud of my tenacity and my persistence in fine-tuning my craft. Having said that, I am eternally grateful for the amount of badass photographers and artists in my life who have played a key role in shaping me.

My hot take – it’s never too late to start a new path.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

My biggest lesson that I had to unlearn is that entrepreneurs have everything figured out. Another hot take – we don’t!

For the longest time, my best friend was encouraging me to take on photography full-time. I would always quickly respond with “I didn’t go to school for this” or “what if I fail.”

I had to learn (and I am still learning) that you do not become a pro overnight in any creative field. Growth is a beautiful process – trust it. At the end of every work day, I ask myself the question “are you happy with the work you produced today?”. If so, then you are doing it right. It may not be the “pro” vision in your mind, but you are producing quality work for your current stage in your creative journey – and that is progress.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

My best source of new clients is client referrals. My clients are magic! I think part of being a small business owner is operating under the core tenet of “we work better when we work as a community.” My clients have been incredibly generous in passing my name to other business owners and/or connections, and I strive to do the same for them.

Contact Info:

• Website: apisphotography.org
• Instagram: @apis.photography

Image Credits
Image 1 – Rachel Austin Art Image, 2 – Graphic Anthology, Image 3 – Dame Collective, Image 4  – Blank Slate, Image 5 – DianaBe, Image 6  – Thicket, Image 7  – Khao Moo Dang, and Image 8 – Rukdiew