Meet Tayloer Morgan | Photographer & Travel Enthusiast

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tayloer Morgan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tayloer, how do you think about risk?

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.
As a creative, many times it can feel like we are on the back end of success or greatness. Most of that, I think, is due to society programming us and our parents to believe that you have to be a doctor or engineer to be success when that’s far from the truth. You can be successful following your passions and giving 100 percent to your craft.  There is no path to greatness or success without a vision and a plan. I never let anyone else’s ideas of me keep me from my idea of myself. At the end of the day, it’s you who makes your dream a reality. Even in hard times, moments of doubt or pushback, you have to put yourself in an all or nothing space in a sense. For me, it’s all or nothing everytime I walk into a studio or prepare to capture a session. “Proper preparation prevents poor performance” or as many would say “If you stay ready, you never have to get ready.”  I believe that deep down if you are passionate about something and want to achieve it bad enough, you will put all you have into it everytime the opportunity present itself.  I am most proud of my journey to getting here and seeing that I didnt have to be stuck as a bartender knowing I wasn’t fulfilled. I took the time and invested in myself and my education to get where I am.  Learning never stops when it comes to me or my photography.   The work I am doing now is only the beginning as my list of goals and dream clients are always top of mind. Tell yourself why you’re doing what you do everyday, allowing yourself to manifest the life that you want on a daily basis; not just when you think an opportunity is on its way. People will see that you are serious about craft when you show them with your presence and work ethic. It’s not always pretty, so don’t worry if it gets a little dirty.  What will separate you from the others is your drive to keep going. I have had moments throughout this journey that have made me question myself and if what I was doing was “the right thing.”  It is ok to wonder and it’s ok to question what you’re doing.   But in questioning yourself or the route you’re taking, always be kind to yourself during those self talks and embrace self love. How you embody and carry yourself will give others insight on how they should go about treating you. If you aren’t doubting your greatness, no one else who matters to you will have space to doubt you either. Your circle matters; we can’t do everything alone. I can say from experience that when you try to do it all yourself you burn out and hinder yourself from achieving great things. Have a team or people who you trust that have your back and best interest at heart (they want to see you win).

Lessons I learned during my journey most importantly is, there is only one you. One mind like yours, one vision that is yours. Yes there are other photographers around the world but none of them are ME. The way I see things and my perspective is mine and no one can express or show that but me. Believe in your mind and your vision to the fullest because there is no one else in the world who can express you better than you. Another lesson I learned along this journey that I’m still practicing is not to compare myself and my work to others. There are so many talented minds out there that it can be overwhelming at times with social media and society telling us what the “standard” is or what “beauty and greatness” are. If you believe you are powerful you are. If you believe you are great then you are. Trust in your vision and your greatness so that when the world catches up and realizes how great, powerful and beautiful you are you can thank them for joining you on the ride. Don’t wait for someone else to speak power into you or into your life, speak it for yourself!

I’d like the world to know that I went the path instilled upon me to get good grades, go to a good school and get a good job as many of us have been told. I embrace and create the visions I see in my mind for myself and  am loving it. I am a self taught traveling photographer who pursued this craft even when it wasn’t viewed as a way for me to be successful or sustainable.  I’ve surrounded myself with art, music and fashion because those are things I loved and could never bring myself to step away from. In the past year alone, I have stepped out on faith with my dream and the ride has been amazing. I continually invest in and educate myself on the business of photography and recently hosted my first content day in California.  Step outside of the box and go after the things you have always wanted to do.  Be different, be bold and embrace what makes you who you are and love every part of you. I am here to INVADE the mind of those around me through my work, one creative perspective at a time. Traveling has taught me that beauty comes in many forms from nature to food, etc. I’d like my work to be seen as a reflection of my creative perspective and for it to stick with someone they same way their food and places they fall in love with do.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Well being from Atlanta, I am obsessed with the arts so one of the first places would be the High Museum of Art. I spend a lot of time visiting art exhibits,  going to art shows and events all over the city. Ponce City Market would be a stop with there being so much food and beverage options in one place how could we not visit there. We would walk as far as we could before the drinks kicked in on the beltline starting at PCM. I would take them to the Highland Bakery for breakfast, Bar Taco for lunch and my moms for dinner, of course. Oddly I must say many of my favorite places I discovered while traveling. So I’d try to talk my best friend into traveling for a week. I find things I like to eat at restaurants and stick to them, lol. If it’s not broke don’t fix it. We would spend most of our week adventuring and exploring places like Tallulah Gorge, Arabia Mountain and Providence Canyon. We would do some off-roading as I am a JeepHer and it’s a must. A day trip to Cloudland Canyon followed by a tiny house stay would be amazing. My friends are amazing and we love the little things; sitting by the fire in fall, eating amazing food and VP’s chocolate chip cookies that she makes from scratch regularly! It wouldn’t be a full adventure without a game night turned sleep over, opting out of a night on town for endless wine games and movies followed by brunch the next day at Kaleidoscope.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are a few people I would like to dedicate this to. The first of them being my Mom for always being open to accompany me in my travels on the pursuit of my photography and fashion passions. I had moments in college where I didn’t want to put anymore time into furthering my education because I knew fashion and photography was the circle for me. My dad helped push and keep me grounded in finishing what you start. In a sense, don’t halfway do something if you want to see the benefits of all the hard work put in when you finish.  It’s ok to take a break, as long as you aren’t giving up on yourself and the dream. I would also like to thank my friend Victoria Derbecker (V.P as I call her). She came into my life at a time where I needed her and didnt know it. In a sense I feel like we needed each other and the universe put us in a space to help one another grow towards the things that made us happy. She played a big part in my finding myself as a photographer and taking risk with me. Traveling to the middle of nowhere to pose as my model, adventuring through a huge park and leaving covered in ticks (we laugh about that often). Along our journey she has stepped into motherhood, pursuing her goal of being a children’s author and continuous personal growth. I call her my Muse which can be seen in many of my earlier works. I appreciate her always being “down for the cause” when it came to my pursuit of photography and working out ideas and concepts I had stuck in my head. It’s not everyday that someone in your corner supports and believes in a vision that not everyone gets or believes in. I’m very thankful for her and her family for allowing me the time to spend with her, to create and build our passions together. We all need people in our corners who will be honest with us and supports us even when we doubt our power to be great. I’m thankful for family and friends who have supported me, listened to my dreams and supported my business over the years.

Website: www.taylrdimages.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/taylrdimages

Image Credits
Ty Pleas and Michelle Harris