Morrison D’mello is a 27-year-old, young commercial photographer from Pilerne. He runs his own studio called MdClicks studio, which is located in Porvorim. As a child, Morrison had a very strong interest in drawing and painting. He loved to make sketches and experiment with various types of paints.
The Start Of His Journey
Morrison took to photography in 2013 because of Instagram. He started taking pictures of things around him using his phone and used to share the pictures on his Instagram page. In order to improve his photography skills, he started learning more about photography on YouTube. “I started learning more about photography by watching YouTube videos on topics such as the basic composition of photos, angles, etc.”, he says. From 2013 to 2017, Morrison used to use his phone to take pictures and edit them. In 2017, he bought his first DSLR camera. Later, he joined a photography course at Stenodac Academy of Professional Photography in Panjim, where he learnt photography under the guidance of Professional Photographer Alerio Saldhana.
Honing His Skills
While pursuing his photography course, Morrison also attended photography workshops. “It’s always fun to learn more about photography”, he says. At a photography workshop which he attended in Ponda, he got an opportunity to meet Prasad Pankar, a very famous Goan photographer and the founder of CMYK Academy of Photography. After this, he did three more workshops at CMYK Academy. These workshops were on Photoshop and Lightroom, fashion photography and lighting, and product and table-top photography.
The Beginning Of His Career
Morrison started working as a freelance photographer in 2017. His first shoot was a painting for an e-commerce website. After that, he ventured into nightlife photography in clubs and event photography. In 2019, after attending a few more workshops, he started working as a freelance photographer for a major company in India. He used to do photoshoots of the interiors of various hotels and also holiday photoshoots of tourists. During the lockdown, in the year 2020, Morrison started learning videography and cinematography on YouTube. After that, he enrolled himself in a videography course conducted by the Centre for Incubation and Business Acceleration at Assagao.
After completing his course in videography, Morrison continued to work as a freelance photographer for a couple of months. On 15th August 2021, Morrison opened his own photo and video studio, MdClicks Studio. The studio provides photography, videography, studio rental services for photography and videography, and on-location lighting and studio setup services.
Morrison has done photoshoots and other photography and videography-related work for many well-known national as well as international clients. However, local clients comprise a major part of his business, he says. He has also worked with many celebrities from different parts of India.
Challenges Faced
Being born in a Goan family, the biggest challenge which Morrison faced while setting up his studio MdClicks, was convincing his parents. “My mom was a bit reluctant to allow me to start my own photo studio,” he says. “She wanted me to get a government job. She used to tell me that taking up a job is a much better option than starting your own business because of the risks involved. In a job, there is financial security,” he adds.
Morrison says that he likes to learn from other people around him. “I believe that learning is a lifelong process and is very vital for one to grow and succeed in life. Always learn and try new things. There is no harm in failing”, he says. He also adds that watching the movie “3 Idiots” helped him gain a lot of clarity regarding what he should do in life. “Our education system only teaches us how to work for others. It does not teach us how to do something on our own,” he says. “Also, I have learnt more things on YouTube than what I learnt during my school years”, he adds.
Future Plans
Morrison’s future plan is to learn more about photography because it is very important for a photographer to constantly update his/her knowledge and skills regarding the trade – right from lighting and technicalities to the art of photography. When asked whether he would be interested in teaching aspiring youngsters in Goa about photography, he said that he is not interested in doing so. He believes that teaching is not for everyone. “To teach something, you need to have that passion and inner desire of teaching, and that’s something which I don’t really have at this point in time,” he says.
Morrison’s message to all youngsters is to just learn and do what you love to do. “Don’t do what others are doing or telling you to do. Make your own path, try to be different, and don’t be afraid of failure, because it is a stepping stone to success,” he says.
