Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Moriah Quinn. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Moriah, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
I’ve always seen myself as a creative person, finding joy in many different artistic pursuits like drawing, painting, crafting, and eventually choosing photography as my career path.
Inspired by nature, I spend a lot of time outdoors capturing images or simply enjoying the peaceful and tranquil environment. Visiting Yosemite National Park always fills me with creative inspiration, prompting me to get up before sunrise or head out at sunset to capture the beautiful light amidst the stunning landscape. Golden hour and sunset photos are my favorites to create and help fuel my creativity.
Recently, I started hand-making merchandise featuring my photography, such as coasters, stickers, puzzles, keychains, and mugs, among other items. This has brought a new level of creative energy into my life, giving me the opportunity to make even more things and explore other creative avenues I haven’t pursued in years. Additionally, as I continue developing more products, I can keep expanding my creative flow.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I’m Moriah Quinn, a landscape and underwater photographer passionate about conservation, especially ocean wildlife. Being able to capture the underwater world and share it with others excites me, since fewer people have the chance to explore our oceans compared to trails or other landscapes. At the same time, I’m inspired by mountains and love taking landscape photos.
My aim as a photographer is to inspire people to learn about and care for our environment and its wildlife. I use photography to highlight the beauty of our planet and ignite a spark in others. It can be a powerful tool for change, helping people understand the threats facing our ecosystems and motivating them to take action. My images also provide a calming escape—the colors and subjects often give viewers a peaceful, slowing-down experience, transporting them to that captured moment.
Photography touches many areas of our lives. From social media to home decor, it surrounds us, giving me many chances to share my work. My fine art prints allow people to bring peaceful, colorful, and striking scenes from nature into their homes. Starting this year, I’ve also been creating my own merchandise, so I can share my photos with more people. While a framed print hangs on your wall, a tote bag or a sticker on your water bottle travels with you throughout your day—keeping you inspired and spreading the images to more viewers.
If you’d like to join me on my creative journey, follow me on Instagram @moriahquinn. To explore my portfolio, browse my fine art prints or merchandise, visit my website at www.moriahquinn.com. Lastly, if you’re in California, you might catch me selling my photography at craft fairs, markets, and art shows. You can find my event schedule on Instagram and Facebook, or join my email list to stay updated on upcoming shows.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
An important skill taught to me by my college instructor, Anacleto Rapping, was that the quality of light is key to creating captivating imagery, not just a snapshot of a scene. When I’m out photographing, I think of this mantra: quality of light, letting it guide me on where to look and when to make an image. Using this skill allows me to create more interesting images and can also be practiced anytime, not only when you are photographing. If you train your eye to always notice the quality of light in any moment, you will be surprised how much of a difference it makes in quickly assessing a scene and capturing a great photograph.
Another skill that was crucial to my journey was learning underwater photography. The underwater world always fascinated me, and while I’ve been interested in photography my whole life, taking photos underwater was not as easy to do on my own. I chose a private photography school, Brooks Institute, because it had an underwater photography class taught by Ralph Clevenger. I was so excited to learn this skill, and it felt like learning photography all over again. The difference in light, color, and focus requires new skills, as well as knowledge and understanding of the science behind what happens in the water to create great images. Perfecting underwater photography takes effort and passion, but it has been the most rewarding part of my photography career so far.
The third skill that has been most impactful for me is using strong foreground elements to create more engaging landscape images. I’ve always been drawn to taking landscapes, and looking back at photos I took in high school or when I first started college, I realize why those seemingly good photos fall flat now. A wide scene with only subjects in the distance gives no grounding point for the eye to start and then move through the image. I often use foreground elements to create leading lines that guide the viewer through the midground and background. Once I began honing this skill, I was able to craft much more dynamic scenes that keep viewers interested.
If you are starting your photography journey, congratulations! Utilizing skills like searching for the quality of light in any scenario, as well as practicing the creation of dynamic images with interesting foregrounds, are great ways to improve your photography. Remember, there’s always more to learn, so keep shooting, practicing, and pushing yourself to improve. Find subjects that fuel your passion for photography, and you’ll find your skills enhance faster while having more fun.
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
The biggest area of growth I’ve experienced over the past year is deciding to create my own merchandise featuring my photography instead of relying on a merchandise print shop. This wasn’t an easy choice, but it has taught me a lot and has been quite successful so far.
Generally, it’s easier for me to have a print shop produce my mugs or coasters, as this allows me to focus on creating more images. However, the reality is that products don’t always arrive as expected. After ordering merchandise from my print shop, I was caught off guard by the inconsistent print quality. Using the same image, some products were overly saturated while others appeared faint with lines all over them. At that moment, I was grateful I placed the order because I quickly disabled all the merchandise before a customer received a product not meeting my high standards. That experience sparked a journey where I researched materials, printers, inks, and product blanks, and developed new, improved versions of my merchandise. Being in control of quality ensures I don’t sell products that don’t meet my standards, so customers receive items that look their best with minimal flaws.
It’s been incredibly rewarding to hand-make these merchandise items. Since switching to this approach, I’ve been selling at markets and craft fairs, receiving positive feedback on both the quality and price, which has allowed me to sell more than before. Even more exciting, I’ve started receiving wholesale orders from shops interested in carrying my merchandise. Within the first month of launching my new products, I received my first wholesale order for a gift shop. Since then, several other stores have shown interest, and I’ve begun selling to them. This new direction in my business has been a fun challenge, and I look forward to seeing where it takes me next.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.moriahquinn.com
- Instagram: @moriahquinn
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MoriahQuinnPhotography
- Other: Email – [email protected]
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