Client Spotlight: Morgan Duke
We’re so thrilled to be bringing back our Client Spotlight features, and starting with our photographer, Morgan Duke, was a no-brainer. This girl does so much, but with such grace and intentionality that it would seem she’s always on vacation. Quite the contrary; she gets up super early to fit in things that are important to her before heading off to work. She makes time for coffee and friends and art lessons, prioritizes date night with her husband, long walks with her dog. In a nutshell, she makes it her mission to live a full life. Let’s take a walk through a day in the life of Morgan.
6am – Wake up (this is what she calls waking up late…only on Friday + weekends; she gets up at 3:45am for morning ritual and commute to her white coat job Monday thru Thursday. Morgan is a Neurology Nurse Practitioner at an outpatient clinic in Opelika, AL.) Her morning ritual includes two hot cups of coffee- black. Then quiet time, and the New York Times Wordle puzzle to get her brain going.
7am- Takes her dog, Goose, for a walk.
9am- Heads to Fountain City Coffee for her “real” coffee, a Café au Lait with oat milk.
10am- Heads out to her first photoshoot of the day, and continues working until about 4pm.
12/1pm- Break for Lunch at The Food Mill- the Power Salad with Salmon is her favorite; she also grabs some groceries while she’s there- granola, eggs, a sweet treat.
2pm- Back to continuing photoshoots with small businesses, family and newborn sessions, and the occasional bridal shoot.
5pm- Grabs another Fountain City coffee- this time it’s a Japanese style iced coffee with a splash of half and half. Grabs Goose and heads to the river for a long walk or a sit. This is her favorite time of the whole day.
“The river is healing for me. It’s the place I feel the most creative, and where I can get back to myself”, Morgan tells me.
Sometimes she gives herself a break and doesn’t edit on Friday’s. Instead, she will do something that is just for her- art lessons with Cora King in the morning after her Fountain City stop or in the afternoons around 5. For Morgan, the art lesson takes on more of a therapy session as it challenges her need for perfectionism and helps her get back to herself after a long work week. Her enneagram is a 3 wing 4, so if you know anything about 3’s, she is a performer and wants to be really good at anything she practices. She credits Cora for influencing her art style and even her dressing style. Morgan says she wears so much more color now after working with Cora.
“Creatives feed off each other, and that is a beautiful thing and I want more of that in my life”, says Morgan.
6pm- Heads home to get ready for date night in or out. She looks forward to this ritual with her husband, Tripp, all week. They even make it fun and have themes for date nights sometimes. (I recall seeing them in Hawaiian shirts or head-to-toe denim on Instagram. So fun!)
Morgan also looks forward to her Saturday morning yoga at River Flow. She credits Alee and Toni with helping get her start in photography. “They gave me a chance! I would not be where I am today without them”, she tells me. She says she loves the community at River Flow, and adds “diversity is so good for us”. I could not agree more.
If you follow Morgan on social media, this girl is always going somewhere! She says that travel is one of her “biggest influences that exposed her to what lies in photography. It helped me have more fun behind the camera”. And I can see how her style has shifted in the last couple years after some of her travels. She brings a lightness and energy to the photos that make little Columbus feel like the most exciting place to be.
Her love for travel prompted me to ask her 3 questions to wrap things up:
- What is your favorite place to travel and why?
Italy— food, culture, fashion. Everything is SO colorful. This country changed how I see the world.
- What is your favorite outfit or brand and why?
My Ripley raider black crop pants — the BEST pants for travel, work, lounging. They make me feel confident and are SO cute with sneakers. I’ve worn them so much I’ve had the seams repaired!
- Why is style important to you?
Style is important to me because it expresses individuality and uniqueness. I love pieces that become fun conversation starters!
We finished the interview chatting about how we both struggle with a desire to excel in our careers, but crave a slower life. It’s a balance that anyone passionate about their work will find themselves evaluating from time to time. We both agreed that when we actually do slow down and do things that fill our cup, our work life magically falls into a happy rhythm as well. It was great to talk with Morgan about this and really made me feel like we’re all in this together, feeding off one another’s energy, thus why it is so important to protect our energy.
She left me with a statement that is so Morgan (and such great advice) that I have made my motto lately, “Work hard, play harder”.
To book a photoshoot with this talented gal, email Morgan at morgandukephotography@gmail.com.
Photos of Morgan taken by our very own Jessica Teal.