“It’s taken me literally months to sit down and write this down. Alex passed away in April and, really, the shock of his passing has shaken me to my core. While we only really saw each other in a professional setting, I still viewed Alex as a mentor and mouthpiece to ideas and, of course, our photography for Prince Weddings. I met Alex in 2006 while I was searching for a location to meet couples. At that time, he was currently subletting from Scott Nelson Photography, Alex’s own mentor. We continued sharing space for a few years when, in 2009, I had the idea of adding wedding photography to our wedding cinematography. I felt that Alex’s raw, photojournalistic, yet fine-art style would work perfectly. With the emergence of DSLR cameras, I started recruiting photographers for our videography business. Videographers in 2009 and 2010 had no idea how to work a DSLR, so training photographers as videographers was pretty straight-forward and Alex helped with recruiting.

On wedding days, I was constantly amazed at how this guy found the light and color palette in almost every scene. Finding the light as a photographer and cinematographer is what image capturing is all about. When you start off in photography and videography, you worry about camera placement and composition. These are items that can be taught, but seeing the light comes from experience and Alex had over 20 years of it. During the course of a wedding day, I always wondered what the hell this guy was doing; however, the results were always stellar. And, of course, what I was equally in awe of was the amount of gear Alex brought to weddings. One of the questions as professionals we get is, “Do you have back up gear?” Well, Alex had a backup for backups, and backups for those backups. Then, he used all of those cameras at the same time. Each camera had its own purpose and focal length. Changing lenses slowed you down.

Alex controlled and painted with light in the worst situations to create beautiful imagery. This inspired me tremendously with our wedding cinematography. He showed me the light as I gained more experience, and then how to control it. As a photographer and cinematographer, the process of capturing the images is as important as painting the image with light. The last conversation I had with Alex was about a week or so before his death. We talked about the end of the year and how in 2021 we were going to try a few new techniques. Since we didn’t have a great 3rd and 4th quarter, he hadn’t shot that much. Alex told me that he hadn’t been paying attention or seeing the light as much. I assured him that we were back on track for 2020 and 2021, and that not only will he be able to capture the light again, but we will also take Prince Weddings to a new level accented by his true passion, shooting on 35mm and Medium format film. Unfortunately, less than two weeks later, my friend, my photography mentor, passed away the 2nd week of April. I wouldn’t be able to capture the light without Alex, but I take solace that he is resting in the light now.
”

“Memories of HOSER:
Alex and myself have been friends for about 10 years. We never knew of each other even though we went to the same college; weirdly enough, we shared the same English class. He was the quiet type that sat in the back of the room. I saw him once but never thought anything of it.

It’s not until I met Barbara for an internship leading into the wonderful world of wedding photography: that is where I truly met Alex. One day at a wedding, the three of us were photographing, I remember being just a wee baby in the business getting my toes wet, those two took off leading the way.

Alex and I became closer as the years went by. I started to become his second photographer or, in some aspects, mostly an expensive light pole, depending on how one looks at it. Yeah, that’s right: I was the girl at the wedding that held a flash over her head to make sure the lighting was always perfect for Alex’s photo. It was always hilarious when the guest constantly looked at me as if I had the camera. Alex would wave his hand saying,”Over here, look at me.” I would just stand there keeping my laughter to myself, knowing once this flash goes off you, my dear guest, won’t be able to see for a quick minute. It was always the inside jokes that kept us going.

As the years went by, Alex never had to tell me how to hold the flash- it was just a look. The look of a side eye, him peeking over his camera to simply say,”Hoser, make sure that flash is going off.” I would just stick out my tongue and continue to follow the bride and groom around with the flash over my head.

Most of the time when we would photograph a wedding, Alex would pick me up in Ventura, since it was on the way. Well, if you know Alex, he needs his daily intake of coffee. How convenient that Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf was right off the 101 in Ventura, and just as easy to get back on. Coffee Bean was his jam. He knew every Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf from Lompoc to San Diego. Alex would always get a large white chocolate mocha half powder, myself a vanilla latte. Boy, did caffeine step me on a whirlwind of energy. Honestly, I don’t know how he put up with me.

There were times in the slow season we would meet in Carpinteria at SEÑOR FROGS for tacos. We would go so much the waitress would know where we would want to sit and almost memorized our orders. It was a good thing too, since Alex could never remember what he got the last time. Speaking of tacos... There was a wedding in one of the wineries in the Paso Robles area and I was a ball of energy singing to Alex ,”Bean and cheese burritos from Del Taco.” Over and over again with more lyrics that I made up but mostly the chorus of, “Bean and cheese burritos from Del Taco!” He just laughed, shook his head, and then almost got pulled over by the police for speeding. It was a good thing the police officer drove next to him, waving to Alex to slow down, instead of giving him a ticket.

I can go on and on with stories of Alex, but I won’t. All I know is he will be dearly missed. I’ll miss hearing him call me hoser, drinking coffee with him and eating tacos. All those countless hours of nonsense conversations that brought great memories, will live on in myself and others.
”

“Where do I even start? The first time I met Alex I was still an intern with Prince Weddings back in 2012. As such, I didn’t have any solid black shoes on hand and so opted for some Batman themed Converse — they were the darkest pair I owned, and I assumed wedding guests wouldn’t bother giving a second glance at me. While I was right about any guests, Alex immediately noticed them and had a small laugh, but it almost felt like admiration and a great compliment - so I kept wearing them for a while. Though, eventually, as I became more and more integrated into the Prince family, I did get some normal shoes.

But I liked that Alex and I could always gravitate towards each other through unique oddities or interests. He felt like a kindred spirit whenever we would be at gatherings; I specifically remember a company bowling party where he and I wound up playing air hockey most of the night. We would talk about Star Wars, his days in a band, or many other miscellaneous nerdy interests.

If I’m being honest, after so many years of weddings some days I just really can’t muster up the excitement of shooting that day - however, if I knew Alex would be there, I knew it would be a good day. Even if the day was hard, if people or situations were difficult, I liked to hope I provided him with comfort and positivity - I know he did for me. His talent for photography was outstanding. I really can’t praise him enough. I know in an ideal world he would have been photographing all sorts of portraits. Not just weddings, but creative, fun, and inspiring endeavors!

Alex was going to be the photographer for my wedding day next year, and though I’m sad he won’t physically be there, his spirit will be in those he’s left behind: my team, my family.
Alex, I can’t say “hoser” without thinking of you, and I can’t wear those Batman shoes without thinking about the first day we met. Thank you for the memories. I will truly miss you.
”

“I knew Alex mostly as a photographer; an exceptional one at that. Alex was a photographer to aspire to. But he was also an inspiring person that I wish I had gotten to know better.

I, and I think the rest of the team, used to give him a hard time for all the gear he lugged around at each wedding. I mean he literally had 8 suitcases full of gear. He was old school that way. I think most of us that had a free hand spent the day helping him carry gear around. But when you saw his finished product, you were awed and you got to laugh off the experience.

I remember several times when we were shooting a wedding together and I would attempt to consult with him about where he was going to be shooting the “kiss” or something so I knew to shoot from a different area. His answer was always, “I don’t know”. He was a pure artist - he worked by the seat of his pants and so instinctively that he didn’t know what he was going to do until he did it. He definitely thought outside of the box. I learned a lot from Alex.

I’ll never forget the shock and heartbreak I felt when I found out about his passing. I remember listening to the Cure the whole next day. Aside from photography, a love for The Cure was something we shared in common.

I will miss Alex dearly. I will miss his easy going attitude, his friendly demeanor, his poise, his unsurpassed work ethic, and most of all the fun moments we shared together.
”

“Alex was a true artist in unrelenting pursuit of perfecting his craft. He had the ability to raise the talents of those around him by leadership through example. He never cut corners or sacrificed his art for expediency.
A gentle spirit, gone too soon. He will be missed.
”

“I had the privilege of getting to work with Alex, in front of and behind the camera. Watching Alex during a photo session was like watching a genius at work. You could see the wheels turning and his eye scanning for the best light and angles. I was constantly in awe of how he could get the most beautiful pictures from even the barest locations.

When he took my engagement and wedding photos, I had complete confidence that he’d make us look the best we could. Unfortunately I made that very difficult for him by blinking pretty much every time he used his fancy film camera (Sorry my face ruined so many shots Alex! haha). It was an afternoon made up mostly of, “Leah! You’re doing your nerd face again!”, which would inevitably get me to laugh and get him the shots he needed. He made everything more fun and I’m honored to have had him as part of my life.
”

“My first time working with Alex was a very unique one from your average wedding event. I was very green, or in Alex’s words I was a “hoser”. I was working as a PA on the video crew side and Alex was the lead photographer. His beach blonde hair and black painted nails made him stand out compared to other photographers. This was one of my first gigs with the Prince Production crew and the event was at Disneyland, so I was pretty freaking excited and nervous all at the same time. Alex had a really cool camera that shot infrared. I had no idea what infrared was at the time. It was his eclectic style that made him unique and exciting to work with. Not only were we capturing this event at Disney, it was at California Adventure in the Animation Building. I was blown away by the space that we got to be in. We got the opportunity to capture the couple’s photos right in front of the Disney castle. Which is not always easy to get when there are thousands of people around. After the romantic photos that Alex captured, we headed back to California Adventure. As I was fighting with a tripod to get ready for the reception part of the night, here comes Alex with his IMAC setting up for a same day edit. It was a sneak peak of my future as an editor. I was intrigued and fascinated by his creative techniques and speed. I don’t think you ever saw Alex with less than four cameras attached to his body.

As a photographer and an editor, I know that we love to make others feel good and help in telling their story. Thank you for all the memories over the years. You will be remembered through all those special moments you captured for families, friends, and lovers. I hope the afterlife is everything you pictured and more. RIP Alex Morgan.
”

“Alex was quirky, funny, personable, and had a youthful spirit. I remember working with him at events and I felt honored to witness his level of talent. He was extremely knowledgeable and passionate about photography. I feel lucky to have known him. You are missed, Alex. Rest in peace.”

“I only got to work with Alex once or twice, but a short but meaningful conversation I had with him has stuck with me over the years, and it’s something that inspired the way I am with photography today, even working at a corporate job.

We were working a wedding and the rest of the team was done for the day. As I went to say goodbye to Alex, I asked if he was leaving too. He responded that he was going to stay a little longer because he liked to give his clients a little more than what they expected or asked for. It really resonated with me because I realized for him, it wasn’t just a paid gig. It wasn’t just about money. He truly wanted his clients to be happy. In my own photography, it is always super important to me that my subjects like their photos, and I truly believe that feeling was inspired by that conversation with Alex that day.

I’m so sad to hear of his passing, and hope he is resting peacefully in a wonderful place. I’m very thankful to have met him.
”