"My reaction was actually 'how could it have been 90 years?'" said Morrison.
As the first female nominee, Morrison is aware of those who came before her as well as those still trying to break through.
"There's been so much great work by female DP's (directors of photography) in decades past, but I am excited by the premise that this has been encouraging for so many other women and that hopefully it'll get more people behind the camera and hopefully this will be the beginning of the first of many," said Morrison. "It makes me hopeful for a future where it's commonplace and not an anomaly anymore."
Morrison followed up her work on "Mudbound" with a little film you may have heard of -- "Black Panther."
"Yeah, I mean they really couldn't be any more different, and I couldn't be any more proud of both of them," she said.
The Oscar nominee hopes with the financial success last year of several female-centered films like "Wonder Woman," studios hear this as a wake-up call.
"If this is an industry that's ultimately driven by economy, you just look at exactly that, and it should hopefully lead to more women-led films," said Morrison. "I guess the proof is in the numbers."