Today we’d like to introduce you to Brook Lyons.
Hi Brook, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I love puzzles and solving problems. I don’t believe there should be straight paths to anywhere and have always been comfortable with the turns life takes. I fell in love with photography as a happy coincidence. I have always tried to do things in my life and career that make people feel good about themselves.
This passion led to me becoming a hairstylist for nearly a decade in California so I could show people how great they could feel with a great style. When we moved to Utah, I had earned my associate’s degree in graphic design and was working towards my bachelor’s in management so I shifted careers to bankers to pay for college and found the value of helping people feel confident and good about their money. I spent more than 20 years as a VP in banking cultivating valuable skill sets such as professionalism, customer service, coaching, education, networking, and money management. My creative brain was not happy with this choice in career though, so I began photographing part-time and it was phenomenal how much it lifted my soul.
Nearly everyone I knew hated having their photo taken so I felt compelled to figure out what makes a great photo and how to make people look their best in a photo. My degree in graphic design helped me understand the basic elements of photography and design but I wanted so much more so I have spent many years educating myself specifically in advanced photography techniques. After a few years, I quit the corporate job and went full-time with my photography.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Absolutely not!
There are always struggles on every journey but I think the most difficult struggle was switching from a part-time hobbyist photographer to a professional, full-time photographer. That took a lot of hard work, faith, and belief in myself. Oh yeah, and a lot of terror! HAHA.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Affinity Photo Studio DBA Brook Lyons Photography?
Affinity Photo Studio is a boutique-style portrait photography studio specializing in High School Senior portraits. Our motto is “We help people see their inner beauty by capturing their natural joy in portraits”. One of my clients said, “Brook has an innate ability to make those around her feel comfortable and confident about simply being themselves”. This is why I do what I do and why I am great at my job! I LOVE helping people feel amazing about themselves and I truly believe that is what makes an incredible portrait that you will cherish forever!
I wholeheartedly believe that every person is inherently beautiful! On the whole, people today tend to be self-conscious and caught up in comparing themselves when we are designed to be unique so the comparison is unnecessary and unproductive. Think about whenever you have been around people who are comfortable and confident at feeling free to be themselves, they are lit up! You can’t help but be drawn to them because you are getting a little peak at their soul. That’s where I come in! I have the unique gift of empowering people to be their best selves. I love helping people see how beautiful they are when they let the world see who they are inside as well as outside.
Affinity Photo Studio strives to deliver a stellar client experience from start to finish, unique and incredible portrait art, and to provide so much fun that our clients will want to repeat the experience as often as possible and send all of their friends and family to us. That is the absolute best compliment we can ever receive!
What does success mean to you?
Success is being able to bring joy to my clients and the loved ones in my life, make a good living so I don’t have to go back to the corporate world, enjoy spending as much time as possible with my family and friends, and to leave the world a little bit better because I was a part of it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://affinityphotostudio.com
- Instagram: @affinityphotostudio
- Facebook: @affinityphotostudio
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/affinity-photo-studio
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@affinityphotostudio
Image Credits
Brook Lyons at Affinity Photo Studio and Brook Lyons Photography
