We recently connected with Brocke Lyons and have shared our conversation below.

Brocke, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Alright, let’s take a stroll on memory lane, back to when you were an apprentice or intern. What’s a memorable story from that time that you can share with us?

An important lesson I learned early on is to never think you’re too good to do something. A thing you probably wouldn’t guess about photo assisting is how much of it doesn’t actually involve photography. You do assist the photographer, of course, and handle the gear, but you also are usually the one who takes lunch orders, picks it up, and sets it out. One specific client I photo assisted for had me chopping fruit for breakfast plates, but you learn a lot from dropping the preconceived notions of what you think you should be doing, and just rolling with the punches. As far as what made me cry? I dropped a Hasselblad lens on set once and I still cringe just thinking about it.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I have always been into photography, but I didn’t truly “get into” the industry as it were until my wife became a fashion/product stylist. Going with her to help out on shoots turned out be fantastic networking, and I ended up photo assisting for an incredibly talented photographer I am still good friends with to this day (coincidentally he is also married to a stylist). One job led to another, and I assisted for various photographers and companies before going on staff with Neiman Marcus, first as a digital tech and then as a photographer. While there I honed my e-commerce photography, both product and ready to wear, but what set me apart was my editorial photography. I’m incredibly proud to have shot various editorials for Bergdorf Goodman during my time at NMG. Currently, however, I’ve returned to freelancing, but my artistic focus remains the same.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Word of mouth, hands down. The photography community in Dallas is a tight knit one, and people are always being asked to recommend/recommending each other. A good work ethic on set goes a long way, and so does having a discernable point of view to your work. Instagram has been really helpful in communicating the latter. Cultivating an online presence is a great tool to get your work seen, and hopefully shared.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Before I got into photography as a means of making a living, I was in the medical field. It can be daunting to change the course of your professional life after you feel established in your path, but pivoting and taking a chance at following the path I was more passionate about has elicited zero regrets.

Contact Info:

• Website: brockelyons.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/thebrockelyons?igshid=MDE2OWE1N2Q=