We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Cathy Lyons. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Cathy below.

Cathy, appreciate you joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

The meandering road to get to photography started as a child. I had two favorite games: first game, to see how many times I could color match a very specific color throughout a department store; second game, to draw a line on a piece of paper and ask anyone nearby to make a line or shape on my paper, and from there I would embellish it into my own little masterpiece. Those childhood games proved to plant seeds for a serious love of art. However, it’s not surprising as I come from a family of artists. My dad’s father was a musician in the Louisville Orchestra for a time as was my Mother. And my mother’s father was an inventor, and his dad was a calligrapher (my great grandfather). And I, too, studied music (flute) very serious through high school, and it wasn’t until I went to college that I started in journalism, and then switched both colleges and majors landing on photojournalism.

Back then, film was king, and the first two years of shooting at Western Kentucky University as a photojournalism major meant shooting black-and-white film for all assignments. Ironically, the lack of color film meant developing the skills to see well: pre-visualizing, understanding light, composition, general exposure, lens choice, and probably my favorite, learning to anticipate and wait for moments. The “decisive moment” reminds me of what writers sometimes refer to as lilt, or a beautiful way to connect with someone’s heart and move them to act, feel or just savor an image.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

The business I own with my husband, Mark, is called Lyons Photography, Inc., located in Ohio; however, we travel as well. We provide stills, video and drone footage for businesses, non-profits, arts organizations, families, couples, and children with a storytelling photo aesthetic. We try to give the viewer a glimpse into the magic of our subject’s story so that the viewer can easily connect and understand our images. We also do photograph objects including food, editorial illustrations, machinery, and various products. We approach and collaborate with our clients/art directors/graphic artists to consider the best light, location, style and creative elements to share their story.

We travelled all over the world for many years documenting for a medical mission, and it transformed our vision. The best gifts from that experience were meeting so many wonderful people, seeing the beauty of God’s Creation, and helping others with our photography.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I’d have to say vision as I’ve been working on my creative, photographic style since I can remember. This involves my experiences, my training, my relationships and my desire to keep growing. This quest is closely linked with knowing myself, and I see it as a journey. It’s about capturing moments that are the essence of what you see in your head (pre-visualize) and what you output from the camera. It’s about finding those shots that are so captivating that someone will keep going around and around the image looking at the entire frame, and then come back and look again as if they are replaying their favorite song.

It’s also learning to live with self-doubt, and staring that in the face…that is, to keep showing up for yourself by taking creative risks and learning new things. And dreaming, planning and then doing the next right thing to nurture your creativity which is like a three-legged race being linked to both your style and who you are.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

“The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron is a book that I wish I knew about in high school as I think Cameron’s ideas are genius as morning pages to unleash one’s creativity.

Meeting people different than yourself.

Challenges as food, art, photography, writing, etc… which provide confidence and opportunity to consistently practice your craft.

Any kind of journaling.

Studying light at different times of the year.

Finding a mentor that provides constructive feedback and encouragement for your work.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lyonsphotography.com
• Instagram: @bearswatergirl
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lyonsphotographyinc
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathy-lyons-245b934

Image Credits
Photo: Cathy A. Lyons/Lyons Photography, Inc.