We were lucky to catch up with Bryan York recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Bryan, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
I have to credit my resilience and joy to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It’s because of my relationship and faith in Him that I am still able to keep going to this day.
When I was three and a half years old I was diagnosed with a life-threatening brain tumor called a glioma.
I underwent 72 treatments of radiation, shot directly through my ears to try and stop the growth of the tumor.
They gave me a 0% chance of survival.
But, God did a miracle in my life and healed me.
Fast forward to 2015, I was hospitalized to learn that I suffered from a stroke at the age of 27.
I learned from brain scans that I had several arteries in the back of my head that were never fully developed (due to the radiation treatment I received as a child.)
Instead of being wide and flexible, they were small and webby. A blood clot passed through but not before doing damage. I lost all major functions of my right side.
Yet, again God chose to preserve my life.
I should have been depressed and downcast given my circumstances. However, I was filled with the joy of the Lord every day I awoke in that hospital bed and was ready to take on new challenges.
-Nehemiah 8:10 “Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am a Portrait Photographer based in Portland, Oregon,
I delight in bringing the best out of everyone!
The manner in which I do photography is done differently than most.
I am a disabled photographer. Therefore, I am unable to do a high volume of shoots.
I have to be selective with whom I work with. Working with big groups is difficult for me and not my cup of tea. I thrive when working 1-on-1 with individuals. This allows me to be more personal and hopefully have a deeper connection with each person. My goal is always to leave a meaningful impression on each subject.
I look at each day as a blessing. I faithfully share what God has done in my life with those who make time to listen. Truly, none of us know how much time we have in this life. We have to live each moment to the fullest and value what we are given.
I treat every moment and encounter with my subjects as a blessing and an opportunity to leave an impression on their lives.
What kind of impression will you leave?
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Here are the three skills I find most helpful as a photographer:
-People Skills
I would say the most important quality to have in any area of life would be your people skills.
I tell new models and photographers (frankly anyone!) all the time that the way you treat people matters.
How you interact and treat others says a ton about your character. Specifically, in our field of work, the way you treat people can be the difference in who gets hired or not.
-Networking
(“Networking is a mutually beneficial interaction that involves exchanging ideas and information between individuals who are connected by a common career, industry, or interest.”)
Networking is a skill that just comes naturally to me.
It amazes me how many people don’t know how to use it.
I understand that meeting new people may be hard for some
and they avoid networking altogether, but this attitude can impact or slow their success.
As a photographer or model building connections with the right people at the right time could be the key to taking your career to the next level.
-Technical Skills/Troubleshooting
Lastly, as a photographer, you need the technical skills to operate your camera or editing tools.
This is kind of a no-brainer but you can’t ride a bicycle without wheels. Same as you can’t take and edit a good picture without the fundamental skills.
Growth and learning these skills take time and practice. Be patient with yourself. Be humble and learn from others. Take some classes at the community college etc.
Don’t forget to troubleshoot/problem-solve. It may not be glamorous but you will spend a lot of time as a photographer troubleshooting things. I still do it all the time! The best teacher is life.
My advice to those just starting or developing would be, if you have poor people skills or don’t know how to properly treat people, please take it upon yourself to better yourself a learn how.
Learn from someone you know who has great skills or even YouTube videos on proper people skills. The same can be applied to learning how to network and learning technical skills.
Be patient with yourself, be humble, and give yourself a lot of grace.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
The number one challenge and obstacle I face is being disabled and not having the full use of my right side. This means I have to do a lot with one hand. I have to operate my camera with my left hand and do all my editing with one hand with a computer mouse.
When I do photoshoots I resolve this by having an assistant or two help me.
I also select most of my models or subjects and make sure they are willing to give a helping hand if needed.
It can often be tedious when developing and editing pictures. I resolve this by using plugins to Photoshop that help me save time or presets.
I wish there were more tools and cameras out there that were more accommodating to those of us struggling with a disability. Early on after I arrived home from the hospital after my stroke I researched and tried to find camera companies to see if they made camera bodies for left-handed individuals. I didn’t find anything.
I did recently see though that Sony unveiled a controller for the PS5 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUtPAX0gqIs&t=2s) specifically made for disabled gamers.
Perhaps soon, they will make better cameras for disabled shooters like myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.yorkphotography4.com/home
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/york_photography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/york.bryan/
Image Credits
-Minh-Ly -Rosie De-e. -Amie Boulton. -Leo -Holly -Jeff Brosy -Nicole Kappner -Zuri Leigh & Nicole Kappner
