Senior yearbook editor following her photographic bliss

At least 15 minutes before the action, scoping out creative areas, senior Myah Brinker makes sure that her subjects’ personalities are shown through every photo, in terms of color usage and style. However, the night before, Brinker goes through a series of steps to make sure everything is prepared to take the best quality photos for her models. 

Senior Myah Brinker is known for involvement all over Cedar Falls, and that includes interest in photography inside school and out. 

Yearbook teacher Brian Winkel said Brinker is one the best he’s seen. “Myah is one of the hardest working photographers I have ever worked with in almost 30 years of advising some pretty awesome young photographers. She has an incredible eye for revealing the story behind each subject in vivid, unique ways. Whether it’s sports, portraits or feature events, Myah’s eye for bringing out the life of every event comes from a tireless dedication to practicing her craft, learning new skills to elevate her techniques and, perhaps most importantly, a real dedication to selflessly sharing her results as a gift, blessing all within her viewfinder every time.”

Brinker is all over the place at every school function. “Through school, I take as many pictures as I can for the yearbook. I go to football, volleyball, swim, men’s and women’s basketball track meets, concerts and any other school events that will pop up,” Brinker said.

However outside of school Brinker has a little more experimenting with her styles of photography. “Outside of school, I take pictures for fun everywhere I go, and I do photo shoots with my friends. I have also taken people’s family photos and senior photos, along with other styles of photography,” Brinker said.

Although Brinker does have a love for photography, she doesn’t believe it will be a part of her job future. “I don’t think photography will be a full time career for me, but anything can happen. I will never stop taking pictures because it is something I have done from the moment I could press a button,” Brinker said. “Some of my childhood pictures that my mom has of me are of me holding a camera made for kids that would actually take pictures. I was obsessed with taking pictures for as long as I can remember. I think that throughout college I will continue to take photos for people because it is a great way to make money on the side of whatever job or school I am doing.”

Brinker said that she doesn’t favor one type of photo shoot or technique over another. “I don’t think I have a specific style when I’m taking portraits because I love to let whoever is in the pictures express themselves through the images,” Brinker said. “I love seeing people through their creative lens instead of my own. I love taking pictures outside with lots of greens and blues, but if that’s not their style, I don’t take that style of pictures.” 

Winkel said Brinker is an inspiration. “I get such a thrill out of seeing students taking off in pursuit of stories and following their creative bliss. Myah is one of the most teachable students I’ve ever had. She loves to learn and knows how to put in the hard work to see her goals reach the limits of her expectations.”

Brinker has posted some of her shots on instagram @myah.brinker.photography, and, of course, her pictures fill the yearbook as well.