The point of this article was to show how I use a monopod to mount a flash fired by a PocketWizard.  This way I can custom light people with full control, and can move the light and adapt as the model moves.  The point of great photography is to always light someone in a custom way that makes them look good.  Most people just light the person in a general way.  By having my light mobile, I can constantly move and adapt to get great lighting as the client moves.

For my non-photographer followers, PocketWizard makes devices that sync your flashes to fire when your camera fires.  Normally you’d have to wire them all to your camera, but with these radio syncs, a wireless signal is sent instead.  This allows for wireless shooting which means putting your flashes anywhere, and not just where a wire will reach.

The brand new PocketWizard Flex and Mini systems have been improved to allow for E-TTL, meaning that they have electronics inside that compute how to fire a flash multiple times in a shot, and in just the right way so that you can use a flash with cameras that in higher sync speeds than normal.  This means you can get the look of overpowering the sun with a small and lightweight setup.

These devices are amazing and I have loved them.  And I really appreciate PocketWizard calling and interviewing me about them too.

Well thanks for looking and remember, that it’s the best time right now to do family portraits in the garden studio here at Bry Cox Studio.  The place looks fantastic and the weather is perfect.  Call now to schedule something soon.  I have some specials going on right now too, which is an added bonus to getting a Bry Cox portrait right now.

Also, browse some of my past blog entries (BryCox.com/blog) or even my my main website at BryCox.com.

While speaking in Vegas recently, I also had some meetings with some of my sponsors.  One sponsor asked me to pose for a photo collage they were working on of some of their favorite photographic artists.  The result I found out is now the cover of this month’s Rangefinder Magazine.

The idea was a hallway of photographers, each posed doing something else that they loved besides photography.  Aside from photography, I really love guns, music, and I guess I could add girls to that list too.  But not having any props prepared, I used my ipod as a substitute for a musical instrument.  I also really like comedy and so I over-posed in a fun way, really low.  This was the resulting image.

If you’re a professional photographer, this magazine should come to you automatically.

And if you’re not a photographer, but are looking for great images from an artist that trains all the other photographers around, then give me a call.  801-728-3317. Come visit with me and see how fantastic I will make you look in your photographs using natural techniques like light and optics.  Look great without the over-retouching and plastic skin look.  Great portraits are heirlooms, and everyone deserves images of themselves that they absolutely love!

Thanks for looking and please browse my main website at BryCox.com (or more from my blog if you’re reading this in a separate feed reader BryCox.com/blog).

I actually spoke twice, doing a lighting demo at pre-convention and then later on the main stage during the main convention.  The lighting demo was actually 3 classes repeated throughout the day.  Then later that week I spoke on the main stage.  Here’s a photo of the room looking from the main stage, as I was setting up.

I’ve spoken to some big groups before, but this is probably the biggest room yet!  The problem with a big room is that you can have hundreds of people and it will still look empty.  In fact some speakers that week only filled it half way.  But I was so happy to see it packed all the way to the back, with people standing too.

I was later told that I had about 1100 people — a full house!

The room was set up with four projection screens, 2 up front, and 2 half way back so that everyone could see, no matter where they sat.  My friend took this photo of me on her phone from the back of the room before it all started.

I like this photo because it shows the incredible depth of the room.  The brown podium and stage at the front of the room look so small and tiny from the back of the room, and here you can see all four projection screens.

While I was there, I also was presented with the national Photographer of the Year Award (silver level).  I barely made it in time for the group photo with the other Photographers of the Year.  I ran up on the stage just in time.  I’m on the far right.

On the national level, there can be more than one photographer of the year, and there are levels, bronze, silver, gold, and diamond.  I won the silver.  This is based on how well your images do in national competition.  I’ve previously won 2 other national photographer of the year awards too, in the bronze catagory.

On the state level, there is only one photographer of the year and one Master photographer of the year.  This year I am the Master photographer of the year for Utah, which you may already know from this past blog post.

So all around this was a great trip!  I packed my seminars, won more awards, and had a great time with my photographer friends from all over.

Thanks for looking and please browse my main website at BryCox.com (or my entire blog if you’re reading this in a separate feed reader BryCox.com/blog).

Here is the page from the magazine (page 22).

It’s always an honor to be asked to be apart of this magazine, and I’m happy to have one of my all time favorite portraits in it too.

The subject of this photograph, Joe McQueen, is 90 years old and is still actively gigging.  During his life, he’s performed with jazz luminaries such as Charlie Parker, Chet Baker, Paul Gonsalves, Lester Young, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, and others.

If you’re a professional photographer, you should get this magazine automatically.  Here is the cover so that you can spot it.

Thanks for looking and please browse my main website at BryCox.com (or my blog if you’re reading this in a separate feed reader BryCox.com/blog).

My four prints that are in professional image competition, have gone on to the district/regional level, where I had the highest case score (total of all four prints added together).  From this point these prints will go on to the national level in 2012.

You may remember these four images when I first entered them at the state level, where I won Master Photographer of the Year, along with TWO Kodak Gallery Awards, a Judges Choice Award, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place, and the Court of Honor!  (past blog entry on these images.)

Here are the four images I entered this year.  I’ll keep you posted as they continue on, as well as keeping you up on the next four prints that will be entered next year in the State level in April.

If you’d like some fantastic award winning images of yourself that are really cool, funky, while at the same time classy and professional, give me a call at 801-728-3317.  And feel free to check out my main website at BryCox.com (or my blog if you’re reading this in a separate feed readerBryCox.com/blog).

My article for them was about balancing the creativity with the technical aspects of photography.  The industry is swamped by new photographers and many of these photographers have creative ideas but are lacking in the technical areas.  These same photographers will say that they don’t want to learn the technical side of photography, because they fear it will make them boring.  This is because some older and established photographers may be very technical but aren’t very creative.  This group fears that more creative attempts will mess up the perfection of their techniques, which make them professional.

The truth is that everyone, all photographers in the industry need to properly balance both the creative and technical aspects to truly be masters of their art.

If you are a member of the Professional Photographers of Canada, this magazine should come to you automatically, and I hope you read and enjoy this article.

(Article published in Gallerie, the official magazine of Professional Photographers of Canada. Printed by Matrix Group Publishing Inc.)

And as soon as the Chinese magazine comes, I will post about it.

In the meantime, if you’d like to see more of my work, or commission me to do a photograph for you, give me a call at 801-728-3317 and check out my website at BryCox.com.

Professional Photographers of America, Professional Photographers of Canada, and PhotoWorld Magazine of China all asked me for articles, and coincidentally, they all printed this month, August 2010.

All US professional photographers should get this magazine in the mail automatically each month, but in case you’re looking for it on newsstands, here’s what it looks like.

My article is on Fashion Posing — how to break the traditional rules of posing to create something exciting.  The basis of my article is that you have to know the rules of traditional posing in order to ‘break’ those rules and do something completely different, but that actually works visually and compositionally.

Here’s how the first page of my article looks (page 82-84).

I’m not only honored to be in this magazine, but feel it a special honor that I am in this magazine at the very same time they have a tribute to my favorite photographer and one of my ultimate photographic influences, Richard Avedon.  Avedon was one of the most influential and longest standing fashion photographers in the industry, and he passed away in 2004.

He really raised the bar with fashion and advertising and storytelling, and I have sought after all of his art books (which are very expensive).  I think I own almost all of them now.  His article is on page 22-24.

You can see parts of the current issue at the official website, PPMag.org.  And if you are a regular Bry Cox Blog reader, then you’ll remember I mentioned writing this article in a past blog post.

As far as the the Chinese and Canadian magazines go, I have not yet received my copies, but will post about them when they come.

If you’d like to see more of my work, or commission me to do a photograph for you, give me a call at 801-728-3317 and check out my website at BryCox.com.

Each year photographers are allowed to enter four images, and here were my four entries:

It was an exciting night, but I was actually out of town during the entire awards ceremony, speaking in Georgia at their annual professional photographers convention.  However, I was keeping tabs on the Utah convention by phone, trying to see how I did.  When the news came in, it was even better than I had expected.  I not only won the big award of the night (Master Photographer of the Year), but a number of other great awards as well!

The level of competition is very difficult in the Masters, as I compete against the absolute best of the best.  I am always trying to raise the level of quality that I offer my clients each year, and to do a better and better job in every way possible.  As expectations and competition in the industry continues to rise, I hope that clients see these awards as a sign that my quality and commitment to great portraiture also rises each year.

Now these images will go on to regionals and then nationals.  I’ll keep you all posted on how they do.

The interview was of me and two other people, all creative in our trades, asking about our thoughts and procedures in creativity.  Here’s a direct link to the show, here.

It begins with the quote from President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency of the LDS Church:

“The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul.  We each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exhist before.  The more you trust and rely up the Spirit, the greater your capacity to create.”

Me at LDS Radio (2)

And here is my original blog entry, with more info on the interview.

I received NINE new image awards, including what is considered ‘the Best of the Best,’ the ASP State Elite Award! To even be eligible, a photographer must first me be a Master photographer, which is why it is called the best of the best – the highest scoring image by a Master photographer.

I also won TWO Kodak Gallery Awards, one of the most coveted awards available.

Here are the images and the rundown of awards for each image.

• ASP State Elite Award
• Kodak Gallery Award (Wedding)
• 1st Place Multi-State Regional (Master Wedding)
• 1st Place State (Master Wedding)

• 3rd Place State (Master Pictorial)

• 2nd Place State (Master Illustrative)

• Kodak Gallery Award (Portrait)
• 3rd Place State (Master Portrait)

Also, as one of the top scoring photographers, I won the ‘Court of Honor‘ award – an award that goes to the top 10 photographers.

Now these images will go on to the national level where I expect them to win even more awards.  I will now also be awarded ‘Photographer of the Year’ at nationals, but I’ll have to wait until then to receive that.

If you’re looking for some fantastic images of your family for Christmas from one of the state and region’s best Master Photographers, give me a call!  I’d love to create something award winning for you!

Until next time, Amercia!
– Bry

I WON THE GOLD!  It was very fun to actually be there to receive the award!  Even though I was there in China to speak at the convention, I didn’t expect to win any awards with so many photographers entering.  It was so exciting to have them call me up as the Gold Medalist too!

BryCox - PPA China Awards Night 1

When I went up to get the award, I handed my camera to Doug Box and asked him to take a photo of me winning.  After the shot, I took my camera back and took this quick pano of the audience photographing me!  Look at all the people grouped up on the sides!

BryCox - PPA China Awards Night 2

Here’s a close-up of one of the sides.

BryCox - PPA China Awards Night 3

But before they started giving awards, they event started with beautiful Chinese models coming out wearing some of the top images from the exhibition.  They were strutting to music with a heavy beat.  The lighting, fog, and bubbles made it look amazing.

BryCox - PPA China Awards Night 4

Here’s a close-up of one of the girls.  They were stunning women!

BryCox - PPA China Awards Night 5

The model on the right of this image is wearing one of my images, the famous portrait I did of Joe McQueen.

BryCox - PPA China Awards Night 6

Afterward some of the models asked for a photograph with me.  It probably didn’t hurt that I’d just won the Gold Medal in front of them, or that they were wearing some of my images, or that the place was decorated with my images…but I have to tell you that I loved the attention and felt like a rock star!  They were beautiful and stunning women who were amazingly tall.  Notice how tall they are compared to me.  I’m 6 foot 4 — especially tall for China.

BryCox - PPA China Awards Night 7

BryCox - PPA China Awards Night 8

Then before dinner that night the models changed outfits and came back out to do another dance.  I loved this one too!

BryCox - PPA China Awards Night 10

BryCox - PPA China Awards Night 9

The dinner room was decorated with our photographs.  That’s actually my image hanging behind us.

BryCox - PPA China Awards Night 11

Here’s another shot showing two more of my images on the wall along with images from the other speakers.

BryCox - PPA China Awards Night 12

This dinner felt like another awards ceremony because we were all presented with gifts from the Chinese.  Here is Dennis Craft and I getting some traditional cut-out art pieces.

BryCox - PPA China Awards Night 13

That night was fantastic!  It made me feel very grateful and blessed to do what I do — to be an artist and to be able to travel and meet so many people from all over the world.  It was a joy to be able to speak and share my artistic ideas with the Chinese photographers.  They were incredibly hospitable and kind.  I hope to get back over there again soon!

Some time ago I was interviewed by a writer for WPPI, and the article finally came out as this month’s “WPPI Photography Monthly.”  The second article was an interview that I gave to LexJet’s “In Focus.”

I know that my clients don’t get these magazines or have the ability to read them, but at the very least it should make you feel proud of the work I’ve done for you in the past as well as confident of the work I will do for you in the future.

It means a lot to artists to be recognized by industry leaders on a national level and it should mean a lot to you too as my clients, to know that your artist is a leader in the industry.

Next month in November, I’ll also be featured in the PPA’s “Professional Photographer” magazine — the biggest photography trade magazine in the country!  I’ll have more on that when it comes out next month.

Well, until next time, America!
– Bry