scenics

Bry Cox’s Commercial Shoot of Death Valley

I feel honored to have been asked by a large corporation to create some artistic views of Death Valley. I shot for an entire day, starting early before sunrise and going until past dark shooting a variety of locations and places. I was accompanied by the company’s rep who took me to places I never would have been able to go without his unrestricted access to various areas off limits to everyone else.

I created more images than I expected during this full day of commercial landscape shooting, and even shot a number of bonus images – color infrared – which looked amazing and refreshingly interesting, especially in the middle of the day.

We started the morning around 5:30 am creating panoramas before sunrise.

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I found out that this was the spot where U2 shot their famous “Joshua Tree” album cover. After getting a number of images, the sun began to rise quite quickly behind us. I really like this image with the tops of the mountains in the distance being lit by the rising sun, and the various layers of color it created.

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And here is that area in full morning sun.

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In some areas there are some beautiful stretches of cracked earth. I liked these as abstract closeups.

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A lot of the areas required some vigorous hiking. At the end of the day I had logged a number of miles plus some big elevation changes on my watch – much more than expected. And these scenes we passed even as we hiked, were breathtakingly beautiful.

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Here, from one of my favorite lookouts, you could see a number of various rock formations which created bands of color and variety.

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This was also during the “super bloom” due to an earlier flood which caused a number of flowers to bloom, something very unusual for this area of the country.

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And in the more “civilized” areas of Death Valley, there’s some cool structures like this “Twenty-mule team” train, all part of the history of the Twenty-Mule Team Borax cleaner. I learned quite a bit about the history of the area as we drove around and hiked through the desert. It is all so much more interesting to me now, knowing some of the history of the place.

This particular train is surrounded by a fence to keep people from climbing on it, so some creative angles were necessary.

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And shooting it in color infrared also gave me some very unique ways of showcasing this local feature.

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Before shooting the Furnace Creek Resort up close, I wanted to get a long, distance shot of it to show how secluded it is, how tucked away in the middle of the desert it really is.

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Here it is up close. It was built on the site of a natural hot spring, and was famous for being the Hollywood hotspot getaway for celebrities. It’s an oasis in the middle of the hot desert.
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They have a beautiful pool, and here is the same angle but shot in color infrared.
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As the day neared an end, we re-hit some of our favorite spots to shoot them in completely different light. I love these vast landscapes, and the vibrant colors created by the evening sun.
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And here are a few more color infrared images from mid-day.

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And a few color infrared images created at sunset from a few of our favorite spots.

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This image below is one of my favorite color infrared images from the entire trip. It shows the sun setting in the distance, but the variety of colors created by infrared makes this such an interesting image to me.

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It was a very long day of shooting, but I like to make sure that people get more for their money than they expect. And I was surprised how many locations we were able to shoot and how many images I shot during this full day. It was far more than I expected which was a big bonus to the company. With so many beautiful images, I’m only sharing a small percentage here, and it was hard picking images to showcase. But I am grateful for the experience to shoot this job because I love the outdoors and I love creative photographic challenges, and making beautiful landscapes and images that people will appreciate for many years to come.

If your company needs some great photographs, give me a call. 801-728-3317. I’d love to chat with you about your photographic needs to see how I can help you out.

And until next time America.

Hunting Lighthouses on Vancouver Island, Canada

I love the adventure of hunting down and photographing lighthouses. It’s the perfect activity for someone like me with wanderlust. The entire process is cathartic and inspirational. It requires driving through un-populated areas on old curvy roads instead of fast and straight highways, it means driving with the window down and smelling the sea even if it’s cold outside, it means hiking and sometimes scrambling up and down mountain sides to get to the right spot, and it means sitting and watching light and soaking in the atmosphere around you with no one else around as I wait for the right moment to shoot. And in the end, I leave with a beautiful image that I hope others enjoy, but even if they don’t, I know I will enjoy it and the process of creating it.

This week I had a speaking job in Tacoma Washington, and decided to go a bit early to photograph some lighthouses on Vancouver Island, Canada. I love the adventure of photographing lighthouses, and really like the Victoria area on Vancouver Island. I’ve never had time when I’ve been up there to get out to the lighthouses and photograph them. This was the trip to do exactly that.

After landing in Seattle, I took my rental car over to Victoria, Canada on the COHO ferry. This self portrait is me with my point and shoot, on the cold and windy bow of the ferry. Even though it was cold, I always like being outside on a ferry rather than inside. Everything is different outside on a ferry, and it makes me feel like I’m on an adventure. You can smell the ocean air, you feel the droplets, and you can look off at the dark water beneath you as you crash through it.

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After landing and getting established in Victoria, I went out lighthouse hunting. I first photographed the Fisgard Light outside of Victoria. Access is only open during the day and when I got there, I was told hat the light itself was “closed” for the day, but other parts of the ground were open. I paid the fee and went to find an angle where I could still get close and photograph it, knowing I could get around the construction and workers. And that I did. I was able to get right up close, and I spent some time there hiking around the rocks and looking at the light, created these images.

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I really loved the clouds and the dramatic sky, and thought a black and white would work well. Even though I love the red of the building, this black and white may be one of my favorites of this lighthouse.

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Before leaving, I did this self portrait with the lighthouse with my point and shoot on manual.

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The next lighthouse, Sheringham Point, was quite hard to get to, being a long drive up the western coast of the island. Along the way, I looked for my favorite fish and chips hut on the water, but it was closed for the season. When I finally got to the lighthouse, I found that it too was closed — abandoned and gated off by the government. The surrounding land was also locked and controlled by a land developer. Everything was gated and blocked off. It took some hiking and some ingenuity to get to it, but here are the images I created.

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By this time, it was getting late in the day, and being on a different part of the island, the weather was dramatically different, giving this lighthouse a very different and beautiful mood. And the rocky cliffs to the side were my favorite part, and I thought were part of the character of this lighthouse. I found a way over to the side where I could photograph the lighthouse using the cliffs to frame it. These looked much more dramatic than the images of the lighthouse from other angles.BCox_Victoria-2014-481-Pano2-edge

I sat on this rock for a while watching the light move and change, and listening to the crashing waves beneath me. I thought it a cool place to created a self portrait with my point and shoot.BCox_Victoria-2014-594-edge

Being on the hunt, my mind was distracted all day. It was here sitting, that I realized that I still hadn’t eaten breakfast and it was actually dinner time. So I headed to the nearby logging town of Port Renfrew to get some fish and chips, and then from there took the long way back to Victoria, making a loop up and over the island using a curvy logging road. I arrived back in Victoria at night and got some Chinese food for a late dinner in Victoria’s China Town.

All along the way, I also took abstract images on my iPhone and posted them to my Instagram feed. There are iPhone pics of these lighthouses as well as abstracts from the ferry and other interesting things. You can see those here, http://instagram.com/bry_cox

Until next time, America.

Art Scenics, Lower Price + Holiday Discount + Free Shipping!

For Thanksgiving shopping, I just reduced the price on all the scenics and temple prints on my art site plus I added an additional 15% discount plus FREE shipping! All of these savings are good now through Christmas!

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With all of these discounts, these are the best price I’ve ever had. Save yourself from standing in long lines and get something that is a great and timeless gift for almost anyone.

I have serene and inspiring art pieces from Italy, China, and the US, including seashores, lighthouses, and LDS temples.

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The extra discounts will be applied after the pieces are added to your shopping cart. So see what you like, add it to the cart, and see how much you’ll save.

And remember that the November family special is still going on, so if you need some new family portraits, give me a call. It’s a great time to get them done before Christmas.

And until next time, America.

 

Great Smoky Mountains

I just got back from speaking to photographers at the Tennessee Professional Photographers convention outside of Knoxville. Before I flew out, a few of us got up at 5:00 am to drive to the top of the Smoky Mountains to photograph the sunrise. Because of the rain storm, the sun didn’t rise as expected, but I did get some great moody images.

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It was a beautiful morning, but I wasn’t prepared with gear for rain or scenics. I only had my sport coat and a small travel tripod. I used the rain cover for my camera bag for my head. I was happy to later see that one of the photographers with us, Al Gordon, shot this image of me. I really appreciate it because I never get images of myself working, and I like this image.Me-in-the-Smokys-700p

On the way down the mountain, the sky started to clear a little and we pulled over to get this series of mist and fog rising in the distance. Cox_SmokyMts-172-Pano-b Cox_SmokyMts-152-Pano

It was a great group in Tennessee, and I loved the area we were in. It was especially nice to get out and take these scenics before I ran off to the airport to fly home. Thanks to everyone who came to the event, and for everyone else, I will soon have these up on my art site, BryCoxART.com.

Until next time, America.

 

Scouting Scenic Locations for Adobe Event

Sometime soon I’d like to do a workshop for people who want to photograph scenics in Utah. In thinking about this, I thought I’d post some images I created while exploring and scouting locations for Adobe’s event that I posted about  previously. While exploring, I shot some really fun scenics and wanted to post them here. They really get me excited for warmer weather and for doing a workshop sometime soon here in the beautiful state of Utah.

Cox_Heber_121_Pano Cox_Heber-139-panoWhile I was driving, the time of day was perfect, the sun was setting and these meadows and aspens really glowed with the low angled light. Plus it was fire season, so there was a lot of smoke in the air which added to the dramatic look of the setting sun.

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Cox_Heber-160-4And this last image shows a real teepee off in the distance, used by a rancher. The warm smokey air in this image really makes it for me.

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It’s amazing the kind of scenery we have here in Utah and it was a fun adventure looking for routes and places to visit. Again, I hope to workshop here in Utah sometime soon, specifically on travel photography and scenics. If you’re interested in coming, let me know.

And until next time, America.

Bry Cox Artwork on Walls of Google Maps View Inside Salt Lake’s Roof Restaurant

It was announced that Google Maps is now doing street views inside some of Utah’s most historic and prominent buildings, and one of which is the old Hotel Utah, now called the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. At the very top of that building overlooking the Salt Lake Temple, is the Roof Restaurant which has chosen to decorate with my artwork.

In this view now available on Google, you can see some of my pieces on the walls.

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There are also some of my large stretched canvases there too, but the Google view does not allow you to see them because of the chosen angles.

If you’d like to see these and more art images, they are available to view and buy at BryCoxART.com. And if you’re looking for a nice dinner with a great view, the Roof is the perfect place.

Until next time, America.

Scenics in Banff, Canada (part 2)

While in Canada and Banff, I took a number of images on my point-and-shoot camera and iPhone. Part of being creative I think, is just taking photographs everywhere, and using any and all tools, including small cameras.

Many times I’ve looked back on my life and have found that I have beautiful images of the places I’ve been, but no images of myself. As we get older, we wish we had images of ourselves at certain times, so I’ve made it a goal to try and include myself in more photos, even if I don’t like them at the time. It’s always good to have photos to look back on.

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I particularly love my point-and-shoot, because it is a professional version with full manual controls, dials instead of menus, and it captures in RAW so I can edit it or convert images to black and white with more clarity. I have it rigged with an extendable stick so that I can get photographs of myself when I go places, without having to rely on strangers for focus and composition.

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Below is a panorama created with the new iPhone 5. It does a fast job of panos, and in this image you can see my main camera around my neck and my point-and-shoot camera on an extendable stick in my hand.

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The rest are some iPhone images of my trip. I like shooting for fun with the iPhone, because it’s a challenge. There are no controls, so you have to think differently when using it — you have to think around the fact that you can’t control some things, yet you still have to make the image artistic and work.

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These first two images (above and below) are me flying out of the inversion and bad weather of Utah and seeing some blue sky again.

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This is me flying into Calgary. I dragged the exposure for motion blur.

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While shooting scenics in Banff, I shot some on my iPhone as well. I really like this image in black and white.

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Here is some close-up details of frost on some grass coming out of the frozen lake.

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My friend Cam took me to see the Banff Springs Hotel, and inside was this old ad.

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Here it is from the outside.

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And finally, as I was leaving Calgary very early in the morning, I found myself alone in the airport. I really liked the lines in this image, along with the 70’s looking multi-colored chairs.

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Once on board, the flight was delayed due to a storm. I took this looking out the window of my airplane, waiting for takeoff.

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Well, that’s it. I hope you enjoyed seeing these images. Make sure you check out the previous post (part 1) to see the scenics I took while there.

Until next time, America.

 

Scenics in Banff, Canada (part 1)

After speaking at the Alberta Professional Photographer’s Convention this month in Calgary, I took a free day to go to Banff. Here are some of the images I created that day.

I was taken there by a long-time photographer friend of mine, named Cam Colclough, that I met over 10 years ago in Oregon when we were both speaking at the same convention. We’ve stayed friends ever since, and he was kind enough to take me on a tour of some of his favorite places in Banff.

And here are some of the images I created in this area. I really loved the slanted mountains and awesome clouds in the background. It helped give me some contrast and directional light on the mountains, so I worked to create a variety of images by changing the foreground. A good foreground helps create depth, especially when there’s great depth created naturally by the lighting.

I was lucky to shoot these when I did, because right soon after, the weather changed dramatically, everything became foggy and overcast, and shooting scenics was no longer an option.

I really like all four of these scenics for different reasons, but I am having a hard time deciding which one is really the best. Which are your favorites? I’m curious as to what others are drawn to and why.

As part of my Banff Part 2 post coming up, I’ll show a completely different set of images — fun images I created solely on my iPhone and point-and-shoot camera.

Until next time, America.

Black Weekend: 35% Off ALL Art at BryCoxART.com This Weekend!

This is the best weekend to get some beautiful and inspiring Bry Cox art pieces. Because of Black Friday and because I have completely revamped the entire BryCoxART.com site, I’m having a huge sale where everything is marked down 35% off through this weekend only. These are the best prices I’ve ever had on these, and there’s even more images to choose from than before.

Because of Black Friday, many people stand in terribly long lines at stores to get some deep discounts on things they won’t even care about in a year or two. But if you’re somebody who enjoys and is inspired by great art, you can instead avoid the lines and browse the BryCoxART.com site in the warmth of your home, save big money, and enjoy your art pieces for many years to come.

NOTE: The discounts will be applied after the pieces are added to your shopping cart. So see what you like, add it to the cart, and see how much you’ll save.

For example, 35% off means that you will save over $200 on twenty inch canvas gallery wraps and save about $350 on thirty inch canvas gallery wraps. I even have my art books, Impressions of Italia and Impressions of China books marked down. And every image is completely unique and different from anything you’ve ever seen.

I have serene and inspiring art pieces from Italy, China, and the US, including seashores, lighthouses, and LDS temples.

So this weekend, get something for your home or your office. This is the best sale on these items that I’ve had. Happy Thanksgiving!

Point Loma Lighthouse, San Diego

While in San Diego for a wedding, I took some time in the morning to go photograph the Point Loma Lighthouse. Unfortunately, the road is controlled by a government installation and is not open at the right time of day when the sun is perfect. So I had to make due and be creative in making it look amazing during a very dull time of day, when the sun was in the wrong spot, and when it was crawling with tourists. Here’s the result.

Rather than shooting it the way I planned, I instead shot it black and white and used some fun lenses for controlled blurs. That way I could still get something exciting, while hiding the people.

I processed each of these using my own custom effects and distressed edges that I sell to photographers. It really helps give these images a unique look all around.

You would never know that the place was crawling with tourists in these images, and the b&w art effect on each of these really helps create an interesting and unique look on an otherwise dull, sun-lit day.

When creating this image below, I pointed up, blurring and darkening the ground with the lens, hiding all the people and tourists around the place.

I am really happy with the results of this shoot. It was a great creative start to a great day of shooting, and the wedding that followed was amazing! I’ll post it here later after the client has seen the images and ordered.

If you’d like some beautiful art pieces for your home or business, let me know. I have a huge collection of lighthouses and other scenics that are beautiful and inspiring. And if you’re a family, now is the time to get family portraits. Besides the nice warm weather and the studio gardens looking their best, I also have a great promotion running making it even more affordable. Check out the last blog entry to see the details and give me a call. 801-728-3317.

Big Yellow Moon on the Rise

The other night the moon was supposed to be extra big and bright (news story) which won’t happen again for two more decades. I set out to a secluded place near my home and set up my camera on a tripod to wait for the moon rise. It was a fun and cold night. I had just got back from Texas and was used to the warm weather, and the cool spring night here in Utah made for a fun adventure.

I started out shooting the sunset, as there was about a 15 minute difference from when the sun would set and the moon would rise. I shot for HDR which means you shoot a couple exposures to capture the shadow and highlight details and then sandwich the images together in one image, but ended up just using single exposures as my final images as I feel they look much more natural and esthetically pleasing. Here’s a pano looking west to the sunset.

During twilight, I created some long 30 second exposures of the ground and scenery around me. I really love the next two images and the blue in them.

I especially love the direction of light and the high horizon in this one below.

I was using an iPhone app which pointed to where the moon would rise. I waited for it to peak above the clouds and began to shoot. I really like this image. Everything is so blue.

I pulled back for another image, showing more foreground. I could have digitally enhanced and lightened the grass and foreground, but I prefer it like it is, feeling dark and cool like night.

I zoomed in to capture the moon, but by now it was climbing fast.

The higher moon gave me a bit more light to work with, and I took one more with a lot of foreground and a high horizon, hyper-focal focusing to get as much in sharp detail as possible, especially for such a long exposure.

I really like how these turned out, but nevertheless it was just fun to be outside and enjoying the cool night, looking at the moon. I also created a few images on my iPhone just for fun. Here’s when I first arrived…

My camera and the moon while creating the last image above…

Some weeds against the night sky. I shot this while walking back to my vehicle…

And one more of weeds that I sent from my iPhone to my iPad using PhotoStream, then edited on my iPad to create a pseudo painting. I really like the colors in this a lot.

Well, that was my Big Moon Adventure. If you love photography like I do, and you understand the value of a great image that can stand the test of time, then give me a call. Now is a great time to set up your Spring appointment for your family portrait. Give me a call at 801-728-3317 to schedule a time. And feel free to browse my main website at BryCox.com.

Beautiful Panoramas and Scenics from Southern Utah

I have so many things to blog about right now, but I’m so excited about these desert scenics I created last weekend in Southern Utah. I had this image in my mind of what I wanted, and passed many different mountain ranges because the clouds weren’t perfect. They would have just been a well executed photograph of beautiful scene, but nothing that would really grab you. But after some driving, we eventually did find this range with the perfect clouds and lighting! This image is my favorite, and I especially love how all the shapes and lines work together so well.

The line of the clouds, the angled rock in front, and the bush for balance in the bottom right corner — it all is so nice. And the detail in these images is incredible. Hopefully someday you’ll get to see them big where you can really get lost in them. I worry that small web versions just don’t do them justice.

On another day after a pretty hike up a ridge, we came across this valley at dusk. I originally shot this for black & white, but ended up liking it in color better. There was a cool wind blowing at us from this valley, and the scene was just surreal.

And here are some fun abstract vignettes taken near the first scenic. I really liked what the light was doing and thought these may work in a series of some kind. All of these images are finished with my new custom made edges that I’ve been working on too.

Soon I hope to have my online art store back up, and then I’ll offer some of these images on there. My store is down because I’ve been converting it to a new system and storefront which is taking longer than expected. But the new store should be better, more efficient and more versatile.

Would you like some new artwork for your home? Maybe some scenics like these or perhaps some new custom family portraits? Give me a call at 801-728-3317 and lets talk.