Engagements, Announcements

Liz & Dewayne’s Engagement Portraits

I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to photograph Liz and Dewayne’s engagement portraits. They are a great couple together, and we created so many wonderful and romantic images that it was hard to narrow them down. Here are a few of my favorites.

BryCox_Liz_Dewayne_Engagement_06

Being a photographer based outside of Salt Lake City, Utah, I’ve got a lot of options right here at my studio. For a lot of variety, we shot both outside in the studio gardens as well as inside the studio, and in color and black and white. And I always like to do a few images of the bride and groom individually too. For these I went with my high-contrast black and white series and these two images look wonderful together.

BryCox_Liz_Dewayne_Engagement_04 BryCox_Liz_Dewayne_Engagement_03This image is the official invitation photograph. I really like how great they both look, the sparkles in their smiles, and how close they are to each other in this.  I love photographing couples that are happy together because the images are even more romantic.
BryCox_Liz_Dewayne_Engagement_02
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BryCox_Liz_Dewayne_Engagement_01
I also can’t wait to share the bridal portraits, as they are really out of this world. But I will hold off until after the wedding so that the dress can be kept a surprise.

If you’re engaged and are looking for some wonderful engagement images, bridal images, or a killer wedding day album, give me a call at 801-728-3317. And check this post out on how the way I shoot weddings is completely different and unique. My main website BryCox.com also has a lot of great sample images and info too.

Until next time, America.

Shasta’s Engagement & Family Portraits

We had such a fun time creating these engagement portraits of Shasta and her fiancé. We did a mix of outdoor and studio portraits and some of our favorites were high contrast black & whites from the studio.

© BryCox.com, Bry Cox© BryCox.com, Bry Cox© BryCox.com, Bry Cox© BryCox.com, Bry Cox

I took some of the favorites and created this 9-up collage. It looked so beautiful when it was finished and framed.

BryCox_Shasta_01

Shasta also has 3 adorable little kids and we took the opportunity to create a new updated family portrait.

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Her kids were so cute and fun, that we did some individual portraits of them as well. I spent most of the shoot laughing with them because they were so funny. I think you can see that in the photos. They each had so many great images and each showed different sides of their personality, that I ended up using a few images of each child to create this collage.

BryCox_Shasta_02

I am excited for this marriage and hope these guys all have a wonderful new life together, and I can’t wait to photograph this awesome family again.

If you’d like some new family portraits, children’s portraits, or even some engagement portraits for your upcoming wedding, give me a call. It’s a great time to come in before the fall rush. 801-728-3317.

And until next time, America.

Marisa’s Engagement and Bridals

I recently photographed Marisa’s wedding and thought about posting her engagements and bridals here to celebrate her wedding day, but I didn’t want her fiancé Ben to accidentaly see the bridals before the ceremony. So I am now sharing these images and am excited for you all to see them. I’m starting with some of her bridal images. Because it was a cold fall day, we started inside in the warm studio to create these.

Cox_Marisa01

Marisa looks so elegant and beautiful in these images. There were so many great images, it was hard to pick some favorites, but these were some of them.Cox_Marisa02 Cox_Marisa03

At one point, the rain seemed to stop so we hurried outside and shot a bit in the leaves. This dancing trio is a collection of some of our favorite images outside before the rain started up again.

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And here are some of Marisa and Ben’s engagements. We did a mix session with multiple studio backgrounds and lighting setups as well as some outdoor images as well in the studio gardens.Cox_Marisa05 Cox_Marisa06 Cox_Marisa07

These two were so fun to photograph and are such a great couple. We were laughing most of the time when we weren’t shooting. I think they look great together and I am excited that they found each other.

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I really love how these images turned out. They had a great variety of images and the display of images at the wedding reception looked amazing. Cox_Marisa10

And to close, here is a sneak peek of the wedding day. Though the album will take some time to design, this is one of my favorites from the day. I will for sure share their entire wedding album once it is ready.

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If you are getting married now is the time to give me a call and reserve your day as it is that time of year when brides are booking dates. Or feel free to just call me and ask any questions you may have. 801-728-3317

And until next time, America.

How to Pick a Wedding Photographer (part 1)

I was recently asked these questions for an article, and thought I’d also post my answers on my blog as well.

“What Should People Be Looking for in a Wedding Photographer?”

I take this subject seriously because weddings matter and photography at weddings matter. There are few buying decisions in our lives that actually can cause life-long regret, and wedding photography tops that list. You may spend a lot of money buying a bad car or even a couch that isn’t comfortable, but the problem is solved once you get rid of it and replace it.

But when it comes to wedding photographs, they can only be done once. People who have made a poor decision in this area will lament even 50 years after their wedding and will still hold regret. I’ve found that if one bride doesn’t hire me, it’s usually her regret afterwards that gets her friends to hire me. If a mother of a bride comes in with decades of regret from her own wedding, that feeling is usually enough for her daughter to spend the extra money to hire me.

The reason people worry about their wedding photography is simple, it only happens once, it can’t be re-done, and you don’t know what you’re paying for until a month or so after the wedding.

Of all the expenses of a wedding, the photography is the one thing you keep your entire life. And as people get older, their tastes change and improve and they become more educated. If their photography is faddish or sub-par, it will only get worse as the years go by and your tastes improve.

There are literally thousands of photographers in every state saying that they are professionals. Many of those lately are your friends, neighbors and relatives needing you to hire them for friendship sake and as a favor to them to help them build their portfolio. These are not photographers with credentials other than their love of photography and the fact that they are spending what seems like a lot of money to them on equipment.

Guilt of hurting a friendship or feeling the need to help build someone’s portfolio with your one and only special day are bad motivators. These should not be reasons you hire any photographer. There is a wide gamut of skill, education, abilities, and price options, but when it really comes down to it, price and quality are related very tightly in photography.

Weddings are incredibly difficult for photographers as they provide a wide range of variables, locations, lighting conditions, weather, body shapes, and people’s personalities. Despite all these, the photographer must create great images without excuse, and usually under incredibly tight time constraints.

A wedding photographer must be skilled, knowledgeable, and versatile, and at the same time creative. But these things are hard for a client to really see when they’re shopping around.

So my advice when shopping for a wedding photographer is to not trust the initial samples a photographer shows you, and that goes double for any sample images online – there isn’t enough resolution in web images to see the flaws.

You must get in and see the images first-hand in printed form as big as possible. You must meet the photographer and see how you like his/her personality. You must ask to see more samples than are shown, particularly entire weddings in album or printed form.

If they don’t have printed samples, and lots of them, spanning years and years of weddings that look wonderful, then they are too new for you to hire. They are either not making enough money yet to afford some samples and/or are too inexperienced for you to hire. You are not someone’s guinea pig for practice. You need a professional on YOUR one big day!

When you look at samples, look past the flowers, the dresses, and the things in the images, and instead look at the photography, the consistency of the images. Look to see if the bride looks thin all the way through, if she always looks good, and doesn’t look fake, plastic or “photoshop-ed.”

Also make sure to pay particular note to the sample album and how it is constructed and built. How many sample albums are there? Do they go back years? Are parts of the book coming apart?

Hopefully there are plenty of albums that span years, show all sorts of locations, lighting, and options, and despite lots of use and traffic from clients, the books should be holding up beautifully.

Keep in mind that most photographers will show their lucky shots taken on an easy day for lighting (usually called “natural light” images taken on a cloudy, overcast day). Those kind of lucky images require no real skill. They do nothing to show YOU how you will be photographed on your day in your unique lighting conditions.

So ask instead to see entire weddings in broad sunlight, or in the middle of the night outside. Ask to see entire weddings all the way through, and not just the photographer’s favorite samples.

Photographers on the cheaper end of the scale rely on their equipment and the law of averages, shooting thousands of images in hopes of getting something somewhat decent and saleable. They then cover up their images with lots of software and effects. They attempt to hide the common problems of bluish-grey skin and the dark eyes caused by bad technique, with effects like yellow tones and washed out looks.

To a new bride, these effects make images seem fun and “different,” but to the trained eye they just look bad and trendy. In fact they are not different at all, but very commonplace as almost all new photographers are doing the same thing.

A more experienced (and yes more expensive) photographer will shoot fewer images, all of which will be great, and he/she will do it under any lighting condition, and this will be done with control. The images will look great and will be powerful on their own without all the trendy effects. They will be emotional, will be hip and cool, but will also have a classic and timeless appeal.

Finally, one good way to gauge a photographer’s level of expertise is their credentials! Always ask about a photographer’s credentials and what it is that makes them “professional?”

How many years have they spent learning how to photograph people? How long have they done this as full time career? Where did they go to school and with what degree? Is this a new career or have they dedicated a large portion of their lives and their hard-earned money to continually learn and understand their profession?

You wouldn’t let someone without a license cut your hair for your big wedding day, and you shouldn’t let a photographer potentially ruin your wedding day photographs without having at least basic Certification. A bad hair cut at least grows back in a few months, but bad wedding photographs will live with you your entire life.

I believe that any photographer who calls himself or herself a professional should at least prove it by having Certification. On top of that, hopefully they’ve earned some national titles like Master and Craftsman. These titles and ranks help a prospective client know that a photographer is consistent in their skill and will do a better job. Photographers with credentials can be found under the “Find a Photographer” section of PPA.com.

You’re based out of Utah but you seem to travel all over shooting weddings. What do you think is the most important thing couples should look for in a wedding photographer …Value? Talent? Consistency? Quality? Why?

Yes, all of those. Price is always an early question, as everyone wants to save money on a wedding. But price is never the final deciding factor. Most people understand that nicer products and services must cost more, but still most people have some type of budget constraints. Yet almost everyone would still rather cut in some areas in order to have better images that they can enjoy the rest of their lives.

A photography business is not a cheap business to run when you want to produce great images. Every step of every process is expensive when done right. Some things we spend money on in life are mass-produced. Great photography is instead custom made each time for just one client.

A lot goes into each job in terms of expertise, constant training, equipment, computers/software, insurance, overhead, and the supplies that go into the final products. There are cheap ways of cutting back on all of these, but it always shows in the final images and album.

And yes, talent and consistency do play a huge factor. No ones wants to worry about how their wedding images will turn out and no one knows until after the event is all over with, how the images really did turn out. Knowing they have someone who consistently is proven to do a great job gives them peace of mind, and that makes the extra expense of travel totally worth it to them.

What are the brides-to-be and families generally asking about when they make first contact with you? Does this change as they go through the process of engagement photos, bridal photos and then during the day?

Yes, most people start off asking about price, mainly because they don’t know what to ask. But as the process moves forward, those who are really interested in the way that I work, will talk more about the things that are actually important to them like quality and style.

Interestingly, many of the people that complain most about price at first become life-long clients of mine, coming in again and again throughout the years. Once they get it, they love what I do and come in for everything. They schedule shoots of their new babies, events and other special moments, and I get to see them and their lives change over the years.

It’s especially fun to deliver wall prints to clients and see their homes already decorated throughout with canvases, collages and portraits I’ve done for them in the past.

I’ve seen research on how brides usually make decisions on a wedding photographer. After cost, how do brides evaluate your work?

Price may be the reason a bride doesn’t hire a particular photographer, but price is never the reason a bride does hire a photographer. Price may be the first thing people ask about, but both photographers and brides both say that quality and a photographer’s personality were more important than price in the decision making process.

(Continue reading part 2 of interview.)

 

Lisa’s Wedding Portraits

This week Lisa got married, and a few days before she came in for some fun and fabulous portraits with her fiancé.  This type of shoot is what I call a Pre-Session — a session with the bride and groom before the wedding.  It’s done before hand so that they have wonderful images on display at their wedding that are hip, classic, and emotional all at the same time.

I love Pre-Sessions, because unlike the wedding day there’s no feeling of being rushed.  On a wedding day, the couple is pulled in too many directions.  They are running ragged and everyone is constantly interrupting the creation time to talk or ask them questions.

But on a Pre-Session, we have the studio and gardens to ourselves.  The place is peaceful and creativity abounds.  The images here show the peace and love that the couple feels and this first image was their favorite!  It became their large piece that went on the easel at the reception and now will hang in their home.

On top of couple portraits, I always like to get some fun individuals of each, in case we use them in a collage or other wall art display.  The slight variations in lighting and positioning for each person help exaggerate her beautiful feminine features and his masculine features.

I love this next couple portrait of the two of them.  It is so affectionate and they look so happy and good together.  It’s fun to have the couple both in white and Lisa’s wedding gown was made by her mother.

Finally, we stepped out to work the my outdoor studio gardens, despite the freezing cold, just to get a few images in the wonderful fall leaves.

This is one of the things I love about my wonderful location — I have the ability to shoot indoors or outdoors all in one setting!  If people have taken off work, made their difficult schedules work, and come to the studio for their appointment but it’s a day that is freezing cold or snowing — no problem!

I can continue to create amazing and emotional images inside with complete control.  If people still want to venture outside anyway, we can do it quickly as things are set up ready to go here.  We simply step out and work quickly and come right back in again to get warm by the fireplace.  Mood is important when creating wonderful expressions, and here I can do that the best!

If you’re getting married or it’s time again for some new family portraits for Christmas, give me a call to schedule your appointment.  801-728-3317.  My shoots are so much fun and I know just how to make you look great.  And overall, you will LOVE your images!

And feel free to browse my main website, BryCox.com and my blog at BryCox.com/blog.

Ashley & Jeff’s Wedding Pre-Session

Ashley and Jeff just got married, and before their wedding, they came in for some fun and amazing photographs.  I photographed them at my studio location both inside using various sets, as well as outside, even though it was cold.  The results were stunning!

This was one of my favorites!  They look so great together, and the image is so loving!  And notice how almost all of their favorites were black and white.  Black and white has such a timeless quality, yet it is hip too.  It is a great mix of classic and new, all in one.

I love these of Ashley alone.  So beautiful!

And then we ventured outside.  I have a half-acre of English-garden style landscaping, but in the winter it’s not green and lush.  However, it is always interesting and beautiful in black and white.  Here’s what we created.  First this series of three images which will hang in a trio.

And finally we finished with them running off down my country street, as if they were running off to get married.

It was a great shoot and they’re a great couple!  I’m so happy that they found each other and I know that they will make each other very happy.

If you’re getting married and would like a pre-wedding session, give me a call.  801-728-3317.  A pre-session with Bry Cox Studio, is a great way to have cool portraits up at your wedding, as well as taking the pressure off of your wedding, no matter who you hire for your day.  Pre-sessions cost less than weddings, and are much more stress-free than a wedding — there’s no rush for time like on a wedding day, and no one’s coming to talk to you or interrupt you constantly like on wedding days.  And when they’re done at my studio location, we have the most variety of backgrounds both inside and out, without any travel fees!

Well 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).

 

Benton & Shelley are Getting Married!

This summer our single’s group from church went on a trip to Lake Powell for some fun in the sun.  While there, Benton and Shelley met each other and are now getting married this week!  I had the privaledge to do their engagement portraits, and it was a real treat!  Here are some of the images from the session.

This first image was one of their favorites.  They got it as a larger print as well as had me use it on the cover of their wedding announcement design.  I love the feel in this image, and how they look so happy together.

We did a number of color and black and white, but it seemed that the favorite images were mostly black and white.  Here is one of those, using the street in front of the studio as a backdrop.

Next I did some individual portraits of each of them and used these to create a collage design shown below.And here is the final design.  I love these collages.  I design them to tell a story between the images and to show many different feelings and emotions in just one piece.  This was created as a larger wall item and is going to look so great in their home.

Here is close up of one of the images of them together.  I think they look so great together in this portrait. I know that they will be a happy couple.And here is a glimpse of their wedding invitation.  It is square, and this is the invitation folded out, looking at the front of the card (right) and the back of the card (left).  It folds down the middle.  This photograph made the perfect opening for the invite, because not only is it a great photo with a lot of punch, but if people open the invite and lay it flat, the leaves on the left make such a great transition to the back.

And here is the inside, folded out.  I blocked out the names, locations and other personal info, but I just wanted you to see this.  Again, it folds down the middle with the spacing of the image to the left making the perfect place for text.  Here inside, the image is more dramatic and romantic, and the couple is not looking at the camera but are in a moment with each other.  This image really works in the design because there is a juxtaposition with the image on the outside of the invite.

As you can see from their invitation, their wedding is this Thursday.  I wish them well and a big congratulations for finding each other and hope that their day is wonderful!

Again for everyone else, it is very close to Christmas and so it’s time to get in your final orders to me, even if it’s for one of my temple art prints.  Give me a call soon so that I can get things finished up for you.

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).

Merry Christmas!
– Bry

My Sister’s Wedding

Happy New Year, everyone!  It’s my sister’s wedding is in the morning and I thought I’d put up some of the images I’ve been working on for her display tomorrow.  These are from her engagements and bridals.

BryCox - Engagement #1
BryCox - Engagement #1

We did some in the studio, and some in the leaves here at my outdoor garden studio…

BryCox - Engagement #2
BryCox - Engagement #2

…and finished at the State Capital building where they got engaged.

BryCox - Engagement #3
BryCox - Engagement #3
BryCox - Engagement #4
BryCox - Engagement #4

And then for her bridals, these are some of her favorites.  These were at the studio…

BryCox - Bridal #1
BryCox - Bridal #1
BryCox - Bridal #2
BryCox - Bridal #2
BryCox - Bridal #3
BryCox - Bridal #3

I’m very excited for my sister’s wedding tomorrow.  As far as the weather, it should be warmer than it’s been lately (the high is supposed to be 32º F), and there’s a strong possibility of snow too.  I hope it does snow because that will mean some very fun outdoor portraits at the temple after the wedding.  I’ll put some images of her wedding soon.

I also need to post some of the wedding album designs that I finished for clients for Christmas.  I was very excited about them and feel they were some of the best albums I’ve ever created.  They were so fantastic!!  Now that the holidays are over and I’m back to a regular schedule again, I’ll get the up online.

Until next time, Amercia!
— Bry

Stephanie’s Engagements

Well I’ve been out of town a lot lately, and have gotten behind on the blog posts, but I have a lot to put and am not sure if I can get it all up before more cool shoots come along to blog about.

But for now I have to tell you how excited I am about these images from Stephanie’s engagement session.  This first image is a painting that I’ve been working on.  It uses a new technique I’ve been working on and utilizes some of my brand new brushes that I’ve developed for photographers.

Bry Cox - Painting for Stephanie
Bry Cox - Painting for Stephanie

I love the feeling of the entire image, how great the couple looks, the vibrant surreal colors, the abstract shapes in the trees and grass….  I’m very excited to get this finished and on canvas!

This next series is a nine-image composite of the couple.  I love how in love they are and am excited for their wedding!

Bry Cox - Stephanie's Composite
Bry Cox - Stephanie's Composite

Composites are great for couples I think to show motion, and emotion.  I designed up two for them, this one above and this treo below.

Bry Cox - Stephanie's Treo
Bry Cox - Stephanie's Treo

Well that’s it for now.  I’ll get some more of my projects up quickly!  I’ve got a lot of new things to show.

Until next time, America!
— Bry

Portraits & Relationships

One of the things that I love about creating photographs is capturing relationships and preserving those feelings and emotions in an artful way.  Today I worked on this order for a couple that is getting married soon.  The images are from a ‘Pre-Session’….a session of the bride and groom before the wedding.

Emily
Emily

I love this image of them hugging each other.  They have such a beautiful sparkle in their eyes.

Emily
Emily

This is Emily alone in her wedding dress.  It will be finished as a long, skinny, horizontal wall image.

Emily's Design
Emily's Design

Here is a design I created for them too.  It shows a lot of emotions and feelings all in one composite, designed to keep your eye flowing throughout.

I love doing these kinds of sessions.  They are really fun and fulfilling.  This couple has a lot of love for each other, and I think it really shows.  I wish them luck in their new life together.

So to everyone else out there, remember that you can hire me for this kind of a session whether you use me for your entire wedding or not.  Give me a call and tell me about your dream portrait and let’s make it happen!

Until next time, America!
— Bry

New DVD Portfolio, Updated Website

I have a new portfolio DVD for 2009, and it is all finished and ready for you!  It is formatted for your large widescreen home theater so that you can view the images large and in the comfort of your own home.

Bry Cox - Portfolio DVD
Bry Cox – Portfolio DVD

This DVD includes specific slideshows on weddings, bridals, families, children, high school seniors, models, as well as some entire wedding albums so that you can see how I might tell the story of your day from start to finish.  You can order one for free right off my main website, here. (Click on Free DVD on menu.)

You can watch it on any DVD player or computer, both Mac and PC.  The music is amazing and was all written and recorded by my sister, Elise.  Each music score was specifically chosen for each slideshow to accentuate the mood of the images.  It is a wonderful DVD and I know you will all love it.

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Note to photographers: I can understand how other photographers may want to frequent my site, and I appreciate that. However, I received thousands of requests from photographers for my last portfolio DVD, photographers not wanting to hire me but to get ideas for themselves.

If you are a photographer, please understand that I spent a lot of money and time producing these DVDs and am happy to give them for free only to clients and potential clients. I cannot respond to photographers requests for free DVDs, but you can certainly order them for a cost (along with many other photographic items) in the store part of my photographic workshop site.  Thanks for understanding.
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And until next time, America!
— Bry

Erica’s Engagements

Today Erica came in to preview her Engagement portraits.  We did the photo session last week during the big rain storm.  Though I had to reschedule some family portraits because of the rain, I LOVE using the rain and weather to add mood to engagement portraits.

We got soaked, but the images look great.  You can see the rain falling in the air in some of them, and I love the look and feel of the air, sky, and the wet ground too.  Here’s a square wall composite from the session — such a beautiful grouping!

Erica Composite Design
Erica Composite Design

I also created a painted canvas portrait for the client using one of the photographs as a reference.  I chose this particular image for this because I love the story-telling in just their legs.  Here is a preview of how it will look when it is finished.

Erica's Canvas Painting
Erica

Her bridals are coming up soon, and I am very excited now for that session.  She is very photogenic and we will create some amazing images, I know.

So, until next time, America!
— Bry