photography

Chasing the Total Elipse

Posted by BryCox (Admin)

The total eclipse was absolutely breathtaking and inspiring. Words really can’t describe the feeling and overwhelming awe of being there, feeling the air on your skin dramatically change, watching the sky all around you go dark, and then suddenly seeing the sun’s white rays burst out from behind the moon in the darkness in an angelic way… it was beautiful!

I’m glad I made the last minute decision to drive the 3 hour route north to see the eclipse in totality. Here at my place in Utah it was going to be 91% which sounded pretty good to me. I debated if that extra 9% would really make much difference. It did.

The local news made a big deal about all the traffic and congestion that would be heading north into Idaho, and their daily talk of armageddon (gas stations dry and store shelves bare) made me want to avoid the crowds and just watch the eclipse near my home.

But the night before, some friends called me to join them on their drive up. They said there wasn’t any traffic and that they had a spot for me in their camp. So excited about the adventure, I loaded up my motorcycle with my bare essentials and some items of preparedness and headed out at 1:00 am to drive through the night. As I got further north, the temperatures dropped to the 50’s, which when going 80 mpg makes it feel like 25º. Freezing. I arrived shortly after 4:00 am, found my friends sleeping under the stars in a farm plot turned makeshift RV park, and I got out my sleeping bag for a few hours of warmth and sleep.

The rising sun in our eyes woke us up and we all greeted each other, made some food, and began setting up to watch the eclipse. I had a sheet of solar film from my friends at Pictureline in Salt Lake, and it was awesome. I had enough film material to cover my camera lens, my binoculars (which were an amazing way to watch), with left over pieces to give to a few close friends for their cameras.

Here a drone shot of us hanging out at camp, watching the eclipse.

As the eclipse progressed, I created a series of photographs that I later combined into this one-piece collage. Since the moment of totality was such a wondrous experience, that image needed to be much larger. And as much as I like this collage, it is just a reminder of the experience. It doesn’t do the real thing justice.

Here are all of the images I did during that procession.

I only took a minimal setup because I was on a motorcycle and hoped to enjoy the event too, not wanting to get bogged down in technology during the wondrous moment. I’m happy with my results, but we met many people at the camp who’d planned for months and years, even coming from out of state for this event. This California man shown below spent years building this elaborate setup, which included multiple computers and analyzers to track the sun and adjust for micro movements. And with all that equipment, he forgot to remove his solar filter to get a photograph of totality because he was so engrossed and blown away by the experience as it was happening. Only afterwards did he realize he forgot to photograph it.

I flew my drone around the area during some down time, and shot the nearby country side and the snake river running right past us.

Then to avoid the horrible traffic being funneled down the only road south to Utah, we instead went bridge diving with some other friends we met up with.

Here’s a video clip of us jumping, shot by flying my drone out above the water.

As it got later, I thought the traffic would be clear enough to go. Plus I wanted to avoid another cold night’s ride home. I packed my bike and headed out an hour and a half ahead of my friends. …and I hit horrible traffic. It took me 7 hours to drive the normal 3 hour route. There were no alternate roads, no turnoffs. Just one long 200 mile road in gridlock. I even got a ticket for what I consider normal motorcycle driving (i.e. passing gridlocked cars).

Nevertheless, I am so happy that I made the drive north to see the eclipse in totality. It was worth the photographs, but more importantly it was worth the experience. The difference in the last few moments (95%) when it just felt dim outside and the sun was still pretty bright without the solar glasses, versus that moment of totality when the sun burst out in a bright angelic way from behind the moon was spectacular. It lasted only a few moments, but it was an incredible experiment that is hard to describe with words.

I’m grateful I’m a photographer and lived close enough to be able to experience such a wonderful moment with dear friends.

And until next time, America.

Carly’s Gorgeous Mountain Engagement Portraits at Tibble Fork

Posted by BryCox (Admin)

Carly and her fiancé are somewhat new to Utah, and love the beautiful mountain ranges that are so close to civilization. For her engagements, she wanted a canyon with a view, so we shot at Tibble Fork. I love this area because you can see the back side of Mount Timpanogas in the background which has an elevation near 12,000 feet. The air is so clear and fresh in these canyons, and we started our shoot as the sun was setting. For the first set of photographs, I used Mount Timp as our backdrop, framed by the diagonals of American Fork Canyon.

I created a trio design based on these first set of images because they looked so great together as a set.

And with some easy, short walks we were able to get a variety of mountainous backgrounds for Carly. Here we used the trees to frame them, creating a vivid green background.

Or showing the water as the sun was setting, framed in by vertical tree trunks.

And as the sun set, the cool canyon air mixed with the water and turned a gorgeous misty blue in the distance. That lone tree in the background made for a great balance point for this set of romantic images.

And notice that no matter the time of day or angle to the sun, this couple always looks gorgeous and their backgrounds look gorgeous. Utilizing master lighting techniques means that they have great skin tones, eyes that pop, and the background is vivid and real.

Sadly, other photographers may use great locations too, but because they use “natural light” (which is haphazard), their photos turn out with blotchy skin, dark eyes, and their backgrounds and faces are often washed out (a modern trick to save poorly shot images). This is sad because photography is the one thing we keep from our wedding for our entire lives.

Hopefully you can see the difference. I work to create true heirloom quality photographs that your kids will fight over once we’re all dead. And the secret starts with great lighting, mixed with great chemistry and body language, to create a shoot with tons of wonderful images to choose from.

Before we left, we did a casual clothes change to get more images with their cute dog. This was one of my favorites. They look great, the dog is perked up and happy, the lines and colors of the background are awesome, and the mist is peaking through the trees creating even more dimension so that it feels like you’re there in the canyon.

Finally, I took some of my favorites to create this 9-up collage. I love the variety and personality in this design.

And of course at sunset I couldn’t help but shoot one photo of Mount Timpanogas off in the distance, lit by the setting sun. I love the mix of warm and cool colors in this.

If you’re getting married, give me a call. Let’s talk about creating some gorgeous photographs for you, 801-728-3317. We can do engagements (like this shoot), bridals, the wedding day, or any combination.

And until next time, America.

Concert Video and Photos for Ryan Shupe & the RubberBand Concert, Sandy Amphitheater June 2017

Posted by BryCox (Admin)

For more years than I can remember, warm weather here in Utah is marked by photographing outdoor concerts for Ryan Shupe and the RubberBand. They are always beautiful summer nights under the stars, soaking in great music. Just recently I shot Ryan’s big Utah show at the Sandy Amphitheater doing both video production and shooting photographs for the band’s promotional needs.

First, the promo video of Ryan just solo playing fiddle, mandolin, and singing along with a looper pedal. This was a huge project, shot with about 6 cameras, and included a ton of grading and editing to cut it all together with the right feel and storytelling. If you look closely, you can see me because one of my cameras catches me on stage at the very beginning and end of the video. Here’s the video. See what you think.

Bands are like any other business, they need great photos for advertising and promotion. Photographs are your storefront. People often say that a website is your storefront, because clients see that first and make buying decisions based on your site. But the truth is that your website is only as good as the photographs on it. Poor photographs – poor website. Great photographs – great website. Photos tell the story of your business, who you are, the show quality of what you’re offering.

Lighting is everything in a photo, and concerts are especially difficult with the constantly changing stage lighting. The values, intensity, and colors are constantly changing and the musicians are always on the move. There’s no redos. And that’s exactly why I love photographing concerts They’re an exhilarating creative challenge and I know that no one else can capture or get what I get. Hopefully when you see these images, it feels like you’re right there.

If your band or business needs some great photography to better showcase your brand, give me a call at 801-728-3317. I’d love to create something amazing for you.

And until next time, America.

Amber’s Wedding Sneak Peek, Jeremy Ranch Golf and Country Club

Posted by BryCox (Admin)

I’m working on Amber’s wedding album design and had to share some early sneak peek images from her reception at the Jeremy Ranch Golf and Country Club in Park City, Utah. There are so many beautiful images of these two, it’s hard to pick favorites. But here are some that really stand out to me.

My specialty as one of the top Master Photographers in the country, is lighting people beautifully while capturing true emotion. As you look through these images, notice how the emotion of these two being in love and wanting to be with each other, shows in every photograph. And I hope you appreciate too how great they look everywhere, no matter the lighting conditions (shade, direct sunlight, overcast, sunset, even nighttime).

Starting off, I love these images under this stone arch. The warm colors makes for a great backdrop for these two.

And this natural light photo using direct sun causing dramatic shadows and implied angles is just killer.  

Here’s a fun trio showing Amber’s gorgeous dress, front and back.

These two are both great golfers and love to golf together, which made this location perfect for their reception. We had to go out to the green for some images of them.

Later at sunset we broke away from the party and went out for a few more fun images under the golden sky.

I love this dip just as the sun also “dips” behind the mountains at sunset.

And one final night image after everyone has left to close out the album design.

I can’t wait to share more images and the entire album. But until then, if you’re getting married, give me a call at 801-728-3317. I’d love to create something amazing for you.

And until next time, America.

Gorgeous Drone Video & Photos of the Spiral Jetty, Great Salt Lake, Utah

Posted by BryCox (Admin)

I’ve got so many great photos and shoots to share here on my blog. I photograph people of course, focusing on custom portraits that capture emotion and are extremely well lit. But sometimes I also like to photograph abstract shapes and the natural beauty of the world.

I live near the edge of the Great Salt Lake which gives me a variety of beautiful terrain in all directions. My studio location is in a forest of tall green trees, but a few miles away I’ve got salt flats, open desert space, waterfowl and wetland areas, and large open fields and marsh areas too. Twenty minutes away to the east and I’ve got tall mountains and rugged canyons. Heading south there’s all the gorgeous red rock often used in movie locations. And heading north (as we did with friends here) we can explore the north end of the lake, which is a mix of alkaline flats and shallow shores of the Great Salt Lake.

So at the beginning of Memorial Day weekend, a small group of friends of mine all went out to the Spiral Jetty. Some wanted to float in the extra high salinity of the northern end where the water is so dense, you can’t sink. Others wanted a fun excuse to enjoy the desert and great weather. I personally loved the idea of getting away from civilization, enjoying the beautiful air and open country, and I really wanted to fly over the area with my drone to photograph the colors and shapes from above.

Play this video above in full screen and in HD to see the gorgeous clarity. I especially love the moving water ripples, and the moving cloud shadows over top of all the wonderful and abstract shapes and colors. I also like the mix of very high shots (300-400 feet up) with video from very low, flying right over the water and photographing the reflections of the sky and clouds. And the music really makes this work, thanks to MusicByElise.com.

And here are some of my favorite photographs. If you look closely in this first one, you can see me standing at the very top of the spiral. I’ve got a colored landing pad (to protect the drone’s tiny parts from flying dust). You can see that pad as a small speck of color in the otherwise blue/gray dirt and rocks.

Here’s a photograph of some of my friends, out wading in the water. All of the alkaline and salt deposits create beautiful and abstract shapes that are best seen from above. I especially love the blue shapes in the bottom left corner juxtaposed with the warm colors, with a hint of blue sun reflecting in the top right corner.

More abstract colors and shapes.

Here is flying really low over the water. I love seeing the mix of mud and reflections in the water, along with the mountains in the distance.

Here are a couple long shots showing the distant mountain ranges that surround the Great Salt Lake, along with the mix of sand, water, and colors.

And closing the shoot with a drone-selfie before packing up our gear and heading to a favorite steak restaurant in the area.

It was a great day with friends to enjoy the open space of Utah in the warm spring weather.

If you need some drone photography or video for your business, give me a call, 801-728-3317. There are some legal requirements for shooting drone photos and video commercially, which people may not understand. However my dad is a long-time private pilot with the FAA, so with him on site for the shoot, we are good to go and can get some fantastic footage for you. Unique and artistic perspectives are always needed to stand out. And my artistic background in lighting and composition, mixed with the unique perspectives of a commercially flown drone means I can give you that and more.

And until next time, America.

Trajan & Micaela’s Baby at 4 Months

Posted by BryCox (Admin)

My good friend Trajan and his wife Micaela have a new beautiful baby boy. He’s has the best smile and I had the blessing of photographing him at his 4 month mark. Here’s a video showing the shoot.

I love photographing babies, and having this baby in the studio was extra fun. He laughed, smiled, and gave me a bunch of cute expressions, and was a good sport throughout. Lighting is always key to making baby’s eyes, skin, and coloring pop, while also keeping them in constant focus. And here in my Utah studio, I have a ton of equipment to make the lighting perfect.

I hope you notice that every one of these baby pictures is tack sharp. That’s not always the case with most photographers. Often they have one eye out of focus, or the nose or outfit is in focus, but the eyes aren’t. And often when they have parents holding the baby then mom or dad or even even all three are all out of focus. But you won’t have those amateur problems here with me. Every picture is perfect, which means they can be printed any size, even enlarged and hung on the wall – no problem.

One idea I love for home art installations for baby portraits are my collages. Here’s one I designed up showing a variety of expressions, along with closeups of his tiny hands and feet.

We had so many great photos of him. The shoot went wonderfully and he just smiled at me over and over. Here’s one of my favorites of him smiling, making a great stand-alone photograph or as a trio.


He was already getting big for my wrap, but I thought it was cute with his feet sticking out. 

And this shoot made for a fun excuse to get out my little knit hats and try some of them on him. He placated us by just sleeping soundly during this process.

But then when we changed the studio up for another set of photos, he laughed and played which was perfect for showing his tiny hands and feet. 

This little baby was so fun to work with. His personality really showed through and we got a lot of variety. If you have a new baby, give me a call. And if you have a friend that needs some beautiful baby portraits, send them my way. It’s always fun to have babies in the studio and I am a master at lighting them. My number is 801-728-3317.

And until next time, America.

Amber’s Spring Engagement Shoot, Outdoor & Studio

Posted by BryCox (Admin)

I’ve been really excited to share the engagement shoot of these two. They are great together and make a wonderful couple. A few weeks ago in early spring we did this incredible shoot for their engagements. We did a mix of studio and outdoor portraits. And later I’ll have to share images from their wedding reception this weekend at the beautiful Jeremy Ranch Golf and Country Club because it was all just magical. But first, we need to see these from their engagement shoot.

This first photograph was one of the top favorites, and part of their wedding invitation design.

And this painting was finished as a canvas for their reception display, and will go above their fireplace in their home. 

I love these paintings. You really have to see them in person to see how wonderful they are. But here’s a shot of it displayed at their Utah wedding reception.

I love these outdoor photos. The gorgeous colors and dramatic sky really pop with master lighting techniques on location. And you can see how great these two are together. Their expressions say it all.

This next image with mixed lighting creating the dynamic shadow lines, was one of the top picks and part of the invitation design. 

And here are few more favorites from the studio, with a change of clothes and lighting styles for more variety.

This trio was one of my favorite things from the shoot. 

I hope you can see how great these two are together. I’m honored to have been a part of their wedding and wish them decades of future happiness together. And don’t worry, I will for sure post some of their wedding reception images too. You’ll want to see them, but I do have a bunch of other fun shoots that I want to share with you first.

In the meantime, if you’re getting married there is no better wedding investment than your photographs. Of all the things you spend on, well-made photographs are the only thing you keep after the wedding. So give me a call and let’s talk about creating your dream portraits, 801-728-3317.

And until next time, America.

Creativity and Fashion Shoots in Texas (Part 2)

Posted by BryCox (Admin)

Here’s some more images I shot while teaching creativity and fashion for a week in Texas at the biggest photography event of it’s kind. I specifically teach photographers how to connect with people to pull out genuine emotion, while at the same time nailing lighting and everything else technical. That way when you start adding complexity (like movement under studio lights), you create some uniquely magical photographs.

And this cute model with the red hair was terrific to demo these principles because she followed directions and moved instinctively well. And her personality worked well under the studio lights so I was able to push the creative bounds and shoot a lot of movement with her. I love all of these with her hair in motion.

And she really jumped well in high heels. At first I wanted her to jump barefooted because I worried about her landing and getting hurt. But she insisted that she could jump in high heels and they make these photographs even better. She had great positioning in the air, and photographers should note that even when jumping, the lighting is still perfect on her face and waist.

My shoot with her was very quick because I wanted other photographers to try what I was teaching. I’d do a quick demo with her then allow everyone else to shoot. But even in our short demo shoots, we created a huge variety of photographs. This set of mid-lengths on blue really show personality and make her eyes pop.

If you’re a high school senior, a model, or otherwise need some creative images that grab attention, give me a call at 801-728-3317. And if you’re a photographer wanting more training in lighting, creativity, or technique, visit my training site at BryCoxWORKSHOPS.com. I have live seminars around the country and lots of online courses as well.

And until next time, America.

Creativity and Fashion Shoots in Texas (Part 1)

Posted by BryCox (Admin)

I’m excited to share these photographs that I created while teaching my big week-long intensive photographic workshop in Texas. It’s the biggest and best event of its kind where 1000+ photographers from around the world come in to learn in small groups for an entire week with one instructor. As one of those instructors, my class is specifically on creativity, fashion, and adding emotion to an image – while at the same time nailing everything in camera. That means everything is measured and angled perfectly so exposure and color temperature are perfect, and skin, eyes, and body shapes look great before any retouching.

This first set of images in this post is not a Photoshop effect, but rather one exposure with a series of extremely quick flash bursts. This model was wonderful and moved like a dancer so I was able to describe how I wanted her to move during the shot, and she was able to hit her mark over and over. So each photograph is a series of multiple exposures all in one shot.

I love the blending of images showing movement, and how her red hair pops against this beautiful blue background. All my equipment was provided by my friend Melanie and her family at Arlington Camera. They were able to set me up with exactly the equipment I needed to create a full studio at the hotel. And I broke that gear into multiple studio bays to let photographers try the techniques I was showing.

Here is a short iPhone video showing me in action creating these images. This video was shot by my one of my equipment wranglers and helpers, Lisa Crayford. I took the raw footage and added the photos I shot to the end. Notice how I’m locking my body in to be my own tripod during the long exposure, and looking out over the camera to make sure I shoot and catch exactly what I want.

If you need some creative images that grab attention, give me a call at 801-728-3317. And if you’re a photographer wanting more training, visit my training site at BryCoxWORKSHOPS.com.

And until next time, America.

Street Shoot in Carlisle Pennsylvania, Part 2

Posted by BryCox (Admin)

While teaching a photographic workshop in Carlisle, Pennsylvania we did a shoot on the beautiful street in front of our hotel. I had previously posted the high school senior that I’d photographed, but I shot a cute little girl who was the daughter of the photographer who organized the event. I wanted to share some of those images as well with again, no retouching. We have great expressions, great skin, eyes that pop, and our color is nailed throughout the shoot. I taught systems for doing all of this on a shoot and these images show how great it works throughout a portrait session.

This little gal had such a variety of expressions, that I thought a composite design was best to show them all off. I can imagine her older in a few years, looking back on this shoot, loving this design, and enjoying her young personality.

And this trio shows off another cute outfit of hers. I really liked her boots in this and wanted to show them off.

If you’re a photographer and want to learn more, check out my live workshops as well as online training at BryCoxWORKSHOPS.com. And if you’re in need of some great photography, give me a call, 801-728-3317. Spring is here and I’d love to create something amazing for you.

And until next time, America.

Street Fashion Shoot in Carlisle Pennsylvania, Part 1

Posted by BryCox (Admin)

I just got back from teaching a multi-day photography seminar to the Professional Photographers of Pennsylvania. For one of those days, we did a live shoot on the beautiful street of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, just outside the convention hotel. They had this very pretty high school senior model for me to photograph so that I could demonstrate various lighting techniques while shooting fashion images.

The big take-away I hoped photographers would get out of my program was that no matter the location or lighting style, images should be so good in the camera that they don’t need retouching. Eyes should pop, skin should glow, and people should look better and thinner because of your lighting techniques – not retouching.

And great images means a quicker work-flow, cleaner retouching techniques, and far more powerful photographs because they’re believable. As a followup to that shoot, I wanted to post some of my favorites – unretouched of course. I spent my computer time picking favorites, doing some quick color toning, and adding edges. Other than that, no retouching, no eye whitening, no skin softening, nothing. I hope people can see how great these images look. In fact they’re better than most people’s images after retouching.

During the workshop I showed how to create and design collages for clients. During that demo I shared my quick retouching techniques. So in this collage, two photographs are retouched. The rest are not. I doubt most people could tell which ones are which. If anything I hope people notice the variety of personality and expressions from such a short shoot.

And here is a fun trio design using photographs shot just inside the stoop of an old building.

This next image is actually a painting that I created in front of the crowd of photographers. So this was first retouched, then used as a reference to create this painting. I love paintings because they’re so unique and different. And they look stunning on the wall.

This blue tone to the background is not a computer effect. It was done in camera with just lighting. This street was fantastic to shoot on. Every building and doorway was quaint and engaging. We had a lot of wonderful meals on our downtime in this area, all within walking distance.

And to finish up the shoot back at the hotel, a few images in the hotel lobby using a couple strategically placed lights.

I also did a second shoot with an adorable little girl. I hope to post some of those later. But for now, if you’re a photographer and would like to train with me, check out my training website at BryCoxWORKSHOPS.com. I do a few live events around the country each year. But I also offer full online courses on everything from lighting like a master, to getting great expressions, to the quickest workflow using Adobe products. Those courses are great for people who want to learn at home, or get a head start on a live training event with me, or for those who want even more training after a live event.

And for kicks, here is an iPhone pic of me in action shot by one of the photographers. Aside from my entertaining “stance” (which is the correct way to bring your camera-line lower), I like this photo because it shows my camera meter. I believe strongly in constantly measuring the light from all directions. And it also shows the how the street scene and the model look normally with “natural light” (which is how the iPhone sees things) versus in my photographs which have specific lighting techniques added.

If you’re in the market for some new photographs, either as a senior looking for a fashion shoot, or perhaps you need something for your family, now is the time. Give me a call as spring is booking up, 801-728-3317. I’d love to create some fantastic photographs of you.

And until next time, America.

Audrey’s Winter Wedding Full Album Design, Salt Lake City LDS Temple

Posted by BryCox (Admin)

One of my favorite parts of a wedding is delivering the final album to my clients. After all the countless hours of photography, retouching, and design, there is nothing as dramatic and impactful as seeing the images in their final physical form.

My award-winning wedding albums are the finest available. They’re best seen in person to fully appreciate them because the images are crystal clear and jump off the page. Hopefully you can get a good idea watching this video where I share both Audrey’s abstract painted canvas as well as every page of her album design.

This wedding was on a frigid winter day at the Salt Lake City LDS Temple in Utah. You’ll notice too that we have a variety of lighting conditions from indoors, outdoors, sunny, shade, sunset, twilight, and even nighttime. Most photographers are unable to shoot consistently in varying lighting conditions, yet here you’ll notice that we have great skin tones, wonderfully deep skies and backgrounds, and romantic expressions throughout. Every image and page of her album is impactful and tells the story of their day.

In the video I zoom in on her painted canvas to show the brush strokes, and here is the painting below. I love creating unique pieces of personal art for people, and this is going to look so beautiful in their home for many years to come.

I’m so excited to deliver everything to Audrey. Her wedding was so romantic and gorgeous and we had so many wonderful photographs to design her album with, that you can hardly tell the day was frigid cold. You may have seen some of the early favorites on my blog and Instagram from her wedding, and I think it’s even better to see how the entire wedding collection came together in it’s final presentation.

Below are some of her page designs though you can see them in HD using the video above too. You’ll notice ice skaters from the Gallivan Center ice rink in the video too. Audrey’s reception was next door and the skating rink and it’s vivid colors made for a great backdrop.




If you’re getting married, I’d love to create something like this for you too. Give me a call at 801-728-3317.

And until next time, America.