Studio

Kara’s Bridal Portraits

I just featured Kara’s engagement shoot and I thought I’d continue featuring Kara for another post because her bridals are so beautiful! You have to see these.

I love these of her. She glows in these portraits, and they looked fantastic framed and on display at the wedding reception.

We spent the bridal shoot laughing and having a great time here at my Utah studio, and ended up with lots of favorites. I especially love these two images though, one with a light background and one with a dark background – both dramatic, both gorgeous, and both with a different mood and lighting style.

And of course they looked especially great printed and on display. I’m now finishing the design for her winter wedding album, and I’m excited for her to see all of her gorgeous wedding day images. It has been a joy to work with her and her family.

If you’re getting married, I’d love to photograph your wedding. Here are a few links you’ll like…

I’m a Utah based photographer, and do work all over the USA, and sometimes abroad. My studio in Davis County, Utah is a great place to start if you don’t have a location in mind. It’s especially great for bridal portraits in the winter, but I can always travel to create images on location too. Give me a call and let’s talk about your dream portraits.

And until next time, America.

Kara’s Engagement Portraits

I just photographed a beautiful winter wedding for Kara which I may share later, but I first wanted to share a couple of her gorgeous engagement portraits. Winter is a great time to shoot inside in the warm studio, but the studio is also a great option any time because we have full control of lighting. It makes it easy to change clothes and shoot in multiple outfits if you’d like, we can quickly setup to shoot in both color and black and white, plus studio engagements are especially classy in black and white.

Kara and her husband are great together, treat each other beautifully, and they look beautiful in these engagement portraits. These were the favorites, and we used these in her wedding announcements, as larger wall prints to be displayed in their new home, and on display at the wedding reception.

This was such a fun shoot and I’m so happy for these two finding each other and getting married.

If you’re getting married, give me a call at 801-728-3317. I’d love to photograph your wedding and create some amazing portraits for you to be enjoyed for years to come. I’m a Utah based photographer, and do work all over the USA, and sometimes abroad. My studio in Davis County, Utah is a great place to start if you don’t have a location in mind. It’s especially great for engagements or portraits in the winter, but I can always travel to you too to create images on location too. Give me a call and let’s talk about your dream portraits.

And until next time, America.

I Love Portraits Because I Love People

The magic of a photograph is unlike anything else. 

I specialize in portraits of people. I love people – I love children. Each child is beautiful and unique, and I love that I’ve been trusted with capturing who each child truly is. 

The most important thing in life are family and relationships. We’re all terribly busy and we have problems and issues. But getting together for a moment, to create a family portrait is important. Loved ones pass away, or go off to far away places. There really is no better time than right now. 

I connect well with children, because they see me as a big kid. They know I care about them and understand them. I know just how to get them to relax, smile, and look beautiful in a portrait. 

I am one of the most credentialed and award winning photographers around, so besides getting great expressions, your portraits will be beautifully lit and composed, and gorgeously printed and framed. 

But more than anything, you’ll be able to look at this portrait throughout your life and see and remember the togetherness and relationships of your family and loved ones. 

That’s what I do – I do it with light, with emotion, and with quality all the way through. 

If you’d like to see more of my portrait work, check out my main website at BryCox.com. And give me a call at 801-728-3317 and let’s talk about your next portrait of either you, a loved one, or your family.

President Nelson Invites Families to Hang Portraits on Their Walls

We’ve been asked by church leaders to hang family portraits on our walls, and I agree. I have long believed in the strong but subtle messages that come from viewing portraits on our walls daily, particularly when those images show families and relationships happy and together.

In this video I share my thoughts on family wall portraits vs TV size and placement (and the messages both send), and also how self-esteem is different from self-worth.

I’d love to create something amazing for your family. Give me a call at 801-728-3317. It’s the perfect time of year to photograph your family, and get a beautiful piece finished for Christmas.


Recently, President Nelson of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints asked church members to decorate their homes with portraits of their families and loved ones. Here’s the quote:

I invite the members of the Church to place on the walls of their homes pictures of their family, pictures of their grandparents, pictures as a couple, pictures of their children, and pictures of the temple. These all symbolize God’s eternal plan. It’s all about the family.

And here’s a link to the story:
http://www.ldsliving.com/President-Nelson-Invites-Latter-day-Saints-to-Hang-5-Things-on-the-Walls-of-Their-Homes/s/88680

Cute Little 2-Year-Old Twins

I had the joy of photographing these cute little 2-year old twins for their birthday portraits. They were so fun and expressive, that they had me laughing the entire time.

Before shooting outside, we started off in the studio on a clean white, to show off their fun, colorful, number-2 shirts. I have things that I do to get little kids to relax and open up with me, giving me great expressions. Right from the beginning, this little boy opened up and saw me as his buddy. But the little girl was a bit more apprehensive. She brought her favorite monkey, and held on to him for the first part of the shoot and started off with some cute scowls.

Before long though, they were both doing great and we got some wonderful smiles from both of them.

One of the games I play is to “get their toes.” In this photo, she’s poking her feet out to show me her toes because she wants me to get them again. It’s a good sign and shows she’s happy, open, and having a good time.

Then a change of clothes and a wonderful, somber expression from both of them. I love these outfits, and love how each one is standing. Their body language is perfect.

But then their moods swapped. She was happy and open, but he started to crash and cry. For comfort, he’s holding a toy car in one hand, and food in the other. And this little girl is calm with her monkey.

And then back to some fun expressions out of both of them again.

But when he started to lose it again, calling his aunt on the phone helped him settle down. And I love her expression, watching her brother.

Sitting down in the chair, she comforts him with an arm around him.

Using these favorites from the studio white, I designed up this 9-up portrait collage, ready for the wall in their home. It’ll be finished and framed, setting these images off.

Then stepping outside into my studio gardens for a change of scenery, we got this wonderful little kiss! They’re each turned perfectly so you can see both of them, neither one covering up the other. And I love their bare feet.

We also did some individual portraits of each of them. Here, she poses against a tree with her head cocked as the wind blows her dress.

And he stands in a nice, squared-off masculine pose, watching what I’m doing, a little worried and ready to be done.

These three images worked really well in this wall trio design.

Little kids grow so fast, and memories seem to be as fleeting as time. I love being able to create wonderful heirloom portraits like these, and I hope their family loves these, and that these adorable children will love them too when their older and can look back on their 2nd birthday together.

I love how these turned out and had a wonderful time with these two beautiful kids.

Summer is leaving us and the window for outdoor portraits is closing. Now is a great time to bring your family or children in for some family portraits. Right here I can do indoor studio and outdoor portraits in the same place, or I can travel to special locations too. Give me a call at 801-728-3317, and let’s create something beautiful for you and your home.

And until next time, America.

James & Stephanie’s Engagement Portraits

My friend James Conlee is engaged and his wedding is coming up. If you know me or follow my blog, you know that James is a long-time friend plus I’ve designed a lot of music CD covers for him over the years.

Well I’m excited for his wedding and it was great to meet his new bride-to-be, Stephanie. They look great together and we had a wonderful shoot here at the studio, mixing indoor studio contemporary black & white with some fun outdoor images here in my studio gardens. This first portrait was one of their favorites and became their main image on their invitations.

And this trio is wonderful, showing them as individuals, and then hugging tightly in the middle.

Stepping outside the studio to the gardens we get even more variety. Right now is the perfect time for outdoor portraits because my place is just lush with layers of green. Here’s a painting of them walking, looking at each other. 

I love wedding and engagement shoots. There’s a real art to lighting, positioning, and getting true expressions. But in the end, all of that should come together for a great portrait that shows the closeness and romance that they feel. There should be true emotion and authenticity so that you feel what they’re feeling. And I love these images because I see that, and it makes me excited for James and Stephanie’s upcoming wedding.

If you’re getting married, give me a call, 801-728-3317. And let’s create some wonderful portraits for you. It’s the perfect time of year and I love photographing couples in love.

And until next time, America.

Fundraiser Portraits With a ‘Vanity Fair Backstage’ Look

This weekend I photographed custom portraits at a fundraiser to help raise money for our friend who is re-learning to walk after Lyme disease. The crowd was mostly friends and people I knew, and knowing that everyone would be dressed up, I thought I’d mix that dressiness with the cool tile of the location for a magazine styled shoot.

Along with offering some silent auction photo shoots that raised $600, I also did quick photo shoots of my friends there. I utilized one studio light with a small modifier to create custom but very directional lighting for lots of moody shadows and aimed just right for no retouching. I then posed individuals in unique ways as if it were a “backstage at the Oscars Vanity Fair” type photo shoot. I also created a film look that warmed the highlights to a nice golden tone that was applied to the images on my laptop as I shot.

I had a long line all night and photographed a few hundred people, averaging 2-3 shots per person. I then picked my favorite of each person right there off my laptop. After the event, I posted the portraits on Facebook and the results have been blowing up my facebook feed, so I thought I’d share them on my blog today so you all could seem them too. Here are just some favorites.

Yes, there’s even one of me. I shot it with a remote in my hand before people arrived. I wanted to double check the lighting and look of the tile and tones before we started. I really love the variety of poses and looks with everyone. I think the shoot went great.

With so many people, this is just a few. But all of the images are up on my Facebook page, and you can see them all if you follow me there.

If you work with a Utah charity and would like to talk about package donations to raise money, give me a call at 801-728-3317. I’d love to talk more about what you’re doing and how I could donate some packages for auction, or otherwise be involved in raising money.

And until next time, America.

Abbie’s High School Senior Portraits

It’s high school senior portrait season, and I wanted to share Abbie’s gorgeous shoot. Seniors appreciate and love my extra creative shoots that show their personality, and that’s why I love taking their artwork even further by creating pieces like this multi-image collage.

I individually photographed Abbie, her scoreboard, even the “D” in the grass at the Davis High Field. I then created dust for the background and put this all together digitally, creating custom shadows and other effects to make it all come together perfectly. These custom art pieces are great on the wall.

Here’s a short video showing behind the scenes of the entire shoot. Notice how nothing is haphazard. The lighting, the angles, the details – they’re all measured and carefully controlled for the best possible photographs.

Here’s a shot video showing Abbie’s album and collage.

Abbie’s wall collage is stunning with this mix of wonderful images, all showing different parts of her personality.

These action shots on her field really add to her album design and collage. These deep blue skies, wonderful skin tones, are all created on the spot with custom lighting that also make her eyes pop.

The dramatic lighting and angles in these make them look straight out of a magazine or national ad campaign.

Adding a mix of studio images is not only a great look that adds variety to the album designs, but these images also allow for custom art pieces like this below.

 

And here at the studio location, we have a half acre of gardens specifically designed for outdoor shoots. These layers of green are unusual for Utah, and can’t be duplicated in images anywhere near here. It’s the perfect location for creative fashion shoots like high school senior sessions.

If you’re a high school senior, now is the best time to get in for a shoot for both weather and pricing options. Give me a call at 801-728-3317. I’d love to talk more about your dream portraits and to set up an appointment.

And until next time, America.

 

Amanda & Brant’s Family Portraits

Amanda and Brant brought their beautiful baby boy to the studio for some family portraits. I love photographing children. I love playing with them, making a connection, and getting genuine smiles and laughs for their photographs.

This adorable boy woke up on picture day sick so he wasn’t his normal happy self. The family thought about postponing their shoot, but I convinced them to come anyway. Picture day always seems to be hard. Things come up, but no matter the problem, I can almost always overcome them in the shoot and get great results. Plus I know that I’m great with kids. No matter how they’re feeling, I can get them to smile and laugh long enough for great photographs.

And sure enough, when this little boy arrived, he was immediately happy. He laughed and smiled at my antics and the shoot went beautifully. In fact he smiled and laughed so much, we all couldn’t help but laugh with him. I really love this shoot.

These were all created outdoors right here in my studio gardens. I’ve designed the grounds to have layers of green, so that I’ve got lots of angles for outdoor portraits. So as another family option, I created this painting from one of the walking images. 

Here is a close up from that same painting to show more detail.

And of course we needed to get some individual portraits of this cute boy. This first one shows some size perspective so that later in life he can see how little he and his hands are in comparison to his parents.

And these are him hanging out, playing, and sitting outdoors, all with a huge, genuine smile.

These three images worked really well as a set, so we did this trio. It’s designed and framed, ready to hang on the wall.

Summer is almost over. It’s a great time to get in for some family portraits along with some of the kids. And if you don’t want to travel to distant locations, right here I can do inside or outdoors in the studio garden. Give me a call at 801-728-3317.

And until next time, America.

Trajan & Micaela’s Baby at 4 Months

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

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.

Matthew’s Wakeboarding & Senior Portraits

I love photographing high school seniors. I always try to make every photoshoot extra creative, but high school seniors appreciate the ultra creative shoots even more allowing me to push things even further. That means I can photograph seniors with a commercial fashion ad look, and Matthew was the perfect subject for this wakeboarding collage project.

Instead of just shooting seniors in a simple, minimalistic way, I in stead do big over-the-top shoots. We do high-end studio work at my Utah location, sometimes mix in outdoor portraits in the studio gardens, and can even go on location to relevant places that mean something to the senior. And I always try to design up a cool collage that tells a story about who the senior is at this point in life.

This video shows more about how this collage was created, as well as how it looks framed and ready to hang.

And here is the final wakeboarding collage.

Here are some of his other favorite images. We did a variety of clothing changes, along with a mix of lighting styles.

Matthew will be serving a religious mission for the LDS Church and so we also mixed in some cool pictures of him in his suit.

If you’re a senior, now is the time to get in. We’re finishing up with the class of 2017 and getting a head start with the class of 2018 who want to beat the rush. Give me a call at 801-728-3317.

And until next time, America.