utah engagement photographer

James & Stephanie’s Engagement Portraits

Posted by BryCox (Admin)

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.

Jannette’s Snowy Mountain Wedding Engagement Portraits

Posted by BryCox (Admin)

Living near the Utah mountains, this couple wanted a snowy mountain look for their engagements. We were able to find some snow left to shoot these gorgeous wedding engagements at Log Haven up Millcreek Canyon, which is where their wedding will be later this summer too.

Here’s a video showing how beautifully their order of wall portraits and album turned out, best viewed in full screen.

And here are some of their images. We started on the deck of Log Haven because their clothes and colors worked so well with the deep, rich colors of the building.

 

We then ventured out into the snow to photograph against the waterfall and other snowy backgrounds. I love this tall image of the waterfall, and these two hugging and talking to each other.

Along the river we created this portrait, which became one of their framed wall pieces.  

Then a change of clothes and a change of scenery, looking out across this lake with a deep blue sky in the background. This long panorama of these two leaning together is killer in the album, taking up two page spreads for dramatic emphasis.

And this beautiful close-up was the other framed wall portrait, as you can see in the video above. 

Finally, some ending shots surrounded by the deep dark colors of the forest’s trees. These two look great together and I’m excited to be a part of their wedding coming up later this summer. 

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

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.

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.

Audrey’s Studio Engagement Portraits

Posted by BryCox (Admin)

It was a joy to photograph Audrey and Juan together in my studio for their wedding engagement photos. Their wedding will be here in the Salt Lake City area, and engagement shoots are perfect for wedding announcements as well as beautiful displays to be shown at their wedding dinner and home later. Here are some of our favorites from the shoot. First, their double-sided wedding announcement portrait.

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And this wall collage is great because it shows a lot of variety and personality without taking up a ton of wall space. It’s designed with visual balance and to keep your eye moving around to each of the images over and over.

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And these trios are stunning. They tell a story in a beautiful, framed design that is perfect for a table easel or wall. And see what I mean about these two being great together? 🙂

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I’m very excited to photograph these two on their big day coming up. They’re a wonderful couple, they’re very photogenic, and I look forward to meeting and photographing their families and being a part of their big day.

If you’re engaged and would like some wonderful images, photographs that you will love your entire life, give me a call at 801-728-3317. I’d love to create some beautiful portrait heirlooms for you.

And until next time, America.