utah photographer

Early Photos I did of Jenn Blosil, Lindsey Stirling, and Imagine Dragons

Posted by BryCox (Admin)

A few years ago, before a lot of Utah names were bigger stars, I photographed them as part of a talent contest for Utah’s Stadium of Fire. Jenn Blosil, Imagine Dragons, and Lindsey Stirling all stood out back in this 2011 contest as extra talented and as crowd favorites. Well to commemorate Jenn Blosil’s recent win as one of the top 10 on American Idol, I thought I’d pull up some of these past images to share. Congrats to her on her great win.

So here is Jenn in 2011, and she really rocked the stage that night.

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And her sister, Chelsea sang with her. A few years later, Chelsea and I and a few other musicians played at a soi·rée party together. She sang and played the guitar that night and was quite good.BryCox_SOF2011-175-Blosil

Here is Lindsey Stirling performing. This was the first time I’d seen any of these musicians perform, but they’ve all continued to rise and do great work.
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I donated some big photographic prizes as part of the whole event, and had a blast hearing everyone play and photographing all these musicians. Here’s an outtake of some of the contestants waiting to hear the winning results back stage. You can see Jenn and Chelsea Blosil and Lindsey Stirling in this shot.

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And here are a few of my early images of Imagine Dragons that night, just before they hit it big with their hit single.

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I posted about this even on my blog and I’ll link that here. If you need a photographer for your next concert or commercial event, give me a call, 801-728-3317.

And until next time, America.

Wonderful Outdoor Family Portraits + Summer Promo

Posted by BryCox (Admin)

It’s summer, and now is the best time for family portraits plus, I have a great promotion running making it even more affordable than before! Right now when you call for family portraits, you’ll get a free session at the studio or outside in the studio gardens, and a free 11×14 ($199 value) with any wall print (size 16×20 and up)!

Family portraits are very important, not only to have now, but to have and look back on later in life.

I recently had the opportunity to photograph some relatives of mine. This is my uncle and aunt and their children (my cousins). It’s always extra special and fun to photograph relatives and create something lasting, because it’s for people that I have known my whole life and personally care about. In 20 years, when we all look back at this portrait, it’s nice to know that I was able to create this for them.

I love the close composition of this image, the relaxed feel, the real and wonderful expressions, the beautiful diagonals, and the exquisite lighting. The finished portrait was a 40″ canvas for their home.

We also did a series of 11x14s of the couples and children in b&w to match the decor of the room. We framed them all with black and silver frames, and the results were stunning.

It’s time for a new updated portrait of your family. Give me a call, the studio gardens are lush and beautiful, the weather is great, and I have a new, fantastic promotion running. Call now!! 801-728-3317 to set up a time. And feel free to browse my main website at BryCox.com.

Smooth-Ocean Sunset Scenics in San Diego, California

Posted by BryCox (Admin)

While doing a wedding in San Diego this last weekend, I arrived a day early as I always do for out-of-town gigs to avoid travel complications. I found some food and then went out to find a great rocky shore on the ocean to create some smooth-ocean sunset scenics. It took some driving, but here are some of my favorites that I created that night.

I knew I had the right spot when I found this sign.

I then took this self-portrait of myself, hiked down the cliffs, set up, and waited for the perfect time to shoot.

While working, I tried to get another self-portrait of myself using a second camera on self-timer on a pole, but a big wave almost got me. It took a few images of me saving my camera.

I really loved the results from that night. Each image is great in its own way. If you’re a photographer, subscribe to my photographer workshop site and see the full story of how I created these, step by step.

And if you’re a family, it’s that time of year again for family portraits! The studio gardens are lush and beautiful, the weather is great, and I have a new, fantastic promotion running through June. Call now!! 801-728-3317 to set up a time.

And feel free to browse my main website at BryCox.com.

Vegas Images & WPPI Assignments

Posted by BryCox (Admin)

I was recently asked by GraphiStudio to photograph the big portrait conference in Vegas called WPPI. The project is called “Day in the Life of WPPI,” and the images will go in a book as well as an upcoming edition of Rangefinder Magazine. While doing that I created my favorite image of the project, this image collage of images from the strip.

I wanted to show the feeling of Vegas, so went driving shooting out the window with this collage in mind. The final results were better than I imagined.

I also shot some images driving with my iPhone too (below) which I like for their abstract feel.

And I also shot the strip with a time-lapse camera strapped to the side of my vehicle. Afterwards I took those images, and created this time-lapse video.

Though my main job was photographing particular speakers and events through the program, I really tried to show the feel of the event with panoramas like this group below,

and this pano showing the taking down of the tradeshow.

While working there, I was also asked to join a contest for the MGM advertising, and so I also created these images while there, both exteriors and interiors of the MGM, Signature, and spa. Knowing that the MGM has their own staff photographer on hand, I decided to give them something quite different using tilt lenses and controlled blurs. I wanted them to be more abstract, capturing the “feel” of the place rather than being just a photo of the place.

I really like these of the spa, using multiple reflections to get this first image.

Here are some shots of the rooms at the Signature.

And for fun, I also shot a street scene looking out one of the windows of the Signature hotel rooms so that I could later add myself to the shot in post production. This is the final result.

Do you have a business or an event that you’d like photographed in an artistic and pleasing way? Give me a call. Plus now is a great time to set up your Spring appointment for families or high school seniors. Give me a call at 801-728-3317 to schedule a time. And feel free to browse my main website at BryCox.com.

Singer/Songwriter/Actress Katherine Nelson’s Outdoor Shoot

Posted by BryCox (Admin)

I’m so excited about these images and can’t wait for you all to see them! This is an outdoor commercial shoot that I did for Katherine Nelson. You may recognize Katherine as the actress that played Emma in the LDS Church film, “Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration.” That movie plays daily at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, and she was also in the movie “Emma Smith: My Story.”

Katherine is also an accomplished singer/songwriter, winning all sorts of awards for both her solo work as well the work she’s done with various groups like the Nashville Tribute Band and Kenneth Cope.

For this project, she had a specific need and concept, so I chose one of my secret locations that matched what she wanted to create.

I set up all sorts of lighting equipment imaginable to take control of the scene. Lighting this scene was difficult, but it needed to be specific and controlled in order to create images that pop, while still being real and natural. The results are phenomenal! I was especially excited that a storm had gone through earlier, giving us great storm clouds to work with. I love a sky with drama!

Katherine is a fantastic model and a joy to be around. I find her easy to photograph, easy to direct, and she really had great expression. She even did her own styling and created her own clothing, accoutrements and flag for the shoot. It all worked together so well. I flipped out when I initially  saw her and the details of her outfit. It was all so perfect. I especially love her red skirt against the green grass.

We really had a fun time at this shoot. Looking back over it, two of our initial favorites were the image above and below. I love the sun shining through the clouds in the photograph above, and in the image below, the flag blowing against the awesome storm clouds with a little bit of blue peaking through, really makes this sing!

And this next portrait below is one of my all-time favorites from the entire shoot. I love the stance, the directional lighting on Katherine, and the color harmony with the dominant blue sky. The clouds have wispy pink highlights painted by the sun that has now set. This image is at twilight, and has such depth! I actually put this up on my website’s main splash page today, cropped square.

We were having so much fun that even after the sun set completely, I continued to shoot and create in the dark, using all artificial light. However I did it in such a way that it looks like real sunlight. The scene in these next images was actually dark to the eye at the time, but with the right techniques the scene glows and feels like sunset.

Then to end the shoot, I finished up with some close-ups, again with all artificial light because the sun had set at this point. The idea was to create a fake sunset but with the control of darkness, and these images are some of my favorites! (That’s one of my lights as a fake sun in the image below because it’s actually dark outside.)

You really need to see the entire shoot, but there’s not room enough on the blog, so I created a slideshow set to music. Start it up and enjoy.

It seems funny, but anytime I post a shoot like this, I get a lot of emails and phone calls asking where my images were taken. When I suggest that they hire me and I’ll photograph them there, some will admit that they just want to go to the same spot with a cheaper photographer – as if my locations are what yield great results. This is of course untrue.

Being in a great location with the right gear and a beautiful model certainly doesn’t hurt, but the real key to creating great photographs (whether it be outdoors, in sunlight, at twilight, sunset, or even after the sun has gone down) is specific control of lighting. And lighting people specifically and artistically is my unique skill.

I sometimes point to my list of awards and credentials, not to brag, but to show that when you hire ME, you’ll get something completely unique and personal, you’ll get phenomenal photography.

No matter who you are, I will make you look great, real, and natural, and generations from now people will still love your portraits and appreciate your purchase.

Now is a great time to set up your Spring appointment. I’m sure it’s time for a new family portrait, and high school seniors are getting ready to graduate. Give me a call at 801-728-3317 to schedule a time. And feel free to browse my main website at BryCox.com.

Kendra Lowe’s Musician Portraits

Posted by BryCox (Admin)

Kendra Lowe is an accomplished and fantastic musician, composer, event director, and one of only a few people I’ve met personally with perfect pitch. She needed some new photographs for her musical bio, and wanted images that were unique, had pizzaz and sass, while at the same time having classic appeal. Because of that, she came to me and we had a blast creating these.

Kendra not only sings, but also plays many instruments: piano, banjo, violin.  She performed with the Utah Symphony at age 6, was the Assistant Executive Director of Utah’s Stadium of Fire show, toured with David Archuleta (of American Idol fame), is a constant studio musician, while at the same time composing in her MIDI studio. She needs great images to match her talent. 🙂

I love how these all turned out. Kendra was such a stunning model. The images are sexy and classy, elegant and edgy, feminine and stunning! It was hard to narrow the shoot down to my favorite portraits.

I really love the stacking of warm tones in these too. They came together so well, and were created here at my studio where I have the ultimate control over the light.

We did also did some casual images as well, and this one with her tossing her hair was one of my favorites!

If you are in need of some new portraits for your business, portfolio, or anything else, and you require images of high quality to match the look of what you do, then give me a call at 801-728-3317. Spring is a great time to make your dream portrait happen! And browse my main website if you’re new to my work, BryCox.com.

Come on an AMAZING Photo Tour of Iceland, July 15-21, 2012!

Posted by BryCox (Admin)

Come get Lost in Iceland, and have the adventure of a lifetime!

“Ice-Land” is Actually Very LUSH! Iceland is fantastically beautiful and was named “Ice-land” to keep people from moving there. It has kept Iceland beautiful and untouched. That means there’s amazing photography moments, just waiting there for us.

Bry Cox – Icelandic Photographic Adventure 1

This Photo Tour is Open to Anyone Looking for Adventure, Amateurs and Professionals! I will coach you to amp your inner artist while we explore the most serene places on earth. Come be a part of and create breathtaking photographs!

Led By An Elite Team of Icelandic Locals! We will travel in style with an elite team of Iceland’s best local experts and photographers who know all the nooks and crannies! We will avoid the tacky tourist traps, and focus on the beautiful hidden oases. These images were taken by this very elite team. They are fantastic photographers, scenic guides, and will do everything to this a comfortable trip for you.

Come during the warmest part, July 15-21, 2012!
For more info, visit brycox.com/iceland and
http://www.focusonnature.is/photo-workshops/bry-cox-iceland-workshop-2012/

I’d love to have you come along! This will be the adventure of a lifetime!

Race Horses in Arkansas

Posted by BryCox (Admin)

While speaking in Arkansas, a photographer friend of mine out there made arrangements for me and the group I was teaching to take some photographs in the early morning light at the Oaklawn race track. It was invigorating and fun because of the cold morning air and because photography is not normally allowed there. But with our special permission, we were able to get right up close and photograph the horses training. Here are a couple of my favorites.

This first image is so great when you look at it up close. The eyes are tack sharp and the blur in the image looks fantastic. It is all natural of course, no effects, no blurring – it’s all done in the camera. I especially like the horses position in the frame and the overall shape of his feet.

On all of these, I added my new custom edges that I’ve been working on. I really like the finished look of these images.

We had free reign of the areas that no one sees, including the back. So while walking through the back area, I photographed the stables.

As I was leaving, I photographed this tree, looking up against the sky using my Lensbaby shift lens to get a real optical blur around the edges. I love how it turned out!

If you’re in need of some really great images, whether it be some unique art for your wall or some custom family portraits, give me a call. Spring is here and it’s a great time to get in. 801-728-3317. And check out my main website too if you’re new to my work, BryCox.com.

Motorcycle Road Trip To and From Boise

Posted by BryCox (Admin)

I was asked to judge at the Idaho State Professional Photographers Convention, and because I didn’t need any equipment at this event or really anything other than a dress suit, I decided to ride my motorcycle. It was just shy of 800 miles round trip and I took some images along the way.

Due to safety, I couldn’t look through the viewfinder, and had to shoot one handed off the cuff, framing in my mind. I had slung my professional point-and-shoot camera over one shoulder so that I could grab it when I needed. I set the exposure manually (which is one of the things I love about that camera) and would swing it up when needed, and swing it back down after the shot, never looking through the viewfinder. Coincidentally, I have not cropped any of these images. I love how they came out exactly. Each is perfectly cropped as it is, and I love that about them.

I have not sharpened or blurred any of these images in post production. They are as I shot them. What is sharp and what is blurry is natural and only accentuates the images for me. The vibration of the bike in the image below works great, and even zoomed in the ground is crystal clear, and perfectly sharp, in a motion blur kind-of way. I love the sharp lines that the road creates, juxtaposed against the vibration of the bike.

I decided to process out these next two as black and white and really like them. In the first, I love the swoop of the clouds filling the negative space created by the mirror and handlebars. And the mirror just barely touches the side of the image.

And this broken sign was just standing like this with awesome cirrus clouds behind it, waiting for me to drive by and capture it. It’s the kind of thing you only see in small towns or off the beaten path.

There is a small grove of trees on the west side of the freeway, and I had one shot at getting it — no turning back. As you drive by, you see each perfect row flash light at you from the end – bam, bam, bam, bam, and then it’s past. This image showing one of those rows with the blurry foreground is one of my favorites from the ride.

When you’re on a bike, you’re IN the scenery. You’re not observing it from within the confines of a car, or looking at it through some frame. You instead are really in it. You see the road beneath you, you smell the fields that you pass, you feel the warm and cold air pockets, and you look around at great scenes like this that surround you.

As I got closer to returning home, the awesome skies made up for the colder and colder weather. I was trying to beat a storm at my back and didn’t want to ride in the rain. I was getting cold enough. But storms bring great, dramatic skies, and great skies make for a great ride.

I love the lines of these clouds. This was to my far right side, almost over my shoulder.

Getting closer now, crossing the border back to Utah. You can see I’m much colder as the temperature was now about 50º, which is especially cold with the wind chill of riding through the air.

And one last one getting closer to my town.

During my ride, I listened to one of my favorite books on audio, “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.” A book on neither Zen Buddhism nor on mechanics,   it’s a philosophical book on a man’s search for Quality, Purpose, and the search for Values. I tend to re-read it every few years or so, and this time opted for the audio version while riding. It was the perfect book for the ride to stir my thoughts during that long solitary time.

I wrote about the same book years ago after finishing it again, and I wrote this blog post (for those who follow me regularly, you may remember it). In any case, the ride was great and I’m especially excited about the images that came from it.

If you are need of great portraits for spring, something artistic and meaningful like some updated family portraits, let me know. It’s a great time to get in. 801-728-3317.

New Orleans Street Photographs

Posted by BryCox (Admin)

In January, I spoke at the national photographic convention in New Orleans, called ImagingUSA. After working, and having been there before, I took some time to walk down some of my favorite streets to create some fun images.

I processed these images out using some of my new b&w and toning effects as well as come of my custom made edges that I create and sell to other photographers as well as use myself.  I’m really happy with these images and how things turned out.

I feel that these images are especially interesting, and the look I’ve used just accentuates that. These images make a great series of my trip there.

It was a fun walk, but I had to hurry and move quickly through the streets so that I could catch to my flight home in time. I found it interesting how so many buildings had similar windows, stairs and textures, even though the colors where so different. The similarities really show in these b&w images.

I also walked to an old cemetery I remember finding last time I was there. I really liked this area and wished I had more time to really play and photograph the area. Nevertheless, I still created some cool images. The trick is to shoot this in such a way that you don’t show all the people walking through, or the modern buildings behind the tombs. Those things would have been very distracting in the final images.

I had to get at least one image of me, and chose to do it in an abstract way, using my shadow.

Here’s one in color. It’s the top of a pyramid shaped monument. The others I created for b&w, but this I never even tried converting it. It was meant to be in color, even though it sticks out of the series.

I love these iron gates, with the shadows they created. The lines and textures were very exciting!

So as I was walking back to my hotel to head off to my flight, I passed one last time this large abandoned office building. It’s very weird to see such a large building completely empty and I had been passing it multiple times daily while there.

I also found my name on one of the sidewalks.

And finally, I created this painting while I was there using an image I took with my iPhone while going to a vendor party one night on Bourbon street.

I’m very happy with my street images and walk-about. It was a good way to end the trip.

Last time I was in New Orleans, I focused on people I saw while walking around.  This time I focused more on textures and lines.

If you’re a photographer and would like to know more about my workshops or speaking schedule, check out my workshop website at BryCoxWORKSHOPS.com.

 

Beautiful Panoramas and Scenics from Southern Utah

Posted by BryCox (Admin)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bethany, Night Portraits in Atlanta!

Posted by BryCox (Admin)

I had a blast photographing Bethany in the city of Atlanta at night.  She was a beautiful and fun model who even had a few call backs with the TV show, America’s Next Top Model.  But besides having a fun and beautiful model, creating high-caliber images in this type of environment is very difficult on many levels.

However, it’s that higher level of difficulty that makes the entire shoot extra fun for me because I feel a surge of creativity when things are technically difficult.  That’s because I value photographs even more when I know that other photographers wouldn’t be able to create them standing in the same setting.  Therefore creating superb images in difficult situations makes the images all the more valuable to me.

On this image above, I love the play of warm and cool tones (warm in the foreground and cool in the background), creating a lot of depth and impact!

Shooting in a city is fun at any time of day because I have to create backgrounds from the environment, and make them balance and play with the subject correctly.  Everything in an image has to work for the portrait or else it works against it.  Most photographers don’t take into account how lines, shapes, and colors in a background affect the foreground subject.  But I am a stickler about the details and won’t take a shot unless everything looks great — including how the background interacts with the foreground.  I will continue to change my setup until things work.

But then when you add night to the mix of shooting in a city, you add another layer of difficulty — LIGHTING!  Lighting isn’t used to create an exposure, but rather to specifically sculpt a subject.  Therefore it must be used specifically!  It must come from a very specific angle depending on the model, despite any surroundings.  And at the same time light has to balance with the background in both intensity as well as color temperature to avoid creating images that are too dark, flat, or dull looking.  An image, even when created at night, should instead seem 3-dimentional and have pop!

So with that in mind, Bethany and I had a great time just creating images on this city block.  Her style was cute and fun, and we got a lot of variety.

I love this smiling close-up above, and this serious expression in the image below.  Both created in the same spot.  The vertical lines in the background above play off her angle and her soft hair, while the curve of the sidewalk in the image below leads your eye back to her and adds balance to the left side.

I really like the shadow of a the figure off camera in this next image below.  It helps create a mysterious mood.  It was created by some stranger walking by, and I liked it and waited to take the shot once the shadow moved into the open space of the image where it wouldn’t visually touch and compete with the rail in the foreground.

I used the effect of light color temperature to create different moods and looks throughout the shoot.  I love the color, the angle, and her expression and stance on this image below.  The hair softly blowing at an angle really makes this image work!

I ended the shoot with a light up close, sharp, and at a hard angle to create deep shadows.  The mix of vertical and horizontal lines of the background, and light and dark areas are all broken up by her pose — making it all work together beautifully!

It was really fun meeting Bethany and creating these images.  We had a great time and I hope that she does well in her career.

If you’d like to built your modeling portfolio or just get some wonderful fashion portraits, or perhaps if you’re a high school senior and want a fashion style session for your senior portraits, then give me a call!  NO ONE creates images like me!  My shoots are so much fun and I know just how to make you look great, beautiful, feminine, and sexy — without being risqué or cheesy.  And overall, you will LOVE your images!

Give me a call to schedule your appointment.  801-728-3317.  And feel free to browse my main website, BryCox.com and my blog at BryCox.com/blog.