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

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.

Billy & Kim’s Destination Jewish Wedding in Scottsdale, Arizona

Earlier I shared a few sneak peek images from Billy & Kim’s destination Jewish wedding in Scottsdale, Arizona held at sunset on top of the Valley Ho Hotel. Well here is their entire wedding album. This video shows the outside cover, display box, and every page of the book.

It is best viewed full screen in HD.

And here are some of my favorite story-telling images from the book. But of course the video shows even more and puts these in context.

If you’re getting married, check out this info and then give me a call. 801-728-3317. Whether your wedding is here in Utah or requires travel, I’ll provide wonderful photographs of your day. I’ve been hired to shoot all over the USA and even in other countries. Why? Because you get someone you know you can trust (rather than hoping the local photographer will do a good job), and you get a great price. If you compare my prices to photographers with my same national rankings and skill level, you’ll see that I charge less and offer more.

My clients have found that the cost of flying me to their wedding actually saves them money, and it gives them peace of mind knowing that their exclusive and beautiful wedding will be perfectly and artistically captured.

And until next time, America.

More New 60 Second Videos About Wedding Photography

Good photography is probably the most personal thing you can buy. There’s more to getting a great portrait of you than my technical skills and experience in making people look great. That’s important, but there’s another level entirely – one about our personality and connection together, where you feel enough trust and confidence to give up your fake smile, to trust me, let your guard down, and allow yourself to truly be photographed.

And that means that you and I need to connect and gel. Picking a photographer means getting to know me, seeing how I work, and understanding why my entire approach in completely different.

But we also live in a new microwave world. For over 20 years as a full-time photographer, people have wanted to come in and meet me in person. Now people just shop on their phones comparing me to their new photographer neighbor, and they wonder why prices, options, and products are different.

So to help those people, I’ve been making some little short 1-minute videos on why I’m different. Check these out and let me know what you think. And is there a video you’d like to see? I’m in the process of making more, so if you’re a past client and love something in particular that I haven’t talked about, or if you’re just new and want to know something that I haven’t covered, let me know. Here’s a link to my contact info. And of course, if you’d just like some great photography, give me a call, 801-728-3317.

Well let me know your thoughts on these videos. And if your’e getting married or need some fantastic image, give me a call at 801-728-3317.

And until next time, America.

New 60 Second Videos About Wedding Photography

I’ve been working on some very short, 60 second videos about wedding photography. Not too long ago, when someone was looking for a photographer for the big moments in their life, they would visit in person with a few photographers. I liked that and still prefer it.

However, now people like to just shop on their phones. I get. I do the same. But photography is completely different than anything else. It’s so custom, so personal, and it’s the only thing we keep from a wedding to enjoy our whole lives and pass on to our children. Great photography become family heirlooms. People fight over it when we’re dead, and we see people on the news running into burning homes to save their family portraits.

What I create for people is so different and unique, just looking at photos on a website does not do it justice. So I’ve been working on some little videos so that prospective brides can quickly and easily see my images, get to know me, my personality, and also understand what makes my approach completely different.

Here are a few of these new videos. More are in production. See what you think and let me know.

Is there a video you’d like to see? Since most of my clients are women, if you’re a woman and looking for photography, what would you like to see? Post below or send me a personal email.
Okay, and until next time, America.

Liz & Dewayne’s Wedding Album

I’m really excited to share the finished wedding album for Liz & Dewayne’s wedding. I love being a part of weddings and producing these awesome albums for couples and find fulfillment in seeing how all of the work comes together in these gorgeous products. I shot a video of me going through the book page by page. I talked about my approach to photographing weddings and how my offerings are different and unique. Then at the 4:45 minute mark I share each page of Liz and Dewayne’s album. I uploaded a full HD version of the video so you could watch it with clarity and with more detail full-screen if you’re so inclined.

Liz and Dewayne are a great couple to work with and their previous shoots that I’ve posted to my blog and Facebook have created a huge response, so aside from my own excitement, I know there are a lot of people who want to see their final book.   Here are some of the double-page spreads from their album.

BryCox_Dewayne-1 BryCox_Dewayne-2 BryCox_Dewayne-4BryCox_Dewayne-3 Their wedding was held at the beautiful La Jardin wedding center in Sandy, Utah just outside the metro Salt Lake City area. If you’d like to see Liz and Dewayne’s previous shoots, both their pre-wedding images and their engagements are here on my blog.

If you are getting married and want the best possible romantic and beautifully lit photographs possible, give me a call at 801-728-3317 and let’s talk more about your dream day.

Until next time, America.

Angie’s Family Portraits & Painting

Family portraits are important and meaningful, especially when children are young because they change so fast. It’s wonderful to be able to have a custom art piece on the wall that you can enjoy, not only right now, but also in 20 years.

And for my clients that are looking for something completely different, I offer my special line of painted family portraits. This is not some quick filter or effect. Instead I individually paint each image from scratch using a photograph that I create during your portrait session. It’s a lengthy creative process, but I created this sped up video so that you can see it come to life in a short 15 second time-lapse video.

That finished painting is now hanging as a beautiful canvas in their home. During the creation as I was photographing the family, their dog ran around behind them, came around the side and looked up at them. For one split second everything was perfect, and I quickly got that shot. Everyone is looking at each other and interacting including their beloved dog that really wanted to be a part of the moment.

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With summer ending, this is the last great time to photograph families that want outdoor images. The studio gardens look amazing right now, and the colors are green and lush. We can do a variety of family options and groupings for a lot of choices. And though no one likes to think about Christmas early, the weather is starting to get cooler which means outdoor options will become limited, plus we only have about 14 Saturdays left to get things by Christmas. BryCox_Angie-Family-02

Besides family groups, it’s always nice to get an updated couple portrait. I’m amazed how many couples I photograph admit that they have not had a professional couple portrait since their wedding. Let’s fix that and get you something you can put on your desk at work or display around your home.BryCox_Angie-Family-03

Here at my Utah studio, we can shoot outdoors and indoors during the same appointment. For Angie’s family, we went in the studio for some fun, high-contrast black and whites of individuals that could be displayed as a series of squares going up the stairs.BryCox_Angie-Family-04 BryCox_Angie-Family-05 BryCox_Angie-Family-06

And those squares worked really well as this framed trio too.BryCox_Angie-Family-07

Let’s get some great portraits of your family inside the studio and outdoors in the gardens while the weather is still nice. Now is the perfect time to get in and beat the Christmas rush of fall.

Give me a call at 801-728-3317 and until next time, America.

Easter Message & My 3 Year Old Nephew

When my first nephew was born, I bought him the Baby Signing Times video series. Ever since his communication skills have been crazy good. He’s now 3 years old, and I tested him last week by writing out the sentence, “The garbage truck is big and loud.” He read the whole thing but needed help with the word, “loud.”

So this week my sister and brother-in-law showed him the recent LDS Easter message video for Family Night, and he started reading the captions out loud. They thought it’d be a fun family project to record him and combine his voice with the original video. They shared it with me and I thought it’d be the perfect thing to share with everyone as part of my Easter message to all of you.

I also just did this photo shoot of him and he was a blast, giggling and laughing the entire time. And afterwards he mimicked me and my entire pig puppet routine that I’ve used for years to get kids to smile. He reenacted my routine down to the last detail. He’s a very cute and fun kid and I’m a proud uncle.

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Happy Easter, everyone. And maybe soon I’ll share some more images of my family and nephews.

And until next time, America.

James Conee Album Cover, Stand Like A Mountain

My friend James Conlee has recorded a new single, Stand Like A Mountain, and it was just released on iTunes. Here is the photography and cover that I produced for him for this song.

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To help launch the song, James created this YouTube video which has already had over 31,000 hits! He mixes time-lapse photography of mountains with his song for a very cool mix, and notice how the northern lights hit at minute 3:35 right at the crescendo. View it out below…

And to purchase the single, you can get it on iTunes here:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/stand-like-a-mountain-single/id737895528

Make sure you check out his other single, Until also available on iTunes (or both are also on Amazon too).

Enjoy, and until next time America.

Sophie and Jeff’s Wedding Album & Show, Draper Temple in the Fall

Sophie and Jeff had a beautiful wedding, and it is now up on my website. They got married in the Draper LDS temple and had their reception at the Garden Place at Heritage Park in Salt Lake City during the fall.

I’ve created this show for their DVD, which includes some of the best images set to music.

Their wedding was one of my favorites. The love between these two was very apparent, and their family and friends all showed their excitement for the marriage of these two. The strong emotions on that day made for a great set of images that made it hard to narrow down in creating their heirloom album design. On top of that, the couple was very attractive and the locations and weather were all wonderful.

You can view their entire wedding album design on my main website and see every page. Here are some of the pages below, shown as double-page spreads.

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BryCox_Sophie_18

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I hope you love their wedding video above, and check out their entire wedding at BryCox.com > Portfolio > Weddings > Wedding Albums > Draper.

Until next time, America.

Vegas Images & WPPI Assignments

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.

Underwater Photography & Music Videos

I recently created a few short music videos with a new camera capable of going underwater.  I’ve had other underwater cameras in the past, but this one is my new favorite!  I can shoot in true and high-def HD and can shoot in true slow-motion too, giving a terrific and smooth slow motion, rather than a jittery slow-mo that is created from just slowing down clip shot at normal speed.

Check out this demo video I created while testing this camera last weekend on my friend’s boat.  I love the abstractness of the bubbles and water.  I shot for that quite a bit.

During this underwater shoot, I securely mounted the camera to my wrist, my chest, and even to a pole.  I tested it in sunlight, underwater, with movement, and everything else I could think of.  I’m excited because I didn’t have to edit any of the clips.  All of what you see is exactly what I created in camera — no adjustments.

About a week before I also tested it for time lapse ability and also wanted to test the mount I got for it to secure it to the outside of a vehicle.  I wanted to see how it would hold up to the wind at freeway speeds.  Here’s what I created while driving from my house to 7600 South in Salt Lake.

I am very impressed and have a bunch of new ideas for using this camera now.  I really hope to use it on high school seniors.  Years ago I created music videos from weddings and seniors, but the time involved to produce the pieces was so time consuming, that the packages became very expensive.  Now though, with this camera and with the newest editing software that I’ve also been testing, I hope to be able to create these kinds of things again for seniors and wedding couple, but in a more cost-effective way, and with even greater production value.

If you’re a high school senior and want a hip music video that you can post on your facebook page, then give me a call!  NO ONE creates images like me!  My shoots are super artistic, fun, and I know just how to make you look great!  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.