A Christmas Music Message for You

by BryCox (Admin)Bry Cox Photography Blog, ThoughtsPosted on One Comment

I was wondering what to send out to everyone as part of a Christmas message, and it hit me. Why not something more personal like me and my sister playing some Christmas music?

Every year, my friends and I have a dinner together and host an acoustic night. We invite a small group over, I bring in some sound gear, and perform along with a few others. So this year, I recorded my numbers to share with you all.

This first one is me singing with my sister, ‘O Holy Night.’ We winged this for the first time together as we performed. I printed off some words and chords, and we talked it through before going on (I’ll sing first, then harmony together on chorus, then a harmonica break, then harmony together on verse and chorus once more through). I really liked how it sounded.

For my second number, I got out my tenor sax to play and sing one of my all time favorite jazz and Christmas numbers, ‘Christmas Time is Here.’ It’s a Vince Guaraldi chart written for Charlie Brown.

A few things I have always loved about the original 1965 Charlie Brown Christmas program were the very things CBS hated about it. First, Linus quotes Luke 2, and in a wonderfully moving way too. CBS thought that was just inappropriate. Second, I love all the great jazz music throughout, which CBS considered bar music not to be mixed with a cartoon. And finally, actual children were used to voice the characters which CBS disapproved of, thinking adults should have recorded everything I suppose in an awful baby talk. Thankfully CBS lost, and Charles Schulz got his way, partly because it was too late to change anything. It was an immediate success and became one of the highest rated and most adored Christmas programs ever.

I love watching it and am moved by it still to this day.

(Video note: my camera feed died part the way though, so I did a freeze frame, but the sound continues.)

As a plug for my sister, she recently crossed 1 million spins on Pandora. 🙂 If you’d like to hear more of her music or to get some of her CDs, visit MusicByElise.com

Thank you for listening. I hope you enjoyed these. Merry Christmas, everyone!

Audrey’s Studio Engagement Portraits

by BryCox (Admin)Bry Cox Photography Blog, Engagements, AnnouncementsPosted on No Comments

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.

Bry Cox Christmas Portrait & Christmas Cards

by BryCox (Admin)Bry Cox Photography Blog, Commercial & HeadshotsPosted on No Comments

Now that my new Christmas cards are printed and ready to go in people’s orders, I can share the new photo and design. It was all created digitally starting first with a self portrait shot here in my studio (fired by remote using my hidden hand). The original background I created was all shades of white snowflakes, but I decided I needed a bit more color and punch, and changed it to this current blue background.

And because the background was made from scratch and took some time to make, I also used it for a recent commercial shoot for Ryan Shupe and the RubberBand shown in the previous post. Anyway, here is the final portrait and design.

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For the printed cards, the text, ‘Merry Christmas’ is stamped into the card in reflective gold foil. I really love how they turned out, and they’re on a very nice watercolor paper too so they have a great feel. I’m excited for clients and friends to start getting these cards.

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And you’ll notice too if you go to my main website front page, that the opening image is also this new portrait wishing visitors a Merry Christmas.

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And here is how I adapted the image and design for my various Facebook page banners showing that with one commercial photo, there are many uses.

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If you need a great commercial image or portrait for your company, give me a call at 801-728-3317. Being winter in Utah, it’s a great time for studio work which is perfect for high-end commercial shoots.

And of course I hope everyone has a wonderful and Merry Christmas.

Until next time, America.

Christmas Commercial Photos for Ryan Shupe and the RubberBand

by BryCox (Admin)Bry Cox Photography Blog, Commercial & HeadshotsPosted on No Comments

It’s the Christmas season, and I wanted to share some commercial images that I’ve created for the band, Ryan Shupe and the RubberBand. These images were created completely from scratch here at my studio. We only had 20 minutes because the band stopped at my studio on their way to a gig. I had the lights set up for a particular look and I photographed each person separately. That gave me the ability to create a version of this of just Ryan alone for when he needs a different version.

I’ve learned to be very quick in the studio and during shoots. It’s easier on clients and it makes for better and more believable expressions on people. But being a commercial shoot, there was far more digital work to be done. So I created the composite of everyone together and built from scratch this cool blue background. I love how these turned out. They have a gritty band energy while also having a very appealing Christmas look to them. I hope these images work well for the band and their concert promotions.

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And here’s a version with a taller background to incorporate their logo, designed square for social media platforms.

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If you’d like some awesome images for your business that make you stand out, give me a call at 801-728-3317. I’d love to create something wonderful for you too.

Merry Christmas, and until next time, America.

Free Christmas Cards & Fun Ornaments and Gifts

by BryCox (Admin)Bry Cox Photography Blog, Children, Babies, Maternity, Family, Wedding Day, AlbumsPosted on No Comments

It’s time to order Christmas cards, and for the next while any wall portrait includes free Christmas cards. Get any wall size (like a 16×20 or larger) and get 25 free custom cards designed using a photo from your shoot.

Photography I believe is one of the absolute best gift ideas. A photo of a loved one is cherished for years, and I have some fun ornaments and gift ideas that you’ll love. You may want to get some of these for yourself as well as for loved ones, like these fun Christmas ornaments.

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These first type of ornaments are printed on metal and are great for children or family portraits. They are $45, or free with qualifying portrait orders.

My second type of ornaments are small boutique framed images, ready to hang with a brown twine loop. These are great for your tree but also are good all year round, hanging on a wall. These are $69, or free with qualifying portrait orders.

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Call me at 801-728-3317 and I’ll get your order going. We can use images from past shoots or current shoots, and I can also ship orders directly to you too.

 

Sneak Peek of Jared and Paige’s Wedding Held at Hub 801 Events

by BryCox (Admin)Bry Cox Photography Blog, Wedding Day, AlbumsPosted on No Comments

Jared and Paige are so great together and I loved being a part of their wedding as their photographer. And I’ve been excited to get some of my early favs up on my blog. Their wedding was at the Hub 801 event center in Ogden, Utah. It’s a cool 1940’s building that used to be the Coca-Cola bottling hall.

This first photo was right after their ceremony and before their wedding dinner. The sun was setting outside, so I stole them away for a quick sunset shot.

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Inside, the venue’s character made a great backdrop for their wedding photos. Exposed brick and cool furniture added a nice vibe, along with Paige’s gorgeous hair and dress. And I love how happy these two look together.
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This is a gorgeous wedding and there’s much more I can share. I should share their wedding album design once I finish that. But in the meantime, if you’re getting married, let me create some amazing images for you. Usually I’ll do your engagement shoot (for your announcements), bridal portraits (of the bride alone in her dress), and your wedding day for one of my award-winning albums. But we can also customize things and just do one shoot or another if you need.

Give me a call and let’s talk more about what you’d like, 801-728-3317.

And until next time, America.

Last call for Fall Bridal Portraits

by BryCox (Admin)Bridal Portraits, Bry Cox Photography Blog, Wedding Day, AlbumsPosted on No Comments

This is the last week for fall portraits in the leaves here in my studio gardens. It’s perfect for one person or a small group, like these bridals like these that I shot here a few years ago and still love.

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If you’re getting married, give me a call. I’d love to create something beautiful for you here at my Utah studio. Of course I travel and shoot destination weddings, but I shoot quite a bit for Utahans here in both my outdoor studio gardens as well as my indoor studio. I can create a lot of looks both indoors and outdoors here in one location, and there’s still a few more days to get something beautiful outside.

Give me a call at 801-728-3317.

And until next time, America.

Last Call for Fall Portraits at BryCox.com

by BryCox (Admin)Bry Cox Photography Blog, FamilyPosted on No Comments

The leaves here at my studio gardens are almost gone. None of us like to think of Christmas too early, but if you’d like some outdoor fall portraits for Christmas cards and gifts, this is the last time to get them created.

I know just how to make you and your children look great. And I believe in short shoots that don’t tire everyone out, where we get even more variety and choices. And the fall leaves make for great family portraits as well as exclusive line of abstract paintings on canvas.

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If you’d like to bring your family or kids in for some fall leaf portraits, give me a call at 801-728-3317.

And until next time, America.

Early Sneak Peak of Kim & Billy’s Jewish Wedding at the Valley Ho in Scottsdale, Arizona

by BryCox (Admin)Bry Cox Photography Blog, Wedding Day, AlbumsPosted on 2 Comments

Last week I had the honor of flying down to Scottsdale, Arizona to photography Kim and Billy’s wedding. It was a Jewish wedding at sunset on the roof of this very cool mid-century hotel, called Valley Ho. When you walk into the hotel’s front doors, you immediately feel like you’re on a set for Mad Men. The attention to detail is wonderful, so for the opening image, I decided to give this a retro film look – no filter however. I created this look from scratch.

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Before the ceremony we did a ‘first sight,’ where the groom sees the bride in her dress for the first time. I love his reaction. It’s perfect.brycox_valleyho_wedding_jewish_scottsdale_desert_2

While shooting some couple portraits, the wedding party watched from the top balcony and waved at us.brycox_valleyho_wedding_jewish_scottsdale_desert_3 brycox_valleyho_wedding_jewish_scottsdale_desert_4

Billy’s side of the family is Jewish and Kim’s family is LDS. I thought the Rabbi did a wonderful job. The ceremony was held on the roof of the hotel as the sun set in the distance.

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Immediately following the ceremony I stopped the couple for some beautiful images as the sun quickly disappeared.
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There is so much more to show so once the album is designed, I’ll have to share it as well. But for now, I hope these two are having a wonderful first week of marriage. Congrats, you two!

And if any of you are looking for great photography either here in Utah or out of state, give me a call. A cheap plane ticket isn’t much, especially when you know you have the photographer you want. My number is 801-728-3317.

And until next time, America.

Bry Cox in Glacier National Park at Fall, September 2016

by BryCox (Admin)Art Images, Bry Cox Photography Blog, ThoughtsPosted on No Comments
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I recently returned from a trip to Montana and Glacier National Park with a couple friends. Driving the ‘Road to the Sun’ road, there were too many things for me to want to stop and photograph, so the compromise (if you can call it that because I think it was the best idea ever) was for me to stand up out of the sunroof and photograph as we drove. It was a frigid and cold day, and I loved the cold air blowing against me, the unobstructed 360º view, and the ability to absorb everything and shoot photos.

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And I found it really fun and a creative challenge to shoot motion blur images as we drove. It’s a technique a good friend, Julieanne Kost showed me once while we were riding on a train. She’s absolutely perfected it, and her images are emotional and phenomenal. Here’s a link to her work, JKost.net, and a link to her recent book, Passenger Seat.

And I have more of these images on my Spark page (linked above), but here are a few of my favorites.
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The fog was beautiful at the top of the mountain, perfect for our hike, a 9 mile loop along the Highline trail.
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Normally on this trail you can look down the cliff and see the ‘Road to the Sun’ about 100 feet beneath you. As we started though, we looked down into just fog. It was quite beautiful.

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And the higher and further we got in, the more the fog changed. I shot quite a few panoramas.
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In this image below, you can see the trail close on the left as it hugs the mountain side, and also the road beneath us on the right of the photo.
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On our hike back, you can see the trail cutting along the mountain behind me, and the road down beneath that at the bottom.
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It was an inspiring and awesome adventure. The colder weather made for a great hike and even more gorgeous scenery. The fall leaves were out, and the park’s busy season was over so we had the mountain and our trail practically to ourselves. To see even more photos in a very cool responsive presentation, click the window at the top or click this link.

And if you would like some beautiful fall portraits of either you, your family, or your high school senior, now is the time to get it booked. Here in Utah, the fall colors have hit and we have a very limited time to catch these beautiful colors up the canyons. Lighting is the key to making you look your best, and that’s what I do. Give me a call at 801-728-3317.

And until next time, America.

More New 60 Second Videos About Wedding Photography

by BryCox (Admin)Bry Cox Photography Blog, Video Projects, Wedding Day, AlbumsPosted on No Comments

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.

Alex and Kali’s Wedding Engagement Shoot

by BryCox (Admin)Bry Cox Photography Blog, Engagements, Announcements, Wedding Day, AlbumsPosted on No Comments

This week, Alex and Kali were married. But before their wedding, they came in for a really fun and romantic engagement shoot so that I could produce their wedding announcements and display portraits.

Here are some of their favorites. We started in the studio creating some really fun b&w images. This was one of my top favorites and theirs too.

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We also shot outdoors in my very green and lush studio gardens. (Note: if you want to shoot outside, we only have a couple more weeks of this deep green look before the colors turn to fall.)

I like giving people a variety of looks, both inside and outside, and even changes of clothes. It means that my clients have more choices, but the variety also works well when designing composites and other products as you’ll see. My Utah photography studio location makes it easy to shoot both indoors and outdoors quickly.
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And here are some more beautiful studio images. I shot these in color but imagined them b&w. But in the end, I think they looked even better in color.

The studio look is very hot right now. Yes, lots of people ask for outdoor because that’s all they see on social media – mostly because new photographers don’t have studios, plus lighting people is incredibly difficult especially indoors.

But I can offer clients a mix session of outdoor and indoor and see what they like. And it’s always amazing that people’s favorite images are mostly close-up studio images. I personally think it’s because there’s an emotional punch and a timeless appeal with such an image. And it’s also completely different from everyone else’s images. Most photographers are new and cheaper, and they’re learning as they go. They don’t have studio gear so they shoot on location in a beautiful location that catches our eye, but their lack of lighting causes dark and often blotchy faces which they hide with filters. Comparing that to great lighting that makes skin glow, and perfect expressions, you can see why people are asking more and more for a studio portrait.
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Here is a composite design I made up for their wedding reception…
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…and two gorgeous trios. These come in various sizes and are framed, ready to hang on your wall. Trios are great for telling little stories in three images.brycox_alex_engagement_01
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And to end, here are two gorgeous photos of these two in dark colors on a dark background. They look happy to be together and I wish them lots of success and love in their marriage.

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If you’re getting married, I’d love to create something wonderful for you, outdoors or in my studio. Give me a call and let’s create your dream portrait. 801-728-3317.

Unconvinced? Here’s a 1-minute video on why you’ll look even better when I photograph you, and why my studio is named, “Celebrity Style Imaging™.”

And until next time, America.