I had the pleasure recently to photograph Julie. We did a mix session of both outdoor and indoor and here are my two of my favorites. This outdoor image was created at sunset on the edge of the cornfield next to my studio. We had to hurry as the sun was setting, but I loved how it turned out, especially with the leading lines from the rows and the depth in the lighting.
And here’s a black and white from the studio – great eyes and great smile – and finished with one of my duo-tones.
If you’d like some great new portraits, give me a call. Let’s get it done now before the Christmas rush. 801-728-3317.
About a week ago, I told you I had a cool shoot to share. Well this is it. Pictureline, which is my favorite camera store in the country, asked me to review the Rogue line of flash diffusers for a blog article. I tested the pieces by taking a model out to shoot in high-bright sun, low sun, bright shade, and deep shade.
I want to thank Pictureline for asking me to do this. They are a fantastic store with a fantastic staff. Being a photographer, random people are always asking me what camera or lens they should buy. Though I may share my opinions, there really are too many options now for consumers, especially those who are not full-time pros. The best place to get advice and to buy any gear whether you’re a pro or not, is at Pictureline in Salt Lake. Even if you live further away, they are still the best place. If you go there, you’ll see why it’s my favorite store.
This last week I photographed McKenzie for an article I am writing on a product. That article will be released in about a week or so. I can’t wait for you all to see those images! They are some really fun, outdoor portraits, but I can’t publish them or share them yet.
So in the meantime I thought I’d share these two images I did of her totally impromptu on a completely different day a while back when she was at the studio for her sister’s senior portraits. No prep, just two really beautiful images!
So enjoy these for now. And until next time, America.
I taught a weeklong photographic workshop called ‘Evergreen’ outside of Seattle in a small town called Port Townsend. Here are some of the images from that event.
Usually as I travel and move, I create images — it’s like a part of my brain that doesn’t turn off. I see abstract shapes in everything around me.
For a while now, I’ve created some of these images on my iPhone because it makes it extra fun. You see, the iPhone in its simplicity, doesn’t have any exposure controls, so so I have to think around its limitations. That particular method of thought makes me think differently and I tend to create different images than I normally would.
While teaching, I demonstrate various types of equipment and techniques. All of these image were created in front of the group, from the initial creation, to the workflow and the final retouching.
We also used a minimal amount of equipment, staying as mobile as possible, and used backgrounds and locations right there within walking distance. When I’m shooting at a workshop, I specifically like to focus on teaching three things:
1) Make the most of what you’ve got. For instance, instead of wondering if there’s a better place nearby, instead ask yourself how you can make a particular area work as a cool background?
2) We don’t want just good images, we want to create fantastic images that have punch and emotion.
3) We want all the work to be done in camera so that we don’t have to fix anything later. The images should be perfectly exposed, have the perfect color balance, have a strong emotion and believable expression, and be lit with control from the right angles. That way anything we do to the image later will be for fun instead of to fix it.
Most of these images have very little work done to them, and what work was done was done quickly in front of the class using special techniques and some of my specific products. In fact, using these techniques it seems that it actually takes more time to pick favorites than it does to finish them up.
So these girls told us that a lot of local photographers use the area for senior shoots, so we really wanted to create unique images, find cool nooks, and use the area in new ways.
I think you can tell that the shoot was a lot of fun for everyone.
Hopefully you can see that we really created a lot of variety, and used all sorts of areas to our advantage. We wanted to create a lot of different looks as quickly as possible, and make something wonderful from each spot.
That night after dinner, we invited the girls to come meet us in town for some night shooting. Instead of the normal dark or flat images that are typical at night, instead I showed how to create depth and how to get perfect exposures while working with various off-camera flashes.
The challenge here was to show that no situation is difficult when we really understand light. Below, is a mulit-light setup using a streetlight for interest. I angled her so that the wind was working with her hair, and I really like how these turned out.
And finally we took our model Lane, out on the pier, looking out towards the water. The first image is a photograph, and the second is a painting that I created from another photograph in the series.
If you’re looking to attend one ofmy photographic workshops, please check out my workshop site, at BryCoxWORKSHOPS.com. There are new ones being announced all the time. I hope to see you at one soon.
I recently got back from speaking on the East Coast in New Hampshire. While teaching, I demonstrated some various techniques on making women look great in photographs. Here are some of the images I created that day.
These images don’t have any finishing touches on them yet, and that’s because I was showing that they should look great right out of the camera. Any final enhancements later should only be slight as the images should be ready to print without them if you did everything correctly.
Some people think that great images come from having a good camera. That’s like saying good songs are only written on good guitars when the truth is it’s the artist using the camera or guitar. Any good musician can write a great song on any guitar, and any great photographer can create great images on any camera.
Another misnomer is that that great images come from having beautiful models. This is also incorrect. A great photographer understands exactly how to make everyone look better and an average photographer will make even the prettiest person look worse.
I love teaching workshops because I really like helping photographers do better, plus it helps to raise the level of quality in the industry.
In New Hampshire, I was teaching how to create great images with any camera, and how to make all women look better using specific lighting and posing.
Here are two portraits of the same pretty girl in the same beautiful location. I shot her two different ways to show that a camera in the right hands will make her look better, and in the wrong hands she will look worse. Look at the two images and see if you can see all the differences.
In the first image, I used custom lighting and posed her specifically in a way that would be more flattering for her and her outfit. I took control of all aspects of the exposure which means her skin tones have great color right out of the camera. I separated her from the background and sculpted her using directional light at particular angles. Everything was set up and shot manually, nothing left to chance or to Auto functions.
Then I did another image of her the way most photographers would, with no specific poses, no control of light, and shooting the camera on Auto.
Notice how flat this second image looks. Her skin tones are green, the light on her face is coming from the sky rather than from any controllable or directional source, her eyes are dark, the background is too light, and the wrong camera angle and lack of posing and lighting make her look thicker. Again, NO woman wants to look thicker or heavier, and fixing it later on the computer isn’t the same as shooting it right.
This is why most photographers shoot so many images – they hope that with the law of averages they’ll get something decent that they can then spend tons of time on the computer fixing and covering with various effects.
This is why you need to hire a really good photographer with credentials – and why photographers need to get continual hands-on training from Master photographers.
So with a change of clothes, I continued to teach and shoot this model, walking around the town, making sure that each pose and lighting set up made her look great.
We ended up at this cool bridge which gave me some cool leading lines.
Well, if you’d like some great portraits, I know just how to make you look great, plus now is the perfect time if you like the fall leaves. Give me a call and book your appointment at 801-728-3317 and lets create something amazing for your wall.
I love doing fashion work because I get to be more edgy in my creative approach, and I get to make women look great which is what portraits are all about.
For this shoot, I had a very fun and beautiful model named Molly with very pretty eyes. We set up multiple lights and other equipment to create some really unique looks quickly on our outdoor location. I especially love the balance of this first one, with her to the far right side, lit from a strong angle, thoughtful expression, and hair blowing back into the image.
Another one of her with hair blowing. I love her eyes in this image, and the toned b&w treatment.
I love this next one of her smiling. Though many of my favorites (as you can see here) were serious expressions, she really had an infectious and genuine smile, and this image shows that.
Here’s one of my favorite mid-lenths of her, a fantastic and sassy image with Molly framed by the trees.
And this close-up of her was in the same group of trees. I love the lighting on this, as it really accentuates her expression and her hair softly falling across one eye. All of these images also are finished with my new line of custom edges that I have created and sell to photographers all over the country giving images a unique finished look.
All around this was just a great shoot that produced some great images. If you’d like some great images of you or someone in your family, now is the time to book an appointment and come in. Give me a call at 801-728-3317 and let’s talk about your dream portrait.
I love photographing high school graduates. The seniors are so much fun to work with, and they love my fashion work so I can really go crazy! Here’s what we created for Sammi. This first one is one of my favorites. It gave me the opportunity to show off her sparkle, while also using many of my overlays and edges for a really unique piece.
Sammi is a dancer, and that’s a big part of her life. It’s important to show that off in an artistic and unique way, and it gave me a chance to create something that’s difficult to do, but looks great – a collage of different dance poses. Here’s the end result.
And a square collage is always a favorite and a fun way to show different looks and personalities, smiling and serious, dressy and casual, inside and out.
Sammi was a student body officer, so we needed to get something unique of her in her sweater too.
And finally, one of her favorites that we used for her graduation announcement design.
If you’re an upcoming senior, summer is a great time to get your portraits done. Give me a call and let’s create something amazing for you! 801-728-3317.
And browse this blog for even more examples of senior and fashion portraits, as well as my main website too. BryCox.com.
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 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.
I did some great portraits of Joanna. She is so fun to photograph. Take at look at some of the images from her shoot.
I really like this first image, the eyes, the expression, and the diagonal line of her hair. It all works so well. And the three images below work great as a series. Every image is captivating, beautiful and real.
And here’s one in color using one of my new custom edges that I’ve been working on. All of these were created in the studio, with specific fashion lighting specific for her. That, combined with her expression and the images really glow!
If you’re in need of some really great portraits, either for portfolio work or just for fun, give me a call. 801-728-3317. And check out my main website too if you’re new to my work, BryCox.com.
Carmen Rasmusen has recorded a new project for Desert Book, a talk on CD! For the project, she came in for a fun photo shoot to get a great image for the cover of the CD. This was the favorite and ended up being the cover.
It was a fun shoot and we created some amazing images — some smiling, some serious, some color, and some black and white. Here is another one of my favorites.
But in the end, the top image won out and the CD is now finished and on shelves. Here’s an image I took with my iPhone while strolling through the store.
You can get the CD here from the official Deseret Book shopping site, deseretbook.com. Also, check out Carmen’s commentaries as a blogger for the Desert News. Good luck on your new CD, Carmen!
I loved meeting and photographing Rachel. She was a blast!
We may have had a short shoot, but the images were fun to create and she looked so great! This first image utilizes my own custom made edges and overlays. That is the only image with any enhancements, by the way. The rest of these are still un-retouched, but I like them as straight images. They have such a sense of reality to them without any retouching or effects.
I loved Rachel’s genuine smile, the gorgeous shape of her eyes, and her long dark hair. She was such a great model! I feel like you get a sense of who she is from these images.
I used this deep, rich brown background to set off her blue outfit and added just a touch of rim light on her hair for dimension. I am so pleased with these photographs. They have POP!
And for this final image I added some heavier edge lights to set off her hair and collarbones. There is a lot of dimension in this and her smile and sparkle in her eyes is so genuine and real. I really hope that she loves these images. It was great getting to know her.
When it comes to portraits, everyone needs to be lit in a custom way for them. I’m one of the only Master photographers in the state and I know just how to light YOU and make YOU look amazing! So whether you’d like some images for your fashion or model portfolio or would love some kick-butt senior portraits, then give me a call. I have some specials running during November that you will love! 801-728-3317.
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.
So with a change of clothes, I continued to teach and shoot this model, walking around the town, making sure that each pose and lighting set up made her look great.
We may have had a short shoot, but the images were fun to create and she looked so great! This first image utilizes my own custom made edges and overlays. That is the only image with any enhancements, by the way. The rest of these are still un-retouched, but I like them as straight images. They have such a sense of reality to them without any retouching or effects.
And for this final image I added some heavier edge lights to set off her hair and collarbones. There is a lot of dimension in this and her smile and sparkle in her eyes is so genuine and real. I really hope that she loves these images. It was great getting to know her.