Jacqui’s Wedding on a Private Beach in Corpus Christi, Texas

by BryCox (Admin)Bry Cox Photography Blog, Wedding Day, AlbumsPosted on 3 Comments

I have finished Jacqui’s amazing wedding album design, and it is up on my main website. Here’s a sneak preview.

Her wedding was on a private beach on the Gulf of Mexico, outside of Corpus Christi, Texas. Here she is getting ready in her room at a nearby resort.

Later in the album, she arrives with her father at the beach location. All of these are 2-page spreads from the album design.

After the ceremony, we created some incredible images of the couple alone on the beach. It is incredibly difficult to light people on a beach in direct sunlight, but when it is done right, the results look like this, crystal clear images, deep colors, great skin-tones, and a gorgeous sky that isn’t too light or too dark. On top of that, I love the great expressions and the realness of the emotion in these images.

A change of position to catch the warmth of the sunset behind, and we created this dipping diptic.

Later during the reception, I stole the couple to go out on the dock and get some more images of them alone. Simple and Romantic portraits of a couple that are emotional and scenic are a huge part of making one of my custom wedding albums amazing and fun to look through.

If you’d like to see the entire book, from beginning to end, it’s up at my website, BryCox.com. Go to Portfolio > Weddings > Wedding Albums, and it should be the first one.

Beach weddings may seem easy, but they are very difficult, especially there. I lived in the South for a few years during my Mormon Mission, but I never remember humidity like on this beach. Even at 11:00 pm at night, I checked the weather on my phone and it showed, 85% humidity and 85 degrees. The humidity and hot weather worked havoc on my gear, the sun is very direct and changes constantly, and the lighting conditions change wildly from inside, outside, daylight, sunset, and evening.

Nevertheless, it’s my job to get amazing images no matter what, and I’m so happy with this wedding.

If you’d like to get something amazing made up for your or your family for Christmas, or if you’d like me to create some magical images of you at your wedding, give me a call at 801-728-3317.

Until next time, America.

My 2012 Gift for YOU, A New Christmas CD!

by BryCox (Admin)Bry Cox Photography Blog, Commercial & HeadshotsPosted on One Comment

Every year at this time, I design, layout, and print about 20,000 Christmas audio CDs for a client and friend, James Conlee.  I always make sure that I get some copies for myself that I can give to all my current clients and friends.  This year’s album is especially beautiful and I’m excited for you all to see and hear it.

With every order between now and Christmas, you’ll get your own copy (while supplies last).

This produced every year by one of my best friends, James Conlee who produces and oversees the entire album.  In fact it is a joint project of friends in many ways because the cover painting is by another friend of ours, James Christensen (a famous painter with Greenwich Workshops).

This year, his painting used for the cover is “Cecelia,” which is incredibly colorful and beautiful. I love the different uses of various types of brush strokes, the various hues, and the beauty of the entire piece, though James Christensen’s paintings are always incredibly captivating. His artwork really makes this CD artwork wonderful.

I had a hard time cropping his image for a square cover, as the entire painting is so wonderful. I did however, use some tricks with the type over the painting to make it blend in more and seem more like gold leaf embedded into the canvas.

It’s a little known fact that I design all of the CDs that James Conlee produces, and I think that this is the 13th CD I’ve designed for him. The music for this particular project was recorded with the Prague Symphony Orchestra and with The Madeleine Choir of Salt Lake City.

So for all my holiday clients that are ordering this time of year, whether you get a large collection of various wall portraits or even just reorder one small 8×10 print, I am giving you a FREE 2012 Christmas CD!  The cover painting is phenomenal, the music is phenomenal, and the whole production is worth owning! In fact, if you’re a current client and don’t have anything to order right now, still call me and stop by and I’ll make sure you get a copy as well.

We are getting close to Christmas as far as appointments go, so if you’d like some fantastic images of yourself or your family, now’s the time to get in the studio.  Give me a call at 801-728-3317 to set thing up.  And remember, I’ll include a Christmas CD with your order.

And feel free to check out my main website at BryCox.com, and until next time, America.

Catelin’s Fall Wedding at the Salt Lake Temple

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

Last November, I photographed Catelin’s wedding in the beautiful fall colors. While updating my main website, I posted it to display the entire album.

It was a freezing, cold day, yet the images look warm and inviting. Here are some of the double-page spreads from the book. Each graphic folds down the middle in the actual album.

I loved the drama in the sky and the love these two had for each other. It was a wonderful day and a wonderful album.

This couple is really stunning together, and I love the various poses and use of color throughout the book.

As the night drew on, the sunset was surreal and magical.

The great thing about seeing an entire wedding album, is that you get to see how I work all day long. You get to see how great the couple looks and how spectacular the lighting is all throughout the day and into the night. You get to see that I don’t work by hoping to get lucky images, but rather I work to create well-crafted pieces of art created in all lighting environments – through daylight, twilight, nighttime, inside and out.

To see the entire album, visit my main site, BryCox.com. Then go to Portfolio > Wedding > Wedding Albums. Catelin’s album should be the first one to show right now, the “Salt Lake Temple and JSMB in the Fall.”

Now is a great time to get fall portraits. I still have a bit more time with leaves on the ground here at the studio garden location. Give me a call at 801-728-3317.

Until next time, America.

A Sneak Peak at Sophie’s Fall Wedding Portraits at the Draper Temple

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

The other day I photographed Sophie’s wedding. I had originally posted her bridals on her wedding day, and I thought it’d be fun to post a few images from her wedding day as a sneak peak.

The weather was amazing, the sun was shining, the canyon wasn’t too windy, and the fall colors looked so inviting, that I took the couple off to do a few fall portraits.

And here is one of them at the Draper temple, after the ceremony. Having such a bright and sunny day meant that I had to be extra careful and precise in how I lit this image. I really wanted a nice and vivid blue sky and I love how this final image looks. The leading lines all work so well, their expressions are great, they both look happy, relaxed, and the image is just inviting.

As soon as I finish their album and design, I’ll post it here as well.

So, until next time, America. 😉

Shooting Model & Seniors in Washington (Evergreen Workshop part II)

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

Usually I only get to post the images I create. At this event, one of the photographers in attendance, Joanne Murray took a number of images of me working and was kind enough to provided them to me. I really appreciate that and am posting them here so that you can see another view of this workshop.

Having so many out-of-town jobs in a row, I was sporting a trip beard.

If you compare these images of me working to the previous post of finished portraits, you can see how I created the images. this one below was one that I featured on the last post. I wanted a unique angle and balanced on the tip of the bench, then held my light out at the right angle with one hand and photographed her with the other hand.

Here we are after dinner, setting up for the night shoot.

Here’s me using a reflector to help control the natural light.

You should see the image I created here too in the previous post. what you can barely see here is that the flash I’m using is off to the side. I don’t like using just pure natural light, as it is never coming in at the correct direction that I need it. I always need to correct it somewhat to get a spectacular image.

And finally, Joanne was kind enough to be my ride and escort from Seattle to Port Townsend. We had a long and lovely drive that included a ferry ride. Here is one of her images of me on the ferry.

If you’re looking to attend one of my photographic workshops, please check out my workshop site, at BryCoxWORKSHOPS.com. There are new events being announced all the time. I hope to see you at one soon.

Until next time, America! 🙂

 

Shooting Model & Seniors in Washington (Evergreen Workshop part I)

by BryCox (Admin)Bry Cox Photography Blog, Photography Workshops, Senior/Grads, WomenPosted on No Comments

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.

Until next time, America! 🙂

Sophie’s Bridal Portraits for Her Wedding Today

by BryCox (Admin)Bridal Portraits, Bry Cox Photography BlogPosted on No Comments

Today is Sophie’s wedding and I’m actually out shooting it. But I thought it’d be a good day to post her wonderful bridal portraits, created on-location at the Salt Lake City Capitol Building.

I really liked Sophie’s style and personality, and we had fun creating a number of images outside, taking advantage of the beautiful sky and clouds. These were some of her and her mom’s favorites. This top image shows one side of her personality, mixed with the tall and dynamic pillars around her.

Below is an epic full length, that’s just dramatic!

We did a series of black & white detail images and with those, I created this trio series.

Then on our way inside, we created another fun series by the door.

Once inside we focused on some fun yet, telling images with dramatic lighting, like this image of Sophie sitting, showing of her cute yellow shoes.

And being a dancer, we had to create something stunning with her point shoes. This was my favorite, her up on her toes, with a perfect expression, while being perfectly framed and lit to create drama and direct attention.

Then on the way out we stopped to take advantage of the beautiful sunset light, first with a close up black and white,…

…and then with these two final close-ups showing the details of her ring and necklace.

Congratulations, Sophie! I wish you a wonderful life and know you’ll have a great wedding. We’ll really create some great images!

Until next time, America.

Bry Cox Interviewed and Featured in Professional Photographer Magazine, October 2012 Issue

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

I was interviewed by Professional Photographer Magazine, a publication that goes out to all professional photographers throughout the US as well as other parts of the world as well. That interview is now out in the current October 2012 issue.

This is the cover (image is not by me), and below are some screen shots of my article where all the images are mine.

The article is humorously titled, “The Anti-Specialist” because where most photographers need to focus on one niche or another to succeed, my particular specialty has been to focus on exquisite lighting and emotion. I mix technical proficiency with a unique style of creativity to develop images that tell a story of the person being photographed, and hopefully makes the viewer feel like they know the person. It’s a uncommon approach that allows me to photograph a mix of genres well, like families, children, weddings, and even celebrities and VIPs.

For the opening spread, the magazine chose my images of Linda Rondstadt and Olympic Gold-Medalist, Rulon Gardner.

The last image used, is of 90 year old sax player, Joe McQueen. Interestingly, this is the second time this magazine has asked to use this image. I can see why as it really is one of my favorite portraits. It shows dramatically what exquisite lighting and emotion can do to make an image unique and inviting.

I really appreciate and feel honored to have been interviewed for the magazine, and I love the direction they took with the article. I hope other professional photographers find it interesting and helpful.

Well, until next time, America. 🙂

New Regional Awards Announced, Including High Print Case and a National Photographer of the Year Award to Come!

by BryCox (Admin)Awards, Bry Cox Photography BlogPosted on No Comments

After my state competition earlier this month, my images went on to District Regionals where I won the High Print Case for all of Utah (usually called “Photographer of the Year” at the state level), “4 for 4” meaning that all 4 prints scored so well that I’ll receive a national Photographer of the Year award in 2013, and finally my lighthouse image, “Isle of Light” won a a special “Distinguished” award and was my highest scoring print.

This is the 2nd time I’ve won the High Print Case for Utah at Regionals (SWPPA), and the 4th time I’ll have won the Photographer of the Year award on the national level. I’ll have to wait until next summer to find out what rank I’ll be, Diamond, Gold, Silver, or Bronze. So I’ve won two Bronze and one Silver.

Earlier this month I won four more awards at the state level: another Kodak Gallery Award (that makes 7 of these for me know), the ASP State Elite Award (called the Best of the Best, my 2nd one), 1st Place Master’s division, and Master’s Court of Honor.

I’ll let you know how this print case does at nationals in the summer of 2013.

Until next time, America!

Stranded in Maine and Photographing the Nubble Lighthouse

by BryCox (Admin)Art Images, Bry Cox Photography BlogPosted on No Comments

On my way home from New Hampshire, I had trouble with my out-going flight at the Boston Airport and got stranded for the night. They said I needed to fly out the next morning so I took the extra free time to rent a car and drive up to the Cape Neddick or “Nubble” lighthouse. I love lighthouses and this one was new to me. I arrived by late afternoon went up to scout out the place for later. While there I immediately created a panorama, then came back later at twilight, then the next morning at sunrise as I drove off to the airport.

This first one was when I first arrived. I really loved the blue sky, green grass, and the beautiful waves and color of the water. Having a bit of a trip beard, I did a self portrait of myself as well.

I then left the lighthouse to find some food and get a place to stay for the night, but I returned at twilight to create this image below – my favorite from the trip.

Then the next morning I got up at around 4:30 am to get the sun rising in the distance. I shot it a few different ways, first with nice sharp edges…

…and then with soft blurry edges. I really like them both for different reasons.

As I was heading back to my car I created this image of a bench with my same soft lens.

Here’s the place where I stayed the night. I talked to a local who recommended it. They had small one-room cottages in the woods that were quiet and perfect. They also had a very tiny and amazing ice cream shop across the street as well located in the town’s old post office.

My cottage was elevated and up a short hill. It made for a very quiet and quaint night. I wish I had more time to stay there. The place and the entire town was just cool, calm and relaxing with a very fun main street. There were plenty of things to do at night just walking around. Next time I’m out that way, I’ll be sure to go find my way to this fun town.

After leaving the east coast I immediately went to the west coast and found more lighthouses. I’ll post about them in upcoming blog entries.

Well, until next time, America. 🙂

New Hampshire Shoot

by BryCox (Admin)Bry Cox Photography Blog, Photography Workshops, WomenPosted on 2 Comments

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.

Bry Cox on the Back of Zion’s Bank Community Magazine

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

Hitting 60,000 mailboxes right now is the Sep-Oct Edition of Community Magazine by Zion’s Bank. On the back is a full-page Pictureline ad featuring me and one of my favorite images.

There is a caption next to my photo. It’s my testimonial of Pictureline that reads:

When I started my studio seventeen years ago, pictureline was there to support me. The store is clean and aesthetically pleasing, and the staff is very knowledgeable. They’ve made my business and priority, and because of that I consider them friends and I value their advice.

There’s nothing that compares to holding and trying new cameras or equipment out first hand, and buying locally will ensure that I get the very best quality and support possible. We’re lucky to have pictureline in our backyard. – Bry Cox

The image chosen for the ad was from a fantastic and exciting shoot that I previously posted here on my blog, and below here is a video showing the entire shoot. You really need to see this video. Every single image is amazing.

If you get this magazine, make sure you turn it over and take a look at this. I really love this photograph and it was a real honor to be asked to be apart of this ad. I love photography, the entire photographic industry, and Jens not only has an amazing store, but he’s a great supporter of photographers and the industry. I really appreciate being associated with Pictureline and I hope that this ad does well for them.