Texas School 2014 Wrap Up

Texas School is my biggest week-long workshop of the year where a limited number of photographers spend the entire week with me learning my system, everything from lighting, to digital workflow, to business. I want to thank WHCC – White House Custom Colour for their sponsorship and additional support at Texas School. Besides paying for big parties and other expenses, they also sponsored me and gave us some fun prizes for our class. If you’re looking for a great lab with attention to detail and great customer service, I can’t recommend WHCC enough.

This event in Texas is always amazing and inspirational, and in many ways it reminds me of how much I love being a photographer who captures moments in people’s lives as well as a mentor to other photographers to help them learn and do better. I love seeing photographers in my workshop brighten up as new principles and concepts inspire them, and help them to try new things.

As we go through many parts of creating a portrait, from exquisite lighting, capturing true personality, to premiere product finishing, we go through all of these steps by creating actual images through real photo shoots. Here are some of the images I created during this week.

These first few images were created in our portable studio with lights and equipment provided by Arlington Camera. I then took a few of those images and created painting of them while teaching workflow.© BryCox.com, Bry Cox © BryCox.com, Bry Cox

We create images indoors, outside, and using various methods, showing that lighting is always the same, no matter what light source you use. Some were created with studio lights, some with small portable lights outdoors, and these next few images were created using natural light.

The light source doesn’t matter. What matters is the system, and knowing just how to use that light source to properly sculpt a person, flatter them, and also light them so well that they don’t need any retouching or color correction.

© BryCox.com, Bry Cox

Taking three images without retouching or color correction, and spending our only computer time by creating a collage or trio, is a better investment into our time than fixing images.

Cox_Texas2014_003

This system works no matter the skin tones, location, or time of day. Here we are with our two beautiful models, outside in broad daylight, shooting in direct sun. Again, no retouching or color correction needed.

© BryCox.com, Bry Cox

This means that my computer time is creative time. Here I created these two painting as a demo during the trade show. © BryCox.com, Bry Cox © BryCox.com, Bry Cox

 

Again, it doesn’t matter if you’re in a studio…© BryCox.com, Bry Cox

…or outdoors using natural light. The system works again and again.© BryCox.com, Bry Cox

And last night to close the event, we had a big shoot. I did some quick demos on lighting for a crowd on a stage, and created these images. These are un-retouched, have no color or exposure work. They are straight images, created with two lights, and all shot within about 10 minutes. That is exciting!

© BryCox.com, Bry Cox © BryCox.com, Bry Cox

I have some other workshops in the planning works right now, but you can always get all this info in my new lighting DVD series, Artist of Light – a 3 hour video tutorial that includes four shoots, indoors and outdoors.

I love speaking and teaching at Texas School. It is a wonderful place full of people that pour their whole heart and soul into making it a great event. I appreciate the opportunity to speak there and love the people that I’ve met there.

Well that’s it for now. Happy Shooting, and until next time, America.