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Bryan Cox has composed a high-end photography studio built on classical photography and business principles that relies on improvisation for a competitive edge.

Bryan Cox’s photography can best be described as a marriage between classical music and jazz. While dedicated to the classical elements of photography – lighting, f-stop, shutter speed, correct posing, and the like – he adds improvisational chops to his repertoire that set his work apart from the competition. Add to that a genuine love of the business side of his work, and it’s a potent combination that has brought incredible success to his studio in Clearfield, Utah.

The Right Notes

Cox comes by his talent and affinities naturally. His father plied his trade as a music composer, his mom is an author, and his uncle is a PPA Master Photographer (as is Cox). Cox took photography classes in high school, majored in art at Weber State University in Utah, and finally graduated with a degree in business. All the while, Cox was sidelining as a musician.

Effectively combing these disciplines into one package, Cox opened his own studio, parlaying his music network into a series of assignments shooting bands for cover art and promotions. It was this early professional experience that contributed greatly to his photography philosophy.

“The best way to describe the portrait side of photography is the pursuit of perfection, in a sense. The wrist, the feet, and everything else in the pose have to be in perfect position, which I wholeheartedly agree with. But when you shoot a band and try to put them in a perfect position, they don’t like that. They want to have some more life in the image. The difficult part of that is creating an image that has a lot of life, but when you look at it you don’t see the imperfections; you still meet all the portrait criteria without it being look so set up. I call it jazz photography,” explains Cox.

Jazz is, in some ways, the opposite of playing classical music. In classical music, the approach is to play the music note-perfect, then add emotion in the playing of the piece. In jazz, the emotion comes before the technicalities of the music. Jazz musicians actually leave the mistakes in the session. But make no mistake, jazz musicians are technically proficient and have mastered the music basics.

“I hesitate sometimes in teaching this approach, because there are so many new photographers who like that concept, but I don’t want them to use it as an excuse to be sloppy. It doesn’t mean that you’re sloppy; it’s just a way of helping the creativity,” says Cox.

Cox says it comes in handy when the situation is less than ideal: the subjects are wearing the wrong clothes, they’re not being cooperative, or the setting isn’t working out. “Real creativity comes when you have a problem, so having problems makes you create something fresh and unique,” he says.

Business Ensemble

With his musically-informed photography style as an impetus, Cox is free to build a pricing structure that treats his photography more as art than as a commodity. Rather than being shackled by the perception that photography is fun and business is boring, Cox dove headlong into economic theory in order to ensure the studio’s long-term success.

“I ended up liking business a lot, which is why I eventually switched majors in college. It was a lot more abstract than I thought it would be, and a lot of it is actually quite creative, like economics. You’re making a decision based on a supply and demand curve, and for a lot of decisions you’re plotting curves and thinking about them in a creative way,” says Cox.

Cox found that the Prado Principle, which basically states that 80 percent of your income comes from 20 percent of your client base, was also true in his business. In order to maximize this principle and build a high-end client base, the first step was obvious – become as technically proficient as possible.

In order to elevate his work, Cox is a voracious reader of anything and everything having to do with the technical aspects of photography as well as business and economic theory. He also gives himself assignments to test his knowledge and proficiency, particularly as it relates to his current reading.

Ultimately, this dedication shows in his work, his exclusive clientele, and in the recognition he receives among his peers. As mentioned earlier, Cox, like his uncle before him, is a certified Master Photographer by the PPA, as well as a Certified Professional Photographer and Photographic Craftsman. Cox is one of the youngest photographers to be recognized and certified so quickly.

“When people shot Hasselblad they had to have a good grasp of technical details during capture. Even today with processing tools like Photoshop, everything should be done in the camera with minimal polishing in Photoshop,” says Cox.

Cox adds that mastering the details of capture through intensive study and subsequent experimentation frees up time and money as less time is devoted to fixing mistakes during capture, while elevating the creative element of photography. “Then you see all the variables in front of you, and you’re free to be like that jazz musician who is solid enough technically to improvise, and your hands automatically go where they need to go,” says Cox.

Still, that’s not enough to ensure success in the market you want to develop, though it certainly is the vital first step toward doing so. The crucial extra ingredient, at least for Cox, has been in identifying and then relating to that market.

“Finding the market you want means identifying the types of clients you want: where they shop, how they dress, and so forth, and then you match that. People like to do business with people they’re comfortable with. If they are particular in their tastes, they want to do business with someone who’s particular about theirs. Then they trust you to make the right decision about the products you create for them, like large-format prints, and they don’t ask about price,” says Cox.

“One of the reasons I bought my big printer is so that I have something to show people. New clients need to see something tangible, and when you have the ability print up something new and fresh, and keep your samples fresh, it makes a big difference in your sales,” adds Cox.