The First Beckley Dinner | This Year is Your Year

The very first Beckley Dinner — a stepping stone in bringing more people into the community of sharing what it means to be authentic, passionate, and driven. On May 30, 2019 we gathered around one large table and, to put it simply, embraced every moment.

“This Year is Your Year” was the theme of the evening. It’s a response to something my soccer coach once said to me, “Next year is your year,” which was also the worst piece of advice I’ve ever been given. As people gathered and guests dove deeper and deeper into thoughtful and refreshing conversation, dusk settled in, and dinner was served. White lights twinkled and candles flickered. Peaceful music carried us through the evening as the wine flowed, and soon we were well into the evening feeling as though we were catching up with old friends.

Joined by a simple love of life, connecting with people, and using our gifts to navigate our place in the world, this was simply a calming and truly rejuvenating evening. A feeling of wholeness has made this a challenging post to write. Nothing will be the same as being there, happy, and with a healthy dose of sweat across my forehead from choosing at the last minute to wear a wide-brim hat to the event, but just happy. Simply happy.

For those who were there, thank you. You made the evening special. Without any fluffy language or hyperbole, I mean exactly that. You made the evening special. Your choice to attend, your willingness to share, your openness to meet and embrace new people. Thank you. And I am also very thankful to Taylor who hosted us in her beautiful home that was an integral part of our vision. Elizabeth, my right hand at Beckley deserves such a giant thank you. She prepared and cooked the meal and was with me through every step of planning this inaugural dinner. Marshall, who arrived early to help with literally anything and was certainly put to work, and who captured the evening so beautifully through his own lens. And my husband Andrew, who stepped in and helped with everything else I could have possibly needed throughout the night — all the little things that keep the party running smoothly that you, hopefully, don’t notice. Thanks babe.

xo, Becca

P.S. Stay tuned for upcoming events. When we say “First” we mean “First of many”!

BECKLEY Insta Stories Playlist I

the perfect soundtrack while you’re creating memories

Taking a Breather with a Pizza Picnic and Lots of Wine

Last night I enjoyed an al fresco evening with my husband Andrew and ended the evening feeling so much more inspired and cleansed of petty stressors that occur when you simply spend too much time "plugged in."

Favorite components of a relaxing picnic that I look forward to recreating many times this summer: 

1. Get Outside

Obviously a picnic is outside. But just the act of sitting on a picnic blanket, with a couple pizzas and a bottle of wine was so much more relaxing than being in our apartment or in a restaurant with all the distractions of work/home life or other people. Once in a while it feels so good to step away into your own world outlined by the edges of your blanket. 

2. Bring Books and Magazines

Broaden your horizons and and ignite a fire of inspiration. Just from one story that takes you to a far off land or an article that exposes you to something you thought you would never find interesting, you can dream up ideas, trips, experiences of your own that you can look forward to someday in the future - either distant or very near. 

I read aloud to Andrew about a writer's experience understanding jazz. Music that demands presence, living in the moment, but that can quickly become dull when performed "too right." It left us with imagery and a topic to talk about - because let's be honest we usually just talk about our dog Truman and the kind of house we want "when we grow up"

My favorite publications: Darling Magazine | The Art of Being a Woman, Kinfolk, and Food & Wine

3. Listen to Music

We all know why we need music. It heals and inspires. It offers a soundtrack to our lives and is our best friend. Andrew and I bring our Jambox EVERYWHERE...

4. Keep it Simple

Local pizza and a fresh salad - we just brought a couple bowls and snagged paper plates, plastic forks, and paper napkins. If anyone is in Dallas looking for the best pizza around - Cibo Divino is our favorite spot. I love Neapolitan pizza already, but BONUS it's ready so fast because it hardly takes any time to cook. So we just picked it up and were on our merry way. It really did make us feel like we were somewhere other than Dallas, with the authentic char of the pizza bringing us the taste of Italy, and the fresh Buratta salad melting in our mouth with sweet bursts of cherry and tangy arugula... obviously I was very pleased with not cooking and simply enjoying the food we bought. 

5. Drink the Wine

Just drink the wine. Breathe in the fresh air. Read out loud. Laugh. Think. Listen. Eat an extra piece of pizza. Drink the wine. Taste the wine. Enjoy the present. Think about the future. Reminisce about the past. Unplug, unwind, relax.

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Who Needs A Reason to Sit by the Pool and Drink White Wine Spritzers

NOURISH | A part of the BECKLEY Blog I have been looking forward to curating for a while, and am exciting to start with some refreshing white wine cocktails. Good for the soul, good for letting good times roll... 

I knew there was a jingle that went with this scene, it just took a full 24 hours for it to come to me

Goals for 2017 were pretty simple: learn to say "no"

because every time you say "yes" to something, you're also saying "no" to something else, like family time, personal time, exercising, whatever you need to do to live a balanced life. 

Have I been successful at lightening my work load? No

But I've been good about carving out a little time for myself. This week - a whole Monday - Friday - I scheduled zero photo shoots. (I also had a minor procedure and 20 stitches in my head forcing me to avoid sunlight and people, but I did successfully schedule some time to catch up on emails, editing, and rest.)

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Back to NOURISH. Lately meeting up with friends and family has done me a world of good in hearing fresh perspectives, caring about what is going on in other people's lives, and remembering that these connections are far more important in the grand scheme of things. A common denominator throughout most of these get-togethers - booze. 

Here are three recipes for easy breezy beautiful cocktails - all made with slightly bubbly and sweet Moscato

is my basic showing? 

SOME TIPS FOR PRODUCT PHOTOS

+ utilize your camera's focus points - try moving the highlighted dot around so you can play with the composition

+ make sure not to over-expose, especially when there are labels or small details you need to capture - always check your photos as you go

+ think about the colors and story you are creating - like these pinks and oranges pop against the  blues and greens 

+ for a blurred background, shoot with a low f-stop, but not so low that the product isn't all in focus - somewhere between 2.0-3.0 should do the trick

+ for styling, bring in elements that add height, texture, and depth to the image >> bar tools, multiple classes, marble serving board, bottle of wine, hand models

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Austin Recap - Can't Travel Without My Vital Proteins

Is it a photographer thing to love grey skies and gloomy weather? If you follow my Instagram, almost every photo I post was taken when it was overcast, and then I went and did the unthinkable and posted a photo that was taken in full sun at high noon. I'm actually staring at my phone and it is giving me anxiety because #instagramaesthetic 

oh good it got three likes

If there were ever a place to appreciate the gifts of spring, it's Austin. I actually walked by a house with beautiful blooms and told my husband, "I don't hate pink anymore." Talk about revelations. There is something about birds chirping and flowers growing that makes me want to be outside more, go for more runs, smell the roses...

Backstory: I have been eyeing Vital Proteins  basically because I want the skin of a six year old. So I asked, and I got a lot of great feedback and got some for my own. Maybe it's this vibrancy of spring, but I really do have more energy and feel like my skin looks healthier. It could also be that I'm trying to drink more water and eat healthier, but I figure that, if anything, I'm getting an extra 9+ grams of protein one to two times a day.

So far I've tried Vital Proteins in my almond milk latte, grapefruit juice, coconut water, beet juice, and ginger lemon water, and it's pretty close to tasteless if you give it a few extra minutes to thoroughly dissolve. My favorite is one packet + 1 cup of coconut water in a ball jar, shake it up, and fill the rest with ice. 

With the promise of youthful skin, hair, and nails, and letting Austin inspire me to pick up my camera and take more tourist photos than I usually do, I had Andrew take some photos of me while we were strolling waiting for a table at Cafe No Sé. (We spend all our time on South Congress, always). Maybe this could be left for another post, but who am I not to kill two birds with one blog post. 

I need to jump in front of the camera more often because, well there aren't ever any photos of me, but mostly because I realize how hard it is to know what to do, where to stand, what it will look like... bloggers I respect you so much!! (and bravo to Mr. Patton for having the patience for met to teach him how to use my Mark III) 

FINAL THOUGHTS

If you are thinking about getting vital proteins, buy some and see how you feel. I definitely recommend it in terms of feeling like my energy levels are better (coming from someone who needs to nap at 3 every day). Pretty close to flavorless, the travel packs are really handy, and they are kosher, so wins all around

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La La Land

For many, "home for the holidays" means cozying up by the fire, hoping for a white Christmas, and donning festive flannel pajamas. Maybe I made most of that up based on my novelty idea of what Christmas means outside of a Southern Californian weather pattern. For me, "home for the holidays" elicits more of a generalized "vacation time with family and friends and hopefully hiking." Checked all of those off this year, with a handful of Yahtzee games and visits with family to boot. 

Dallas, as I've stated and reiterated and and repeated too many times to count, is my second home sweet home. The more I live in and explore Dallas, the more I love it. But we all know that. Los Angeles is still a mystery to me. Eighteen years and some change of living in LA, and it still feels like a mystery to me. So I finally ventured out of my usual Manhattan Beach and Santa Monica destinations and did what any tourist would do - go to the most Instagram-worthy spots north of LAX.  

First, I had the absolute pleasure of photographing my best friend and her family at a beautiful park off Arroyo Seco Parkway (the first freeway in the Western US by the way), aptly names Arroyo Seco Park

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Second spot: coffee at POT Cafe and brunch at the Commissary at The Line Hotel. I will just say the greenhouse ambiance was really interesting and fun to photograph and I loved catching up with two good friends, and enjoyed a fun shoot with Fe who is in amazing LA blogger. 

Third installment of my hometown adventures was rooftop drinks at the Ace Hotel, which is where I will likely return whenever I am back in LA, probably because it reminded me of somewhere I'd go in Dallas or Austin.. 

Also went to the Bungalow, but if my goal is to end this post on a high note, I won't go into it. 

San Diego Recap + Favorite Fall H'orderves

Princeton, New York, Houston, Austin, Napa, San Francisco, and Rome, but there is nothing like a laid-back weekend at my sister's house in Del Mar. It's my version of a perfect weekend getaway - mornings reading to my nephews and sipping coffee, and evenings playing bocce ball and cooking and visiting with family. 

I thought this would be a fun time to try some new recipes (and utilize her beautiful kitchen). 

HAM AND PEAR CROSTINI

Makes 2 dozen

Though these small bites are perfectly tasty made with an ordinary French baguette, choose a whole wheat or seeded one for a bit more flavor.

½ baguette (or 1 demi-baguette), cut into 24 slices
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 ripe but firm pears, halved, cored and cut into 24 wedges
1 cup loosely packed fresh parsley
¾ pound leftover spiral-sliced ham (or another flavorful ham), cut into bite-sized pieces and warmed (we used prosciutto)
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Brush baguette slices all over with oil and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake, flipping halfway through, until just crisp, about 5 to 7 minutes; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together lemon juice, maple syrup, salt and pepper to make a dressing. Toss pears in half the dressing and arrange in a single layer on a large, parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast, flipping pears halfway through, until tender and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Toss parsley with remaining dressing. Top each crostini with a piece of ham and then a wedge of pear and few leaves of parsley.

* we added some honey drizzled on top to add a little more sweetness to balance the salt in the prosciutto 

More recipes can be found on West Elm's Blog Front + Main. If you try out a recipe, every new food photo shared on Instagram with #westelmxwfm, West Elm & Whole Foods Market will donate $1 to the Whole Planet Foundation, helping to alleviate poverty worldwide

Sponsored by West Elm + Whole Foods

THE GROVE, TYLER

All the adventure, luxury, and rejuvenation of a weekend getaway all wrapped into one afternoon. We ventured with One Small Blonde, So Heather, Street Style Squad, Tanya Foster, and The Middle Page out to Tyler, Texas, to visit The Grove Kitchen and Gardens. 

It was a little bit of a trek, but pulling up to the farmhouse-style restaurant nestled int the trees satisfied the feeling of being away from it all. Fresh air, and the aromas of southern cooking blended together. 

We were seated outside at long table and served family-style, enjoying each dish highlighting local flavor, without a detail overlooked.

We have a long list of places to visit in Texas, let alone all over the country, nay the world, but the thought of getting back to The Grove with a group of girlfriends, even for a very extended brunch that leads to happy hour that leads to relaxing listening to live music and enjoying some shared barbecue. Yea, we are all consulting our calendars for the next free moment we can escape to the Grove.

AUSTIN MEETUP

When we started BECKLEY & Co., we had goals to meet new people, open a studio, and travel much more for this living daydream we call "work." About seven months in, and we have officially checked off our boxes. 

Yesterday we hosted a coffee meetup in Austin and got to know some pretty amazing people. From music bloggers, fashion and lifestyle bloggers, new bloggers, to seasoned bloggers, we learned so much from every person. We are especially looking forward to the next #ATXbloggermixer!

We could not be more thankful to everyone who joined and helped out that day. The blogger and creative community has such vibrancy. We loved seeing people get to mix and mingle over coffee and macarons, and we cannot wait for our next trip!

Hosted at Mozart's Coffee Roasters | Custom Macarons by We The Birds Macarons | Tablescape decor from Three Twelve Co.  

ONE-ON-ONE CAMERA LESSON

You've invested in a nice camera - a Nikon, a Canon, a Sony, an Olympus. You've been playing around with the AUTO settings or navigating your way around MANUAL, but your photos just aren't coming out how you expect them to. Whether you're a blogger taking photos of products or food, or a mom trying to capture good photos of your son or daughter to send to grandma and grandpa, you need to know how to use your camera. 

I sat down with Victoria last Friday - who purchased a Nikon D3300 so she can take stunning photos as she travels the world. 

Starting with the three main factors - shutter speed, aperture, and ISO - I guided her through what each mean and in what situations they would change. Victoria will travel to Portland and Seattle in a couple days, and what better backdrop for travel photos could you ask for? 

For Victoria, I walked her through shooting in manual and let her practice changing the settings for different scenarios she may find herself in. Want a cool backlit photo of your Seattle coffee in a dark coffee shop? Or a well-composed landscape of the city lights at night? Street style captured with clarity and the right focus? Equipped with knowledge of her new Nikon, I'm excited to see what photos she returns home with!

BECKLEY & Co. offers one-on-one lessons for anyone who owns a camera and wants to learn the basics, or knows the basics and wants to learn a little bit more. Lighting, composition, camera settings, and editing are all things we can discuss during a session. We want to make sure you walk away confident and excited to practice with your camera! 

Book with us at BECKLEYPHOTO.COM/SERVICES to sign up for your first lesson!

HOW TO QUIT YOUR JOB TO PURSUE YOUR CAREER

Not even six months ago I quit my day job, rerouted my life, and followed a passion that had been put on the sideline for far too long. Since then I have never worked harder or felt more satisfied in what I do every day. So here's how I did it.

STEP ONE

Find a hobby that you continue to shove into the background. Major in science, intern everywhere you can to get into a good graduate school, get a solid job, and work with a secure job for the rest of your foreseeable future

STEP TWO

Start building up your skills in your hobby. Do too much work for free or for a kind review or recommendation. Do it as much as you can for your school, your friends, your family, etc. Work two jobs - one in food service and one to boost that graduate school resume. Take as many classes as you can - still grasping at that graduate school that will pave the way to success in security.

STEP 3

When the time is right, have a long meaningful conversation about your future with your significant other, realize you've been suppressing the need to have a creative outlet and have time to make it grow, and say "screw it, I'm going to do what I love"

STEP 4

Live in a city that surrounds you with inspiring people who want to work with you, support you, and encourage each other to continue to kick ass and take names. Daily. 

STEP 5

Document everything. Continue to kick ass and take names (in the most lovely way possible). Go on adventures. Meet new people. Smile. Pick flowers. Drink wine (but not too much because most of your work days start at 7 am)

Step 6

"Stay humble; Hustle hard"