Are You Engaging Your Audience?

January 26, 2018 Rebecca Patton

Ashley Robertson

"Engagement" has been the buzzword for the past year or so, because if you post a photo and no one is around to see it, does it make a sound? er... you get it. There's good content, there's great content, there's photos that are out of this world, there's photos of someone's breakfast... To keep it short: there's a lot going going on that's fighting for everyone's attention. How do you stand out? How do you get your readership to engage with what you're trying to say?

The Best Equipment to Use for Photographing Fashion Bloggers

August 28, 2017 Rebecca Patton

One of the most frequently asked questions I receive: "Love this shot of ________, what lens do you use?!" It's a great question, and one that I would probably ask too, ...

How to Shoot Product Photos for your Blog

July 24, 2017 Rebecca Patton

Mail day! (Really every day in the blogging community) One, two, even three times a day, a courier arrives at the door trading you a package for your signature. Door closes, package ripped open: more products. More products to try, photograph, and post about. Cosmetics, hair products, snacks, teas, grooming essentials, kitchen gadgets - all mailed to bloggers all the time to post. Some make the cut and their pretty posed photo makes it to the pages of the blog! Some never see the light of day and end up in the guest bath or given to your best friend because - well how much Clinique does a blogger really need? (And we can talk about that later - discerning what makes it to the blog and what doesn't). But let's talk about photographing these beauties.

Some easy tips whether you're using your phone, mirrorless camera, or DSLR:

1. Find a spot with good lighting

Usually by a window or well-lit spot in your home, this makes capturing clear images so much easier. When you find a place or two that work well for you, stick to those spots, and style them according to what you're photographing. Usually the bed, side table, and maybe a windowsill, balcony, or patio are great go-to's.

2. Shoot with a low f-stop (but not too low)

This applies to people shooting with a mirrorless camera or a DLSR. The f-stop is how blurred the background is, and affects how much light is let it. A lot of people are looking to achieve a really blurry background, so they set the f-stop as low as it can go. For some lenses that's an f-stop of 3.5, others as low as 1.2. That blurry, creamy background is beautiful, but you want to make sure that enough of the product is clear and in focus. Try shooting with an f-stop around 2.0-3.0. If you still want a really blurry background, put the products far away from the background, so there is more room for the background to be blurred.

black marble laptop case for Janet Gwen Designs

The entire computer is in focus, and is far enough away from the wall behind it, making the laptop case clear and fully in focus

3. Set a scene

It doesn't have to be fancy, but gather some items in your home that make you happy and relate to the product. They can be the same color scheme, or just relate to each other in some way. This puts the product in context, and gives you a way to represent yourself and your own brand.

anthropologie home scents

to go with the gold tones of the diffuser, i gathered candles, with white and gold labels, a gold frame, my gold watch, and even grabbed a jar from my bathroom, and put them in front of my antique gold mirror

4. iPhones are really great for flat lays

Save yourself the headache of adjusting the ISO, aperture, and shutter speed for getting all the products perfectly lit and in focus for the flat lay you envision. iPhones are really great for capturing products and it's much easier to see when you're getting a straight, clear image on your phone.

Product photos should be a fun chance to capture something you love and want to share. It doesn't have to be literal - this isn't an e-commerce shoot. What's important is to capture how it applies to you, and by finding good lighting, getting a clear photo, and staging it properly, you can have fun with the rest.

Happy shooting and happy mail day!

S H O P T H E P O S T

How to Shoot in Full Sun

May 27, 2017 Rebecca Patton

You have probably heard the term "magic hour" or "golden hour" at some point when trying to decide the best time to take photos. The golden hour is that perfect time right around sunrise and sunset when everything glows, skins looks soft, there is enough light to capture the image, but no harsh shadows or blow out highlights. Ask almost any photographer, and this is the ideal time to shoot on most occasions.

But what do you do when you don't have the leisure to wait around for 7:55 at night or wake up before dawn to be ready for sunrise photos? (Yes, during the summer "magic hour" is 7:50-9:00pm!)

Memorial Day weekend always offers great photo ops - on a boat, in a new swimsuit, at a barbecue with friends - and because the days are so long, we have hours and hours of harsh mid-afternoon lighting.

Here are a few tips for both SLR users and iPhone photographers on how to get great photos this weekend without waiting for sunset to do it!

1. Find a shady spot

Under an awning, next to a building, or the first floor of a party barge... finding full shade during the mid-afternoon light makes photos pop, especially if the subject is facing the light. This offers even lighting, but lots of it, and is probably one of my favorite ways to shoot when it's sunny.

One Small Blonde | You can tell how bright it was outside, but we found a strip of sidewalk that was completely shaded from the building. The sun was in front of Brooke, so she was facing the light, making a clear, evenly-lit photo

2. Find even lighting in the sun

This can be a little trickier than shooting in full shade, but if it's 4:00 or 5:00 when the sun has started to cast longer shadows, face directly toward the sun, and that should offer even lighting. If you're shooting on a DSLR, this might be a good time to shoot on Auto so you don't end up with an over-exposed photo. With an iPhone, make sure you tap the focal point on the brightest spot ON your subject. (Here is an example of how to shoot in full sun on my BASICS post)

Loubies and Lulu | This was taken at about 10am - I loved how the colors popped in the sun, so I stood exactly in the direction of the sun, and photographed Andrea so she was in full sun. You can see that her shadow is directly behind her - somethin… — Loubies and Lulu | This was taken at about 10am - I loved how the colors popped in the sun, so I stood exactly in the direction of the sun, and photographed Andrea so she was in full sun. You can see that her shadow is directly behind her - something to look for when trying to get a photo facing the sun.

2. Shoot with backlighting

This would apply in the later afternoon, or in a shady spot with the sun peaking through behind you. Find your subject's shadow on the ground, and have him or her face it. This will put the sun directly behind the subject. This is also how the "light and airy" photos are taken during magic hour.

One Small Blonde | You can see the sun peaking out from behind the building, creating a sunny glow on Brooke.

Fashion Jackson | The sunlight was shining harshly from the left side of the image, and Amy's shadow is cast opposite - on the right. I took it from this angle because we wanted this black in the background, but I had her face away from the sun (and… — Fashion Jackson | The sunlight was shining harshly from the left side of the image, and Amy's shadow is cast opposite - on the right. I took it from this angle because we wanted this black in the background, but I had her face away from the sun (and towards her shadow) so her face and most of her body would be evenly lit. I could have taken it with her standing in the same place, but turned to face her shadow, and I would have stood facing the sun. This would have created more of a glow around her head and body from the sunlight behind her.

Don't be afraid to play around with lighting and settings this weekend! We have a three-day weekend and that's a great opportunity to go out and practice! Sometimes "wrong" photos turn out to be some of our favorites, so don't be discouraged if they aren't turning out exactly how you envision them. Take a couple days and look back again and you might love them even more.

For uploading photos real-time, I recommend editing on your phone with Snapseed and VSCO. Snapseed is a great app for editing brightness, saturation, clarity, etc; and VSCO has tons of great filters where you can adjust the amount of filter you add to a photo, which I love because sometimes you don't need to change the photo all that much.

AND MY MEMORIAL DAY CHALLENGE TO EVERYONE! PLEASE

Please.

Do not facetune yourself. Don't make your eyes clearer or your waist smaller. You are perfect. Yes, PERFECT. Just the way you are.

*Ideal lighting* - first floor of a two-story party barge circa 2013, in all our college-age red-solo-cup-toting glory.

How Do You Define Adventure?

March 3, 2017 Rebecca Patton

Wanderlust hits us like a wave more frequently than we are able to do anything about it. I imagine hotel rooms with fluffy white sheets, camel rides through the Sahara, or Icelandic hikes ending in styled editorials.

Five Lessons I Should Have Learned A Long Time Ago // NYFW Recap

February 13, 2017 Rebecca Patton

As a photographer, I'd say I walk a fun line between understanding fashion and completely not understanding fashion. I can appreciate the beautiful, the artistic, even the eccentric, but there are still some garments and getups that leave me at a loss.

Rome: A Home Away From Home

October 11, 2016 Rebecca Patton

A quote I revisit every day: "Home is wherever I'm with you". Andrew and I have both been traveling constantly, and separately, for the past few months and this trip to Rome was the longest amount of time we have spent together since August. Along with spending quality time together, Andrew and I got to visit with friends - some of whom we haven't seen since our wedding in July of 2015.

Both Andrew and I had spent our semesters abroad in Rome in 2010 and 2011, and that was when we checked off most of our museum, monument, and church tours. On this trip, we simply strolled through the streets, sipped plenty of espresso and Aperol spritzes, and ate pasta and cheese to our heart's content.

Some highlights of the trip: gathering wine, cheese, prosciutto, and crackers from a small shop and walking to the Borghese gardens for a small sunset picnic laughing harder than we have in so long with some of our best friends. The group of us one day were shown around the city by an American priest who took us to to top of the seminary and the view was more than breathtaking. The entirety of Rome, from the Vatican to the "wedding cake" - it took us all several moments to drift back down to reality and realize how lucky we were to experience this together. Finally, the purpose of our entire journey, was the wedding of one of our dearest friends - a beautiful, magical sacrament of marriage at St. Peter's Basilica where I was asked to second shoot. Suffice it to say that will go down as one of the most magical wedding to photograph and I count myself truly blessed to capture at least part of it through my lens.

It's difficult to articulate a trip or an experience, and that is why I love photography. Jump in and explore - photos are an invitation to join in the moment and develop your own story around them.

“The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection.”

— Michelangelo

Jon & Sam Downtown Dallas Engagement Shoot

September 9, 2016 Rebecca Patton

Romance is an adventure. The initial attraction to falling deeply in love; getting to know someone better than you know yourself and learning from each other to help each other grow. For this couple whose "hearts are in Dallas" we wanted a location that complemented the serenity and deep love for each other, while offering a vibrant and dynamic backdrop that set the tone for capturing Jon and Sam's passion and playfulness when they are together.

“When picking out this couples outfit for the engagement shoot, I knew I wanted to capture the simplicity of their love while highlighting their passions for one another. Starting with this dreamy wrap dress from Planet Blue with added accessories from Lion and Witch. To compliment her airy look, I decided to dress Jon in a blue suit from Suit Supply and then paired it with suspenders and a light pink tie. This look was completed not by just my styling and Rebecca’s photos, but how their love for each other makes you feel.
Words I keep thinking of when seeing these photos- Airy Romance, Passion, Sexy, Cool ”

— Alexandrea Cohen, Stylist

Serene Styled Shoot with Root and Bloom

June 7, 2016 Rebecca Patton

A dreamy portrait shoot with Jessica from Root and Bloom Floral Design brought together all things we love - fresh flowers, darling sundresses, and sunlight beaming through the trees on a warm afternoon.

STYLING | Alexandrea Cohen

green bell-sleeve dress | Lion & Witch //maxi skirt + white tie top| Planet Blue //black floral wrap dress + bralette | Planet Blue

hair + makeup | Erika Curry

florals | Root & Bloom

STYLED SHOOT | HIGHLAND PARK

February 5, 2016 Rebecca Patton

BECKLEY Photography (formerly BECKLEY & Co.) (yes we are still a team) (yes we still offer our styling services) (yes we hate that "& Co." wasn't accepted by the state's office as an official business title) (and yes we are still nursing our wounds)

... had the wonderful opportunity to work with Dan Sauer photography last weekend on a magical styled shoot. Dan is a photographer friend of mine from Los Angeles and coordinated this entire shoot in no time at all - which is a testament both to how amazing he is and also how phenomenal Dallas is. (In case you missed it, I think very highly of the Dallas creative community. See: Every post ever on the BECKLEY blog)

This was an exciting opportunity for the BECKLEY Photography team because our lovely Elizabeth did the hair and makeup for the "bride" and our brand new stylist Alex worked flawlessly on-set styling the models to perfection. Big win for team BECKLEY!

PHOTOS | DAN SAUER PHOTOGRAPHY

Let me list these fantastic vendors because they are forever my favorite people:

COMING SOON | BEHIND-THE-SCENES PHOTOS FROM A BEAUTIFUL HIGHLAND PARK STYLED WEDDING SHOOT

HOW TO: MONDAY

January 11, 2016 Rebecca Patton

Part One of BECKLEY HOW TO

We will be sharing tips on taking photos with an iPhone and with a DSLR, how to edit photos on the computer and on your phone, lighting and composition tips, and a lot more. But on this Monday morning we thought we'd start slow and just share all our coffee photos from the past year or so.

Bon Java and Happy Monday

TAYLOR + SCOTT | DALLAS ARBORETUM

January 8, 2016 Rebecca Patton

Sunshine and blue skies are what Taylor and Scott had hoped for during their engagement session at the Dallas Arboretum, but instead they were met with overcast, gloomy autumn weather. There is nothing better, though, as a photographer, than assuring clients that this crummy and dreary atmosphere creates the most beautiful lighting. Their faces lit up (and that's all the sunshine I needed - the cheese ends there I promise).

We had a wonderful day wandering the grounds, battling only a few hoards of children while in the pumpkin patch. The Arboretum offers so many beautiful backdrops - if anyone in Dallas hasn't been or is contemplating a membership, I think it's such a wonderful retreat so close to a large city, it's always worth it to go - and take lots of photos!

CITY STREETS

January 6, 2016 Rebecca Patton

You know that cool new place you find that everyone has known about for years but it's new and exciting to you? THE JOULE. An absolute new favorite spot for coffee, food, drinks, work, play, occasional celeb sighting.

Last week I met up with Kathryn of Wrapped in Rouge at the sleek hotel, got my third caffeine fix for the morning at Weekend, chatted with every barista and lobby manager in sight, and got some really fun shots inside and outside of the hotel that I have been really excited about.

I love shooting with style bloggers because they are like living, breathing, Pinterest boards (or simply, style inspiration) that make me remember that there is more out there than black jeans and grey sweaters.

See her post here where she describes her outfit details better and more eloquently than I ever could.