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”!

Why I Chose to Unfollow Two Thousand People on Instagram

"Chose to unfollow" sounds a bit more dramatic than it was. I recently discovered that this was one of the most searched topics on the BECKLEY site, so it's my pleasure to illuminate you all on the details. 

I currently, at this very moment at 9:41 am on February 22, follow I 183 on Instagram from the BECKLEY profile. A couple months ago that number was approaching two or three thousand - it's all a blur. Then I saw an ad on Instagram stories for an app that cleans out your Instagram, I swiped past because of the tiny "SPONSORED" in the top left corner, and then quickly went back for a closer look. For some reason in that moment, without thinking a lot about it, I downloaded the app.

I didn't look into all the details of what the app would do, but ultimately it unfollowed everyone I was following, without me having to manually do it.

WHY? 

I was being exposed to too much. I wanted to care about each post I saw, be inspired by every travel photo, think critically on every opinion shared, appreciate every fashion risk taken. Instead, I started comparing minute details within each post to my own work, or to someone else's aesthetic trying to find the difference between inspiration and copying. I judged more than I appreciated, and I became numb to the photos that once inspired me. 

I used to follow bloggers or brands and felt like I really knew them, or at least knew what to expect from them. But it started to feel like I was in a crowded room with people I should know, but really had no idea who they were. 

So I just wanted to start with a clean slate. It really wasn't much more than that. 

I'm analytical by nature, and the amount of stories, outfits, flat lays, breakfasts, travel photos, puppies, kids, inspirational quotes, etc. skewed my perception of the world. The constant influx of data made me anxious. And I would analyze the amount of shadow someone took up when they edit photos, or the way someone avoided a reflection of the camera in their wine glass, or if someone stands a certain way they look taller than they are in real life. I wasn't appreciating what people were actually posting, and that made me unimpressed by everything - including my own work. 

Being original is my number one, can't-let-it-go, biggest thing I hold on to. When I was seeing ten people shoot in the same location doing the same thing, it made me so annoyed. Then when a client would suggest we shoot in that location, I was wrapped up in trying to shoot in the same spot, but make it so different, and it was just a hot mess for a while if I'm being perfectly honest. I travel plenty for my work, so this wasn't Dallas specific, but I'm not excluding the same handful of spots that people shoot in Dallas. Dallas bloggers shoot in the same locations literally all the time, which completely makes sense because Dallas offers a bunch of photogenic locations and vignettes that no one person has claim over. There is no problem with people shooting in the same place, but I was frustrated in seeing how people photographed there previously, and it hindered my ability to feel like I was capturing the scene as I saw it - I was always skewed by trying to be different than what anyone else had done. 

It gave me clarity

That's the biggest thing. It gave me a breather to revisit who I am as a photographer. It helped clear my mind.

I will continue to add back to the amount of people I follow, but I'm so glad I shed that crutch of feeling like I needed to be following certain people in order to know what is relevant and on-trend. 

We have to be selective about what commands our attention. We only have so much brain capacity, and I'd rather dedicate my attention to friends, family, and my work, before I start offering it to some fashion blogger in Germany whose face I've never seen but who always looks good in jeans.. nope don't need that right now. 

Clear out the clutter, respect your own time, and be intentional about how you give your attention.

xo Becca

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When Should You Hire a Photographer for Your Blog?

A little about my background: I taught myself photography by photographing content for my food blog in 2010. It was a simple time, when I'd conceptualize, shop for, cook, photograph, and post all in one day. Now, most bloggers shoot multiple looks at once for multiple blog posts, planning out their content weeks, or even months in advance. The ideal scenario would be to literally have an "Instagram husband," where your days are dedicated to being inspired, creating content, and capturing images as the inspiration strikes. Some bloggers do have an "Instagram husband" who is someone that's available to shoot them basically wherever, whenever. Other people buy a nice camera, like a Canon Rebel, and hand it off to their friends or other bloggers to get a shot they need. Shooting with a s/o or a friend or a fellow blogger are all scenarios I encourage, especially when you're just starting out as a blogger, but when should you make the jump to invest in a photographer for your blog? 

Ashley Robertson

1. If you run your blog as a business

Paying a professional photographer is an investment, but it should be an investment that will yield you a tidy return. Ways to run a blog as a business are by making commission off the clothes or items in the photos, or by partnering with brands to do sponsored posts. Depending on your aesthetic, or on the guidelines of the sponsored posts, more often than not you will need high-resolution photos that will go on your own blog and that can possibly be used by the brand paying you to post. Having consistent, clear, professional photos helps bloggers and influencers stand out as being able to produce professional content that make brands excited to work with you. 

2. If you need images ideal for each social media site 

There's nothing like shooting an outfit or a blog post and looking back at the photos and realizing there's no photos that fit just right on Instagram without cropping your feet off awkwardly; or that there aren't any photos you can use for the banner image of your blog post; or that you have a million full-body photos, but you forgot to get a detail shot of the purse. Photographers that work with bloggers for a living usually know where the images are going, that you need enough options for each place the photo could end up, and that they all need to be clear, in focus, and on-brand. This ranges from Instagram photos, to Pinterest crops, banner images, Instagram stories. Negative space, color palettes, detail shots, campaign references. It's our job to know what you need without you having to know how to articulate it. 

3. If you prefer having plenty of options

And we do it in less time it will take you to get the same amount of photos. If you're paying good money for a photographer, you're basically outsourcing the photography and editing portion of your blog - this means you're making that part of blogging easier for yourself. When you hire a photographer, you should be getting plenty of options for photos, not just chancing into five good ones over the course of thirty minutes. We get the shots, we edit them for you, and send them off for you to choose your very favorites to post. (I can't speak for every photographer, but I will say you have great odds of end up with more clear, well-composed photos than with shooting with an amateur.)

we get the shot - and then some

4. If you are looking to save time

When well-planned, photographers can shoot anywhere from 3-6 looks in one hour, delivering plenty of edited photos for each outfit. There are a lot of amazing "Instagram husbands" that can get great photos, but if you're short an IH and need to create content for your week's worth of posts, it's wise to invest in hiring a photographer for an hour and getting it all done at once, than shooting sporadically. 

5. If you're looking to curate your brand

Shooting with one or a few professional photographers, can help you hone in on your brand by guiding and being a part of your creative process to give you consistent photos. This can be achieved without a professional photographer (all of these points can, technically), but it's our job to confer with clients to make sure the photos we deliver represent not only our brand as photographers, but mostly the blogger's brand. Sometimes it's as simple as picking up on the blogger's vibe, but it can become a more intimate relationship where your photographer is invested in helping you stand out with your personal brand. 

Whether you shoot with friends, or consistently hire a photographer, or even do a hybrid of both, the most important thing is that you enjoy it and are able to create something true to you. All forms of blogs, blog photography, etc. are great, but if you're wondering if you should make the jump and invest in a photographer for you blog, hopefully these five points will help you decided if it's the right choice for you. 

To learn more about how we can help you build your brand as a blogger or small business, click here.

cover image + slideshow images | Fashion Jackson

Community Over Competition

Write what you know.

That's a pretty standard writing cliché, right? Just thought I'd get it out of the way before continuing this blog post that is true to my heart. Literally, on the left side of my screen I have four drafted blog posts, one doesn't even have a title. "Gifts for," "How to Identify your Brand - Part I," "No Title," and "How to Take the Best Photo." They all have either an intro sentence or, obviously, don't even have a title. This jumped the line because of an encounter I had this morning and I realized this might be a concept I've been taking for granted.

When I began photographing for bloggers and small businesses, BECKLEY was just a hobby. I count myself fortunate that when I began my business, there wasn't a lot of risk involved; I was pursuing a career in physical therapy so whatever I did as BECKLEY was just a bonus. It was a happy time of meeting bloggers, befriending "real" photographers, and getting my name out there for the fun of it.

Now that this is my career, I am so glad I got my start with the right attitude - an attitude of community over competition - because I didn't really have "competition." More so I had a community of people I respected and admired. 

Why do we feel competitive?

It happens to the best of us. We see someone doing something similar, or working with people you saw as "your people," or someone didn't give you appropriate credit. There's always SOMETHING we can find that has the potential to strike a chord. 

I find that whenever I look at someone's work with anything less than excitement for that person, that's a reflection about how I'm feeling about my own work. When I see people succeeding and the phrase "congratulations" doesn't immediately come to mind, that's a reflection of how well I think I'm succeeding or not succeeding. 

But someone creating cool images, or wearing something so chic I'm mad I didn't think of it myself, or being published somewhere is a reflection of their own merits. If I'm feeling uncomfortable with that or wishing I were doing something similar, that's a great opportunity to think about what's going on in my own life that's preventing me from doing those things. Maybe I'm bending too much for a certain client and need to regain my vision as a photographer; maybe I'm not planning my time well and am feeling over-worked and not creating as much as I'd like to be. Either way, whenever I feel that pang of competition, I think of it as a chance to acknowledge the real reason I'm feeling uncomfortable, do something about it, and move on. 

How do you find a community?

Buck up and be nice. That's all it takes. I used to reach out when I was just starting out and let other photographers in the area know that I respected and admired their work and that if I ever had client overflow I would be giving out their info. It was a genuine act and one that helped my career exponentially. 

Reach out online or even in person. We're at a point where it is completely normal to walk up to someone you recognize from Instagram and say how much you liked their last blog post or the outfit they posted on Thanksgiving. People love that (usually) and it's a great way to introduce yourselves and foster a sense of community.

Practice what you preach. If you're leaving comment after comment "One word: Fabulous! That outfit looks amazing!" say it in real life too. Hang out with people that are acquaintances that might become friends. Collaborate on a project together. Just know to check yourself: if you're feeling competitive or that your ideas are similar already and you don't want to risk copying each other, table that topic and talk about something outside of your field. 

We have the capacity to help each other grow. 

WE HAVE the capacity to help EACH OTHER grow. 

When you foster a sense of community you are treating yourself and those around you with kindness and respect. We have so much to learn from other people and going it alone is the long hard road that is honestly a waste of time. 

Please, this week go sit at a coffee shop and strike up a conversation. Or meet someone you follow on Instagram and grab a drink. Some cities have a wonderful community of entrepreneurs and young professionals and old professionals - people to learn from! Some cities aren't as inclined towards that scene, so be the person who reaches out and FORMS a community! 

Have fun with it and let me know how good you feel once you adopt this as your way of life!

SHOP THE POST

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How to Shoot in Full Sun

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 - 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 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.

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

SHOP THE POST

Darling Dinner x Lou & Grey

Hosted by Darling Magazine + Lou & Grey, Darling Dinners are curated to foster conversation and community

Darling's mission statement inspires integrity, sophistication, authenticity, and creativity; ideals BECKLEY & Co. stands behind and strives for daily

We loved photographing this night at Americano and enjoying what felt like an Italian family feast with both wine and conversation flowing freely

florals and event design by Chelsea M Carter

It's a Pizza and Champagne Party // Part 3 with Pizza and Champagne

Part Three of our styled shoot series featuring sister bloggers Kelsie and Lexi of Pizza and Champagne , with (of course) pizza and champagne

After this shoot, we wouldn't want to enjoy a pizza party any other way - champagne and boxes of Cane Rosso everywhere

shop the looks

Lexi || dress - Lulu's , earrings - Kendra Scott 

Kelsie || jumpsuit - Rent the Runway, shoes - Steve Madden

photography || Rebecca Kirstin for BECKLEY & Co.

styling || Alexandrea Cohen for BECKLEY & Co. 

Breakfast in Bed with Pizza and Champagne

Part One of our styled shoot with sisters and food and travel bloggers Kelsie and Lexi of Pizza and Champagne | light and airy breakfast in bed complete with girly mags, hot java, and their specialties banana and strawberries on toast, and poached egg on avocado toast

Of course, within the blogosphere, you feel like you know people long before you actually meet in person. Such was the case with Kelsie and Lexi. As soon as we finally met in person, ideas were flying back and forth for planning a styled shoot together. We love their passion for food and travel, as well as the fact that they are sisters that do almost everything together. 

We styled and planned a full "pizza and champagne day" starting with toast and coffee in the morning as part one of our three-part series

Stylist | Alexandrea Cohen

SHOP THE LOOK

Grey Sweater | Halter Bra | Black Shorts (similar) | White Tank | Black Bra | Necklace (similar)

Serene Styled Shoot with Root and Bloom

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

THE MEETUP || GO!FORTH

A single white linen-covered table runs directly through the center of a local Dallas boutique, clothing racks surrounding the perimeter of the store, and fresh flowers, girly wine, boxed waters, and succulents heavily dot the room. Girls are welcomed in, promptly, about 2 minutes to show time because fashionably early is the new trend and everyone is eager to get started. 

Starting with a welcome toast and an outline of the evening, Ashley at The Teach Diva, hosted by The Meetup at Lion & Witch sat down to start sharing her blogging wisdom with the class. Blogging, as most know, has evolved into equal parts art form and personal business for many women in particular. Equipped with a folder full of note paper, an outline of the evening, useful tools and tips, and wine, snacks, and water, the eager bloggers, stylists, graphic designers, self-starters, and the like, introduced themselves and then eagerly listened and took notes on the invaluable information shared with them by Ashley.

high-resolution un-watermarked photos may be purchased here

STYLED SHOOT | HIGHLAND PARK

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:

Photography | Dan Sauer Photography | @dan.sauer
Set Design | Melanie & Co. | @melanieannewing
Florist-tables | Platinum Petals Floral | @platinumpetalsfloral
Florist-crown/bouquet | Leeny's Flowers | @leenys_flowers
Model Stylist: | That's us! | @beckleyco
Dress | Circle Park Bridal | @circleparkbridal
Vintage rentals | Gold Dust Vintage | @golddustvintagerentals
Baker | @brigid.mcmahan
Calligraphy | Kimi Nam | @kimi.nam
Models | @claireballor & @james.voelker

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

HOW TO: MONDAY

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

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CITY STREETS

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.