Hey friends! Welcome to my very first blog post! Future blogs may or may not be as extensive and as elaborate as this one, but we’ll see. I’ll be honest. I’ve been going back and forth on whether or not to even have a blog for awhile now. I always love reading blogs and knowing the story behind the image (except for the ones where the recipe is at the bottom – just let me know how to cook the food, okay?) That said, every time I try to sit down and think of what to say, I find it a little bit daunting. Ironically enough, prior to discovering photography, I was incredibly passionate about writing. Was I good at it? Eh, 15 year old me thought so. I wrote fiction novels with love triangles and drama on every other page. Going from that to learning to tell stories through photography has been an adventure in itself – I’m just grateful for the lack of drama and love triangles in this career!

I wanted to share Brittany and Cody’s session as my first blog post, and for good reason: I feel like it marked a new era for me professionally and creatively. For those that know me well know that I am a type-A person, I love having absolute control of everything, and I’m very particular. I come from a family of ‘go with the flow’ kind of people. And I’m just… not. These traits unfortunately got me stuck in the same 5-10 poses every session and I was getting increasingly bored with my work. It wasn’t anything new or exciting. There was hardly a story behind it. (note: it had nothing to do with the people – it had everything to do with me getting stuck.) I knew what I wanted my images to look like and didn’t know how to get there. Insert: hours of posing theory, studying my favorite photographers, mood boards, and forcing my brain back into a lesson I had in college: Don’t think. Just shoot.

In March, I came up with six styled sessions with the intention of creating work that told a story and made you feel. I wanted more than just smiling at the camera. I wanted a vibe. (I use that word a lot. I’m not sorry). With this particular session, I wanted a hipster/ grungy date night with pizza and beer. And a lot of people were really interested in this concept. When Brittany and Cody volunteered, I knew I had definitely found the perfect couple who fit the entire aesthetic.

Fast forward to the day of the shoot – well, an hour before – I had finished the posing theory class so it was fresh on my mind. And for the first time in a long time, I was kind of nervous about shooting. I didn’t want to fail myself. I knew the vision, but the execution was the terrifying part.

You guys. I don’t know why I even worried. Brittany and Cody – who were freshly married and radiating all the good energy – absolutely killed it. Brittany’s hair in the wind, Cody’s humor, the intimacy, the laughter, and especially the pizza and beer from Minglewood: chef’s kiss. It was truly a session where I didn’t have to think and just get to shoot. It was effortless. Sure, there was mild direction and minor adjustments here and there, but once we all got comfortable with it, it was perfection. For the first time in a long time, I was really feeling like an artist and not just another person with a camera. This shoot allowed me to let go and capture authentic moments. Thus: a start of a new era for me.

I’m still learning. And there’s a lot of work to be done, but these last couple of months have been so refreshing. I was beginning to fear that photography was starting to die out for me, but I’ve never been more confident in the work I’m producing now. I am so excited to share more stories, behind the scenes, and sessions like this one on the blog soon. I don’t know what I was so afraid of, because the end result is more than I could have ever dreamt of.

Special shoutout to Brittany and Cody for modeling for me. You two are so sweet and so much fun to hang out with. I am eternally grateful for you and what you’ve done for my business and my portfolio. You’ve helped me grow in my creativity, and I can’t thank you enough.

Another shoutout to Minglewood Brewery for the incredible pizza and beer. It definitely tied this session together. ♥

With much love and gratitude,

– Taylor