Dana Taylor Photography

20/10/2022

6 months in Yosemite and it’s been a pretty wild ride. Behind all the photos of climbing and exploring this beautiful place, there’ve been some real tough moments—and I’m insanely grateful for the friends I’ve made here that helped me through it all.

20/01/2022

"Everything you ever wanted to do is still possible, it's only you that says it can't be done, but you better get on it, because time waits for no one."
-todd skinner-

01/11/2021

Hellooo people of Instagram! My photo biz has been pretty quiet these days so I’m popping in to share what’s up and where I’m heading. (and I’m also kinda psyched to share these photos took of me when she was in town a few months ago ✨)

I’m coming to terms with the fact that there’s a lot of things I hate about Instagram. I’m trying to be here less. I like sharing and connecting, but I hate scrolling and curating. I’m redoing my website (again), and want to build that into the platform I use for sharing and connecting.

I’m still shooting and still building my photography business to be the best it can be. But, I’m not going to build it as a neat little box.

This account is going to continue to be a place where I share photography work I’m excited about, with a healthy mix of trials & tribulations of my climbing life. I can’t shut up about climbing and what it means to me. Climbing is my favorite way to connect with people, and it inspires most other pursuits in my life. I decided awhile ago that this would be my “photography account” but recently I’ve decided that it’s dumb to compartmentalize like that. It’s more interesting to be fully real—to let things overlap and intersect.

So, all that to say—thanks for following along here as I share whatever I’m currently psyched on or working through. My new photo biz website is going to be super cool….if I ever take a long enough break from training to actually work on it 😝 until then, hit me up in my DMs if you wanna shoot!

24/10/2021

Hailee & Kelsey's wedding weekend was so much fun. The wedding day was a dang fairy tale, and then they celebrated their first day of marriage with a super chill hike through some gorgeous scenery. My favorite photos are the ones of people being themselves--not trying too hard, feeling self-conscious, or looking overly composed; just goofin', chillin', and doin' their thing. Photos matter the most when you like the memory of how it felt to be in them.

The last couple months have been a crazy blitz of traveling for weddings, climbing, and visiting family, while also figuring out a new job, new schedule, and new city. Things might never calm down but I'm getting better at finding stillness & steadiness amidst everything else going on. I took my website offline while I work on building it better. Lots of work to share, lots of fun thoughts brewing in my head. I'm stoked to keep photographing California adventures and keep exploring my new home. 2021 has been wild, and it's not over yet!

21/05/2021

I am SO excited to officially be settling in to our new home in San Francisco. It’s been a crazy, amazing couple of weeks, and it feels good to be building a routine again.

I’ve been thinking a lot about where I want my elopement photography to go, and you’re going to see some changes over the next few weeks. No, I am not going to drop a “big things coming! *wink* *smile* *emoji*” and leave you hanging for something you—let’s be honest—are not waiting around for. My business is evolving and I want to tell you that story as it unfolds.

You’re going to see less wedding-centered content, fewer rom-com love stories (okay, that was definitely never the vibe I was going for), and fewer tips on why you should elope. I am 100% still shooting elopements, but not the bite-sized, buttoned-up, super-predictable kind. I still love love stories, but I want to tell stories of the hard times, too. The times you had to show up for your partner; the times you had to work as a team to accomplish something bigger than both of you.

Jake and I got married and celebrated with a 100-mile 4-day bike packing trip that included 7500 feet of elevation gain. We didn’t shower. We rationed our water supply. We spent our days exhausted and gross, but so intensely alive. We were both pushed to our limits, and we helped each other push past them.

We can’t imagine getting married any other way.

I’m so psyched about the big adventure possibilities that surround me in my new home state, and I can’t wait to inspire other couples to take on big objectives to celebrate their marriage.

So that’s where we’re heading. More remote, more intense, more connected, more real. I’m pretty dang excited for what’s in store.

27/04/2021

In the days before our wedding, I shot a roll of Portra 400. I fell back in love with the way film can capture a moment without ever really taking you out of it. When I shoot digital, the feedback and amount of control I have mean I'm always striving to make things the best they can be. This isn't a bad thing, but it sure was refreshing to remember that I can just trust my eye and trust my gear without fiddling to death to get the shot. More mental capacity to stay present and less time spent obsessing over minor changes through the back of the camera.

These are from the day and I went location-scouting at Dead Horse Point State Park and we got caught in a bit of a snow/hail adventure. I feel lucky to have experienced this place in two vastly different, wildly beautiful weather conditions. This is the same spot where Jake and I said our vows under sunny skies, just 3 days later 💛

23/03/2021

Do you ever just wish you could go back to a certain day, or a certain feeling? Like when you hear a song on the radio, and it instantly unlocks a bunch of feelings about a time in your life you almost forgot about?

When I think about my favorite days and moments, the way I remember them is almost always an actual photo. I lived the entire day, but the moments I can return to are the ones I've kept in photos.

On outdoor adventures, it can be a trade-off to stay present in the moment versus pulling yourself out of it to take photos--especially if your camera is your phone.

That's the magic of an adventure elopement photographer. It's not about me stealing your day by taking you on an 8-hour wedding attire photoshoot.

I'm here to fade into the background while you soak in all the amazing emotions that come with getting married in a beautiful place. You get to stay present in every moment, while I document your adventure so you can hold on to those moments forever.

Oh, yeah, and you don't have to wear wedding clothes all day if that's not your jam. I'm all for a rock climbing elopement but honestly? If I'm gonna climb, I'm not doing it in a fancy dress ✌️ But you do you. You make the rules. I'm here for it.

20/03/2021

Working on a location guide for H+K's adventure session this weekend!! One of my favorite parts of being an elopement photographer is helping people find the perfect location for the adventure they're dreamin' of. Sometimes couples know exactly where they want to go, other times just know what they want to do, and often they just start by knowing how they want it to feel. In any case, I will spend hours researching logistics for multiple options, so all you have to do is pick your favorite and get psyched! Lessgo!!

15/03/2021

Those of you who know me know I can analogize pretty much anything in my life to rock climbing 😝 Rock climbing is the greatest proof I have that perceived limits are garbage and 'impossible' is only a temporary state.

When I started climbing, I didn't think much about the people who were stronger than me, or the routes I couldn't send. I just enjoyed learning how to climb better every day.

In this consistent pursuit of climbing, I found strength that empowered me to chase increasingly ambitious goals. 'Impossible' goals became the most enticing kind.

And one day, I didn't recognize my old self. Not because I'm more fit, or visibly stronger than I was five years ago, but because I'm more driven. I reach for bigger dreams. I believe in myself in more tangible ways. As a climber, I've witnessed my body surpassing my mind's expectations. And day by day, I'm learning how to quiet my mind and trust what my body & heart know how to do.

If I can train steadily to climb my dream rock climbing routes, what else can I accomplish with determination and steady progress?! Probably anything. You can too.

I love seeing new climbers with a fire in their eyes--the ones immediately addicted to the presence of mind and physical trust this weird sport requires of you. You actually don't have to be strong to be a good climber. You just have to fall in love the idea of stubbornly chasing impossible dreams.

13/03/2021

Dancing on the beach before the world changed--

One year ago, I met Gunnar & Mattie on a beach in Malibu. The drizzly weather meant we had the place to ourselves. I love the way overcast skies can make colors pop ✨

I left my phone in my backpack to escape the scary news that no one understood yet, back when escaping our new reality was still possible.

We all took this opportunity to soak in the simple joys of solitude in the presence of the ocean, feeling tiny at the edge of its its vastness.

I'm grateful for this day--the space we found together to breathe and dance and just be is something I can feel tangibly every time I look at these photos. It's something I'll strive to never take for granted again.

11/03/2021

I was never the girl who envisioned her wedding day long before even being in a relationship. I just couldn't picture myself at the center of a big traditional wedding day.

All I knew for sure was that I wanted to get married outside (striking fear in the heart of my midwestern mother 😂).

I've always been one to defy expectation and do things my own way--so when I discovered what was possible with an elopement, I was instantly on board.

Eloping doesn't mean getting married in secret or marrying someone your family doesn't approve of. An elopement is about getting married on your terms, in a way that feels true to you.

It's crazy how easy it is to buy in to big-wedding expectations without questioning what other peoples' traditions mean to you.

Personally, I am pretty psyched to be kicking off our marriage with a crazy adventure in a wide open place. Turns out that on your wedding day (and in life 😝), you are free to make your own rules.

08/03/2021

Your engagement photoshoot does not have to be a manicured experience designed to live as a save-the-date on the fridges of your distant relatives.

Photos are the most valuable when you can look back at them and enjoy the memory of what it felt like to be in them. Photography has this unique power to transport you back to a time and a place--and photos often help you remember feelings and details that would’ve otherwise been lost forever.

Check out my latest blog post for tips on how to design an engagement photoshoot experience you love remembering!

https://www.danataylorphotography.com/blog/how-to-take-engagement-photos-that-matter

Engagement photos don't have to be cookie-cutter. The best way to get engagement photos you actually like is to create an experience you love remembering. It's not about wearing your best clothes and posing around a shiny new ring--it's about capturing a time in your life that is equal parts importa

08/03/2021

This song pretty much sums up how I feel about life & adventures 🙌

"That world that's in your pocket
is not the world.
The world is the one that lies before your feet--
It's the people that you meet
The smells, the sounds, the sights, the skies;
Tell the world you are ready, and it replies.
You see, I'm not sure what the secret to happiness is,
But I'm pretty sure
It starts when you go outside."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5EIXSJy18E

Listen to 'You Might Find Yours' on Spotify : http://smarturl.it/YOUMIGHTFINDYOURSFollow Tom on Insta : https://www.instagram.com/tomrosenthal1Apple Music : ...

06/03/2021

I wanted to camp by the ocean.

I remember telling Jake at a bar in Chicago over free donuts and cheap beers. I wanted to wake up by the Pacific Ocean--and would he fly to Northern California with me? It felt pretty far-fetched to say it out loud and I couldn't quite explain the impulse. But he was immediately on board.

I spent a few days researching campgrounds within a few hours of San Francisco, and pretty soon we found ourselves here, at Point Reyes. This photo is from our drive in on our first day.

The photo I don't have is the one I took in my mind as the sun set, as we drove through the hills and as the clouds became cotton-candy. I don't have the photo of us hiking in to our campsite in the pitch dark, after spending too much time enjoying the drive.

But this one photo takes me back to all of that. The chocolate sauce donuts in Chicago. The colors & sunshine of SF. Driving out of the city and seeing the ocean--and then waking up and hearing it. Long days of hiking followed by cozy nights with hot chocolate on the beach.

I am relentlessly grateful for what photos can do. I also love being able to share the things I've seen, as I've seen them--directly from my heart to your eyeballs. Maybe even into your heart too.

This one'll be in the Coast collection of my Print Shop that I'm launching this weekend. I am so excited to share these storied images--so very excited for you to invite them in to your home and imbue your own meaning. Stay tuned for the release, and drop any Print Shop-related questions below!

03/01/2021

Your wedding is not the destination.

There is no destination, no end point, no marker that will bring you through to a blissful "happily ever after."

Your relationship with yourself and others is far more important than impressing other people with what society has defined as a mark of personal success and fulfilment.

I hope that this year, you're excited to grow personally and with others. I hope you know you can write your own story, and that there is no road map.

And if you're getting married this year (like me!), I hope you plan a way to celebrate that kicks off a lifetime of growth, challenge, and new adventures.

27/10/2020

12/10/2020

I got to photograph Amber & Mike's wedding a few weeks ago. Like all weddings, it went by super fast--and due to rain, we didn't get to do any outdoor portraits. I love their love story and totally connected with their adventurous, chill vibe--so I was very excited to get to do an after-wedding portrait shoot with them on the most beautiful fall day!! This one was just from a quick sneak peek and I cannot wait to edit the rest ✨

09/10/2020

Dan & Erin eloped in their backyard two weeks ago! We explored their front yard too and I got pretty excited about this gorgeous tree cover. I love finding simple beautiful things in an "everyday" place.

06/10/2020

I can't believe this climb was one year ago today.

This day is still best summarized as "18 pitches of every emotion at 11 out of 10." I want to always remember the feeling of being immersed in this adventure--knowing full well how imperfect, hard, and downright scary it was at times. I can't believe it all worked out as it did. By some miracle, the one day we had to climb was the most perfect day and we had the route to ourselves. We found the route, we climbed well, we slammed beers on the bike ride down, we made it back to town just in time to eat fancy pasta at the last open restaurant.

I thought this post was going to be have like a nice "what I learned since climbing 1,800 feet one year ago" vibe, but it's always been really hard to but into words just what this day was. I learned that I need to trust myself. I learned that the lies in my head are absolute garbage. I learned that there is nothing more motivating or satisfying than working towards an impossible, captivating goal--and totally crushing it. That feeling has been harder to come by this year, but I know I can find it again. I can't let this literal peak be a metaphorical one too.

Shoutout to my climbing partner for being crazy enough to dream up this idea and see it through (and for taking at least half of these photos). What a freaking year.

05/10/2020

A wedding is an adventure, and I love helping couples explore beautiful places! We took a break from the chilly October air to dip into the conservatory and it did not disappoint. Also, Joe's blue suit and maroon tie just set it all off. I had so much fun with these two and I am already nostalgic for this day 🥳

04/10/2020

Small weddings in beautiful places are everything this year. Didn't even have to leave Chicago for this magical prairie setting ✨ and it's right by the lake too! I am so grateful people are choosing to get married this year--thank goodness for hope and joy.

01/10/2020

Today is the day! My new website is officially live and linked in my profile: www.danataylorphotography.com (note: the mobile version looks good but the desktop version really is where it's at). I'm so excited to be sharing words and images that mean the most to me. I'm shifting my photography business to focus on adventure elopements and I could not be more psyched!

If you've been following me for awhile, you may have noticed that this account is taking a different direction. I have always been a photographer, but this is the first year I'm pursuing it outside of a personal context. I'm eight or so months in and this little side hustle has already been so life-giving.

Photography has been my most consistent passion in life. It has always been how I see the world and how I hold on to my favorite moments. I've never really considered myself "creative" but I love working within a set of circumstances to make something that's meaningful. I love that I can see something beautiful and share it, exactly as it inspired me.

But photography has always taken a backseat in my life. I've allowed myself to be limited by the voices of others, who tell me that photography is a hobby and not a job. I've listened to people who believe photography is lesser art form; that drawing is what takes real skill, and photography is just "pressing a button." I've hesitated to call myself a "photographer" because these days, anyone can buy a DSLR camera (or literally even an iPhone), and what makes me any different?

I am finally deciding to feed this flame and lean in to my lifelong urge to create meaningful photographs. Life is too short to not wholeheartedly pursue a dream that I've carried with me quietly for years.

Stay tuned for a steady stream of images I'm psyched about and stories of people and adventures 🤙

📷: .cathleen.physio
And a special shout out to for her amazing website strategy guidance!

30/09/2020

Pups make everything better! Even camping, which is already pretty great.

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New website launch is getting so close! I'm tidying up a few things on the backend to make sure it rolls out ready to rock 🤘 coming very soon! I'm psyched!!

26/09/2020

I've been a little quiet on the 'gram lately because I've been working hard on my new website!! It's so close to being done and I can't wait to release it into the world. I'm niching down to showcase the work I love to do most and the work I can't wait to do more of! Really been pouring my heart & soul into writing honest copy and highlighting images that hold some of my favorite memories.

My new site is launching SOON! Maybe this weekend??? Stay tuned!

25/09/2020

As a morning person, I am always psyched when someone wants to get up for sunrise photos 🙌 not only that, but Wendy (and her sister, thanks Haley 🙏) drove 14 hours round trip to do her senior portraits with me! To say I am honored is an understatement.

To get sappy just for one second... this shoot was extra-special because Wendy is my youngest cousin--and I cannot believe she is getting ready to graduate high school. I tried to avoid dwelling on the feelings of "I remember when you were BORN" during the shoot 😂 but man, I sure am amazed to see the incredible person Wendy has become, and I can't wait to see what's next for her. I am so grateful for this beautiful sunny morning spent laughing in flower fields ♥️

01/09/2020

summer in the tetons ✨ loved this night spent dancing in wide open spaces till the sun went down

27/08/2020

Loved this summer night session in Humboldt Park with Mike & Angie ✨ We explored a ton of lil nooks and crannies of this classic spot to find wildflowers, lagoons, and lilipads. Hitting up old places with new friends always leads to seeing something I hadn't before.

It was awesome to shoot alongside on this night that kinda felt too perfect 👌👌 I'm so grateful for good weather and big sunsets and beautiful people! @ Humboldt Park

30/07/2020

I got to do a sunrise session with Emilee & John at Trillium Lake and it was pretty special for a lot of reasons. We all got up super early to be at the lake by first light and have it all to ourselves. I know I'm in the minority here, but I love waking up before dawn, with adventure waiting on the other side of the sunrise. I love the calmness and anticipation of a dark morning.

What I didn't know was that, on the other side of the sunrise, my boyfriend would propose to me. Emilee and I were trading photoshoots, so her and John were there to capture every glorious facial expression 😂 They were the only witnesses and the first people to celebrate with us. I often tell people that I feel honored to be chosen as their photographer, and this is why. As a photographer, you're entrusted to capture these incredibly special feelings. You get to be there. It is an incredible honor to be invited into these moments.

This shoot was a bundle of feelings, even beyond my usual excitement and gratitude for the beautiful people in front of my lens. Thank you & John for sharing your beautiful souls, both in front of and behind the camera! ♥️ @ Trillium Lake

18/07/2020

Photography--and, yeah, all art--is this cool window into someone else's brain. I love that I can walk around looking for beautiful things, capture them the way I love to see them, and then show them to you in exactly that way. It's pretty crazy that we'll never really know what it's like to be in someone else's head. Art is as close as we can get.

30/05/2020

Getting married when the world tries to cancel all your plans is a pretty incredible experience. I am so honored to have been a part of Mike & Jenny's backyard wedding!! Getting married is a big deal and no less of a celebration when you've got 3 guests instead of 100. The stoke was high and the stress was low. It was a perfect evening of full of love, laughter, cake, and very good champagne 🥂