Dana Taylor Photography

10/20/2022

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.

01/20/2022

"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-

11/01/2021

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!

10/24/2021

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!

05/21/2021

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.

04/27/2021

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 💛

03/23/2021

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.

03/20/2021

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!!

03/15/2021

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.

03/13/2021

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.

03/11/2021

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.

03/08/2021

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!

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