Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Grier.
Laura, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
The entire reason I became a photographer was that I was obsessed with watching Jacques Cousteau and National Geographic channel at a young age. I actually thought I wanted to be a Zoologist or an Archaeologist, my whole childhood because to me that meant being Indiana Jones. My three sisters and I had a very unusual upbringing. Growing up, both of my parents worked for the CIA and we were stationed all over the world. At a young age, I was living in Jakarta, Indonesia and I lived in London and Italy and I was constantly around new languages and cultures. I realized there is a huge world outside of my bubble and it has created this wanderlust/travel bug within me that will always influence my work. My life has been full of travel and the unexpected and from a young age, I realized that I could combine the adventure of being an archaeologist, with my obsession for National Geographic and become a photographer and nothing has gotten in my way since.
I graduated at 17 years old and went to Syracuse University for Commercial Photography and Fine Art Photography. That same year, a book came out called, La Chapelle Land, a coffee table book by the famous photographer David La Chapelle, that would forever influence me, my photography, and my outlook on how to create an image. I was so impacted by his work and it evoked strong emotions in me through his use of color. He was able to express motion, excitement, and glamour even in his darkest imagery. Even when he pushed the envelope with a controversial image, there was still this perfection and beauty where you couldn’t stop looking at the photo. It stood alone as a single art piece. I realized that there was just so much THOUGHT put into every aspect of the image. As a photojournalist (and especially at a wedding), there are so many elements out of our control when capturing the day, but I found that I could still apply some of those techniques through the use of color, controlling my light and backgrounds, and in post-production editing an image in a way that evokes the same emotions for the viewers.
At first, I funded my photography business dream at first by bartending to pay my bills. I even lived out of my car for a few weeks when I first moved to LA. I have always tried to focus on a life of travel and have worked hard to build my body of work and persona as a Travel/Adventure Photographer. It all started with just getting out there and doing it, long before I was getting paid to shoot overseas. My 20’s, I lived off credit cards to support my travel habit and it definitely paid off. I hustled and worked very hard and then eventually the referrals snowballed and I didn’t have to search for work anymore and people were finding me. I had a couple of breaks though including going on the TV show Wheel of Fortune when I was 21 and I won $7,000 which allowed me to buy my first camera!
I fell into weddings accidentally. I was working for a headshot studio and shooting fashion and I was asked to assist with weddings and once I did it I fell in LOVE. I loved that I felt like a photojournalist (which is my background) but that I was covering happy moments and not war and death. I also loved that it was a steady, lucrative job for a photographer and that there will never be a shortage of weddings.
When I went out on my own and founded Beautiful Day Photography, I had to ask myself “What kind of business do I want to have?”. If I truly wanted to be Indiana Jones and to have this life of adventure, I would have to focus on destination weddings.
Since then, over a decade ago, my photography has taken me to six continents. I am presently a Los Angeles based Photojournalist, and the founder and present owner of Beautiful Day Photography (www.beautifulday.photography) specializing in Destination Weddings. During the year, I can be seen overseas shooting weddings and fashion shoots for National Geographic, balancing language books in one hand and camera in another. While on these trips, I have been inspired to create my own travel portraiture and art on the side, satiating my inner Wanderlust. I have always felt an overwhelming need to tell the stories of the people and experiences I have gathered along the way through my lens. This desire sparked the creation of my second website (www.lauragrier.com) my personal blog focusing on travel, portraiture and fine art, highlighting the behind-the-scenes of my photography and personal stories while jet-setting around the world. It definitely felt like a natural progression to crossover from destination weddings and travel photography. The two coincide frequently and I find it very natural and easy to cross-market myself between the two genres.
The accolade I am most proud of in my career is when I was honored to be listed on the Discovery Channel UK’s “20 Richest People in the World List”, people who are rich in life experiences that is. I have worked hard to turn my life of travel, adventure, and exploration into a profession. As a photojournalist for 18 years, I have always been drawn to storytelling and I have made a life out of exploring the world, capturing, and writing about my experiences.
My writing has helped my photography to be published in over 25 publications worldwide and presently I am a Tastemaker/blogger/lead photographer for Novica, National Geographic’s artisan catalog, shooting all of their fashion work, training their in-house photographers around the world, and shooting and filming their “happiness” philanthropic projects. Giving back and finding ways to “travel with meaning” and empower and inspire women is a passion of mine. Writing columns for the Huffington Post, Venuelust, and the Dept of Good and teaching, mentoring, and inspiring other photographers through my travel workshops and expeditions have helped to add a depth to my photography work that allows me to tell stories greater than my own personal ones. Being a photographer today means you have to wear many hats and tell stories across many different mediums. I LOVE how my business is constantly evolving and it is exciting to NOT know exactly where it will be five years from now.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I wish someone would have told me when I first started out that I had more control over the types of jobs I wanted and to go brand myself from the beginning. Also, I wish someone would have explained that “success” is not based on getting the most money or celebrity jobs, but based on if you are doing what you love. I would have been less hard on myself. Also, do not compare yourself to others and be ok with being unique
Learning when to say NO I think is one of my greatest flaws. I need to value my time at work and out of work. I try to do it all and I spread myself too thin sometimes. Hiring assistants or interns to help, making sure you have days off and that your client’s value and respect those days off is super important. Your clients will appreciate having your full attention when they do have it and so will your friends and family.
My first piece of advice is more for women photographers. That being a woman doesn’t have to be limiting and at times it has it’s advantages. In my industry of Weddings, it is easier to take photos of a bride getting ready as a woman. It is easier to establish a bond and connect with my client’s and their emotions as a woman. In my profession there your work speaks for itself and not your gender or age. I was never told that I could start my own business and be powerful and successful. I was never told how many types of creative jobs there are out there or how to start my own business. Also, there is a lot of financial assistance for women out there and for college scholarships.
But the BEST advice I ever got was from a conversation I had with my mother when I was 13 and I would like to share this. She taught me that I should create my dream job around my strengths, weaknesses, and passions and not feel like I have to be forced to pursue a specific job.
My best advice, in one sentence, for launching a venture and becoming an expert in your field is… You have to LOVE it and you have to be prepared to focus a lot of energy on it. If you go into it thinking it is a “side project” it will never grow larger or be more successful than that vision.
I believe for all of us, not just me, that our fear and lack of confidence is usually the only thing that holds us back from the dreams we aspire to achieve in life. Nothing else. I have had to learn time and again that you can overcome those obstacles and use your photography skills to create a life you want; how to turn envy and comparison into inspiration, and how to own your dreams so you can build your work around them.
Please tell us about Laura Grier Travel.
When I look back at my origin and my background and how I have fused together the things that I am passionate about (like color, love, travel, and adventure) into my work. It all starts to make sense as to why I have chosen to describe myself the way that I do today.
I am a travel photographer and travel writer specializing in destination weddings and adventure photography. I am a thrill seeker and obsessed with travel and documenting new experiences. You could call me a photo-anthropologist.
I think what makes me stand apart from other photographers is my high energy, fearlessness, and crazy ideas, but also my use of vibrant color. I love to be impactful through my work and just the way that I choose to live my life.
When I went out on my own and founded Beautiful Day Photography, I had to ask myself “What kind of business do I want to have?”. If I truly wanted to be Indiana Jones and to have this life of adventure, I would have to focus on destination weddings. But how would I book destination weddings? How would I convince a client to spend more to have a photographer fly out with them? I had to ask myself WHAT made me different and unique, and the answer was that I am giving them a VIBRANT EXPERIENCE. Not only through my imagery, but with the service I provided as well. I love to travel and have adventures and I will do whatever it takes the get the shot. I LOVE to tell a story that takes them on a surreal journey of their wedding that looks as beautiful and glamorous as they have envisioned it themselves. For my couples, they are experiencing their weddings with heightened emotions like they are on a high, so I feel like I just enhance my own images to match their vision. I am there every step of the way and filtering their own wedding through my eyes and THAT is my selling point. So, when my client hires me, they are hiring ME, not just my photography, to capture the fun, beauty, and adventure of the ENTIRE experience of the trip, not just the wedding itself. I AM branding myself as an EXPERIENCE, not just a vendor.
Were there people and/or experiences you had in your childhood that you feel laid the foundation for your success?
Yes, definitely. I mentioned before in my story about how I started my career, that the entire reason I became a photographer was that I was obsessed with watching Jacques Cousteau and National Geographic channel at a young age. I actually thought I wanted to be a zoologist or an archaeologist, my whole childhood because to me that meant being Indiana Jones☺.
My three sisters and I had a very unusual upbringing. Growing up, both of my parents worked for the CIA and we were stationed all over the world. At a young age, I was living in Jakarta, Indonesia and I lived in London and Italy and I was constantly around new languages and cultures. I realized there is a huge world outside of my bubble and it has created this wanderlust/travel bug within me that will always influence my work. My life has been full of travel and the unexpected and from a young age, I realized that I could combine the adventure of being an archaeologist, with my obsession for National Geographic and become a Photographer and nothing has gotten in my way since.
I graduated at 17 years old and went to Syracuse University for Commercial Photography and Fine Art Photography. That same year a book came out called, La Chapelle Land, a coffee table book by the famous photographer David La Chapelle, that would forever influence me, my photography, and my outlook on how to create an image. I was so impacted by his work and it evoked strong emotions in me through his use of color. He was able to express emotion, excitement, and glamour even in his darkest imagery. Even when he pushed the envelope with a controversial image, there was still this perfection and beauty where you couldn’t stop looking at the photo. It stood alone as a single art piece. I realized that there was just so much THOUGHT put into every aspect of the image. As a photojournalist (and especially at a wedding), there are so many elements out of our control when capturing the day, but I found that I could still apply some of those techniques through the use of color, controlling my light and backgrounds, and in post-production editing an image in a way that evokes the same emotions for the viewers.
So, I think ALL of these experiences and influences from my parents, my travel, and through the expressive controversial color imagery of David La Chapelle have all played a huge part and shaping who I am as a photographer today.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lauragrier.com /www.beautifulday.photography / www.jetsetcollectivemedia.com
- Phone: 323.788.4824
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @LauraGrierTravel
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beautifuldayphotography
Image Credit:
Laura Grier
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