Meet Laura Grier | Adventure Travel Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Laura Grier and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Laura, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
As a child, I was obsessed with watching Jacques Cousteau and National Geographic on television. I thought that becoming a zoologist or an archaeologist would allow me to lead an adventurous life like Indiana Jones, traveling the world and exploring different cultures! Even as I and my sisters worked our first jobs during college at CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, I knew that I didn’t want a traditional corporate life. Instead, I longed for a life of adventure, travel, and exploration.

I soon discovered that photography could be the perfect vehicle for me to pursue this kind of life. My fascination with National Geographic imagery and my love for travel inspired me to become a travel photographer. I wanted to capture the beauty of the world and share it with others. And so, I embarked on a journey to become a photographer, combining the adventures of archaeologists, geologists, and explorers with my passion for visual storytelling. Since then, nothing has stopped me from living my dream and pursuing my passion for travel photography.

My photography career has been an organic journey as I continue to grow as an individual, searching for my purpose in life and becoming more intentional with how and whom I choose to spend my time! As a photojournalist fresh out of college, I quickly realized that the subjects I photographed had a profound impact on me. With that in mind, I found myself drawn to capturing the beauty of love, celebrations, and weddings rather than the harsh realities of war and famine. I am absolutely passionate about love and living life to the fullest, and I am constantly seeking beauty in the world around me. The creativity in me is constantly being challenged and growing in ways that I think my childhood-self would’ve been so excited to witness.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I have this constant energy, fearlessness, and use of vibrant colors, crazy fun ideas, and collaborations! When I founded my own photography business, Beautiful Day Photography, back in 2003, I really had to think about what kind of business I wanted. If I wanted to have a life full of adventure and travel, I needed to focus on destination weddings AND the wild ventures of every single country on Earth has to offer! But how could I convince clients to pay for a photographer to fly out with them to their destination? I had to figure out what made me different and unique.

At the end of the day, I’m the kind of person who offers a VIBRANT EXPERIENCE. When people hire me, they are hiring ME, not just my photography. I am there to capture the fun, beauty, and adventure of their entire trip, not just the wedding itself. I have always branded myself as an EXPERIENCE, not just a vendor. I filter their experience through my eyes and capture every moment with my own unique style. I am with my clients every step of the way, providing a personalized service that ensures their memories are captured beautifully and with passion.

Of course, I just LOVE traveling and creating unforgettable experiences, and I will go to any length to get the perfect shot, which I’ve found is very appreciated by not only my clients, but by the people that have seen my work! My goal is to capture the story of my clients in a way that takes them on a surreal journey, highlighting the beauty and glamour they’ve always envisioned for either themselves, like with my Global Goddess Shoots, or their most important day, like their wedding! I love to match the heightened emotions of my clients during their wedding or their photoshoot and enhance the images to create a magical, dreamlike experience.

Now, with my photography business, I find myself traveling more frequently, particularly for destination weddings! These experiences have led to opportunities shooting for hotels, travel brands, and ultimately for my dream with National Geographic all over the world!

One of these travels led me to meet the incredible artisans that inspired me and my friend, Pats Krysiak, to found our business, Andeana Hats, with the Quechua artisans of the Sacred Valley, Peru. It’s been an incredible journey to not only grow another business, but to also explore the various ways in which to uplift other women in my life, creating a new and better world through real action. I am always excited to see where life takes me next.

And no, this all didn’t just happen overnight! The traveling, the experiences, the connections…everything just came with a whole lot of time, diligence, dedication, and passion. I think you have to trust yourself – trust that you WILL make it work. But that trust in yourself can only exist with a foundation of self-love. And I found that, at times, I had ignored my own needs – like the need to maybe slow down a bit to breathe every once in a while! If I were to go back and know what I know now, I’d make sure that I really take my time to smell the roses and enjoy the process of what I’m building. Now, I think I’m always going to be in the process of building something – that’s the fun of life, I think – and keep finding the joy in the growing.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in Venice Beach, California – where creativity flows freely! The perfect trip tends to include a little bit of adventure, relaxation, exploration, learning something new, and a bit of nightlife and good food!

I would suggest riding bikes along the boardwalk, eating with your feet in the sand at Baja Cantina, and relaxing in the sun. Then, at sunset, enjoy the live music and nightlife at the nearby Winston House or any of the many bars or restaurants on the westside. Abbot Kinney Blvd is also a great boutique shopping street in Venice with lots of funky stores, great restaurants, and fantastic, unique art.

If you’re feeling adventurous, you could pack a day bag or weekend bag and drive to Long Beach to take the ferry to Catalina Island, too! There, you’ll always see tons of dolphins and wildlife, including their resident wild Buffalo! For Catalina adventures, I’d look into renting golf carts and touring around Avalon, going shopping and strolling along the boardwalk with ice cream, snorkeling in the kelp forests, going for a ridge hike overlooking the Channel Islands, and relaxing in the sun at Descanso Beach Club in a Cabana, partying with the boats that pull up! You can have dinner and drinks at one of the beach bars at Bluewater Beach, then head home on the ferry or stay the night in a cute B&B.

When you’re back on the mainland, you can cross town to maybe check out a studio tour in Burbank or Hollywood since we are the film capital of the world here! Of course, you can’t go wrong just spending a relaxing day at a hotel pool like Chateau Marmont and walk around Melrose and shop, or just stay in the Marina here in Venice and paddleboard followed by an evening picnic on the beach with friends.
If you have more time, driving up the coast to wine taste in Malibu wine country or even Santa Inez Valley Wine Country outside of Santa Barbara and exploring the cute surrounding towns is also one of my favorite activities, along with a good hike around the hills and mountains!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to give a shout out to Kennedy Leavens with Awamaki (www.awamaki.org), a non-profit organization based in Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley! Our partnership with them allows us to work closely together with multiple indigenous communities in very remote regions of Peru. Without their help, we wouldn’t have access to many of these communities, the Quechua translators to go to the villages, or a pulse on the ground in Peru that keeps us connected daily to our artisans that we work with. Through our partnership with Awamaki, we at Andeana Hats invest in women’s skills, connect them to global marketplaces, help fund women’s leadership and confidence-building programs, and create sustainable income opportunities to help lead their communities out of poverty! It’s an incredible organization that has helped my own company flourish as well as provided myself with their amazing mentorship..

Website: https://lauragriertravel.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauragriertravel/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-grier-travel/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraGrierTravel

Other: Co-Founder of Andeana Hats: https://andeanahats.com

Image Credits
Laura Grier, Beautiful Day Photography