The Last Minute Elopement

August 17, 2019November 16, 2020 | lavonnegradyphotography

I was surprised to get a phone call to do an elopement a few days before the couple’s ceremony. A week before I witnessed a quick elopement at my church. The couple wanted to get married before the baby was due so they asked the pastor if he would do a quick ceremony. I felt moved by their situation that I wanted to bless them with a small photo shoot to commemorate their special day. I gave them my phone number and email and said let’s touch base on Monday. I also asked my colleagues if they wanted to join me. They said, “yes.” Monday came along and the couple never contacted me. I was surprised because I was going to gift them a one hour shoot and they didn’t accept it. So, I decided to let it go.

Five days letter I get a text from a pastor friend who said that a mutual friend of ours had recommended me to him to do this last minute elopement that he was performing in Malibu. I immediately said yes and was elated at the opportunity. I couldn’t believe it. Instead of me blessing and getting turned down, I got blessed with a paying gig. God is good. I really needed it. The timing couldn’t have been anymore perfect than this.

The location was at an Airbnb in the Malibu mountains overlooking an incredible view of the ocean. It was just the four of us, the pastor, me, and this sweet couple from England. The ceremony was sweet and short and we did a few shots up on the mountain. Afterwards they invited me to dinner at a really great restaurant in Malibu, Geoffreys. We all had a lovely dinner and great fellowship together. I decided that because the location of the ceremony was limited and they never got to get any beach shots, that I would meet them at the beach for a few more. They were happy that I would go out of my way to offer it to them.

Sometimes when we have a heart of giving even if the other person doesn’t receive the gift, good things come around. I believe that because I sowed generosity I ended up reaping a harvest. Always have a heart to give and you’ll be amazed what can happen. Check out the gallery for more images.

Lake Elsinore Walker Canyon Super Bloom

April 5, 2019April 5, 2019 | lavonnegradyphotography

My friend and I embarked on one of the road trips of the season, California’s Super Bloom 2019. Intitally when I saw so many amazing pictures of friends frolicking in a sea of poppies on Facebook, I knew that I couldn’t miss out on this. As I researched where everyone was going, I called my friend and said we are going. My friend Julie and I are nature freaks. We live close to the Santa Monica Mountains where we hike together a lot. Due to the recent wildfires that struck our area last fall, we were determined to see spring’s burst of wildflowers in it’s magnificence. This is something that I have never seen in my life. It was one of the most amazing spectacles.

The drive for us, fortunately was less than 2 hours. We met a couple that drove from San Francisco. We met these ladies who were from Chicago and Wisconsin. This was not only locals but nationwide news. As soon as we got on hwy 15, all we can see is poppies everywhere. On top of the hills, on the side of hills, all around there was poppies. I was getting so excited that I just wanted to get out of the car as soon as possible. Upon arriving, the exit was closed and we started to get some traffic. We learned that the weekend before they had received over 1 million visitors. The weekend we went they were prepared to handle the traffic. We drove another 2.5 miles to the next exit where we were directed to a parking area where we would be shuttled to the canyon entrance. After being shut down due to the population overload, the city decided to control the situation due to resident complaints. The good part was it was controlled. The bad part was now we had to pay 10.00 to see the poppies. But it was truly worth it.

With the excitement looming and my anxiety levels rising, we finally arrived at the entrance of Walker Canyon. Hundreds of people dressed up with their cameras taking selfies and pictures of each other. The all seemed concentrated in one area and you can tell. Why? Because people who don’t respect nature left major footprints. By time that I got there there was some damaged to the hills. New trails were made. People laying on poppies to get their selfies. Since my friend and I like to hike we managed to go a little further and get away from the hordes of people. Also we respect nature and took all of our pictures in open spots. We tried not to leave our footprint. I think we really accompolished that.

Just like everybody else, I brought a couple of outfits to change into along the way for a few pictures for myself. My friend Julie isn’t a photographer. So what I do with my non photographer friends is set up the scene. I make sure the exposure is good, then I place the composition just right and tell them to stay there but feel free to zoom in and out. I usually have them do the simplest photography until they feel comfortable. I don’t like when my photos horizon lines are off. It may seem artistic but I hate it. Does that mean I’m actually the photographer even if I didn’t release the shutter? Leave a comment on that. I would love to read what other people think on that one.

What do you think? I think she did a great job taking my pictures. Till the next adventure.

Why I Joined A Photography Group

March 6, 2019March 6, 2019 | lavonnegradyphotography

Model leaning on the door post wearing Chloe sunglasses at the stagecoach inn in Newbury Park ca — Image: Christian Ortiz

I co lead a photography group at my church to build community with others in my neighborhood and maybe bless someone along the way with a great photo. I must say, I had a great time. I think we were surprised by how amazing our first meet up went. It was raining that morning and I didn’t think we would be able to get any real good shots being indoors. Plus I was anticipating on being outdoors like we planned. Living in a dry area, being outdoors after a really wet season is a blessing. It’s quite lush and green right now even in the burnt areas that were damaged by the Hill and Woolsey fires. I was eager to be outside and enjoy the nature.

For our first meeting together, we decided to keep it real local. I have lived in the Conejo Valley for almost half my life and I have never been to the Stagecoach Inn. The Stagecoach Inn is a historic landmark and museum in Newbury Park. Stagecoach Inn was a resting stop for people going from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara. These days by car the distance between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara is about an hour and a half with no traffic. It has also been used as a post office, military school, and restaurant.

Fortunately for us the rain stopped and we ended up with a beautiful afternoon. As soon as I parked and studied the grounds, I was immediately eagered to get started. This historic site has the most amazing photographic spots. I definitely could of had more outfits with me for sure. One of the docents told us that the Inn is used for weddings as well and I can see why.

Before we got started we decided to talked about our love for photography. One of the photographers wife was pregnant and we thought it would be a great gift to give her pregnancy photos to cherish for her and her family. It was a pleasure to be able to bless her with photos. Using each other with that great backdrop made it all worth it. Since I also like to be in front of the camera for fun, it was cool to be someone else’s muse. I felt blessed that I had a couple of photographers to take photos of me. My sister usually is the phtographer whenever we are out, but if she isn’t around, then I don’t have the best shots of myself. Maybe because she is honest with my poses and angles plus I think she does quite well.

What’s so great about being with other creatives is that we come with different views on how we see the world. It’s inspiring to see how each of us sees things around us. My prayer is that we will all be able to develop our talent even more. I pray that this group can make a difference in how we see the world through each other’s eyes. I also pray that in the process we get to bless each other as well as others with our images and at the same type build cool relationships shooting together.

Model standing in front of a vintage tractor wearing raybans — Image: Christian Ortiz

A photographers taking pictures of a wagon wheel at stagecoach inn in Newbury Park ca — Image: Christian Ortiz

I’m super excited about the upcoming photo meet up. If you know any great places in the Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Kern county areas, please comment. Thanks and till the next post.

Speed Limit 40

October 28, 2015October 28, 2015 | lavonnegradyphotography

Thousand Oaks Ventura county — Speed Limit 40

The cool thing about doing photo shoots are the locations. Each location is definitely a learning curve. This particular one was one of the funniest ones that I have been on. I would say their were potential dangers looming. One of our encounters was this spot in particular. These weeds are serious weapons when they are dry. They have the most insane prickly ends. They were stuck to my tires, the soles of my shoes, my handbag, whatever it managed to attach itself to. I told the model, DO NOT step down barefoot. This would mean a 911 call for sure. Another incident was the horses, beautiful but, potential danger ( see portfolio page ). One of the horses thought that her finger was a carrot. We learned palms down and if they get a finger, squeeze mouth. Duly noted I might say. Lastly, remember to look both ways before crossing. We almost got hit by cars so many times. Just two giggly girls having way to much fun.

Pretty in Pink

May 17, 2015May 17, 2015 | lavonnegradyphotography

Lately I have been taking my camera on some of my hikes. This certain type of yucca plant is blooming right now everywhere. While I was playing in Photoshop to give this photo some life, I decided to play with color and thought it was pretty in pink. Sometimes the same places we go to, we can make a different experience.