Gayla Elizabeth Photography - Los Angeles | Honolulu Portrait and Wedding Photography » personal

Happy Father’s Day

gayla — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 01:53:51 +0000

This one is not as happy as I would have liked it to be. I just learned last night that my dad was taken to the Emergency Room as he was feeling ill. After many tests, they admitted him and he will be going in for surgery in the am. It’s not exactly how I was hoping he would be celebrating his Father’s Day. Luckily, my brother and his family were visiting him for the weekend and was with him to ensure he got the medical attention he needed. I spoke to my dad this morning, as he lay in his hospital bed. While it was nice to hear his voice, it still saddened me to know he is being hospitalized..and on Father’s Day at that. I pray for his speedy recovery and good health. Please be sure you tell your father how much they mean to you…. give them thanks… share your love. Life is too short and you never know when one’s time is up. Live with no regrets, only love. I hope all the other fathers in the world have a great day. Be blessed!

Here’s a pic of my dad taken at my nephew’s USMC graduation. Love you daddy…xoxo

One of my heroes…

gayla — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 17:18:37 +0000

This 3 year old will change your perception of life and open your eyes…just so you can see the world in a different light. Her courage, strength, determination and passion for life is beyond amazing. Plain and simple. She possesses qualities that are so admirable, it often leaves me speechless (which is a difficult task

). I will keep this post short and sweet and let you see for yourself. Please watch the short clip below by clicking play. She is one of my heroes for more reasons than one… and she just happens to be my niece. My dear Maile, you are my sunshine and my light. You make me a better person. I love you so much and am so proud of you. Thank you for spending an incredible day with my yesterday. You are the bestest! Thank you for being in my life….

My hero Maile from Gayla Elizabeth on Vimeo.

Giving back. Support Life Rolls On

gayla — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 23:29:33 +0000

Last year I was blessed to find out about an amazing organization called LIFE ROLLS ON. I found out about them when my niece Maile participated in breaking the world record for most wheelchairs in a moving line at the Los Angeles Dodger Stadium. You can see that post by clicking here. It was that day that I learned about a program called They Will Surf Again, which is a quality of life event that empowers individuals with spinal cord injuries to enjoy the freedom and mobility of catching a wave through the assistance of adaptive equipment and teams of dedicated volunteers.

I did in fact participate in my first They Will Surf Again event last September in La Jolla, CA. It was a magical day and I can not express the feeling of gratitude and happiness I got from watching my little 3 year old niece surf and all the others as well. It wasn’t just about Maile. It was about helping those that are less fortunate than myself. The look on their faces was worth more than anything I could ever buy and has permanently given my soul something to smile about. You can see that post by clicking here.

I have been very busy assisting in bringing They Will Surf Again to Hawaii. In fact the last couple months have been very LROish, with daily faxes, emails and phone calls. I am happy to say they are officially coming to Hawaii on April 30th, 2011 and will be held at White Plains Beach in Ewa Beach, Hi. Hollah people. This was a challenge, but it was done! We will be having a fundraiser on the night before; Friday, April, 29th, 2011 to help raise money so LRO can continue these type of programs at no cost to participants. Stay tuned for details. It is for this reason I am offering an exclusive offer for all my Hawaii clients ONLY. Drum roll…………………..

$150.00 for any engagement, portrait, headshot, fashion, maternity, family or pet photo session. And, the best part is 100% will be donated to Life Rolls On. Yes, 100%!!!! In theory, you are donating to an outstanding organization and I will take your photographs free of charge as a thank you. This is my way of giving back. I am limited the amount of people I can extend this offer to, so if you are interested, please get on the list by clicking here. I am so excited about this. This is a first and I have never offered such a special, but this is for an amazing organization. It is on a first come, first serve basis and there are only LIMITED SPACES AVAILABLE. So, get on the list now by clicking here.

I’m also seeking volunteers who want to participate in helping for the first LRO They Will Surf Again in Hawaii. I am currently seeking volunteers to assist in the water and on land on the day of the event. I am also looking for help in collecting donations of water, food and raffle items. It is only through the generosity of friends and organizations that Life Rolls On is able to provide this program at no-cost to participants. Please let everyone you know about this event. We want to get 35 surfers (those in wheelchairs) and about 90 volunteers.

For more info go to www.LifeRollsOn.org/TWSAsignup or click here.

You will see the official flyer below. The little girl surfing is my 3 year old niece Maile at last years TWSA in LaJolla, CA. I’m excited to shoot this event again in April in Hawaii! Please join me in the support of Life Rolls On!

It’s a new year!

gayla — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 21:06:55 +0000

Goong Hee Fat Choi everyone! February 3, 2011 is the start of the new Chinese Lunar Year and 2011 is Year of the Rabbit. I was raised with a good mix of my Hawaiian and Chinese heritage, so this is a big day for me and I am excited to start this new year with wonderful changes. Every year, my mother cooks a full spread for the new year…But, since she is back in Hawaii and I am here in Los Angeles, I have to opt for some food from my local chinese restaurant. To prepare and get ready to celebrate, I made a trip down to Los Angeles Chinatown, picked up some goodies and am ready to welcome the Year of the Rabbit.

According to www.theholidayspot.com, they describe 2011 as below:

A placid year, very much welcomed and needed after the ferocious year of the Tiger. We should go off to some quiet spot to lick our wounds and get some rest after all the battles of the previous year.

Chinese astrology consists of 12 animal signs. A person born in the year of the Rabbit possesses one of the most fortunate of the twelve animal signs. The Rabbit or Hare as he is refere to in Chinese mythology, is the emblem of longevity and is said to derive his essence from the Moon. For those of you wanting to know about your chinese zodiac, feel free to visit www.chinesezodiac.com

I wish all you of a year full of good health, happiness and gratitude. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Home sweet home

gayla — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 04:56:02 +0000

While in Honolulu, HI last month, I made it a point to capture the beauty of the hawaiian islands. While I do a lot of engagement, wedding and portrait photography in Los Angeles and Hawaii, I wanted to shoot for myself. I wanted to capture the very place I call home. A little rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean called Oahu. We are known for our crystal clear beaches, white sand and tropical air to name a few. So, I hiked up Pillbox in Kailua, Hawaii on New Years Eve and managed to take some beautiful shots from above. It was so beautiful to be sitting a top this high mountain, over looking the crystal clear water with the perfect breeze blowing… I could’ve stayed up there for hours. I managed to use the “timer” feature on my camera to get a group shot of me and the fam atop the hills. It was awesome. Take a look for yourself. I’m also including a few images I snapped as I buzzed around the island with my sidekick; Ariel, the blue nose

Mele Kalikimaka to all…

gayla — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 18:39:05 +0000

Merry Christmas from Hawaii! Or, as we say it in the islands… MELE KALIKIMAKA. Yes, I am HOME in the islands for Christmas. H*O*M*E. Oh… I am so happy. Happy, happy, joy, joy. The islands have seen a ton a rain recently, however, the last 2 days have been beautiful. I woke up this morning to blue skies and warm tropical air. AWESOME. I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Hau’oli Makihiki Hou.

P.S. Last night’s annual Christmas challenge was won again by Jamie and I.

Team winners were in full effect! WOOT.

Give a gift to Life Rolls On this holiday season!

gayla — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 20:01:29 +0000

As many of you know my little rock star of a niece Maile has introduced me to an awesome organization called Life Rolls On (LRO). It all started when Kris Nakamura, CEO of LRO told me about They Will Surf Again, a program to allow those with spinal cord injuries to surf. What I witnessed on the shores of La Jolla beach that day were amazing. Truly. You can see that post by clicking here.

LRO puts on these amazing events to fulfill the dreams of many who are wheelchair bound. They are featuring Maile in their holiday campaign this year using some of the photographs I took at the TWSA event. I would like to ask everyone to pledge your support by making a donation to allow them to continue with their life altering programs for those with spinal cord injury. Please click here to donate. You can see their holiday campaign newsletter below. Please read how you can help, it’s a great gift for this holiday season.

Happy Thanksgiving!

gayla — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 13:00:51 +0000

A day to celebrate, relax and be with family and lots of food! We all have so much to be thankful for and I wish everyone out there a very Happy Thanksgiving. I am especially thankful for my loved ones, my health and those that have made a difference in my life. I am spending this year’s Thanksgiving with family in Vegas! Woot…. Yup, family, food, relaxation and casino gaming… HAPPY THANKSGIVING ALL! xoxo

Halloween…yet no dress up :-(

gayla — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 10:06:17 +0000

Yup, no dress up for me this year. Halloween is just one of those “holidays” that I consider a blast and I look forward to it every year. I love the costumes, the candy, and all the other ghoulish things. Normally, I decorate the house, setup a few of my “tricks”, bring out the fog machine, dress up and randomly scare trick or treaters as they stroll up my driveway. Every year I put a prime rib in the oven and have friends over to celebrate the night. Since I’ve been so busy with various projects over the last few weeks, I had no time to setup, get a costume or do the Halloween thing, but I did manage to have a couple friends over and still make my traditional prime rib dinner.

After we ate, we took a stroll through my neighborhood and walked amongst the trick or treaters on our festive streets. My neighborhood is a great halloween area, lots of people drive in and flood the streets. One house in my neighborhood setup a grave yard; Barker’s Graveyard was filled with movie set lights, tombstones, skeletons, sound effects and all. Trick or treaters lined up around the block to walk through the graveyard and caused quite the backup. The local Police Dept actually had to block off the street to allow for the crowd, since it was flooded with people. We walked around for over and hour and came back to eat dessert. My friends came witha guava, lilikoi, passion fruit chiffon cake from Kings Hawaiian Bakery in Torrance and boy was that yummers. You gotta love friends that come with food!

I hope everyone had a great Halloween and next year… I’ll be ready!

The kiddos get baths!

gayla — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 06:19:44 +0000

We’ve had some bizarre weather this week. Within one week, we went from 90º to 60º, sunny & humid to thunderstorms and today, back to 93º. Crazy. Well, since this is my personal day to get caught with things around the house, it was a perfect day to give the babies a bath. Actually, it wasn’t perfect… it was in fact toooo hot. But, Bailey and Rambo needed a bath. As much as they hate it, they know the procedure. I get the hose running, call them over…they droop their eyes and hang their faces as cold water drips over their faces. Bailey is much better, she will stay there and sulk, but she will stay. Rambo will make the occasional dash to avoid the water. Ultimately, he stops and gives in to the hose.

It was so hot that you would think they would’ve loved the cool down. Nope. They didn’t. They wanted it to be over , but I had to grab some pics…. Here are my babies getting all cleaned up.

Once they are done, Rambo is pretty much over it and all smiles. Bailey gives a bit of an attitude for a while. Kinda funny….Keep note of the last pic… Ms. Bailey looks a bit upset with me! hee-hee