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

Cute family of four hanging at the park | Family Photography

gayla — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:27:40 +0000

Some kids love cameras… some don’t. I had one of each in this family photography session! But when you take 2 kids to a park for family photos, it’s hard not to smile. Luckily slides, benches, swings and oh yeah…sand always makes family photos fun. Kids have a hard time being camera shy when you are in that environment. I just let families hang out, stand back and capture the smiles. Take a peek at Roman and his family below

See a slideshow by clicking play > below:

Vito | Headshot Photography

gayla — Wed, 02 May 2012 00:09:18 +0000

One of the perks of being a photographer is the ability to look at some gorgeous subjects. Ahhh Last week I did a quick headshot photo session for Vito in Hollywood, CA. He’s been in the business for years as an actor/model but took a break from the industry while pursuing other things. He’s now ready to get back in the industry and needed new headshots, so we planned our session late in the afternoon and grabbed some images. I picked a few of my favorites and posted them below. Enjoy!

Ekolu and family | Honolulu, Hawaii Family Portraits

gayla — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 18:23:20 +0000

Janine, Hiram and Ekolu decided to start this family session at the Honolulu Zoo in Waikiki. Little Ekolu was our official tour guide and happily showed us the ropes around the entire zoo. Once done, we decided to stop by Kapiolani Park for a few shots of the ohana before Ekolu got to let loose and run into the ocean. Once we grabbed the mandatory family portraits, the shirt came off and he was off into the water with the biggest smile. Of course, sand is what makes the beach so fun, and yes, Ekolu got his fill of sand too! Take a peek at the images below. I love the last photo!

Life Rolls On 2nd annual Hawaii TWSA | White Plains Beach, Hi

gayla — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 06:55:22 +0000

The 2nd annual They Will Surf Again Hawaii took place today at White Plains Beach, Hawaii and it was another huge success. We had another beautiful day, despite original forecasts of rain. It was gorgeous. Pro surfers Roy Powers and Leila Hurst were on hand, along with a ton of awesome volunteers to assist with our adaptive surfers. The day started with the sounds of the conch shell blown by Kahu; Manu Mook and followed by a beautiful prayer which set the mood for the day. Everyone was excited to hit the waves and surprised to see an endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal who decided to roll up and take a front row seat in front of the ocean as we all hit the water. And this seal was totally soaking up the rays and rolling in the sand. So cute!

The local news station; KHON 2 came out and covered the amazing event and did a story on a local boy, Tusi from Kahuku. He was on his way to college when he dove into water at Seal Beach, CA and became a quadriplegic. He has since returned to the islands and today was the first day he hit the water since his accident 11 years ago. It is such a touching story and so touching to see the support of his friends family. Incredible.

We had some great food from Lulu’s, Duke’s Waikiki and homemade chili from my mom’s kitchen. Yup, chili and rice are always a big hit at the beach. Thanks mom and Aunty Paulyne. Ono stuff

Our fundraiser was held on Friday at Wahoo’s and a huge success. We had a great drawing and our grand prize was the autographed Hawaii Five-O surfboard. Our lucky winner was Lesley Wilmoth who purchased tickets online … Congratulations Lesley!

Our fundraiser and They Will Surf Again Hawaii program was a huge success and wouldn’t be possible with the amazing volunteers and a few key sponsors:

Hawaii 5-0

Tanioka’s Fish Market

Samuel L. Jackson

Frank Darabont

Hawaiian Island Creations

Carosuel Candyland

Shutterbooth Hawaii

Ezekiel Hawaii

See more photos online by clicking here:

Carousel Candyland | Kahala Mall Shopping Center

gayla — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:53:32 +0000

In my planning of Life Rolls On and They Will Surf Again – Hawaii, I reached out to one of my high school classmates at Carousel Candyland in Kahala Mall Shopping Center, hoping to get a gift for our fundraiser tonight at Wahoo’s Fish Taco. I was excited when they donated two $25 gift certificates to be included in our opportunity drawing. I picked up the certificates and returned to take a few pics to show everyone where to go for your sugar fix. Upon entering, the line was out the door and the entire store had a glorious scent of popcorn and butter. OMG. I browsed around and was amazed at the variety of goodies they have, so I grabbed a bag and filled up with some great sugar free goodies. I spent over $10 in snacks myself .

It is only through the generosity of friends like Carousel Candyland that Life Rolls On is able to provide this program at no-cost to participants living with spinal cord injuries. For all you goody lovers… If you ever want some chocolate, li hing snacks, M&Ms, licorice, popcorn, Icee, or even some cute novelties… head on over the Carousel Candyland in Kahala Mall!

P.S. If you make a nominal donation of $5.00, you get three chances to win one of those $25 gift certificates! Come to Wahoo’s Kahala tonight, Friday 3/23/12 between 6:30- 10:00pm.

Jamie + Pat | Neiman Marcus Mariposa Wedding Ala Moana Hawaii

gayla — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 02:16:22 +0000

Jamie and Pat’s wedding was a day full of glitz, glam, fashion and style. The day started at the Grand Waikikian Hotel with a few smiles, laughs, jokes and of course a few tears. The Hawaiian Islands were hit with some major lightning and thunderstorms the entire week prior to this wedding and in fact, they had forecasted wind and rain on Saturday. There were a lot of people praying for some decent weather, including the folks at Mariposa Restaurant in Ala Moana, since over 100 guests were to be seated on the balcony. When the big day finally rolled around… the rain stopped…the sun popped out and there was a beautiful hawaiian breeze. Perfect weather!

Jamie, a die hard Iolani Raider Alumni, decided to have her wedding ceremony on campus at the Iolani Chapel. Once vows were exchanged, everyone headed over to the wedding reception at Mariposa Restaurant, located on the 3rd floor of Neiman Marcus in Ala Moana Shopping Center. Jamie and Pat celebrated a fairly long engagement. You can see their engagement pics by clicking here. Congratulations Jamie and Pat, much happiness to you both.

See more pics in the slideshow at the end, or click here to view.

Wedding Vendors are as follows:

Wedding Ceremony: Iolani Chapel

Wedding Reception: Mariposa at Neiman Marcus Ala Moana

Wedding Planner: Savoir Faire Events

Wedding Photography: Gayla Elizabeth

Wedding Videography: Aria Studios

Photobooth: Shutterbooth Hawaii

Hair: Sean from Hair Alchemy

MC: Champ

Limo: Jay’s Limo Services

Live Entertainment: Ben and Malia

Makeup: Jordana

Win a surfboard autographed by Hawaii 5-0 cast!

gayla — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 23:47:41 +0000

Life Rolls On returns for the 2nd annual They Will Surf Again in Hawaii on 3/24/12 and to kickoff our fundraiser, I have a surfboard autographed by the Hawaii 5-0 cast up for grabs. Alex O’Loughlin, Scott Caan, Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park signed the brand new Super Fish 7s surfboard by Global Surf Industries last week in hopes to raise money for a great program and organization. Life Rolls On is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for young people affected by spinal cord injury and utilizes action sports as a platform to demonstrate the infinite possibilities beyond paralysis.

The surfboard will be given away at our fundraiser Friday 3/23/12 at Wahoo’s Kahala which starts at 6:30PM. If you would like to participate in the drawing ahead of time, simply go to http://twsa-hawaii-2012.eventbrite.com/ or click here to get your chance to win the autographed surfboard. You do NOT need to be present to win; however, the winner will be responsible for any shipping costs. This is open to EVERYONE! Help a great cause and get a chance for an awesome drawing!

If you would like to participate or volunteer for They Will Surf Again, be sure to register online by going to www.liferollson.org/hawaii or click here.

Note: Alex O’Loughlin was not on set and available for the photo, but he did sign it!

Check out the video at the end of the post to see photos of Life Rolls On They Will Surf Again signature program. Or click here to view.

Jamie + Pat teaser

gayla — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 01:57:32 +0000

Jamie and Pat made it official this past weekend by celebrating their wedding with many friends, family and loved ones. The hawaiian islands have been hit with some intense weather the entire week and it was a little scary for a minute. However, saturday rolled around and the weather was perfect. No rain… but there were a few tears, followed by lots of laughs and great smiles. I will be posting their wedding soon, but for now, I wanted to congratulate the new Mr. & Mrs. Pat Loo. Wishing you both the best and a very happy marriage.

LRO Night by the Ocean 2011

gayla — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 17:09:04 +0000

Life Rolls On 8th annual Night by the Ocean gala was held at the beautiful Ritz Carlton in Marina Del Rey this past Saturday for their signature fundraiser to help raise money to support quality of life programs for young people affected by spinal cord injury. Guests were greeted with leis as they entered the cocktail reception held at the pool which had an amazing silent auction. Some of the items up for grabs included, an few autographed guitars by some incredible artists: Sammy Hagar, Sarah McLaghlan, Elton John, Tim McGraw; an autographed Beckham jersey, surfboards, glicee prints, jewelry, a gucci tote, vacation getaways, apparel, accessories and so much more.

The event was hosted by Sal Masekela with honorable chairs: Dave Annable, Odette Annable and Jason Lewis. A night of motivational videos and clips of incredible people living with SCI.

The live auction consisted of some incredible items up for grabs including a pair of his and hers Corum wtaches, and all expense trip to Fiji’s Tavarua Island, and amazing Hawaii 5-0 package AND a few Jason Mraz packages which consisted of front row seats to his concert, backstage access, a chance to surf and hang out with Jason at Hollister and the biggie…. Jason Mraz coming to your home to chill with his awesome voice and his amazing guitar. Pretty cool!

Rachelle Friedman, who recently made national headlines after her freak accident last year, also made a special appearance and captured the audience as she rolled onto the stage to share her story with everyone. You can see her story by clicking here.

A big surprise came for everyone when Jason Mraz decided on playing live along side Toca Rivera, which ultimately turned into a little mini private concert by the end of the night. Everyone was feeling the love and to keep the Jason Mraz vibe going, San Diego Hat Company donated a hat to all guests, which was pretty cool. It was a great night of inspiration, motivation and incredible people, made possible by some amazing sponsors and volunteers. As always, I left with a very filled heart.

A special thank you to the sponsors for the event:

Balance Vector
Barefoot wine & bubbly
Bill Silva Management
CBS
Citizens of Humanity
Joanne Gimbel
Fox Television Group
Jason Mraz
Paradigm
San Diego Hat Company
Shoe City
Thinktank
Warrior Posts
Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC
Wells Fargo Capital Financ

Things are a changin’

gayla — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 04:49:52 +0000

Yes, Gayla Elizabeth Photography has been getting a makeover and we have slowly begun to unveil the new look and features. I am so excited. Can I get an AMEN! This makeover started in January, 2011 and has taken months of meetings, planning and hard work by my great team. While we are still working on many of the details and will continue to work plug away behind the scenes, I was itching to share the new look and wanted to start incorporating it into my brand and packaging. So, I launched the new look last week. My colors are now a deep chocolate brown, similar to an expresso. Sounds kinda yummy doesn’t it? While I love my zen green, brown seems to work best with my images and also happens to be one of my favorite colors. I’m so the woodsy kinda gal. I love rustic furniture; things made with cool distressed woods; whether it’s mirrors, floors, tables, chairs, desks, you name it, I love it rustic. So brown really did make sense. And, I’ve since come to learn that brown also represents wholesomeness and earthiness, steadfastness, simplicty, friendliness, dependability and health. Everything that is me. So, brown it is!

The logo and mark took a lot longer to design as I was trying to find a logo that represented myself and my work. I was looking for something that symbolized transition, similar to a butterfly, but not so obvious. I thought of designing my initials into an abstract butterfly and we tried… and tried… and it was not happening. I knew I wanted something to represent love, but I didn’t want anything to traditional and conventional. So I thought how can I incorporate love with something else? Something a little different and a little artistic and a bit abstract. I tried to think of another symbol that I could tie in with the heart. I love the infinity symbol, how it looks and what it represents. So we worked on creating an open heart that also represents an infinity symbol. After several attempts, it was completed.

That was a challenge, but we managed to get it done. Whew. Now…we have to tie everything together and here comes implementing the new brand into the entire business. Website, blog, stationary, business cards, packaging material, promotional materials, etc.. There is a lot. Once we get this completed, we will be working on implementing some really cool features in our websites. And, some other great news to be announced in the upcoming months.There will be some big changes coming to Gayla Elizabeth Photography. We will be updating and changing things daily and try to keep the updates as smooth as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

Be sure to visit the newly designed website as well at www.gaylaelizabeth.com. Keep in mind, we will be adding some cool features, so check back often. As many of you may have already seen…here is the new logo.