Meet Laura Gravelle

What a blessing to be able to share such an amazing woman on the blog today!  This is the first post of many to come, but there couldn’t be anyone more perfect for our first blog post where we will be interviewing photographers, graphic designers, worship leaders, etc. who are known in the industry.  I had the honor of meeting, Laura Gravelle, at United 2013 in Santa Barbara this past February.  It was briefly in passing sitting over lunch and I long for a time to actually connect with her again in person.  Grab a cup of tea &  be inspired by Laura!

Tell us a little bit about yourself. I am a mom to 2 kids – Lily is 5 and Calvin is 3. I will be celebrating my 10 year wedding anniversary on May 30! I run my own photography business and have a studio in Denver, Colorado.

Where is home? Home to us now is in Denver, Colorado. I grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan and re-located to Denver just two years ago. I live in a cozy little house with my family, can walk to my grocery store and ice cream shop and love it.

A website/blog you frequently visit.  I love looking at Sue Bryce’s blog for inspiration and photography tips. I also really enjoy reading Katelyn James’ blog. My husband and I are vegan and so I love looking at Kris Carr’s website for tips and recipes!

If you could have lunch with one person who would be.  I could have lunch with one person it would be with my Grammy. She is still alive and I try to have lunch with her when I’m home in Michigan and it always leaves me feeling so happy. I love asking her about what it was like when she was growing up and also what it was like for her to raise 5 kids. Her stories are always get me thinking!

What are five words friends would use to describe you.  Words that friends would use to describe me would be courageous, patient, driven, worshipper, and passionate.

Where do you see yourself five years from now?  Five years from now I see myself having at least one more kid. Maybe two! We’ll just see on that! My husband and I moved to Denver to plant a church with The Vineyard. I hope that in five years we are seeing lots of people led to Jesus and our church growing by leaps and bounds. I’ll be a mom to kids in elementary school which is exciting and terrifying at the same time! I hope that my business is doing really well and that I have associate/partner photographers working in my studio.

If you had to choose one lens, which one would it be?  If I had to choose one lens it would be my Canon 50 mm, 1.2. I use this lens all the time! I do really want to try out the 35 mm soon though. I’ve heard that might replace my love of the 50 mm!

What’s in your camera bag? My camera bag holds a Canon 5D Mk III and the Mk II, the 50 mm 1.2, 24-70 2.8, 100 mm macro, and the 70-200 2.8. I also use the 600 flashes that Canon released.

How long have you been doing photography? I started doing photography in 2007 as a hobby and launched a full fledged business in 2008.

What type of photography do you focus on? I focus on weddings and something I call “Modern Beauty” photography. It’s glamour photography with my own spin on the name!

Did you go to photography school? I did not go to photography school. I am 100% self taught. I will say though that I listen to workshops and seminars about an hour each day to continually learn.

What advice would you give to your 15 year old self?  My 15 year old self was super passionate! I loved Jesus with all of my heart and wanted everyone around me to know Him too. I would tell my 15 year old self to be exactly who I was and to not let others get me down about it. I would tell her to dream big!

How does your relationship with God affect the way you do business?  My relationship with God affects everything I do, including my business. In the midst of all the business I do, I still want to love people and help them find Jesus. My husband and I love doing pre-marital counseling for couples that have hired us to photograph their wedding. It’s a way for us to minister to people while they are experiencing a huge milestone in life. I also want to always grow in God’s type of generosity. So while I am running a business to make profit, I also leave room for generosity towards people. I usually do at least one wedding a year as a gift to a couple or provide photos to someone who might not otherwise be able to afford them. And one of my best marketing strategies is to pray.

Favorite verse? My favorite verse is John 10:10. Jesus has come to give life and life to the full!

How would you describe your style? My style is timeless and glamorous. My goal is to give every woman I photograph the opportunity to feel absolutely beautiful .

Who or what is the greatest love of your life.  Matt is my greatest love! We are celebrating 10 years of marriage on May 30. We have been together now for almost 15 years. We are partners and I love him with everything in me. Lily and Calvin definitely fit right in there too!

Who has been the most influential person in your life?  The most influential people in my life are my Dad and Mom. They are amazing parents and have shaped who I am today. They are very wise and I respect their opinions on life.

If you could shoot with another photographer, who would it be? If I could shoot with another photographer, it would definitely be Sue Bryce. I think she is a genius at what she does!

Where do you find your inspiration?  I find my inspiration from other photographers that I respect. I find myself most inspired while I am listening to my daily dose of workshops. My head starts spinning with ideas and I have to start writing lists to make sure I don’t forget anything!

If you could choose one person to photograph, who would it be? I have two types of people I would REALLY like to photograph! I would like to photograph a woman who looks in the mirror and feels ugly. I want her to come into my studio, get a makeover from my amazing hair and makeup artist, and then have her photos taken in a way that makes her feel radiant. When she see hers photos I want them to make her cry because it’s a new way of seeing herself – beautiful. I also want to photograph a woman in her 90’s that is approaching the end of her life. I would like to capture her beauty at that age and also make a documentary film to go along with her photos. Those are some of my recent inspirations!

WEBSITE: www.lauragravelle.com
BLOG: www.lauragravelle.com/blog
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/lauragravellephotography
TWITTER: www.twitter.com/lauragravelle
PINTEREST: www.pinterest.com/lauragravelle
INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/laura_gravelle