Best Moments of 2016!

2016 was an amazing year for us! We photographed some absolutely amazing weddings and had the best time with our clients. We launched our new website and also introduced new branding for all of our companies! To top it all off, our sister company, Rivets and Roses had their best year ever!

I wanted to take a moment to look back at the 2016 season and share some of my personal favorite images from each wedding. Once they were all selected, I realized my favorite images are still deeply rooted in moments. Moments that we can't predict and pictures that might not be technically perfect, but you can feel exactly how it felt to be in that space. 

There are so many reasons why I love to photograph weddings, but working along side my team to document these days is always what keeps me coming back. A big thank you to all of our clients for an amazing year - and congratulations to you all!

LOVEe

Married! // Kim + Jake

Oh man, I don't even know where to begin in speaking about Kim and Jake's wedding! After a GREAT season of weddings, this was our last wedding to photograph for the year and it ended on an EPIC note. Kim and Jake hosted their wedding at the Grandview Lodge, so all of their guests from near and far had a weekend getaway in Northern Minnesota. The weather was perfect, the leaves and season of fall was in full effect and the sunshine gave us some amazing light.

Beyond the setting, there were many Jewish wedding traditions that took place and made for some absolutely unforgettable moments. If I could describe this wedding in one word, it would be celebratory. Everyone was so deeply happy and joyous for Kim & Jake and also so thankful to be a part of this time in their lives. 

I couldn't think of a better way to round out the amazing year we have had with all of our couples. To Kimmy and Jake - thank you so much for inviting us to document this day. You are an amazing couple who is going to go so far in life and I can't wait to see where all of the adventure takes you!

LOVEe

VENDORS//

Venue and Catering: Grandview Lodge

Dress: Mira Zwillinger from L'atelier Couture Bridal

Event Planning: Allie Markman, Divine & You 

Florist and Event Design: Bloom Designs

Stationary: Spark Letterpress

Decor: Dee's Decorating, Linen Effects and NP Event Space

Videography: Ladd Films

Entertainment: Northstar

Dessert: Edible Art

Ketubah: Alexandra Minkoff

Popcorn: Maddie and Maize

Lighting: AVEX

Married! // Samantha + Bryan

From the moment I met Samantha and Bryan in the studio, it was clear to me that they had a love that inspires everyone around them! I have been looking forward to their wedding ever since that day and it was even better than I could have imagined! It was a day filled with romance, gorgeous scenery and celebratory moments! It was such a pleasure to document this day for Samantha and Bryan and I am just so so so thrilled for this couple!

LOVEe

VENDORS//

Ceremony + Reception Location: Mayowood Stone Barn

Dress: Che Bella, Alvina Valenta

Suit - Macy's

Event Coordinator: Letecia Holter of Ardently Yours

Florals, Lighting and Linens: Fox & Fern Floral

Cigar Bar: Fox & Fern Floral

Hair and Makeup: Lindsey Weber and Rachel Notch of Hair District, Maple Grove

Catering and Bar: Canadian Honker

Cake and Dessert Table: Top Tier Delights

DJ and Photobooth: Wedding Day DJ's

PHOTOGEN INC. // New Brand Identity!

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Brand identity by dschwen

I am super excited to share the new identities of all of our companies! This is our eleventh year of business and as our work and businesses grow and become more refined, so do our brands. Last year, we took on the big project of updating all of our websites and this year brought along the next phase of that project, which was to unify all of the brands. We worked with the brilliant mind of David Schwen of Dschwen to bring this all together and I am SO happy with how it turned out! Each company still has it's own individual presence, while still feeling cohesive with all we do here in the studio. 

PHOTOGEN INC. is a luxury wedding photography brand that takes me around the world to photograph weddings. Our sister company, Rivets and Roses, is an affordable wedding photography studio, serving the Midwest and features the work of six different artists. Part of the new identity was creating branding that separated the different price points and client base of work. As PHOTOGEN INC. grows, it has become more grown up and refined, while still staying a bit badass. The Rivets and Roses brand took on a friendlier font that is more approachable! 

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You can check out all of our other brands at the sites below:

eliesaconsults.com

eliesajohnson.com

rivetsandroses.com

Married // Anna + Derek

Anna and Derek have a very serendipitous meeting. The two met at a wedding, in which they were both a part of the wedding party. (You can read more about that story here.) However; we all learned during the father-of-the-bride-speech that Derek had met his future-father-in-law a few times in life, before the couple had ever met! How cool is that, seriously.

The thing about Anna and Derek is that they make you believe in love. Just being in their presence makes you happy and seeing how they are with one another is inspiring. They truly have it all, but their connection is beyond cool to bear witness to. 

On the wedding day, it started as a stormy summer day here in Minnesota. But the skies cleared for us just at the right moments and ended with ALL the sunshine. I must say, the day felt quite romantic with all of the weather and it ended so perfectly.

I am so so so happy for Anna and Derek! Congratulations to you and cheers to all that is to come!

LOVEe

VENDORS//

Ceremony Location: Diamond Lake Lutheran Church

Reception Location: Lafayette Club

Wedding Planning: Lasting Impressions Weddings

Dress: Posh Bridal Couture

Suits: Men's Warehouse

Stationary: Paper Rock Scissor

Floral: Zinnia Design Floral

Hair: Bang Bang Salon

Makeup: Nan Fletcher

Cake: Buttercream

Live Band: Downtown Band, Nashville

Married // Lexie + Nick

Lexie is a woman who's upbeat energy is contagious to everyone around her. She is the life of the party and when it came to planning her wedding day, she had a vision for exactly what she wanted. Nick is her steadfast soulmate who is the perfect match for Lexie! 

Preparation for their wedding day began years ago, right after Nick proposed. Lexie knew she wanted to be married on her family farm, so her father set out to make that happen. They cleared and leveled land, refurbished the barn and as the day came closer and closer, all of the details fell into place to make this dream come true. And let me tell you - it was a dream wedding! 

From the gorgeous details to ALL of the couple's friends and family - it was an incredible day! I must make note of the miraculous weather, too. All signs pointed towards severe thunderstorms on the day of their wedding, but somehow the storms completely missed us and there was nothing but sunshine! Totally incredible!

This might be one of the longest blog posts I have ever put together, but there was so much beauty in the moments of this day to share! Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. Larson!

LOVEe

VENDORS//

Location: Private Residence, Buffalo, MN

Brides' Dress: Posh Bridal Couture

Floral: Buffalo Floral

Welcome to the new Photogen Inc!

Welcome to the new website for Photogen Inc.! I am super excited for this new space and wanted to share some thoughts about this process and our new look!

- The Photogen Inc. brand is officially entering our eleventh year of business and I felt it was time to ask myself the question again: Why do I love photographing weddings and what inspires me the most?

The answer was simple - it all comes down to moment. I love documenting this day in our client's lives and I especially am inspired by the moments we capture that we couldn't possibly plan for. The first image you see when coming to the new site is of Maddie and Ben. They had just walked down the aisle and were taking a minute with each other before heading out to celebrate with all of their guests. I am obsessed with this image. I love how badass it feels, how naturally cool it is and how real this moment was for the couple. 

 

- As technology advances each year, I want to make sure and bring you a website that is both current and functional! Over the course of last year, I moved all of our sites to the Squarespace platform and I couldn't be happier with this decision! You will find that the new site is more responsive and mobile friendly - as well as image based, which helps us share the work more easily. You can check out all of our sites here:

Rivets and Roses

Eliesa Johnson

ELIESA Consults

- We stripped it down. When I look through a lot of websites in the wedding industry, I get overwhelmed with the amount of 'fluff' that there is. I wanted to get back to the basics and just focus on the work. We have been fortunate to have the best clients over the years who have absolutely stunning weddings. My portfolios could easily be around 100 images, but I was challenged to narrow it down to 25 images per gallery and I feel like this is SO refreshing and highlights the work better! I wanted to make a site that connects with our perfect client, not to please the masses. I think we definitely achieved this. 

 

- I am personally most inspired when photographing weddings that are in new spaces. Whether that’s in the Minneapolis area or across the world - I love to travel and experience a new place for the first time. You will notice that all of the wedding galleries are organized by different locations around the world to highlight some of our favorite places. 

 

- One of the the most common questions I am asked by couples is "When should we do our engagement photos?" You can have them photographed at any time of the year, so we arranged our Engagement portfolios to reflect the different seasons and show the possibilities for each time of the year!

 

- You better believe our blog will still be a hot spot for recent wedding work! After each wedding, I will be sharing highlights of the day! Also make sure to follow along with us on Instagram @photogen_inc and on Facebook to see the latest and greatest! 

 

- Lastly, I want to say thank you to my incredible team and friends who help me on the daily. We have a LOT happening over here and I love every minute of it. However, I couldn't do it all with out the support system I have. I specifically want to thank Sara, Loop, Melissa, Liz, Josh and Jonny for challenging me with critique and technically helping me set up all of these sites in the last year! 

 

I hope you enjoy the new site! We are about to kick off the 2016 wedding season and I could not be more excited!

 

LOVEe