Photogen Inc - Destination Wedding Photographer - Minneapolis, MN

Thank you Liz!

Fri, 04 May 2012 10:33:30 -0600

For the past three years, we have been SO lucky to have the wonderful Liz be our studio manager! She came to us as a young college student, ready to take on the world and now she is! As of today, Liz is officially going on her own as a freelance photo editor and I could not be more thrilled for her! Over the years, her primary focus for us here in the studio was to help me edit our work. She's helped me edit everything from weddings to some seriously tricky commercial gigs; however, she has done SO much for us behind-the-scenes. Even though her title was technically 'Studio Manager', she really could also have these titles:

The-Other-Side-of-Eliesa's-Brain
Eliesa's-Hair-Stylist
Designer
Album-Maker
Eliesa's-Schedule-Maker
Behind-The-Scenes-Photo-Taker
Chef
Friend
Magician
Sanity-Keeper
Personal Assistant
Clothe-Dresser
The-Most-Efficient-Person-You-Will-Ever-Meet-In-Your-Life

A comment we would hear over the years from our friends was "I need a Liz in my life." I'm SO incredibly proud to see Liz taking a big leap and pursuing editing on her own! Her talents and work ethic are beyond fantastic and I'm happy that other clients of hers will now be able to 'Have a Liz'.

Have no fear, though! Liz will still be, very much so, a part of our team! Liz will continue to be our editor and will also be managing our album design as well!

Photographers - if you are interested in outsourcing your editing, either for weddings or the commercial side of things, I highly encourage this lady! Make sure to check out her website!

To Liz,

Thank you for all that you have done for both myself, the Photogen Inc. and Rivets and Roses clients and our team as our studio manager! You have given so much and have, very much so, helped shape everything our companies are today! We are all better people for having you in our lives! Thank you for all of your hard work, loyalty and dedication you've given us! We can't wait to see where the future takes you and we are so happy to be a part of it!

LOVEe

For all of you who have met Liz, please take the time to send her some love and encouragement on this awesome adventure she's beginning! Also, make sure to check out her new website!

LOVEe

Under Construction!

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:58:14 -0600

We have some very big, fun and exciting changes happening around the studio!

One of the major changes we are making is updating the Photogen Inc. Website - and let me tell you, it is going to be AMAZING!

With the new site, we will be integrating much more for our clients and photographers, including:

Vendor Guides & Links
LOVEe Consult info & site
ELEVATE Workshop info & site
Instagram Feed - so you can see all of our shenanigans!
Updated Portfolios
A SUPER fun new blog!

We're totally switching up the look to make it a little more clean as well. I am SO excited about this change and I can not wait to launch! We have made some giant strides in the past couple of weeks, yet we still have lots of work to do. Along with the website change, we are also switching servers at this time, so that means that whenever we are working on our new site, our current sites, online galleries and e-mail will be down.

If you ever see our 'under construction' page, simply know that we are working on things and we appreciate your patience!

Of course, it's never ideal to have my e-mail down, so we are trying to work on this late at night or at low-traffic times. If our site is down and you need to e-mail me, please send mail to: eliesajohnson@gmail.com

You are more than welcome to check out our facebook page and twitter account to stay up-to-date on all of the happenings!

Our goal is to get this all up and running in the next few weeks! I've posted a little sneak peek of the blog, so far! SO many more cool things to come!

LOVEe

ELEVATE Workshop // Fall 2012 // NYC

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:48:45 -0600

It's time again to announce the next ELEVATE Workshop! We are still in the planning stages of the next event, and we wanted to get some feedback from you! If you are interested in attending ELEVATE, we would love you to take a moment to fill out the survey below! This would greatly help us get a hold on the number of attendees interested, dates that are best of everyone and the content that you are interested in learning!

In the coming weeks, we will officially have the website up with more information about ELEVATE // NYC!

Mr. and Mrs. Henderson // A Wedding in Atlanta, Part 2!

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 16:19:24 -0600

Erin and Maleah have style. In Part 1 of their feature, I talked about how there were two things I absolutely love about this couple. The first was that they are best friends and a real-life-dream-team thru and thru. The second thing I love about this couple is their sense of style. If they are throwing a party, no detail goes unnoticed and they believe in creating an experience for their guests! Erin and Maleah's wedding was gorgeous, hands down, enough said. They flew in some of the best vendors around to collaborate and bring together their vision. From the gorgeous, light ceremony to their dramatic reception room, the vendors really worked hard to transform the space and create a magical world for each and every person. Maleah also surprised her new husband with a surprise groom's lounge, complete with top-shelf liquor and Cuban cigars! I felt incredibly honored to be able to document such a lavish occasion; however, I wanted to make sure and equally document all of the honest moments throughout their day as well. At the end of the night, all Jeffrey and I could do was high-five each other, the entire day was a great success!

I want to take a moment to give some credit to the amazing vendors who brought their talent to this wedding:

Photographer: Eliesa Johnson of Photogen Inc.
Second Photographer: Jeffrey Lawler of JNP Studios
Brides Dress: Monique Lhuillier
Shoes: Jimmy Choo
Menswear: Mens Warehouse
Hair: Dena Gibson, Independent
Venue: The Biltmore, Atlanta
Coordination: Fete Perfection
Florist: Tulip
Bakery: Buckhead Bakehouse
Catering: Affairs to Remember
Decor Draping: Event Drapery Inc.
Lighting: Production People
Furniture: Something Borrowed Vintage
Cigar Roller: Cigartainment
DJ: DJ Triple M
1961 Bentley: Wedding Trans

Congratulations to Erin, Maleah and little Lennox on getting married! We are SO happy for you! If you missed Part 1, make sure to check it out here!

LOVEe

Mr. and Mrs. Henderson // A Wedding in Atlanta, Part 1!

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 16:14:33 -0600

The first time I met Erin and Maleah, I was photographing their maternity session and I absolutely fell in love with this couple. Fast forward 1 year and we're all together again to celebrate another milestone in life, their wedding! There are two things I love and admire about Erin and Maleah, and since this is post 1-of-2, I will focus on the first.

They are best friends.

For real.

During their ceremony, the couple spoke their vows and nothing was written down. Those words came right from the heart and it was beautiful. I remember Erin saying," Baby, you believe in me when no one else does - when I don't even believe in myself. But there you are."

Right after their ceremony, I had some alone-time with the couple and Maleah said, " You know, Erin doesn't need a 'wife' per-say, but he needs a best friend and that is what I am to him. I have his back and I believe in him."

There's something so special about the way these two view their relationship. They are a team, thru and thru and now they're a family! The love they have for little Lennox, their family and friends is one of the most genuine I have seen.

Their wedding took place at the gorgeous Biltmore in Atlanta, Georgia and it was absolutely stunning! The weather was perfect, our couple was gorgeous and we were surrounded by the best people! Not to mention, my friend Jeffrey of JNP Studios was able to fly in to second shoot with me, so we were having a blast! These photos are from the first half of the day, and there are even more amazing details and photos to come!

LOVEe

Society 6 // Store is Live!

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 14:01:50 -0600

Hello friends!

I wanted to share with you a little project we have been working on over here at the studio! I have a pretty solid shelf of images from my personal work, and for some reason all they were doing was sitting on my hard drives! So, with the help of our crew, we put together an official store on Society 6!

If you haven't heard about Society 6 yet, I highly recommend checking out their website! Basically, it is a fantastic resource for photographers, designers and artists to get their work in front of the public for purchase. From Society 6, you can browse around and see a whole bunch of work from some amazing artists. You can then purchase products of our work from their site!

In my store, you will be able to purchase prints, canvas, laptop skins, iphone cases and the occasional t-shirt :0) Make sure to check out the store to see if there is anything you love!

I will be updating the store on a regular basis with fresh work as well!

LOVEe

Mrs. and Mrs. Newquist // Part 2!

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 16:44:20 -0600

There's something very magical in the air at a same-sex wedding. I mean, really, everything is the same, yet it's different. In a wedding with a bride and a groom, photographers usually tend to favor a little more coverage of the bride over the groom. When photographing a gay wedding, you have two brides or two grooms and as an artist, you have to look at things a little differently and treat the couple more equal. It was actually a great eye-opening experience working with two brides, and it made us change some things around the studio (ie - suggesting that the forms we use have the option to say Bride & Bride or Groom & Groom and not just Bride & Groom).

The most inspiring thing for me while photographing this wedding, and the one difference that stuck out to me the most while documenting this day, was the total shift in energy. Not only were people very exited about the wedding, but the purpose and meaning behind this wedding meant a lot more. Alyson and Jesse were not only choosing to commit themselves to each other, but the idea of marriage, pre-leagalization in Minnesota, meant so much more to them. They were choosing love over the law. They were choosing to live out their civil rights as a couple and sending an inspiring message to their family, friends and everyone who was involved (and have since seen) their wedding. Marriage means more to Alyson and Jesse than I've seen in a lot of couples and I think the difference is this. They were not getting married, because 'that was the next step in their life'. They were not getting married, 'Because it seemed like the thing they should do.' They were getting married, because they truly believed that they wanted to spend, share and commit their lives to one another - regardless of their sex, regardless of what was deemed acceptable by society, and regardless of what any of their friends and family thought, they simple wanted marriage.

I do believe that marriage means so much more to the gay community. These are couples who have fought, and continue to fight, for their right to love openly and be committed legally to their partners. It's an absolutely beautiful thing to both witness and be a part of gay weddings, because it's a true victory for everyone involved.

If you are interested in finding out more about what people are doing in Minnesota
to fight for marriage equality check out OutFront Minnesota. Minnesota is currently facing a "marriage amendment" that will be on the ballots in November asking voters to define marriage as between a man and a woman. If this ballot initiative passes, it will bar legislature or the courts from passing marriage equality in the future. Check out Minnesotan's United to find out what Minnesotan's are doing to fight against the marriage amendment. The HRC -Human Rights Campaign is a great place to look for information on other states' fights for marriage equality.

Alyson & Jesse's wedding ceremony was one of the most pure and honest moments I have seen as a wedding photographer. I'll let the images speak for themselves.

Again, a huge thank you goes out to all of our fabulous vendors - really, a creative team, that helped Alyson and Jesse pull off such an incredibly beautiful day! To see our list of Vendors, check out Mrs. and Mrs. Newquist // Part 1.

Cheers to being with the one you love!

LOVEe

Mrs. and Mrs. Newquist // Part 1

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 15:52:09 -0600

Alyson and Jesse have such an incredible story. These two met back in 2006 while both were living and working in Brooklyn, NYC. When they started dating, they agreed only to go on 20 dates and that would be that. Clearly, they grew to love each other far too much to simply let each other walk away, and ever since then, they have been Alyson and Jesse. One of the things I admire about their relationship though, is the fact that they are very much so still their very own independent people, as well as an amazing force together! The couple traveled from coast to coast before finally settling down in Minneapolis.

When they started looking for wedding venues, they couldn't ever quite find exactly what they were looking for. Around the same time, Alyson & Jesse started kicking around a crazy idea..."What if we created our own dream venue for our wedding and also created a space where other people could use this for their weddings in the future?" Here's the thing about Alyson and Jesse. When they set their mind to something, they are all in and they will create something amazing and solid. From that point on, Juliane and James Place was officially born, which is now one of Minnesota's newest wedding venue's available for rent!

I first met Alyson at Joynoelle's shop. Joy was having a little get together and I just happened to pop in. When I walked thru the door, I remember Joy saying,"Oh hi Eliesa! We were just talking about you!" Alyson and I chatted for about 3 minutes and it was clear that she was my perfect client and I was totally on board with photographing her wedding! It was literally, a perfect match. Alyson started rattling a list of all of these ideas she had and on top of that, her and Jesse would be wearing custom Joynoelle dresses....I mean, it took all of me to not jump up and down right there and it just kept getting better and better! Alyson and Jesse literally brought together a dream team of vendors, who I must recognize for helping create these gorgeous images below...

Location // Juliane James Place
Bridal Gowns // Joynoelle
Flowers // Munster Rose
Set up and Day-Of Coordination // Laura Mullen Event Design
Catering // New Scenic Cafe
French Macaroons & Cupcakes // Sweets Bakeshop
Bridesmaid Dresses // Amsale and Jenny Yoo from Flutter Boutique
Best Man Attire // Calvin Klein
Wedding Design, Stationary Design, Favors & Bridal Accessories // Alyson Newquist Events

There are SO many more images to show from this wedding, so stay tuned for Part 2 of Alyson and Jesse's big day!

LOVEe

Lighting 101 MINNeSHOP Recap!

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 14:24:16 -0600

Last week, we hosted a MINNeSHOP and the topic this time was all about Lighting 101! This was a two-day mini-workshop that was SO much fun! We had the best group of photographers sign up!

Day 1 took place at the 331 Club, one of the best (and darkest) bars in town. This was the perfect location to practice using our speed lights! Reception lighting is hard, especially when you never know what the lighting situation will really be when it comes to venues. Some have gorgeous natural light with white walls and other, well, are simply dark black holes. As professionals, it's up to us to create gorgeous images, regardless of the situation, and we can never practice enough!

Day 2 was all about studio lighting! We hung out at 514 Studios for the day and set up various lighting stations where the attendees could practice their little hearts out and mainly, see the difference between various lighting techniques!

It was two days filled with cocktails, learning and a hell of a lot of fun! Below are some fun images from the fabulous attendees!

MINNeSHOPS are designed to be mini-workshops, centered around a specific topic. I hold these a few times each year and I just love hosting them! We are always looking to hear from photographers on what you would be interested in learning at a future MINNeSHOP! If you have any suggestions, feel free to e-mail me: eliesa@photogen-inc.com

LOVEe

Published // The Knot Magazine

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 12:41:50 -0600

Being published is always on my list of things-to-do, and always something I strive for when photographing a wedding! Wedding magazines usually all run on the same schedule and we've been very lucky to be published in all of Minnesota's wedding publications this year, including Minnesota Bride and Minneapolis/St. Paul Weddings. I'm super pumped to add The Knot to that roster and this issue features Stephen & Lisa's AMAZING multicultural wedding! Their wedding was SO good in fact, that we had to present it in a two-part feature on our own blog (Check out Part 1 and Part 2 here!) Not only was their wedding gorgeous, but we also had the extreme pleasure of working with our friends over at Capture Studios during their wedding! I thought this was the perfect opportunity to show off their gorgeous wedding video as well!

VENDORS//

Ceremony: Our Lady of Victory Chapel, St Paul
Reception: The Depot Minneapolis
Gown: Bridal Accents Couture
Makeup: Smart & Chic Bride
Bridesmaid Dresses: Custom made in Vietnam
Flowers: Richfield Floral
DJ: DJ Thise, 5000 Live Entertainment
Favors: Lets Do Wine and Beer
Invitations: Custom made in Vietnam
Film: Capture Studios
Photography: Photogen Inc.

Stephen + Lisa // The Depot from capture studios on Vimeo.

LOVEe

Clayton & Lydia: Engaged!

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 12:22:36 -0600

Oh, I'm not even sure where to start with this one! I would love to introduce you all to one of our 2012 clients, Clayton & Lydia! The groom and I go wayyyyy back. Like he probably-has-some-of-the-most-embarassing-photos-of-me-ever-from-my-childhood back. Clayton and I grew up in the same church together, which was a very small group of people. Our youth group was composed of probably less than 10 people, and we were all quite the tight-knit-group back in the day. He was definitely a part of a core group of people I grew up with, and as life went on, I lost touch with him over the years. A few months ago, I received a facebook message that Clayton had met the woman of his dreams and he wanted to know if I would be their photographer...um, yes!!!

It's kind of interesting, being in the position I am now, because I've photographed several couples from my hometown. Some of them whom I was friends with, others who I was simple acquaintances, but it never fails to amaze me how years after we have all grown out of our hometown, we all end up back in the same place, together again.

It has been SO cool to see Clayton and Lydia together and get to know them as a couple. He has truly found his match in this beautiful lady and I am SO happy for them! They are hilarious together, and have the same sense of humor, which is pretty fun to be around. These two met on Match.com, and the irony of it all is that Lydia was going to delete her profile the same day that Clayton messaged her for a date..."Ok," She thought, "One last date and then I'm DONE with this...." Good thing! That one-last-date turned into forever!

Congratulations to Clayton and Lydia on their engagement! These two will be married later this spring and I can't wait for their day...think classic cars, barns and woods! YES!

LOVEe

The Oscars & Weddings // My Winners List!

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 11:18:16 -0600

Ok, this might be a little cheezy, but as I was watching the Oscars last night, I was thinking...Who in our industry would win these categories, if applied to Wedding & Portrait Photography? I had a little fun with this and put together my 'Winners List', hoping to simply share some people's work that I've seen and been utterly inspired by!

Best Picture: Mario Testino for Kate Moss's Wedding in Vogue
(If you haven't seen all of the images, you definitely should.)

Photographer (Male) in a Leading Role: Max Wagner

Photographer (Male) in Supporting Role: Allan Zepeda
(Allan works super hard on the Mel & Co Team in NYC. I've had the pleasure of having him assist me as well, and he is stellar.)

Photographer (Female) in Leading Role: Elizabeth Messina
(Her work is the most beautiful, lovely, bridal photography ever. It's simply the best.)

Photographer (Female) in Supporting Role: Lacie Hansen
(Lacie is best known for being the right-hand-lady to Mr. Jose, but she has some killer work on her own!)

Best Editing: Angelica Glass

Costume Design: Jennifer B. Hudson

Documentary Feature: Riccis

Film Editing: John Dolan

Visual Effects: Ashley Lebedev

Humanitarian Award: Paper Antler & The Fifty Nifty Project
(Seriously, the coolest mission ever.)

Hopefully you all discovered someone new!

Here's to Monday, have a great week!

LOVEe

European Journey // Amalfi Coast Part 2

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 04:44:36 -0600

I'm currently back at home, in the studio, writing you all this final blog post of my European adventures! I have to admit, it's nice being back in my space, with my fast internet and I have a new appreciation for my little world I live in here in Minneapolis. It's always so exciting to travel to far away lands, but this city never fails to come home to.

This post is one of my favorites. On this trip, the most amount of time was spent in a little coastal Italian town called Amalfi. Amalfi is gorgeous. It's breathtaking. No picture will ever be able to do it justice. February is definitely smack dab in the middle of the 'slow season' for this town. Amalfi thrives on the summer, with tourists flocking to their amazing beaches, so when it's slow, no one seems to care about the tourists and because of this, I was able to observe and see what this little town is really like, when all of the glitz and glamour is on hold.

Amalfi is simply enchanting and it's everything you expect it to be for a small Italian village. Laundry is hung to dry on the lines, and everyone lunches and naps for a good portion of the afternoon. The shops close down and the locals gather in their homes. The men sit outside of their bars and smoke endless amounts of cigarettes while the women walk with their shopping carts to the markets to buy fresh produce. Life is slow, the waves are crashing and everyone is content. One afternoon I bought a TON of spiced, fresh olives from the market for only 1 Euro and sat and ate them on the rocks, a simple pleasure that was so amazing. Another day, I slept 9 whole hours to the sounds of the waves...it was a perfect place for rest.

Most of these photos feature the colors and textures of the town. I posted some of my favorite portraits, entitled The People of Amalfi over on my commercial blog. It's a great little post and I got a bit personal with it as well, so I encourage you all to check it out!

Going on this trip was everything I hoped it would be! I indulged in food, in wine, in rest and in simply wandering with my camera, which was exactly what I needed.

I hope you've enjoyed all of this! It's been so much fun to share and hear your responses!

Have an awesome weekend!

CIAO, e

European Journey // Amalfi Coast Part 1

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 02:49:41 -0600

The next part of my vacation took me to the Amalfi Coast of Italy. Now, I honestly didn't know much about this place when I booked it...I had just heard that it was gorgeous! It was more than gorgeous, it was simply stunning.

When I booked this entire trip, which was just a few weeks ago, my mission was to literally get away. To relax, eat Italian food, drink local wine and experience a culture I never had before. I am most inspired when I am in a new place and space. I looooooove soaking up 'real life' in a new culture and Amalfi was about as local as I could get. It's not particularly easy to get to, it's about a 3 hour train ride from Rome and then another hour by bus (and I must mention, if you have motion sickness...watch out!). The roads are nothing but sharp turns and switchbacks, but little by little I was transported into this very enchanting world called Amalfi.

My first day there, I spent doing absolutely nothing. It had been go-go-go in my travels so far, so I slept in and went on a bit of a day hike down to the beach. I didn't really come prepared for hiking and it was still quite chilly out, but it was well worth the walk to completely decompress, relax and take in all of the beauty around me!

More on the town of Amalfi in my next post!

LOVEe

European Journey // Rome, Part 2

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:55:37 -0600

I love black and white image, enough said.

For me, they are pure inspiration.

LOVEe