Personal

The Perfect Frame.

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Oh. My. God. I got a couple rolls of film back from my awesome lab and holy shit. Literally, holy shit. I know I say it again and again, but THE thing that fires me up the most about photography is film. It's raw, its real and many times it is the perfect little mistakes that make the most stunning images. It's also a process, which I love. There is no instant gratification, so it constantly teaches me to be patient with my art and passion. It reminds me to wait for the moment and think about what I am going to choose to use that valuable frame to capture.

Some people might argue, "Well Eliesa, you can be just as selective with digital photography." I argue no. It's a totally different medium of photography in my book. Is it better or worse than film? That is not the question. I don't think digital photography is better or worse than film photography, I simply think it is different.

I am obviously a big digital shooter and 90% of the work I do pump out is from my digital cameras, which argues another question, "If you love film so much, why don't you just shoot film?" The truth of the matter is, film is sacred to me. It holds a very special place in my heart and brings me back to my roots in photography and why I am a photographer. My film images are very personal to me, which is why I choose to save that for my personal projects/images and not for 'work'. Sometimes I bring my film cameras to weddings, because I feel inspired to, and I would love to shoot some film for an editorial spread sometime, because I think it is inspiring. However, for the most part, film is my escape in the busy world of photography that I LOVE to live in!

The image below is of Brandon and I am completely taken back by it! It speaks to me on so many different levels and it is absolutely perfect, in my opinion.

**AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION**

Does it speak to you? What are your thoughts?

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Enjoy!

LOVEe

Charming Chicago!

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Chicago was bursting with merriment this past weekend! I was in town to photograph an engagement session and just love this city so much! My dream is to live in a charming little brownstone and as I walked the streets I was also reminded of how much I love the bustle, eclectic crowd and energy of this place. Here are some out-takes and street shots I took...the stellar holiday engagement session is coming soon! chiblg0762.jpg chiblg0763.jpg chiblg0764.jpg chiblg0765.jpg chiblg0766.jpg

I hope everyone is having a very merry holiday season!

LOVEe

Liz Graduates!!!

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A BIG congratulations are in order for our one-and-only Liz!!! She graduated from Art School yesterday with her degree in Photography! For those of you who don't know, Liz is the Studio Manager here at Team Photogen Inc! She takes care of a lot of our post production and behind-the-scenes work at the studio. She is also an AMAAAAAAZING artist - actually, I prefer to call her the Queen of Film! For her final project, Liz had to design her website, business cards and leave-behinds, along with her portfolio book and show prints! I was AMAZED at how well Liz branded herself and I absolutely ADORE how everything came out! Check out her awesome promo materials below and also check out her website to see her work here! We are SOOOOOOO proud of you Liz and I am SO thrilled to have you a part of this team!

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Congrats to Liz!!

LOVEe

Catching Up!

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About a week ago, I had just come from the gym and was walking into the grocery store and all of a sudden I had this person standing in front of me saying, "When are we going to get coffee?" I was so startled, because I totally recognized this person, but I hadn't really seen them in years! It took me a good couple seconds to remember where I was and I was so confused...The person in front of me was one of my best guy friends growing up! His name is Dan and we did end up getting a cup of joe (well, I stopped drinking coffee, so I had my new-found-love Chai Tea) on our first blustery day of the year and I realized that the following statement is very true: Lifelong, true friends are those who you can pick up with right where you left off. No matter how long it has been, no matter what you have been through or where you are in life, they will always relate, support and love you. Great friends are home.

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Here's to snowy winter days and good friends!

LOVEe

Photogen Inc Holiday Party!

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It's that time of the year for holiday parties and the oh-so-popular Photogen Inc. Holiday Card!!!! We had our little holiday shindig this past weekend where we addressed, signed and stuffed all of our envelopes...along with some festive drinks, yummy food and fabulous little gifts! We do a secret Santa gift exchange every year and this year Brandon gave Tom a little flip book that creates random obscenities...see below...they are quite hilarious...I absolutely LOVE my team!!  holiday 2.jpg holiday 3.jpg holiday1.jpg holiday4.jpg I hope you all are having a very happy holiday season!

LOVEe

Ice, Ice Baby...

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Winter is officially here and this hat is THE best thing that has ever happened to me when it comes to dressing for the cold! I've also been photographing a number of portraits this last week for an editorial feature coming up and I just looooove this lighting! So, what better to do then to take a break from ye' ole' computers and shoot some pretty awesome portraits, if I may say so myself!

Liz was in Hawaii this past week, and I'm so happy she is back - I missed her!

So, here's to cold weather, cozy hats and great friends...oh yes, and the end of the week...and I don't have to shoot, so CHEERS TO WEEKENDS!!!!

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Have an AWESOME weekend!

LOVEe

5 days Off!

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Wow! I actually did it! I took 5 days off of work! For those of you who know me, you know how hard that is, but I have really, really enjoyed myself! (Ok, so I had 1 little shoot, but seriously, that was IT!) I absolutely LOVE what I do and I am passionate about my work, so I always feel like I have a million things to do, people who are depending on me, blog readers who are looking to read the next post, clients to meet with, etc. It can be hard for me to take a break, because I want to stay on top of everything and make sure everyone has exactly everything they need and everyone is happy. Yep...I do a lot for everyone else. Time to take some time for myself! I've been trying to do more and more of this and I must say I am feeling much more balanced because of it!

In the last 5 days I have...

Caught up on sleep Started running again (in prep for the indoor triathlon in a couple months....I still loathe running...) Bought some new records on Vinyl Broke the record player... Caught up with friends Made some very yummy food Ate all of the yummy food Saw my family Went to some improv comedy (which I highly recommend!) Bought a new toy (that is proving to be a TON of fun!) Enjoyed some Sunday Morning Yoga Started working on a new project!! Bought some tickets for John Mayer's Concert (in row 11...!!!!!) Watched some movies and Started making some dreams happen!

....Pretty boring and VERY awesome!

I hope you all had a very relaxing Thanksgiving weekend!

It's officially 'holiday season' (que Christmas music...)

LOVEe

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Happy Thanksgiving!

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This girl....has a lot to be thankful for! Thank you to each and everyone of you who has made 2009 absolutely AMAZING for me!

CHEERS TO YOU!

What are you thankful for?

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I hope everyone has one.awesome.thanksgiving!

LOVEe

Thoughts on my AMAZING Team!

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Our philosophy is to have as much fun as possible! For the last few years, team Photogen Inc has been a core of Brandon, Cadence and myself! As the company grows, we have DOUBLED in size! (Crazy, I know!) I am super happy and excited about all of the fabulous new photographers we have joining the crew for the 2010 season and on!

Each wedding we photograph is a true collaboration between artists. Yes, I'm the boss lady, yes I am the leader, but SO many cool images come from my 2nd shooters. I am so proud of everything everyone has brought to the table and the elements they contribute to the team as a whole.

Many people ask me, " How do you find people to work for you? How do you handle people leaving and going off on their own?"

The answers are simple. Find people who you jive with. People who lift you up and inspire you and you see passion in. Personally, I choose to spend a lot of time and effort into training my team, critique, etc. so we are all on the same page when it comes to shooting. We hang out a lot outside of the studio and are truly great friends. These are also people who I can be brutally honest with. Sometimes being 'the boss' is very hard. Lines are crossed between business and friendships sometimes, but everyone has the understanding that the two are separate, which makes it a whole lot easier! 

I also think that it is a very natural progression for assistants to grow and go out on their own and that we should embrace these changes and not be scared of them. Every artist has come to the point in their career where they know they are ready for another step. I've been there and you have been there. In the last year, Brandon has launched his own company, Rivets and Roses and Cadence just launched her new website and blog today! As my assistants are moving on, I brought in the new kids, Melissa, Tom and Ryan to take their roll as assistants, so B and C can focus on being leaders.

At the end of this last wedding, Cadence said, " Awe, guys! This might be the LAST time we all ever shoot together! We are all going to be so busy next year!"  The statement is true in that we are all going to be very busy. However, we will most definitely shoot together and collaborate in the future! We are a team...the DREAM TEAM...and we are unstoppable!

I am truly very blessed to be surrounded by such awesome people! They are my best friends and we are truly a family. I mean, shit, I get to WORK with these people EVERY DAY!!! How lucky am I?!?!?!

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Special thanks to our friends at The Traveling Photo Booth for these photos!

Enjoy!

LOVEe

I'm FANCY!

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Check this out - I'm officially FANCY! I absolutely LOVE seeing people begin new endeavors - and especially when I know they are going to be absolutely PERFECT for it!

Jessica is one of my brides from this past season and after her wedding, she launched a lovely new blog called 'Live The Fancy Life'.  Her blog features SO many awesome tips, tricks, interviews and hidden secrets about fancy things in the Twin Cities! And more importantly, Jessica is the QUEEN of finding hidden deals in this city and she is now sharing all of her fancy-little-secrets with all of her readers!

I think this blog is destine for GREATNESS!

I am flattered and very excited to be featured as a 'FANCY FEATURE'!!!

Check out Part I of my interview here!!

(Part II will be coming later this week!)

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Make sure to check out Live The Fancy Life  often for more fabulous tips on how to be FANCY!

LOVEe

Dear Minnesota,

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You've been very, very gray and depressed lately. And what is the deal with not giving us all an Autumn? Fall is suppose to be for warmer, sunny days that are perfect for hoodies and lovely walks! I'm simply suggesting that you grace us with some sunshine - and make Winter super short...:0) Winter is nature's way of saying, "Up yours." 

~Robert Byrne

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This is a photo from one of our nicest days this fall. I've been promising this photo for one of my friends for the past 5 months and I finally got around to it. I seem to see a shift in some of my work in the Winter months. I also think as an artist, I like texturizing and layering images in the Winter -- Kind of like how I love to dress in layers and keep all cozy in the cold....I think I just said that textures are cozy. Yes, sometimes they make me feel all warm and fuzzy...

LOVEe

Happy Birthday!!!

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bdayIMG_5905.jpgToday is my birthday! Yeah for birthdays!! For my birthday this year, I took 3 days off. 3 days for just myself to do whatever I want - and to celebrate of course!

Yesterday, I was having lunch at a small deli, and eating alone mind you, and one of the chef's came to my table and said, "I just wanted to say Thank You for sharing your photos with this city." I was obviously very flattered at such a random compliment, but I was also very humbled - and I continue to be humbled. As I thought about it some more, I began to realize how many people check back into this blog, log onto the facebook page and follow my nonsense on Twitter on a DAILY basis...and you keep coming back!!! My business is truly SO strong, partially because of the work I do, but even more from YOUR support!

Thank YOU! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you ALL for continually supporting me and my team and our dreams!

I've also spent some time reflecting on the AMAZING last year that I have had! We've accomplished SO much  - our team is growing, we launched a new brand and expanded our dreams to support Brandon, photographed some amazing editorial features (and my DREAM fashion shoot, which will come out November 1st!!!), and I personally purchased my Frye Boots this year, which to me was the equivalent of a Rolex...Yes, if I put it in these terms, I have done A LOT this last year.....However......

The momentum is growing for something much bigger than I can possibly comprehend at the moment, and I am SO excited!

I thought I would share with you some of my personal + professional goals for this next year... ~Create more of a work / life balance: This really is happening and I am feeling much better about 'shutting off work' when I leave the studio for the day! For all of us who own our own businesses, it's not simply a job, but rather a lifestyle. However, sometimes I need to tell myself that it is OK to take breaks....hence my 3 days off this week :0) ~Visit my friends, Often: I have THE best friends all around the world really! I am one REALLY lucky girl! I would love to see many of you much, much more, and I intend to do so!

~Get In Shape: Seriously, it is time! And I have some goals, starting with an indoor triathlon this winter (indoors because it's usually -22 degrees here in the winter....) ~Travel: I want to take a 3-4 week trip sometime during this next year to somewhere very exotic with a lot of adventure!! YESSS!!! ~Continue to Inspire People: This is the BEST compliment I have ever received. It is humbling, yet invigorating at the same time - there are BIG plans / projects that I will be working on over this winter that will hopefully up the inspire-anti in the photography industry! I never dream small...

~Push the Limits: I intend to REALLY, REALLY push the limits this year. From my team's abilities and what we can do together to my wedding work, commercial work and editorial work - and REALLY pushing the boundaries of what I am capable of! ~Ray LaMontagne: I MUST GO TO A CONCERT!!!! ~Make a Book: I've wanted to do this for a while as a personal project and it is already in the works! It's going to be filled with only photos, very fine art based.

~Remember Myself: And be the BEST possible person I can be for both myself and everyone who surrounds me!

Now, everyone, please raise your glass with me...CHEERS!

LOVEe