Editorial

Dessa // A Pound of Steam

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Dessa is a badass. She's the lady in town that every dude has a crush on and every girl does too. She's just one of those people that is that cool. In October, Dessa released her first book called  A Pound of Steam, published by the folks at Rain Taxi. We all know that Dessa can write. Her lyrics are some of the most brilliant I've read, so to venture into the world of poetry seems to be a natural transition for her. I was lucky enough to photograph Dessa for MPLS / St Paul Magazine and wanted to share a few more portraits than what ran in the issue. What I learned about Dessa in our short time together is that she is equal parts vulnerable and confident, outspoken and sweet, yet approachable. She is a talented beauty and voice that we are are so lucky to have here in our city.  And yes, she is that cool. Check out A Pound of Steam, Tour Dates and the full article with Dessa here! DESSA_EliesaJohnson_0001 DESSA_EliesaJohnson_0002 DESSA_EliesaJohnson_0003 DESSA_EliesaJohnson_0004 DESSA_EliesaJohnson_0005 DESSA_EliesaJohnson_0006 DESSA_EliesaJohnson_00072

MSP / St Paul Magazine // Satchel B. Moore

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With a name like Satchel B. Moore, how can you not be an interesting person in this town? For those of you who aren't familiar with Satchel, he is part of the team at Black Blue, a great shop in St. Paul. More than that, Satchel is crazy passionate about good, quality denim. I had the pleasure of photographing Satchel for MPLS / St Paul Magazine for the current issue and for this portrait, we were invited into Satchel's home. This dude really takes customer service to a whole other level. He cares so much about his clients that he personally hems their jeans in his home for them. I think that is pretty cool. Make sure to check out Satchel's full article in the October issue, which is on newsstands now. This space was soooooo cool that I just had to share a few more portraits that didn't run in print. Enjoy!  

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MPLS/St. Paul Magazine // The Beer Issue

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It's October and you know that that means - everyone is in the mood for a good brew. This month's issue of MPLS / St Paul Magazine is on newsstands now and I am SO proud to have been a big part of this issue. There are a few stories that I was invited to photograph, all that I will be sharing, but I wanted to start out with the big story - beer. This story took me to Fulton, 612 Brew, Indeed Brewing, Schells Brewing and even a stop to the Better Beer Society University. I have always loved the beer culture in our city, and it was great to learn even more about it! The story revolved around the sense of community that the tap rooms bring and is full of information!  

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Mpls St Paul Magazine // Burger Feature

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Sometimes I take an assignment that is totally out of left field, just to challenge myself. As we all know, I mostly concentrate on photographing people. Whether that be environmental portraits, fashion or ad campaigns - people are usually the main focus of the work I create. When MPLS St Paul Magazine approached me about photographing their burger feature for the August issue, I couldn't help but say yes. I'm a GIANT foodie at heart and it was a challenge I was happy to accept. There are overall 20 pages devoted to burgers in this issue and we had the pleasure of photographing 17 different restaurants for this article! I brought along some help for this shoot - our all-star-intern Melissa and our awesome-video-dude, Chris. Chris was our resident burger-eater when we needed someone to really dive in, but he also offered his talents for this sweet behind-the-scenes video! I also learned that I can shoot one mean burger...  

Burger// Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine from Chris Wegner on Vimeo.

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Twin Cities Business Magazine // Train Feature

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I love getting back to my documentary roots as a photographer and going on assignment. I've had a few gigs now with Twin Cities Business Magazine and this last story I photographed was awesome and I absolutely loved every last minute of it! The story brought me all the way out to Glencoe, MN to photograph the men on the railroad. My favorite subject was a man named Kenny. This is the only job he has ever had in his entire life and the quiet pride he has for this job is very telling when you meet him. Sometimes, we dream about 'making it' and 'following our passion' and it always seems to be doing something big and ambitious. For Kenny, his passion lies on this railroad, in this community and it's simple. Here are some out-takes that didn't make the spread, enjoy! TrainBlog0001 TrainBlog0002 TrainBlog0003 TrainBlog0004 TrainBlog0005 TrainBlog0006 TrainBlog0007 TrainBlog0008 TrainBlog00092

2013 LAVENDER Wedding Issue // Minnesota Marriage Equality

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The latest issue of LAVENDER Magazine is officially on newsstands and I am SUPER happy to have been a part of this shoot! This issue is the 2013 Wedding Issue for the magazine, and I was chosen to collaborate with some AMAZING people to really elevate the presence of gay marriage in our city and photograph the fashion editorial. Obviously, same-sex marriage is a hot topic at the moment, and a movement that I really believe in. I was over the moon with the idea of creating imagery to promote marriage equality and I hope you are as pleased with the outcome as I! Below are images from the LAVENDER Online Issue and you can grab a copy in print - literally - all around town! The issue is only on newsstands for a few weeks, so check it out before they are all gone! Of course, no shoot happens without an amazing team behind me. This was a major production, with two days of shooting, in two very different locations. We photographed the women at The Union Depot in downtown St. Paul and then moved the crew back to Minneapolis at The Bachelor Farmer to photograph the men.  Style Architects put together the wardrobe and set styling, which featured some fabulous companies, including: Ignite Models Inc., Gateaux Inc, Martha's Garden, L'atelier Couture, Realia by Jen, On Solid Ground Vintage Rentals, Roe Wolfe, BeThings, Saima Says Design, Heimie's Haberdashery, Martin Patrick 3, Hammermade and more!  In addition to the photographs, Chris Wegner also came along to create two amazing behind-the-scenes videos for you to check out:

LAVENDER Wedding Shoot // Day 1

LAVENDER Wedding Shoot // Day 2

 

 

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Behind The Scenes // Lavender Shoot

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This year, I was asked to photograph a fashion editorial for Lavender Magazine's upcoming wedding issue. The prospect of legalizing gay marriage in Minnesota is on the horizon, so this is a very exciting project to be a part of! The shoot took place over two days, and we had an amazing crew of people to work with, including Style Architects, The Bachelor Farmer and The Union Depot - just to name a few! The issue is printing, as we speak, so I'll share more when it rolls out on news stands. In the mean time, Thea Volk, took some awesome behind-the-scene photos of our crew that turned out to be so much fun...I simply had to share! IMG_6149 IMG_6150 IMG_6158 IMG_6171 IMG_6183 IMG_6196 IMG_6227 IMG_6233 IMG_6234 IMG_6244 IMG_6258 IMG_6276 IMG_6294 IMG_6295 IMG_6315 IMG_6316 IMG_6332 IMG_6340 IMG_6351 IMG_6357 IMG_6360 IMG_6385 IMG_6391 IMG_6394 IMG_6400 IMG_6406 IMG_6422 IMG_6433 IMG_6456 IMG_6457 IMG_6463 IMG_6472 IMG_6482 IMG_6485 IMG_6516 IMG_6519

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Metro Magazine // The Cocktail Feature

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As many of you know in Minneapolis, a couple of weeks ago, one of the city's finest magazines announced it will be closing it's doors. METRO Magazine has been one of my best clients since day one of it's launch and it's a little bittersweet seeing it go. Why bittersweet? Well for starters, I had a blast on every assignment with the magazine. Seriously, I couldn't have asked for better opportunities and a better crew to work with, than all of the art directors, editors and writers on the METRO staff. Also, as the decline of print editorial started taking it's toll, everyone knew the end might be coming; however, our crew still came together to try and re-define what the readers wanted and give them something special every month! It's always sad to see something so great leave a city, but this is also a time for change. Minnesota Monthly seems to be making some fun changes and there's also a new fine-art-based magazine, called Thirty Two that could do some great things for our local market as well! To everyone I worked with on METRO projects over the years: Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

In the August issue of Metro Magazine, I had one last hoo-rah with the staff, which was photographing a drink feature. The article was all about how to throw your own swanky cocktail party at home! We had so much fun during this shoot and I wanted to share a few more images with you than what was printed.

CREDITS//

Photography: Eliesa Johnson

Set Styling: Style Architects

Wardrobe Styling: Faith Brue of Style Architects

Bar Accessories and Bowties: Martin Patrick 3

Flower Arrangements: Spruce Flowers and Home

Coasters &  Mini Notebooks: Paperista