Tara LaTour + Eliesa Johnson = The Shit!!!

I am soooooo excited to share these images with you! Like, little kid-jumping-up-and-down excited! A few weeks ago, I received an e-mail from a girl named Tara. In that letter, she asked me to photograph her final Collection for her graduate program at Parsons (yes, like project runway Parsons...only real students are even more bad-ass!) The hitch was that she was in NYC, I was in MPLS and her deadline was in a week and a half. She sent me a link with some cell-phone-shots of her dresses and my jaw dropped. I knew that I needed to do absolutely everything I could to photograph this amazing pieces of art! The universe came together for us and it just so happened I was going to be in NYC that coming weekend, so we started planning our last-minute shoot!

The best part about my job is this sense of collaboration I get from working with other artists. It's amazing to just create with other amazing people who also have a vision. Tara really gave me free reign at the shoot and everything just simply fell into place! Before the day was done, I knew I wanted these images to be shared with the world and be published . 1) I wanted people to find/know/experience Tara and her beautiful collection. 2) I think these images are fucking amazing and I am way too excited about the whole project to NOT share this with you!

Through our conversations, I really began to respect Tara even more. She is on a mission to 'Revolutionize' the wedding industry and I absolutely believe she will do this!

A special THANK YOU to the Wedding Chicks for publishing this spread on their blog and sharing this with the world! Check out their review + Post HERE! (And we would love to hear your comments on the spread + designs overall!)

Here's a look at all of our original spreads! Please head over to the Wedding Chicks blog to see more photos + behind-the-scenes sketches from Ms. LaTour!

Here's to being remarkable!

Tilt Shift MINNeSHOP!

WOOOO to the freakin' HOOOO! Yesterday I hosted the first-ever (and first of many!) MINNe-SHOP! The topic was all about Tilt Shift Photography, which I feel is an area of shooting that many photographers want to learn more about and/or are curious about. The thing about using a Tilt Shift lens is that it is quite tricky. It's an all manual lens, but there are many, many more things to think about than simply just the technical function of the lens! When shooting with a T/S lens, you need to take your time and think about a few things:

1)Composition. Where and how am I going to place my images in a setting that is going to benefit from this lens?

2)Exposure. The light changes WAY often when using this lens. How can I nail this exposure?

3) Focus. How is this lens/effect going to benefit my image? How am I going to use this tool to draw in the viewer?

(And this is all before you even take the photo!)

It's super tricky, but absolutely stunning when you nail a good image! This lens takes nothing but time and patience to learn, hence the MINNeSHOP. I wanted to give our attendees an opportunity to use all of the T/S lenses available out there and just have time to play. There is a lot of artistic freedom with using this lens, but I think there is one MAJOR rule that all of us photographers really need to follow:

Every time you pick up your T/S lens, ask yourself, "Is this the right tool for this image? How is this lens benefiting the overall composition? Am I using it to really captivate and draw in the viewer or am I just using it to be trendy and cool?"

I must say, I was very impressed with all of the MINNeSHOP-ers! Some of them had never even picked up this lens and they got some amazing photos! We had an AMAZING turn out (one girl even came all the way from Iowa!) A special thanks to everyone who attended!

Emily Steffen Jen Schultz Jessica Newbauer Emma Freeman Alicia Struble Brianna Kopka Vickey Weiss Bethany O'Day Paula Charchenko Shelly Anderson Tom DeBruyn

A HUGE Thank-You to our super HOT couples who came out to model for us! Erick, Bri, Emily and Matt, you ROCKED it!

Here are some awesome images from the attendees!

The purpose of the MINNeSHOP is to educate photographers in the Midwest about specific topics of the photography world! It's also designed to be a very casual learning environment with some hands-on opportunities and bring people together! I'm hoping to be doing a MINNeSHOP about every 2 months, so please write in with any suggestions on topic that you would like to learn about!

eliesa@eliesajohnson.com

Happy Tilting!

LOVEe

LOVEe Consults: PhotoJessic!

This past week, I sat down with the lovely Jessica of PhotoJessic for her LOVEe Consult! As artists, we talk a lot about our Personal Style. This also comes with many questions: What is my personal style? How do I find it? What if it changes, is that ok? There's no doubt about it, finding your personal style is a process, but it must not be forced. Jessica and I talked a lot about how there is a big trend in the photography industry right now with the Vintage theme. Soft colors, leaning towards warmth and romance are everywhere. Jessica's major question was, "I don't want to be like anyone else, I don't want to be trendy, but I really, truly, love the vintage vibe...how do I stay original?"

The thing that Jessica didn't realize is that she has her personal style nailed down. When you walk into her studio space, the light is soft, her building is old, and she even has a vintage clock. Her favorite colors surround her and even the way she dresses is just soft and pretty. She exudes everything that is soft, pretty and vintage. Her images reflect her personal style, which is key.

Defining what your personal style is should be natural, because it comes from YOU and everything you are about. It is derived from your personal experiences, the kind of music you like, and everything you are attracted to in this world. Above all, by staying true to yourself, your images will be of things you are passionate about and ultimately they will be executed in a way that no one else can, because it is YOU. Your style will evolve, just as you change as life goes on, but there will always be core elements that will be timeless. Embracing the process of change will lead you to finding - and then realizing- what makes your images yours.

To learn more about LOVEe Consults and to schedule yours today, CLICK HERE!

Have an amazing weekend everyone!

LOVEe

Oooh la la!

Ahhhhh, shit! I've been wanting to get some new photos of myself for a long while now, specifically for the blog and website! I think it's good to update your photos every few years and freshin' up things a little bit around here!

I started to think about who I would want to take these photos and the same girl kept coming to mind. She's incredibly talented - and a no bullshit kind of girl, which I absolutely love. Above all though, I knew I needed a photographer who's images would exude a feel that I wanted to be 'my image' for clients to see...Angelica Glass was the only woman for the job!

Getting these images done was SO much fun! I got all made up by the lovely Erica Flamm and all styled up as well! I always feel like blog images should be super fun as well - and why not go all out?

We shot yesterday in NYC and I am thrilled with the few images Angelica has posted already! If you want to be inspired, make sure to check out Angelica's blog!

A HUUUUUUGE thank you to Angelica for the rockin' photos, they are perfect!

LOVEe

Almost Taymous!!

I would LOVE to introduce you all to a fabulous new blog - Almost Taymous! I met Tamara (pronounced Tay-mar) about a year ago while photographing her brother's wedding with Brandon and we were instant friends! This. girl. is. hilarious!

Right after her brother's wedding, she lost her 'dream job' and was a bit conflicted as to what she should do next. She knew what she loved and she knew what she was good at...and all of a sudden it came to her, a blog. She channeled all of her energy into putting it together and I must say, I think it is going to be a hit!

Tamara loves everything celebrity, fashion, and trends. She is also always hot-on-the-gossip and never holds back her honest opinion about whatever is the latest hot-topic.

For her blog, she wanted to do a 'spoof' of celebrities', which she asked me to shoot. Our goal was to make them super sarcastic and cheezy, which I think we achieved! ;0)

I highly encourage you all to check out Almost Taymous and in her own words:

"After closely following the ups and downs of the lives of celebrities, it is clear that being famous has its price. So I will move in a slightly different direction, since anyone can be famous these days, only one can be Almost Taymous."

Here's to following your dreams!

LOVEe

Award Winning!!! Hell Yeah!

As I briefly stated in my previous blog post, I was super excited to find out that one of my prints had won in the 16x20 Print Competition in Las Vegas! I was incredibly excited, but then today I got the official results of all of my prints that were entered - and SURPRISE!!! Not one, but TWO of my prints were big winners! The two famous images are below and come from the fabulous Fine Lines shoot and the lovely Siegfried Wedding! Entering images in competitions is so much fun - and I also believe it is essential. It is most definitely a way to put yourself out there, and continually hold yourself accountable to creating solid, mind-blowing work. It's also very interesting to go out of your comfort zone and have judges critique your work, which is again, an essential part of growth for any artists!

Competitions can be a pretty penny to enter, and in the end, there is no guarantee that you will win. But I also think it is an investment in yourself as an artist. Not just in the cost of printing and actually entering, but an investment to your creative health. It feels so good to win...and without taking risks....I would never be AWARD winning! (For the 2nd year in a row...don't worry, I'm brushing my shoulder off right now! ;0)

LOVEe

Self Styled: The March Issue!

The March issue of Metro Magazine is on stands now! Here's a peek of this month's Self Styled Article...I'm loving it!

Remember to support the magazine industry buy picking one up!

LOVEe

For your Saturday Viewing Pleasure...

This video makes me happy for so many reasons! I love you all!

LOVEe

LOVEe Consults Presents: MINNE-SHOPS!

WHOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!!

I am SUPER excited to announce the first-ever MINNe-SHOP!!

2010 is all about giving back and educating photographers all across the country and also right here in the MPLS!

The MINNe-SHOP is an afternoon for Minneapolis photographers to get together and really learn about a specific part of photography.

The first topic will be all about creating amazing images using the Tilt Shift lens! This has become a big trend in the industry all around - and with any trend, there are good and bad ways to use this tool. My goal is to pump up the volume and really help photographers feel comfortable using this amazing piece of equipment!

Agenda:

Tilt Shift Talk Live Shooting / Practice with T/S lenses Group Critique of Images

We will be renting T/S lenses for the attendees to try out and practice your mad-skills! Food and Beverages will also be provided throughout the day!

TO SIGN UP FOR THIS AWESOME DAY, CLICK HERE!

FAQ:

How much does it cost?

$125/person and this includes the class time, lens rentals and food!

What will I learn from this MINNe-SHOP?

This first-ever MINNe-SHOP will be focusing directly on Tilt Shift Photography. We will cover everything from the technical reasoning behind the lens to how to use it to create an EPIC image!

Will I actually be able to use a T/S lens?

Yep! We will be renting T/S lenses for both Canon and Nikon Cameras. If you have your own, absolutely bring it along! We will also be having real couples as your subjects to practice on!

Will the group critique be scary?

No, no, no. Group critiques are meant to help you grow as a photographer! No one is going to beat you down to the ground, this is all about encouragement! I am a big believer in critique...in fact, I think it is essential!

What is the difference between a LOVEe Consult and a MINNe-SHOP?

LOVEe Consults are one-on-one, 8 hour mentor sessions. During these days, we cover anything and everything about your photography business. MINNe-SHOPS are mini-workshops designed for groups and we will only cover a specific topic during the afternoon.

Will there be future MINNe-SHOPS?

Absolutely! Do you have a topic you want covered? E-mail your ideas to me: eliesa@photogen-inc.com

CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE FUN!

I'm Sooooooo excited!

LOVEe

We are Invincible!

So, last night, I went to the John Mayerconcert. It. Was. Amazing! For some reason, whenever I am at concerts, the lyrics hit me like a ton of bricks and I have these big realizations about life, love and business!The last song John sang is called 'No Such Thing' and as the song started, my friend Erin (who I went to high school with, but we were never friends-until-after-high-school-sort-of-thing) said to me, "Wow, Eliesa, think of how far you have come..." I didn't know what he meant by that, I mean, yeah, I have a successful business and I love what I do, but he's on a fantastic journey of his own through school, why would he say that? The lyrics go something like this:

"Welcome to the real world", she said to me Condescendingly Take a seat Take your life Plot it out in black and white Well I never lived the dreams of the prom kings And the drama queens I'd like to think the best of me Is still hiding Up my sleeve

They love to tell you Stay inside the lines That something's better On the other side

I wanna run through the halls of my high school I wanna scream at the Top of my lungs I just found out there's no such thing as the real world just a lie you've got to rise above

So the good boys and girls take the so called right track Faded white hats Grabbing credits Maybe transfers They read all the books but they can't find the answers And all of our parents They're getting older I wonder if they've wished for anything better While in their memories Tiny tragedies

I am invincible (x3) As long as I'm alive

and suddenly it hit me...we are living in a completely different world now.

I am also reading this fabulous book called Linchpin by the one-and-only Seth Godin and it talks all about this new world we are living in. His major point is how we have all been trained to think that our lives are suppose to go a certain way. We go to school (which is very structured), continue on to college, graduate, and go on to work for a company who will determine how much money you make - but alas - they will give you health insurance and really 'take care' of you. We've been raised to think that this process is the way to happiness.

Yesterday I also had a conversation with a friend who told me her father just got laid off from his job and he is having to face a world that he never thought he would have to learn. The world of computers. Her father literally has to go back to take classes to learn about the internet, because that is THE only way to apply for a job. It's not easy for my friend to see her father, who she has always envisioned as a strong leader to be back at the level of a 5 year old - and I am sure terribly aggravating and frustrating for him to be back at square one when he is 'suppose' to be enjoying these years.

As the song above was playing, I kept thinking about the book, my conversation with my friend and the comment that Erin just made about how far I've come and the BIG realization I made was that in other people's eyes, I have constantly gone against the grain. I have always done the opposite of what I was 'suppose' to do and I most definitely did not take the easiest route to get where I am. But I believed in myself, in my craft and in my dream. To other people, I have not just built a business, but I have shown other people that following your dream and being successful at is IS A REALITY!

The world that we are in now is not structured and safe. It is essential for everyone to look inside themselves and figure out how to be indispensable - to be sooooo good at what you do that people can not look away! There is no longer the guarantee of health insurance or a high paycheck out of grad school. This doesn't mean that I think everyone should go and start their own business, just because I did, but whoever you work for - it is still up to you to 'seize-the-day"! Think out of the box, challenge others, get creative and be a leader in everything you do.  I'm a big believer the our mindset and world views are going to need to change in order to adapt to the new, fast world as-we-know-it.

There are no longer rules - get use to it and enjoy it.

Embrace the change.

With this new world comes new opportunities for you.

What are you going to do?

LOVEe

Related articles:

• Linchpin by Seth Godin - Video Book Review (chrisbrogan.com)