Team Photogen Inc. traveled to Vegas this past week for the notorious WPPI! This is the biggest photography convention around and kind of like the 'Grammy's' of our industry!

Team Photogen Inc. descended on Vegas and we had SO. MUCH. FUN! It is always so good to see our friends - seriously, it feels so good to re-connect with people.

I decided to not bring my camera this year (except for my Fuji Instax + film camera), which ended up being kind of a weird feeling for me. Yet, I felt a little more free, not being bogged down with equipment, but I did always feel like I was missing something!

Some of the highlights of the week:

Watching the Hangover + Having a Pizza Party with our friends Matt & Spencer & Jeffrey
Sharing the love with other photographers at the Red Cart Booth
Dancing the night away at Airhorns and Lasers
Meeting the uber awesome Red Cart Crew...they are so cool!
Seeing our friends over at SHOOT Q and preaching the love we have for them!
Having dinner with my AMAZING Marfa Girls - and finding out our next trip is in MOAB, UT!
Dancing in Studio 54 with the PG Crew!
Morning breakfast in our awesome Mandalay Bay Suite with the A Bryan Photo crew....our teams have officially met....greatness may be in the works!

Here are a list of our AMAZING friends that we caught up with - and some new ones!

Sarah Rhoads
Millie Holloman
Lauren Clark
Kelly Moore
Brooke Schwab
Lyndzee of EP Love
Jesse Chamberlin
Shannon Sewell
Studio 509
The Solars
Jose Villa
Daniel Chin
Ajit Singh
Jesh De Rox
The Into The Darkroom Team
Mind I Castle
Ben Harrison
Jory Cordy
James Moes
Sergio Mottola
Andrew Vick
Biff
The Smilebooth
Brent Holloman
Mathieu & Molly
 (if I forgot anyone...soooo sorry, we love you too!)

I also won another national award!!!! I won in the 16x20 Print Competition for images in the Finelines Shoot! WOOOO HOOOOO!!!!!!!

Cheers to Vegas!

LOVEe

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

It's that time of the year again! Each year, photographers from all around the world descend upon Las Vegas for the biggest photography convention out there! Our days are filled with learning, partying, trade-showing, partying, testing new equipment, partying, seeing old friends, partying and making new friends!

Do you see a trend?

Vegas is absolutely all about having fun and rocking out with the best in the photography industry!

I've received a lot of e-mails from photographers requesting to get together and meet our crew! The best way to hook up with us is to follow us on twitter to see where we are and and the shenanigans we are up to!

We will be in Las Vegas March 7-10.

Follow eliesa on twitter: @photogeninc
Follow the Photogen Inc. Assistants on twitter: @eliesaspeople


On Sunday night we will be attending the Airhorns and Lasers Party, which is bound to be the hottest part in Vegas this weekend!

We will also be hanging out and showing our love at the Red Cart Booth (#1121 - right by Midwest Photo Exchange) We will be there:

Monday: 1-4pm
Tuesday 1-3pm

Make sure to stop by, give us a BIG high-five and check out how awesome Red Cart is!

Also keep your eyes open for the awesome stuff that our friends over at Into The Darkroom will be up to! They have a secret promo team that we will also be a part of and there are some MAJOR PERKS & PRIZES involved!!!

See you all in VEGAS!


LOVEe

So, last night, I went to the John Mayer concert. It. Was. Amaaaaaaaazing!

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 Johnny 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

MN Photostars!!!! What is this, you say? It's a little group I put together back-in-the day with the uber-awesome Sara Montour, who has since moved to Seattle! Our vision was to create an environment for the raddest photographers from Minnesota to just get together, have fun, grab a beer and chill! We hosted a few of these, but since Sara moved, I kind of put it on the back burner until Stephany lit a fire under me one day and said, "Hey! We should still do this!"

Hence, a new generation of the Photostars is born and I am thrilled to say that we had THE best turn out EVER at Photogen Inc Studios! These events are an open invitation to any and all photographers in the area. Experience level doesn't matter, your niche in the industry doesn't matter - all that matters is that you BRING the FUN!

I have this vision of putting MPLS - or the Midwest for that matter - on the map in the photo industry and let me tell you, we have some KILLER talent in this town!

We also have some killer looks...obviously!






Thank you SO much to everyone who came out to the event! I foresee many of these in our future!

To view all of the photo booth images, click here!



LOVEe