Mr. and Mrs. Austria: The Vietnamese Wedding // Part 2

As the epic day for Lisa and Stephen continued, the next phase was the Catholic ceremony, which took place at the amazing St. Kates Cathedral! There are so many things I love about this couple, but most of all, I just adored how Stephen had this HUGE smile on all day and he couldn't help but just radiate happiness! The couple's reception took place at The Depot, downtown Minneapolis, and I absolutely swooned over the decor! I loved the orange and yellow color pallet, along with the custom-home-made bottles of wine as a gift for the guests! DJ Fife finished out their night, which had more energy than any club I've been to lately!

If you missed it, check out Part 1 of Lisa and Stephen's wedding here!

Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. Austria on their amazing day!

LOVEe

Mr. and Mrs. Austria : The Vietnamese Wedding // Part 1

Lisa and Stephen came to me about a year ago and had only one thing to say about their wedding: It's going to be a long day! Lisa is Vietnamese and Stephen is Filipino, and tradition is extremely important to them! I have been so lucky in 2010 to work with so many different cultures and experience many more wedding ceremonies, outside of the traditional American way. I was up for the challenge and thrilled to be a part of their day! Team Photogen Inc was ready to rock at 6 am on their wedding day, which started at the Nguyen's home. The women all wore custom Aodai and the men wore elaborate Filipino shirts. The Vietnamese ceremony itself consists of the Groom, his groomsmen and family members, traveling to the Bride's home where all of her family awaits his arrival. They come with gifts to present to the Bride's family and ask permission to marry their daughter. Of course, Lisa's parent's accepted and everyone filled into the home where Lisa was presented to Stephen and a beautiful ceremony filled with many kind words and blessings took place! Next, we all traveled back to the Austria's home where another small ceremony took place in their home! There was more advice, more gifts...and more of these secret little shots that each family member took!

This part of the day was so beautiful and rich with culture! A while back, my great friend and fellow photographer, Daniel Chin, challenged me to shoot wider. 2 days before the Austria wedding, my dream lens, the 35mm 1.4 arrived and I couldn't have asked for a more perfect wedding to use it on for the first time! My approach to this part of their day was much more journalistic than usual, and I am in love with the images!

Lisa and Stephen's day continued with an American ceremony later in the day...the images are amazing, so watch out for Part 2 coming tomorrow!

LOVEe

Now Booking: FALL LOVEe Consults!

I've been getting MANY e-mails from many photographers asking about booking availability for LOVEe Consults! I thought it might be easiest to address you all at once and spread the love:

Q: I'm interested in booking a LOVEe Consult, what is your availability for this?

A: Since most of my weekends are booked with weddings, LOVEe Consults are booked any day of the work week, Monday - Friday! I am currently taking bookings for this fall and winter, starting September - January!

Q: How much is a LOVEe Consult? Is there a deposit?

A: Consults are $1000 for 8 hours. I require a 50% deposit to hold your date and the balance is due on the day of your consult.

Q: I am not from the Minneapolis area, do you travel for LOVEe Consults?

A: Absolutely! I love to do the consult in your home/office/studio...really, wherever your creative space is! I feel like it is more effective to wrap our minds around your business when we are in your element! I also love to travel, so general travel fees simply apply in addition to the consult fee.

Q: What topics would we cover in a LOVEe Consult?

A: These Consults are an intensive, one-on-one, 8 hour consultation on your entire business! My goal is to leave you with a clear vision of where your business is going and leave you with tools to continually be inspired!

Topics that we cover:

The Artist Intense Critique Goal Setting Marketing Submissions Equipment and Shooting Techniques Inspiration Open Q&A!

Q: Do we shoot during the Consult?

A: We have the opportunity to schedule your consult to exactly your needs. Some clients set up shoots for me to come along on and others set up client meetings for me to sit in on.  I leave this entirely up to you, to ensure that you are getting the most out of your time!

Q: I'm READY! How do I book my consult?

A: Simply e-mail me: eliesa@photogen-inc.com and we will get you on the calendar!!

Q: Do you have any more information on LOVEe Consults?

A: Absolutely! Download our AWESOME guide here to see all of the in-depth details on what we cover!!

I hope this helps!! I absolutely LOVE doing these!  I feel like I end up learning more than I teach some days. It has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my career, thus far, to really help and give back to those in the industry!

LOVEe

Update from MOAB!

I am currently in Moab, Utah with some of the most amazing women I know! Every year, we plan a 1 week retreat in a remote location to spend time with each other, catch up, take some photos, relax....and have a TON of adventure! Words can not express how much I love these ladies! The more time we all spend together, the more our relationships and friendships grow. It's incredibly encouraging to be surrounded with such amazing women who are not only talented and live-in-the-photography-world-with-me, but all of these ladies are simply rockin' in life as well. These girls challenge me on both professional and personal levels and I am so thankful for this week.

This week is all about community, bonding, and friendship!

So far, we've gone rock climbing in hummers on Hell's Revenge (which I must say was pretty intense at times, but I just CRAVE that in my life!), hiking at The Arches and even a little rafting excursion! There will be SO many more photos to come, but here are a couple for now!

Make sure to check out our official blog for the MOAB [trip] and see images from all of the MARFA [girls]!!

There are 8 other kick-ass women on the MOAB [trip], make sure to check out all of their amazing work:

Melanie Mauer Brooke Schwab Sarah Rhoads Shannon Sewell Laura Kay Millie Holloman Jessie Chamberlin Lyndzee Ellsworth

So much more to come!

LOVEe

Mr. and Mrs. Weisbrod!!

There is something so special about being invited into a family's biggest day of their life! There's something even more special about being invited, yet again, for another wedding in the same family! Last weekend, we traveled to the Milwaukee area for Jenny and Bryan's big event! I absolutely adore this couple, along with their family and friends! I first met Jenny and Bryan at his brother, Mike and Stacey's wedding, about 2 years ago! I remember them both very clearly, since the two were still dating and when Bryan proposed, I received an e-mail from Jenny saying," We just have to have you as our photographer!" I love this for many reasons, but most of all that this couple knew how I worked and completely and totally embrace my creative process! They put all of the trust - and gave me a world of freedom when it came to their wedding photos!

Jenny and Bryan, Thank you SO much for allowing me to spend more time with you and your families and get to capture this big day for you! We had a blast and I'm so excited for what your future holds!

Congratulations to the newest Mr. and Mrs. Weisbrod!

LOVEe

Summer Vacation!!

I feel like it's been SO long since I've blogged!! Well, probably because it HAS been! For the first time in YEARS, I finally took the time to go on a summer vacation! I know, I know, I travel all of the time for work and I am very, very lucky to do so! However, there is something SO different about shutting your phone off, not having the internet, spending time in the sun, watching the stars and catching up with family and friends!

It. Was. Amazing!

I feel SUPER refreshed and we are off to Lake Michigan this weekend for a wedding and then I'll be immediately flying out on Monday for the annual MARFA GIRLS TRIP!!! This year, our adventures take us to Moab, Utah!!!

Make sure to check out the our SUPER cool blog next week to see what shenanigans we're bound to get ourselves into...oh yeah...and some kick ass photos as well! 

LOTS to come!

LOVEe

A Spanish Wedding On Film!!

Today is the beginning of my official mid-summer-break! I don't have weddings for the next 2 weekends and I intend to go up north, sit in a hammock, read a book and get some wake boarding in! I've been going through all of my things and making sure that I'm all caught up for vacation and I came across these beauties that I haven't shared yet! I brought a bunch of film along with to Spain and I'm in LOVE with these images! They were all photographed with my trusty and oh-so-cool Yashica T4!!

I'll be turning off my phone and tuning out until August 4th, so I'll see you all then!

Here's to summer breaks and a beer!

To see more images from this AMAZING wedding in Spain, check out these posts:

Tara and Jorge: Married in Spain // Part 1 Tara and Jorge: Married in Spain // Part 2

LOVEe

Mr. and Mrs. Pounds!!

Holly and Jerry are a couple who are made for each other and no matter how hard they tried, fate brought them together! These two amazing people grew up together and knew of each other, but never dated. Holly was always intrigued by Jerry, but the two stayed as simply acquaintances and classmates over the years. It wasn't until their 10 year class reunion that Holly and Jerry noticed that they had a little romance and let me tell you, the sparks FLEW! Holly was absolutely radiating beauty on her wedding day with a classic 40's style look that was gorgeous! Their wedding took place in Aberdeen, South Dakota...literally in the middle of nowhere! Their ceremony was at a small country church, with only their closest family and friends in attendance. Just as the couple walked down the aisle, a serious...and I mean serious storm hit with over softball size hail! I've never seen hail or weather quite like that...ever! If rain is supposedly good luck on your wedding day, then the new Mr. and Mrs. Pounds are in for an extreme lifetime of happiness!

Thankfully, the weather passed super quick and the sunshine was simply GOLDEN on the landscape, which made for some absolutely stunning photos!

Congratulations to Holly and Jerry...the new Mr. and Mrs. Pounds!! It was such a pleasure to capture this day and experience it all with you! (Hail damage and all! :0)

LOVEe

ELIESA has Launched!!!!

I can't believe it is finally here! I am SO proud and excited to launch Eliesa, my new commercial brand!

I really started this process about 1 year 1/2 ago. I knew that I wanted to really pump up my commercial & editorial presence in the photography world and also start shooting for some bigger clients. Throughout this process I have met with Agents, had portfolio reviews, etc. to really get a good grasp on what, exactly, I needed to do to take everything to the next level AND be successful at it. The #1 piece of consistent advice that I received was to separate my commercial work from weddings...totally and completely.

Truth be told, the commercial and editorial photography is an entirely different world from weddings. I love this world and I know that so much of me belongs here as well! I'm excited to really dive into this realm and discover and grow as a photographer. I'm so ready to take on bigger shoots, better fashion, glossy-er magazine covers, you name it! :0) With this being said, I'm prepared to start from ground zero. I'm ready to pound the pavement again and see what doors might open!

A common question that I am getting is, "Eliesa, are you going to move away from weddings?" and the answer is absolutely no. I love photographing weddings and being a part of the wedding industry! I didn't begin my photography career as a wedding photographer at all, and I've always been shooting commercially. I'm just really ready to take things to a BIG EXCITING new place and to do that, I felt that it was absolutely necessary to keep these two worlds separate!

So, from now on, all things Photogen Inc + Wedding posts will be on this blog and any and all things Commercial + Editorial related will be on the new Eliesa blog!

Here's the direct info to add to your RSS feed:

Website: http://www.eliesajohnson.com Blog: http://www.eliesajohnson.com/blog Twitter: @eliesajohnson

I love absolutely everything about this brand! Aurora, once again, did an amazing job with bringing my vision (or lack there of for a while :0) to life! The brand is based around my signature and my name. Both of these are bold, unique, and a little bit sassy. It's a simple brand, with a whole lot of GLAM that is going to shine through in all of the portfolios, cards and leave behinds we will be sending out! I'll be blogging about this whole experience, so make sure to check out the Eliesa blog for all of those updates!

Without further adieu, I introduce to you....ELIESA

Thank you so much for checking it out!

LOVEe

And the Winner Is...

Congratulations to Lori and David!!! With a remarkable 2,370 votes, the lucky couple is the winner of the 2011 Wedding Giveaway!! The world fell in love with their fabulous story and I am SO excited to photograph their wedding next spring!

Arizona, here we come!!!

Thank you so much to Joslyn, Marcelo, Allison and Alex for being a part of this giveaway! You are both amazing couples with crazy-awesome futures ahead of you! A big thank you as well, to all of the friends, family and blog visitors who voted for all three couples!

LOVEe

2011 Photogen Inc Wedding Photography Giveaway: Vote now!

I'm SUPER excited to announce the top 3 couples in the 2011 Giveaway contest as well as open voting to the public! Each of these couple have an amazing love story, so now it's up to YOU to chose who wins their dream photography + video package! **This contest is highly based on voting with integrity. Please do not abuse our voting poll**

  Couple #1: LORI & DAVIDLocation: Arizona Story: Lori and David have known each other since they were little kids, yet they only met one year ago. Both of these two are from Romania and their families immigrated to the United States when they were very young. They just to play together as little children, but were separated when their churches split. Both Lori and David went on with their lives and as chance would have it, they both decided to go to the University of Arizona for college. Lori's friends would always talk about a Romanian boy they were friends with, but they never had a chance to meet. Lori eventually went off to Chicago for work, but came back to Arizona for medical school. Last year, while filling the role as a bridesmaid in her friend's wedding, Lori was magically paired up to walk down the isle with David! This mysterious Romanian boy she has been wondering all of her life was right there by her side and that is where he has been ever since! These two truly feel that the powers-that-be have brought them together and they have each found their soul mate!

Couple #2: JOSLYN & MARCELO

Location: Northern California

Story: Joslyn was a 25 year old American girl who was beautiful, smart and full of life...and she knew she would never 'sell out' when it came to love. She believed that her soul mate was out there...somewhere! Marcelo was a 27 year old Brazilian who decided to come to America to expand his international horizons with his law degree! 30 days before his year in America was up, he was invited to a dinner by Joslyn's father. Little did he know, this would be the day that would change his daughter's life forever! The two young loves started chatting it up at the party and from that point on, they built a super strong relationship in the next month! By the time Marcelo had to leave the country, they both knew this was more than a crush, this was IT. The couple spent hundreds of hours on skype, and after 3 international trips to see each other, Marcelo finally proposed!

Couple #3: ALLISON & ALEX

Location: Minneapolis

Story: Allison met Alex in high school, and they are a true story of how opposites attract. She was a junior, he was a senior. She was the artsy girl and he was the 'slacker' guy. However, after his grad party, they decided to hang out. A thunderstorm had descended and the couple got caught in the rain! They spent the rest of the night cuddled up on a couch watching a movie and quickly realized they were interested in each other! When it came time for Alex to go to college, he was 4 hours away from Allison and for 5 years, they had a long distance relationship! The distance only made them stronger and Alex proposed to Allison, a photography enthusiast herself, in a photo booth!

VOTE NOW! (If you don't see the voting poll below, click here!)