Celebrating 18 Years of Business!

May 17, 2023 in LOVEe, For The Pro's, Editorial, Commercial

Today marks 18 years of business. Wow. What started as a little dream of being a photographer and working for myself, has turned into four separate but connected businesses. It has also required me to show up – every day – for 18 years; it has taught me tenacity, resilience, and just how believing in yourself (and more importantly, those around you) can lead to creating such beautiful things.

I’ve always been an advocate of collaboration and building the businesses over the years has happened very organically because of it. I’ve been so lucky to have such talented artists come through our studio doors and be a part of the work. I’ve been even luckier to have retained such incredible talent for so many of these years. The work that we create together is what I am endlessly proud of.

So, where are we now? At Year 18, here’s an update on all of the things we’re doing at our NE MPLS studio:

The Restaurant Project™: This is the youngest but fastest growing branch of our business. Over the last 6 years, TRP has grown into a collective of photographers, creatives, videographers, brand builders and content strategists who make marketing easier for restaurants and food brands. This year, we're working to refine our processes, make space for artistic exploration and develop a few new packages to offer, particularly for businesses in the startup stage looking for a one-stop creative shop. We're very excited for what's to come here—for our clients and our team!

Rivets and Roses: Our wedding photography studio currently features the work of four AMAZING photographers. As Melissa, Jess, Ben, and Tara embark on this year’s wedding season, I am so excited to see the work that they will all create for our clients. Every season I am endlessly inspired by their work! Our mission at Rivets is to support all couples getting married. With PRIDE month coming up in June, our studio will be rolling out information on the ways that we are continuing to support the LGBTQ+ community. I am so very proud of this work and the impact it is making for our clients.

Eliesa Johnson Photography: I’m still rolling along with this work! Eliesa Johnson Photography encompasses all of the editorial and commercial work that I personally lead. It’s a beautiful place where I get to go on assignment with just me and my camera or even better, a large production crew of the best freelancers around. There are some very exciting projects I’ve been working on that I can’t wait to share once they are released!

Photogen Inc.: This is the original company; the foundation of it all. It has been steady and strong over the years. Photogen Inc. is the space where I come to photograph luxury weddings, which have taken me around the world. I am so grateful for these opportunities! Photographing weddings is still something that I greatly enjoy and it grounds me. I have had the pleasure of working alongside some of the absolute best wedding vendors, who are true artists in their own right! While I only choose a select few weddings each year now to photograph, I am always excited to see where each season will take me and the amazing couples and families I get to spend time with!

What are my hopes for the future?

To empower our clients

To support our artists

To create iconic images

To continue to have longevity in our industry

Que Viet // The Restaurant Project

March 10, 2021 in Commercial

Que Viet is a family owned Vietnamese restaurant and a cornerstone of food in Minneapolis. This winter, The Restaurant Project worked with the restaurant to update their imagery for their online ordering, website and social presence! Since the start of the pandemic, take out food has been king. Part of our inspiration in going into this photoshoot for Que Viet was asking ourselves, “How can we elevate the takeout game? How can we create images that inspired us?” I absolutely love how these images turned out - they are moody, but vibrant, rich and inviting.

Here are a few examples of how the restaurant incorporated the images for their online menus!

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Martina x The Restaurant Project

January 31, 2019 in Commercial, Editorial, Portrait

About a year and a half ago, I had coffee with Chef Daniel del Prado. He told me about the ideas behind his first breakout restaurant, which was to be called Martina. I left that meeting feeling very inspired by the team of people he was bringing together and how their vision was lead by creativity.

This was a perfect project for our team over at The Restaurant Project and over a couple of days, we harnessed the most badass light to make some amazing images happen. It’s always so exciting for me to bring a vision to life, but when the light works out like it did these days, it truly is pure magic!

Needless to say, Martina has been a big hit and we’re so proud of seeing their hard work pay off. Below are some of my favorite images from our shoot with Martina and The Restaurant Project!

American Express | Minneapolis Digital Campaign!

December 03, 2018 in Commercial

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Some new work we photographed this summer for American Express has started to roll out! The images feature various shops & restaurants in Minneapolis - along with a shoutout to our northern cabins! Melissa Hesse and I both photographed this digital campaign and it was so fun to document some of our favorite spots in our city! Big thanks to Spoon and Stable, The Foundry Home Goods, Rise Bagel Co. and The Walker Art Museum for being a part of the shoot!

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2018 PDN TASTE AWARDS | THREE TIME WINNER!

November 26, 2018 in LOVEe, For The Pro's, Commercial, Editorial

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We’ve got some very exciting news that we’ve been waiting to share! The results of the 2018 PDN Magazine Taste Awards have been released, and together, with myself and The Restaurant Project, we won not one, not two, but THREE awards this year! Of the five categories, we swept three of them, including: Editorial, Commercial, and Personal Work.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Taste Awards, they are sponsored by PDN Magazine, which is an industry standard in the photography world. The photography industry is a pretty nerdy group of people and we don’t have ‘Grammy’ or ‘Oscar’ awards. What we do have is the Taste Awards. This is a global competition and awards given to a select few photographers around the world. The panel of judges are professional Photo Editors, Designers, Photographers, and Art Directors from publications such as Cherry Bombe and Food & Wine Magazine.

We have had the honor of winning awards in the Commercial and Editorial categories for the last two years. However, to sweep three of the five categories this year is simply overwhelming. We’re so proud of the work we create on a daily basis for our clients and it’s a true honor to be among the best food photographers in the world!

Below are some of the winning images!

LOVEe

A Place At The Table

April 16, 2018 in Commercial

This project is shifting gears a little bit and I love it! My mother-in-law runs a business out of her home for adults with Alzheimers or Dementia. For those of you who have ever dealt with an aging parent, you know how important it is for your loved ones to be taken care of at a great place. The farm is a very special place to me - it's a retreat, a gorgeous piece of property and a place filled with happiness. It's really cool to see the joy that Amy's clients have while living here.

Amy and her staff give the best experience to their clients and this year they focused on the business side of things, which included a new website! It was so fun to collaborate with Amy and her designer Joa on this project. We spent a day at the farm, documenting a day in the life of all who live there and it was simply so much fun! Below are a few of my favorite images, but check out the full website here to see more!

Da Bomb Bath Fizzers

June 21, 2017 in Commercial, Portrait

You might have heard of Isabel and Caroline Bercaw - they are the 'sisterpreneurs' behind the growing brand, Da Bomb Bath Fizzers. Isabel and Caroline are now 15 and 16 years old, but they started their company at the young age of 10 and 11. Their company now employs over 150 people and their products are in over 5000 stores - quite an accomplishment!

Since launching their company, Isabel and Caroline have grown a lot - both personally and professionally. It was time to update their image, along with some product photography and I was thrilled to be on board for this project. Together with our crew (Fatima Olive on hair & makeup and Judith Marilyn styling), we created a series of fun images that the girls will be able to use for their upcoming campaigns, social media and press requests! Here are some of our favorite images from the shoot!

The Restaurant Project

February 20, 2017 in Commercial, Editorial

I want to take a moment and introduce you all to The Restaurant Project.

It is an idea that struck me a couple of years ago (and frankly an idea that wouldn't go away). I actually tried to push it away, but the idea was persistent; it challenged me and so I listened. For the last year and a half, I have been working to develop the structure, concept and creativity behind this business and I am so happy I did.

I started The Restaurant Project because I believe it is time for a shift. Imagery, video and self marketing have never been more important. Many people are doing parts of what we do, but we want joining The Restaurant Project to be different. Essentially, I am asking restauranteurs to rethink the way that they have ever spent their marketing dollars before. A bold statement? Yes, but someone has to make it. I think it is time for restaurants to invest in themselves. So what's included in the investment? So many beautiful things.

"So, you like take food photos and video for social media, right?" -- Wrong.

Let's break it down:

The Restaurant Project offers an easy, one button solution for restaurants to tell their stories. Through Photography, Videography and Strategy, we provide a steady stream of gorgeous content and then empower you to use this content in a big way.

First, our clients will own full licensing rights to all of the photo and video work we create for them. Did you get that? Unlimited licensing rights. We want our clients to be able to use their content freely - for websites, social, press opportunities and beyond. We offer Monthly + Quarterly subscription services to keep your work fresh! When it comes to photographers, we have the best (award-winning in fact).

Secondly, we want to educate and empower our clients. You have all of this beautiful content, so let's talk about how to use it best. I teamed up with Annie D'Souza to be our strategist and I can't begin to tell you how damn perfect she is. Annie is a leader. She is experienced and has an approach to building communities and connecting with people that is inspiring. Do you feel a little overwhelmed with exactly how to use Instagram these days? Great, we can help you with that. Does your PR team want to develop a more helpful strategy for your marketing plan? We've got you.

Lastly, we want to look towards the future. Video is proving to drive action and putting video on your website alone increases conversion by 80%. Eighty Percent. That's huge. Lauren Schneck is leading video for The Restaurant Project and she is amazing. Her background in reality tv lends a very authentic, yet refined approach to video that translates perfectly to food and the kitchen.

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I have lofty goals for The Restaurant Project. I know it's bold and I know it's not cheap, but I also know it is a game changer. It's an opportunity for better work and better connection with not only your guests, but also the media. It's the chance to grow from within and tell your own story.

Can you still hire me outside of The Restaurant Project?

Of course. It's business as usual for eliesajohnson.com for our editorial and private client work, but this new project is an extension of our services. I hired the best to implement video and education sessions for our restaurant clients, so your team can be empowered to work better for your business.

Without further adieu, I would love to introduce you to The Restaurant Project:

Website: therestaurantproject.co

Instagram: @the_restaurant_project

LOVEe