Eliesa Johnson Photography

Que Viet // The Restaurant Project

in
 
Que_Viet_0001.JPG

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!

Screen Shot 2021-03-10 at 9.04.19 AM copy.jpg
Screen Shot 2021-03-10 at 9.04.55 AM copy.jpg

Zoe Francois | Bake from Scratch Magazine

in
 

Right before Covid-19 really hit here in the United States, I was just coming back from maternity leave. I was eager to get behind the camera again (I still am) and the first photo shoot I had scheduled was with the one-and-only Zoe Francois. I am lucky enough to also call Zoe a friend, but this was the first time she was officially in front of my camera and it was a joy!

Here’s the thing about Zoe Francois. She is wildly talented, incredibly driven and also just as fun as she seems to be from her follow-worthy Instagram feed and blog, Zoe Bakes! Bake from Scratch Magazine featured Zoe in their current issue for their Bakers Profile article and we spent the day in her home kitchen…ahem, amazing office. Zoe’s smile is contagious, which made my job extra easy and of course her food is absolutely gorgeous! A big thank you to Editor in Chief, Brian Hart Hoffman, for being a part of this shoot, all the way from Birmingham! We had a blast!

Client: Bake from Scratch Magazine

Editor in Chief: Brian Hart Hoffman

Photographer: Eliesa Johnson

Talent: Zoe Francois

Assistant: Melissa Hesse

BEHIND THE SCENES

Mpls / St Paul Weddings Magazine | Spring / Summer 2020

in ,
 

A lot has changed in the last six months, let along a single day right now in our world! On the bright side, I have some new work to share that is rolling out on newsstands. Last fall I photographed the fashion editorial for the Spring / Summer 2020 issue of Mpls / St Paul Weddings Magazine and I love the energy that these image have!

Our goal was to create images that focused on movement and motion with the dresses. We photographed this shoot at the new Backspace Mpls studio and had a dream-team of talent on set! Besides our crew, talented photographer Michael Spear joined our team to assist for the day and he took some stellar behind-the-scene photographs with his film camera. They are so cool, make sure to check them out below!

Photographer: Eliesa Johnson

Editor: Emily Howald Sefton

Style Editor: Madeline Nachbar

Creative Director: Michael Norseng

Deputy Creative Director: Kim Jackson

Talent: Katherine Preston, Arquette Agency

Hair & Makeup: Fatima Olive

Assistant: Melissa Hesse and Michael Spear

Post Production: Hunny Digital

BEHIND THE SCENES//

Images by Michael J Spear

A Guide to Being a Freelance Photographer During COVID-19

in
 
A Guide to Being a Freelance Photographer During Coronavirus

The latest update to this blog is May 18th, 2020.

As freelancers, we are use to being nimble, creative and flexible, which I believe are all things that are going to help us get through this time. In all of my research these past few days, there is an overarching theme: Be ready in 3-6 months to work really, really hard.

Let me start by saying that I’m not an expert at being a freelancer during a pandemic. I’m also not a lawyer or giving legal advice. I am also not a certified public accountant and am not offering accounting advice. The rules are being written by the day and by the hour. Information and decisions keep changing, so what is true as I publish this might not be true an hour from now. I encourage all of you to keep up to date and make your own, informed decisions on how to run your business best. With that said, this is my attempt to put together some ideas and thoughts that might be helpful for us all. On March 18th, I hosted an online conversation that can be seen here where the following information was talked about and discussed — and a place where we could all come together for group therapy. I’ll be continuing to host these every Wednesday at 10am CST. Register here for April 15th conversation.

Like I said, I don’t have all of the answers, but I do know that if we come together as a community, we are always better. Without further adieu, here is The Guide to a Freelance Photographer during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

FEDERAL RELIEF RESOURCES FOR FREELANCERS

Payroll Protection Program:

  • This is a loan in which you can receive 2.5x your average monthly payroll over the last 12 months and portions of the loan are forgivable. The purpose of this loan is to make it possible for you to pay your employees, independent contractors, rent, utilities, and insurance premiums.

  • If you use the funds to cover the approved costs, the loan amount will be forgiven.

  • No personal guarantee is required.

  • April 3rd: Small Businesses + Sole Proprietors can begin to apply. 

    April 10th: Independent Contractors + Self Employed Individuals can begin to apply. 

  • 8 Week Window: When you receive this money, an 8 week clock begins. You must use these funds within this amount of time. If you use the money for approved expenses, the loan will be forgiven. After the 8 week period, the money is converted into a note (loan) and you will have 10 years at no more than a 4% interest rate to repay. You also have 6 months with no interest or principal payments. You can think of this as a line of credit for cash on hand.

    Commissions, Tips, Health Insurance Premiums, etc. are all included in your payroll. Independent Contractor Payments are not included if you are the owner of the company claiming 1099 contractors on your payroll.

  • You must apply for the PPP thru your bank. Some people are having quicker response / success from smaller banks, so I encourage you to reach out to your banker. Here is a link to the PPP Application Form and you will also need to prove additional payroll documentation, which your banker can help you out with.

  • Learn more about the Payroll Protection Program in this article and I'd suggest checking out this podcast!

  • Here’s a great article, specifically for Sole Proprietors & Independent Contractors and the PPP Loan.

  • Paycheck Protection Program: Loan Forgiveness Application from the SBA

SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan:

  • This loan is offered directly thru the federal government. It’s similar to the Payroll Protection Program, but instead of using the funds only towards payroll expenses, it also can also be used to help with costs related to supply chain interruption due to Covid-19.

  • If you use the funds to cover the approved costs, portions of this loan may be forgiven.

  • A $1000 per employee and up to a $10,000 advance, which is likely to be considered a grant, is also available within 3 days. You may qualify for more than this - the initial money is just to help you right away!

  • This is a 30 year loan with a 3.75% interest rate.

  • Personal Guarantee is required for this loan

  • You must apply for the EIDL Loan through the sba.gov website and here is the link!

  • Here is a great article to show the difference between the PPP and EIDL loans!

Confused as to which loan to apply for? You’re not alone! Below is a graphic to help explain the difference between the two loans and I also encourage you to read over this Small Business Owner’s Guide to the CARES Act, put out by the US Senate.

MINNESOTA : PANDEMIC UNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

This is new - and fantastic - for those of us in Minnesota! The state just opened up unemployment assistance to independent contractors and self employed individuals!

THE STATE OF THE PHOTOGRAPHY INDUSTRY

For those of us in Weddings and Events:

  • Clients are hoping to postpone rather than cancel events all together. Vendors are needing to stay flexible to reschedule. 

  • Predictions are that most of us will make a recovery within 6 months and that everything will fully normalize within one year. 

  • Connect with your network - if you are booked on a rescheduled date, have the right people your trust ready to send referrals to, who know will represent your brand well on your recommendation. 

  • This could go two ways:

    • (1) Bookings into 2021 could be affected because people are not planning right now for the following year; OR

    • (2) Bookings will be double, because people are going to be ready to celebrate when this is all over. 

  • Going forward for a while, expect smaller budgets and group sizes. 

  • Don’t lower your rates but stay flexible with people.

  • The good news is that people will continue to get married and have events. Eventually.

  • We are thankfully not in the middle of peak wedding season as this pandemic is happening. 

  • People will always hire a photographer.

For those of us in Editorial and Commercial Photography:

  • Everything is on hold / we’re just in a holding pattern.

  • Clients are currently planning on moving forward when this is all over.

  • If you had a job booked, it seems like editorial and commercial clients are paying kill fees. 

  • Clients are being conscious of their vendors: a large corporation will probably be just fine after this, but the small, independent business partner you have might not. How can you work together both keep cash flow alive and support small business?

  • Magazines will still be made. Some editorial publications have worked ahead enough for 3-5 months, others only for 2 months. Online content will be updated regularly.

  • Editorial and Commercial work fully intends to continue to hire photographers, instead of relying on stock photography, when we’re all safe to resume.

BE PROACTIVE DURING THE PANDEMIC

Simple Things:

  • Do not work if you are sick or at risk to expose anyone else to COVID-19.

  • Don’t panic on social media. The messaging you put out right now will say a lot in this next year.  

  • Focus on creative work for the first 90 minutes of your day. I bet you’ll feel happier and more productive!

  • Update your websites, portfolios, etc.

  • Reach out to our clients, letting them know that we will be ready when they are. 

    • Is there a way you can help them from afar with imagery?

    • Encourage your clients to postpone vs. cancel.

    • Remember that we have to keep moving even though it feels like the world is not.

  • Be conservative with your money.

    • Do your taxes and get your finances in order. It will make it easier for you to get relief offerings if that happens and you’re eligible. Knowing where you stand with your money might be hard, but could not be more important right now.

    • Check in, respectfully, on outstanding invoices.

    • Call your bank or mortgage company to see if they can defer payments or refinance to free up cash. People are having luck with this!

    • Seek legal counsel as to legal issues surrounding contract? (you might be able to take a loss on any income / jobs lost during this time on your taxes for 2020 — maybe…)

    • Look to see if you have any business interruption coverage in your business insurance policy. If you do, it’s usually under the property clause. 

  • Stay collaborative. Outside of 6 feet.

    • How can we be there for each other during this time, both locally and nationally? Who can we connect with to send referrals to, if needed, as things re-book?

    • Test Shoots / Get inspired - if you shoot food, what are you cooking in your house? How can you do some personal projects while you’re at home?

    • Meet with your team. Even if you don’t have an ‘official’ team, we all have our people. It’s in our nature to stay connected and it is good for us all. Technology is incredible right now.

  • We can learn something from all of this.

    • Plan for the future and create a plan that can make your business more sustainable through harder times.  

    • Fallout will happen again. Maybe not in the form of a global pandemic, but markets can crash; things can happen. What if you got injured or sick? Be ready!

    • It might seem insensitive to say right now, but it’s a hard truth of being a freelancer. You need to have enough to “weather the storm” when you’re in business for yourself. Build up that savings!

    • The rules are still being written for relief efforts of COVID-19. Write to your representatives if you believe in something, change is happening now!

  • Even after this all dies down, COVID-19 isn’t going anywhere.

    • Consult a lawyer about any contract addendums or changes that might need to be made as a result of COVID-19 and to protect yourself for future photo shoots. (There’s a link below for some legal resources).

GET READY TO WORK — REALLY HARD

    • Things are going to be different for a while. It’s not just going to go back to ‘business as usual’.

    • You may have been comfortable, now everyone is uncomfortable. With this comes growth.

    • Cash flow isn’t going to be there right away for our clients, and people are going to be very conservative with their money as they recover their losses. We’re simply going to need to work harder for our money. This applies to everyone.

    • There might not be much help right now, but when the work is there, double up. Work twice as hard in 2021 to recover your losses from 2020.

RESOURCES

Photo Industry:

ASMP: Safety While Shooting Guide - lots of useful information on policies and procedure guidelines!

ASMP: COVID-19 Info Hub

Mental Health:

National Alliance on Mental Illness

CDC Article: Managing Stress and Anxiety

Coping with Stress During infectious Disease Outbreaks

Pollen Midwest - Are You Okay? Campaign

Corepower Free Online Yoga

Financial Support:

Two Types of Loans are available, you can ONLY accept one of these loans. Read about their differences here:

Paycheck Protection Program + PPP Application Link - You will need to apply directly thru your bank - local banks are the way to go!

Paycheck Protection Program: Loan Forgiveness Application from the SBA

SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan: 

Apply via the Federal SBA Website - $1,000 per Employee and up to $10,000 advance grant is available 

Forbes: Who Qualifies for Federal Paid Sick Leave - Freelancers are eligible!

Format Photographers Fund - giving away $25,000!

Facebook Small Business Grants

Federal Disaster Relief Program

COVID-19 Freelance Artist Resources

Artist Rescue Trust - 3 Months of $500 grants available for artists

Minnesota Specific Links:

MN Unemployment Website + GREAT PDF on how to fill out the application for Self Employed / Independent Contractors

Springboard for the Arts Personal Emergency Fund

90 Day Extension to pay Taxes

Reece Law + The Creative’s Council: COVID-19 Resources, including free downloads for contract addendums

As information continues to change, I’ll do my best to keep up with these helpful links!

Brightwater | Fall + Winter 2019 / 2020 Look Book

in ,

This last spring, I had the true pleasure of photographing another look book for Brightwater Clothing! Many of you might remember last year’s spectacular photo shoot and this year’s roundup was just as fantastic! Shop owner Bill Damberg and his team brought together an amazing group of people to be a part of this project and I am, once again, thrilled at how this turned out. We even had some super idyllic snow fall JUST as we were about to wrap - it was the perfect moment for sure.

Below are some of my favorite spreads from the look book, which is designed by Bethany at Grayscale. A big thank you to everyone who was a part of this shoot!

BEHIND THE SCENES//

Bill George x BB&T Leadership Institute

in
 
BBTLI_C1.jpg

This fall, I was asked to photograph Bill George. Bill is a best-selling author, a Harvard Business School professor and widely known as the former CEO of Medtronic. His portrait was taken for the first-ever magazine for the BB&T Leadership Institute. It was a true pleasure to spend some time with Bill and I love how bold the design of this publication is around the photography. It really makes this portrait shine!

BBTLI_28-33-1.jpg
BBTLI_28-33-3.jpg

MSP Weddings | 2019 Spring / Summer Issue!

in ,
 
MSPWEDDSS19_0Cover_HR.jpg

We’re kicking off the year 2019 with a fantastic new cover + feature for the MSP Weddings Spring / Summer issue! We collaborated with the amazing team at Mpls / St Paul magazine for this fun spread that just screams spring! Girl Friday created the super-fun backdrop and the space at Studio 125 provided the perfect environment for this bridal shoot. Our goal was to create some gorgeous images that focused both on showing personality and a breath of fresh air to inspire brides! We also had a dream team for this project. Big thanks to the following people for working on this to make magic:

Editor: Emily Sefton

Art Direction: Michael Norseng

Styling: Madeline Nachbar

Hair & Makeup: Miki Mori from Wehmann

Talent: Isabella from Moore Talent

Flowers: Spruce Flowers and Events

Backdrop: Girl Friday

Studio: Studio 125

Photo Assistant: Melissa Hesse

Print The Love Benefit | Artist Talk with Eliesa Johnson

in ,
 

I'm super excited to be the keynote speaker for Print The Love's 2018 benefit. If you're not familiar with the organization, I'd love to introduce you. Print The Love is a non profit that serves the world with instant photographs. They focus on celebrating the value and dignity of individuals in under-resourced communities through the gift of a photograph. Obviously, the mission of this organization resonates with me, because it is what I practice on a daily basis. I greatly believe that a photograph captures a valuable moment in time. I also believe that photographs are one of our most prized possessions that we have in life. Print the Love gives the gift of photography and moments to those who otherwise would not have access to ever having their lives documented - how cool is that?

In thinking about what to talk about for this evening, I landed on "The Power and Purpose of an Image". It will be a reflection upon creating images that have moment and the impact they can have on a community. This will be a great talk for artists who are professional photographers, as well as those who are hobbyists. All are welcome and I hope everyone can walk away a little inspired. 

Proceeds from the evening will go towards Print the Love's work around the world as their team heads to Cambodia on November 1st! I look forward to seeing y'all there! 

Mpls / St. Paul Magazine | North Awards Feature

in
 
MSP0117_44-55FeatMadeInTheNorth_HR-1.jpg

This past January, I photographed some portraits for Mpls / St. Paul Magazine's Made in the North story. It featured stories and profiles on the makers behind some of our favorite handcrafted food and products! 

What I love about photographing stories like this is learning so much about the people behind the goods. There is so much thought, time and intention behind each of these businesses - it's inspiring. For this article we meet Tim Shore of Shoreboards, Jim Sannerud of J. Sannerud Studios, Mike Phillips of Red Table Meat Co. and Danielle Sakry of Danielle Sakry handbags. 

Below are some of my favorite images from this feature - and you can read all about it here. 

Tim Shore | Shore Boards

Tim Shore | Shore Boards

Jim Sannerud | J. Sannerud Studios

Jim Sannerud | J. Sannerud Studios

Mike Phillips | Red Table Meat Co. 

Mike Phillips | Red Table Meat Co. 

Danielle Sakry | daniellesakry.com

Danielle Sakry | daniellesakry.com

PLATE Magazine x SURLY

in
 

A recent feature we collaborated on with PLATE Magazine is out! It incorporates some of our favorite people behind the magic at Surly - both the Brewer's Table and the Brewery! Photographing food is obviously a big part of what I do, but I more enjoy the people behind it. For this shoot, we were able to focus on Jerrod, Ben and Jorge for this article and it was an absolute blast - and they let me put them in some rad light!