LOVEe

Catching Up!

About a week ago, I had just come from the gym and was walking into the grocery store and all of a sudden I had this person standing in front of me saying, "When are we going to get coffee?" I was so startled, because I totally recognized this person, but I hadn't really seen them in years! It took me a good couple seconds to remember where I was and I was so confused...The person in front of me was one of my best guy friends growing up! His name is Dan and we did end up getting a cup of joe (well, I stopped drinking coffee, so I had my new-found-love Chai Tea) on our first blustery day of the year and I realized that the following statement is very true:

Lifelong, true friends are those who you can pick up with right where you left off. No matter how long it has been, no matter what you have been through or where you are in life, they will always relate, support and love you. Great friends are home.

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Here's to snowy winter days and good friends!

LOVEe

LOVEE Consults!!!

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WOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

I am SO excited to officially launch LOVEe Consults!!

This is something that I have wanted to offer other photographers for a while now and I could not be more pumped about how this is coming together! 2010 is the year to give back! I have been truly blessed in this industry and I want to share the LOVE!

LOVEe Consults is an intensive, one-on-one day for photographers who want to learn how to take their business to the next level! Experience level does not matter one bit - whether you just picked up a camera or you've been doing this for a while and need a breath of fresh air, I am totally your girl!

In a LOVEe Consult, we cover the following topics:

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

My goal is to totally fire you up and challenge you to be the best photographer, business owner and person you can be! I'll also leave you with tools to continue your journey along the way!!

For more information, CLICK HERE to download a PDF of all of the lovey little details!

If you are READY for your LOVEe Consult, e-mail me at

eliesa@photogen-inc.com

Kelly Moore Bag - Camera Bags Never Looked This Sexy!

I am SO excited to announce the official launch of The Kelly Moore Bag!

I met Kelly for the first time this last October on the Bend [Trip] and I am very happy to now call her a friend! This woman has got IT together. She is an amazing photographer, mother, teacher and friend - and now she can add designer to that list! I admire Kelly for taking matters into her own hands and creating a camera bag for photographers that is both stylish and totally functional!

I had the pleasure of previewing a bag and let me tell you - these bags are SOLID! I mean, your lenses aren't going anywhere in these beauties! They are also built for all of you rugged shooters that might get down on the ground and roll around. I know I am not the most graceful shooter, so when I felt how sturdy and padded the bad was for my equipment, I was totally sold! Not only that, but they are SOOOOOO stylish, no one would even know you had $12,000 worth of equipment floating around in there! :0) There are great color selections...AND the best part....she is coming out with a MENS line as well! That's right dudes, get ready to look hot while shooting...

Kelly has officially launched The Kelly Moore Bag website + blog today!! Make sure to check it out and pre-order your own!!! Trust me, they are totally worth it!

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Congratulations to Kelly on the launch of her bag! I am SO proud of this girl for making her dreams come true - and sharing that with the world! How lucky are we?!?!?

LOVEe

Ice, Ice Baby...

Winter is officially here and this hat is THE best thing that has ever happened to me when it comes to dressing for the cold!

I've also been photographing a number of portraits this last week for an editorial feature coming up and I just looooove this lighting! So, what better to do then to take a break from ye' ole' computers and shoot some pretty awesome portraits, if I may say so myself!

Liz was in Hawaii this past week, and I'm so happy she is back - I missed her!

So, here's to cold weather, cozy hats and great friends...oh yes, and the end of the week...and I don't have to shoot, so CHEERS TO WEEKENDS!!!!

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Have an AWESOME weekend!

LOVEe

5 days Off!

Wow! I actually did it! I took 5 days off of work! For those of you who know me, you know how hard that is, but I have really, really enjoyed myself! (Ok, so I had 1 little shoot, but seriously, that was IT!)

I absolutely LOVE what I do and I am passionate about my work, so I always feel like I have a million things to do, people who are depending on me, blog readers who are looking to read the next post, clients to meet with, etc. It can be hard for me to take a break, because I want to stay on top of everything and make sure everyone has exactly everything they need and everyone is happy. Yep...I do a lot for everyone else. Time to take some time for myself! I've been trying to do more and more of this and I must say I am feeling much more balanced because of it!

In the last 5 days I have...

Caught up on sleep
Started running again (in prep for the indoor triathlon in a couple months....I still loathe running...)
Bought some new records on Vinyl
Broke the record player...
Caught up with friends
Made some very yummy food
Ate all of the yummy food
Saw my family
Went to some improv comedy (which I highly recommend!)
Bought a new toy (that is proving to be a TON of fun!)
Enjoyed some Sunday Morning Yoga
Started working on a new project!!
Bought some tickets for John Mayer's Concert (in row 11...!!!!!)
Watched some movies
and
Started making some dreams happen!

....Pretty boring and VERY awesome!

I hope you all had a very relaxing Thanksgiving weekend!

It's officially 'holiday season' (que Christmas music...)

LOVEe

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Photogen Inc Speaking at JNP WORKSHOP - SIGN UP NOW!!!

WOOOO HOOOOO!!!!!!

I AM SOOOOO FREAKING EXCITED!!!!!

I am honored to be guest-speaking at the first ever JNP WORKSHOP!!!

Here are the stats:

When: January 25th, 2010

Where: Santa Ana, CA at the amazing Jason's Downtown Restaurant

Who: YOU (you are really crazy not to sign up, this is going to ROCK!)

Why: The whole point of this workshop is to give back to the photography community be taking your work and business to the next level! We will also be having some fabulous giveaways by our amazing sponsors + live shooting + critique and MIND BLOWING conversations!

For more in-depth details + to SIGN UP, click here!!!!

We want to keep this experience very intimate and personal, so there are only 15 SEATS AVAILABLE!!!! SIGN UP BEFORE THEY ARE GONE!!!!!

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Did I mention I am EXCITED?!?!?!?!?!? This is going to be THE SHIT!

LOVEe

Live the Fancy Life Feature: Part II !!!

Part II of my oh-so-FABULOUS interview is up on Live the Fancy Life!

This blog is one of the hottest things to hit Minneapolis in a while and I am SO excited to be a part of it!

In case you missed Part I of the interview, you can check it out HERE!

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Happy Friday everyone! I hope you have a VERY FANCY weekend!

LOVEe

Thoughts on my AMAZING Team!

Our philosophy is to have as much fun as possible!

For the last few years, team Photogen Inc has been a core of Brandon, Cadence and myself! As the company grows, we have DOUBLED in size! (Crazy, I know!) I am super happy and excited about all of the fabulous new photographers we have joining the crew for the 2010 season and on!

Each wedding we photograph is a true collaboration between artists. Yes, I'm the boss lady, yes I am the leader, but SO many cool images come from my 2nd shooters. I am so proud of everything everyone has brought to the table and the elements they contribute to the team as a whole.

Many people ask me, " How do you find people to work for you? How do you handle people leaving and going off on their own?"

The answers are simple. Find people who you jive with. People who lift you up and inspire you and you see passion in. Personally, I choose to spend a lot of time and effort into training my team, critique, etc. so we are all on the same page when it comes to shooting. We hang out a lot outside of the studio and are truly great friends. These are also people who I can be brutally honest with. Sometimes being 'the boss' is very hard. Lines are crossed between business and friendships sometimes, but everyone has the understanding that the two are separate, which makes it a whole lot easier! 

I also think that it is a very natural progression for assistants to grow and go out on their own and that we should embrace these changes and not be scared of them. Every artist has come to the point in their career where they know they are ready for another step. I've been there and you have been there. In the last year, Brandon has launched his own company, Rivets and Roses and Cadence just launched her new website and blog today! As my assistants are moving on, I brought in the new kids, Melissa, Tom and Ryan to take their roll as assistants, so B and C can focus on being leaders.

At the end of this last wedding, Cadence said, " Awe, guys! This might be the LAST time we all ever shoot together! We are all going to be so busy next year!"  The statement is true in that we are all going to be very busy. However, we will most definitely shoot together and collaborate in the future! We are a team...the DREAM TEAM...and we are unstoppable!

I am truly very blessed to be surrounded by such awesome people! They are my best friends and we are truly a family. I mean, shit, I get to WORK with these people EVERY DAY!!! How lucky am I?!?!?!

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Special thanks to our friends at The Traveling Photo Booth for these photos!

Enjoy!

LOVEe