One on One with - Eliesa Johnson

Prophotohub & Eliesa Johnson....

photogen

B-DAY October-28

1) PPH: Where is home ??
e: Minneapolis, Minnesnowta

2) PPH: How long have you been shooting ??
e: If we count my high-school-photo-nerd-working-at-a-newspaper days, going on 10 years! Wooooooo HOOOOO!

3) PPH: What camera gear do you use / and what's your favorite lens ??
e: I use 2 Canon 5d's (and can not WAIT for the new-and-improved version!) and my favorite lens is my 50mm 1.4.....I am obsessed with the 1.2 thought, I just need to buy it already!

4) PPH: Do you have a memorable wedding photography moment ??
e: Every wedding is fabulous for me, because I enjoy shooting and my team is PHENOMENAL and we always have SO much fun! However, I must say that I meet and am surrounded by amazing people at each shoot. Last weekend, I meet the coolest 10 year old, who was also the best man. His name was Dylan and he was definitely inspiring and a TON of fun to hang out with!

5) PPH: First car? Today's car? What do you want in the future ??
e: A 1980's Ford F150 (LOVED that thing!), Today I'm rockin' an '07 VW Rabbit (yes, it is a stick shift...no, I'm not the smoothest driver) AND a 1985 VW Cabriolet, and I would LOVE a VW Tiguan! We are hardcore Volkswagen enthusiasts!

6) PPH: Is there anyone else in the "biz" you enjoy shooting with? why? who would you like to shoot with ??
e: Jeffrey Lawler of JNP Studios! We met in Vegas last year at the Anti Workshop and were instant friends! He happened to have a wedding in MN this summer, which I was the 2nd shooter for and we had a kick ass time! Jeffrey will be shooting with me next summer in North Carolina and we are SUPER pumped! I also was invited to an engagement session with RAD Studio Inc., up in Vancouver and they are an AMAZING couple to shoot with! I would LOVE to shoot with Jose Villa, Chase Jarvis and Annie Leibovitz! I absolutely LOVE collaborating with other artists - all of these people would be amazing!

7) PPH: Where would you like to shoot that you haven't yet ??
e: Underwater, on a rooftop in NYC, and while skydiving!

8) PPH: Where would be your dream " desti " location ??
e: On the coast of Turkey! I saw photos once of this hotel that was all white and the water was super aqua blue - it was all sexy and swanky and inspiring - I want to shoot a wedding THERE!

9) PPH: What good tips can you give to a photographer starting off today ??
e: Shooting wise, practice makes perfect! It is SO important to shoot and show work that reflects what you want to 'do' and what you want your business to be! At first, all jobs might not be the ideal gig, but remember that the experience is more than you could ever ask for! With that said, take the time to schedule shoots that are the direction in which you would like to take your work. Want to do high fashion? Get some models together, grab some nonsense off of the thrift shop rack and create some bad ass images!

10) PPH: What is the one approach / step that took your studio to where it is today ??
e: 100% Passion, 100% Commitment, 100% Positive attitude, 100% Hard Work and ALWAYS having FUN!!

PPH: In your words any great projects / workshop / seminars / dvds / in the works ??
e: We have quite a few things up our sleeves here at Photogen Inc for the upcoming year! Something fun we have started (and will be perfecting) are Blog Episodes. I have SO much FUN when I shoot and I want to share some 'behind the scenes shenanigans' with everyone. We will be covering some weddings, speaking engagements, travel, our studio and commercial shoots throughout the next season, so stay tuned! We are also putting together an idea that will be a HUGE collaboration between photographers all throughout the country! Details are currently top-secret, but GET EXCITED!!!
I am super excited about Becker's new b-school social-networking-thingie?!?! It will be super refreshing to have a positive and fresh networking community out there!!!!