In case you missed my last photo segment with The Nate Berkus Show, here it is! A few quick, easy photo tips for anyone to use–regardless of how small or big your camera is!
It’s been a complete honor to be Nate’s Go-To Photo Expert for the last two years. His show is over but the adventure continues! Nate is on to AMAZING things with a new product line for Target! And his producers, who are now producers on other shows, have already started getting my calendar availability for this coming year! One door closes, lots more always open! I owe so much to Nate Berkus for allowing me to incubate, learn, make mistakes, and try again while two million viewers watched! I love you Nate, and deeply thankful for YOU! Till the next project!
I also want to thank all of you who supported every photo segment I did with Nate, setting your DVRs, spreading the word to friends and family, cheering me on–it meant the WORLD…what a ride! I learned SO MUCH in the last two years of working with his talented staff. And it’s amazing how ALL of it is has prepared me for this next chapter…but more on that later.
And one last, very special thank you to Roxie at CanvasRox for shipping us canvases, metals, you name it!–no matter how last minute–so we could show the audience and all of you watching real, gorgeous examples of the magic that happens when we get our photos off the computer and on the wall! Big hug Roxie!
Thank you all for being such an incredible support, and I’ll keep you posted of new shows I hope to visit this Fall!
We had an incredible, inspiring turn out for our Gatherings Photo Contest. I’m eagerly awaiting to hear back from the judges on who the winners are so I can call and congratulate them myself! But while we wait, I’d love your input on the categories for the next photo contest! The theme is going to be “SUMMER LOVE”.
What type of photos come to mind when you read the words “Summer Love”? We want to hear from you! What categories would you love to see for this contest? I’m thinking a Baby category for sure! What would you name that category; Water Baby, Baby Sunshine, Beach Baby…? Names that inspire ideas but aren’t limiting to just swimming pool or beach shots. You also can’t talk about summertime without thinking of KIDS. Got a fun idea for a summer/kid category?
I had to show this photo because it makes me think of summer with the beach, blue waters and swings hanging from a palm tree. This photo also makes me laugh. The kids were actually trying to ram into each other which was stressing me out–you can see Blaze trying to keep his toes from getting smooshed–and not really behaving with “summer love” for each other, but it’s what we WANT the story to be sometimes too…right?! Keep it real ladies!
What other categories should we do? Maybe a wedding or romance category or a travel/vacation type category (thank you Southwest Airlines!).
You tell us!
Post your ideas for categories and category titles in the comments today! If we pick your idea, we will send you a little gift to start the “Summer Love” Photo Contest!
xo,
m
p.s. My first Online Course starts June 6th! The class is “How to Capture Magical Light”. I’m so excited! We’ve never done online classes before, but it seemed like a fun idea for the summer. For more details, CLICK HERE!
My mom and grandma have never been to the annual Tulip Festival in Skagit County, so I took the day off of work and drove us four generations up to La Connor, WA. We had an incredible time filled with lots of laughter. Let me tell you, the conversations that happen between a sassy great grandma (Gigi Ma) and a strong minded, great granddaughter are hilarious and always entertaining. NEVER a dull moment. I know these times are a rare treasure, times that Pascaline will remember for years to come.
I come from a line of beautiful mamas. My mom is by far the most beautiful of all, inside and out.
She has a passion to see people encouraged. Ever since I can remember, she has been extending a comforting word, a helping hand, to the discouraged heart. I know my heart for empowering women comes from my mom…and my fighter’s spirit. Wow, my mom…talk about a fighter’s spirit. I’ve watched her rally my dad to keep fighting for the last two years since his car accident, even though she herself has been weary with an overloaded plate of caring for her husband while continuing to work. I don’t know how she does it. So many endless challenges and obstacles come her way, and somehow she plows forward that much harder. And in it all, she is quick to laugh.
There is so much I could say about my beautiful mama. But most of all, I’m deeply thankful for her. She has made a BIG impression on me in what is worth fighting for in this life–and what is worth ignoring. Where would I be without her.
Happy Mother’s Day to my incredible mama. And Happy Mother’s Day to all the other mamas, young and old, grandmas and great grandmas, who continue to share their enduring love without reservation.
What is something your mom has taught you or passed down to you by example? Or what is something you admire about your mom?
A couple hundred of you voted for our first Summer Enrichment Online Course to be “How to Capture Magical Light”. We’ve only got 4 Full Registration spots and 6 Shadow spots left! If you know this is for you, CLICK HERE NOW to register!
Magical Light…the kind of light that takes our breath away. How do pro photographers capture this light over and over again? Hold on as we say goodbye to Auto mode and Aperture Priority mode! “Even Aperture Priority mode?” some of you ask. YEP! We are going all Manual to capture magical light. And I PROMISE, shooting in Manual is WAY easier than you would ever guess. I’m going to teach you step by step how I shoot in Manual to get consist, magical lighting. Every time I say this to a CONFIDENCE Workshop, they look back at me with doubt in their eyes. But by 1pm on Day 2 of the workshop, they are shooting in Manual like pros (and giving me big hugs!)! How we learn makes a difference in how well we understand something. For those of you who don’t know, before I was a photographer I got a Masters Degree in teaching. I take teaching, or better yet–empowering and equipping YOU, very seriously. I’m confident that you will walk away with a deeper understanding of capturing magical light that you never expected! I’ve been testing that confidence for five years with our workshops and haven’t lost one yet!
4 Weeks of Weekly Assignments/Challenges Posted within the Private Thread. PDFs also Emailed. You don’t have to be online at a certain time, so rest assured if you live in different time zones! This online course was designed with YOU in mind!
Detailed, Personal Critiques from Me Ra Koh each week
A Second Detailed Critiques/Feedback from another Pro Photographer each week
Experience of Growing alongside your Classmates. We will host this on a Private Thread in the SOARORITY Forum so you can engage with each other there, as well as ask me questions.
Video Tutorials When Applicable
PREREQUISITE
You will need a camera that allows you to manually change the Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO, whether this is a hybrid camera or DSLR.
I strongly urge you to take this class after you have a basic foundation of knowledge for Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO. You can learn more about these three components from our award winning DVD Series; Beyond the Green Box and Refuse to Say Cheese. If you don’t have a strong foundation, you may feel a bit lost in the assignments. Our next online course(s) will be in the month of July, and I’m thinking of offering two smaller classes that equal 30 students total but one will be “Beyond the Green Box” and address the basics that are necessary to eventually capture magical light. The other may be the Wedding 101 class. If you know you need the basics, I would wait and take that class in July, and maybe we can offer this June course again in August so you have something to build on. Just thinking.
THREE WAYS to REGISTER!
Full Course Attendee. $450 (4 Spots Left!) When you sign up as a Full Course Attendee, you will receive all that is stated above; detailed, personal critiques each week from Me Ra, a second pro photographer’s critique each week, 4 weekly assignments/photo challenges and opportunity to discuss the assignments online within the private thread.
Shadow Course Attendee. $225 (half price to shadow along) (6 Spots Left!) When you shadow the course, you will receive the weekly assignments, but you will not receive any critiques or be allowed to participate in the online conversation. It’s just like auditing a class in college. You get to sit in the back, soak it all in, but you can’t participate with the students or speak with the teacher.
Refresh Yourself ($100 off for CONFIDENCE GRADS ONLY)SOLD OUT! We love our CONFIDENCE GRADS and want to continue to empower their growing confidence. We will reserve a certain amount of seats in each online course so you can take the class as a refresher with a $100 discount off the Full Course Attendee price ($350 instead of $450). The Shadow Course is the same price.
To give detailed, thorough critiques, I’m limiting the class to 30 students. A certain number of spots were reserved for our CONFIDENCE Grads to take the Refresh, the remaining 20 are now open to Full Registration students.
We also have an additional 20 spots available for those of you who want to shadow along. There are six of those spots left. Why shadow? I’ve had seasons in my life where I wasn’t up to feedback but I wanted to still be part of a group. I needed the freedom to sit in the back and just be a sponge. If sitting in the back of the class, and just soaking in the teaching and conversation sounds like the perfect mix for you this summer, hit the drop down arrow where it says Full Course and choose Shadow Course so the registration price adjusts.
You can CLICK HERE to see the details of the course, and when you turn in your weekly assignments I invite you to add any questions or ask for specific input that you may be looking for. You don’t have to, we are still going to critique it all!
CLASS BEGINS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6th!
Excited to enrich your summer with a deeper understanding on how to capture Magical Light!
xo, m
p.s. Once your registration has been processed, you will receive a confirmation email. Sometimes it takes a couple days so be on the look out!
For this Mother’s Day, SONY invited me to share some of my favorite photo tips with their mailing list–a HUGE honor! I wrote these tips in celebration of all the beautiful moms out there who would love a great shot of their kids, and especially one with them in it! How many of you moms are MIA when it comes to family photos because you are behind the camera?
CLICK HERE to read the photo tips on the SONY blog!
and a BIG THANKS to my beautiful, beautiful clients shown in these tips, who simply SHINE, and allow me to share their photos to inspire others!
Not sure if you heard, but Jules and Joy Bianchi are doing a special Mother’s Day event this week with Creative Live! You can read all the details here! I’m excited and honored to play a small role in it.
A few weeks ago, Joy reached out to five or six of us that are mamas but also pro photographers. We were asked to share some thoughts on what we wish we would have known, what we’ve learned along the way, how to balance being a mama and business woman, and more. I spent a lot of time thinking and praying in regards to what I wanted to share in my video. During a morning walk, it became crystal clear. It’s around the issue of dealing with stress. I’m excited to hear if it resonates with your hearts.
Not only will I be sharing my thoughts on handling stress, but I will also be joining Tamara Lackey, Clickin Moms, Sarah Petty, Totally Rad Actionsand MORE in giving away a ton of FUN GOODIES throughout the three days! Mother’s Day is going to be super sweet this year on Creative Live!
CLICK HERE to find out how to tune in for FREE to this special Mother’s Day event!
xo,
m
p.s. BIG thank you to Creative Live for not only creating, AWE-mazing workshops for photographers, but also for supporting mamas with cameras so much! What an awesome, awesome thing!
Tomorrow morning I’m going to send out the private link to our newsletter peeps so they can officially start registering for “How to Capture Magical Light”. Yahoo!!! We are launching our first Summer Enrichment Online Course!!
Sign up for our newsletter today, so you can get that link!
Last week, we asked you to vote for which class should come first, and a couple hundred of you asked for “How to Capture Magical Light”. Well, YOU GOT IT! We are going to unpack shooting in Manual so you can be in charge of your camera, capture that magical light you see, and understand how to turn Happy Accidents into consistent shooting!
I set aside ten spots for our CONFIDENCE Grads to sign up for a refresher. That means we have 20 Full Registration spots left, and 20 Shadow Registrations spots. Keep reading to learn about the difference between taking the class versus shadowing the class.
Full Course Attendee. $450 (payment options available) When you sign up as a Full Course Attendee, you will receive the following; 4 weekly assignments/photo challenges, personal critiques each week from Me Ra Koh, a second pro photographer’s critique each week, and opportunity to discuss the assignments online within the private thread. Limited to 20 students.
Shadow Course Attendee. $225 (half price to shadow along) When you shadow the course, you will receive the weekly assignments and have access to reading the private forum class discussions. You will even see a handful of critiques each week, so you can learn from the feedback certain students are getting. But you will not receive any individual critiques or be allowed to participate in the online conversation. It’s just like auditing a class in college. You get to sit in the back, soak it all in, but you can’t participate with the students or speak with the teacher. Limited to 20 students.
Just in time for a Mother’s Day gift that gives to your creative spirit!
FUN NEWS!!!! Tune in to the Nate Berkus Show TODAY as I answer photography questions from audience members!!!
I’m also thrilled to announce to all our blog readers that I’m writing the sequel to Your Baby in Pictures, to be called Your Child in Pictures, and this time I’d like to include some of YOUR beautiful photos!
This is your chance to get an image published and join me in inspiring moms to capture their kids!
There are a handful of things to prep your photo submission. Keep reading below to see what I’m looking for and all the details on how to submit! Yeah! I’m beaming with excitement about working alongside some of YOU!
Keep in mind, the deadline as you read! DEADLINE is May 10th! Only SEVEN DAYS left to submit YOUR Photo Recipe to be published in my new book!!!
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
The following guidelines must be followed when submitting your Photo Recipe. You may submit as many as you’d like!
Age Groups for Photo Recipes: 1-10 years old
To stay true to the first book, we want the photo recipes to inspire all levels, but also make sure we empower beginners who may or may not be using a DSLR. While they may not be able to take the exact image using a P&S, they should at least be able to get close and be inspired to keep growing.
Each Photo Recipe must follow the same format as Your Baby in Pictures; A. A short intro to your photo recipe. Try not to stress about this part, we are more looking for background that I can write an introduction around. For example, Who is the photo of? Was there anything moving, unusual, funny or interesting that happened when you took the photo? Any extra tips about how to take a similar photo?
B. The steps to cook up your photo;
When
Prep
Point and Shoot Settings
DSLR Settings
Compose
Capture
Please Note: If any steps are missing, we won’t be able to consider using your recipe.
C. The EXIF data of your photo (aperture, shutter speed and ISO settings)
*If you don’t already own a copy of Your Baby in Pictures, you are going to help you better understand the steps above.
Every Photo Recipe must also have the following components;
A Great Photo to Inspire Readers. This should be a photo that takes our breath away, makes us laugh, gets excited to pull out our camera and try the same shot
It should capture a common developmental milestone or important moment (learning to ride a bike, climb a tree, point to their belly button, etc.) See below for some specific ideas that you can shoot for submission!
It should include the age of child.
Sizing Submit your Photo as a low res jpg that is attached to the email, NOT within the email text. If your photo is chosen, we will request a hi-res image at that time. Make sure your photo is big enough for print. Final photos will need to be 300 dpi and at least 8 1/2″ wide x 10″ tall for verticals and 16″ wide x 10″ tall to meet print production requirements.
Include; Full Name Contact Number to Reach You At City and State How long you’ve been with us; (if you are a CONFIDENCE grad) What City and Year You attended a CONFIDENCE Workshop Whether or not you’ve seen our DVDs How long you’ve been following the blog
Release Waiver And most important, do you have permission/release waiver to publish the photo you are submitting. If it’s your own child, we will have you sign our release. If the child isn’t family, then we can forward you a release waiver to get permission from the parent. Please don’t submit your photo recipe if the parents aren’t open to the photo being published.
Where to Send? All submissions must be emailed to my assistant on this project, Stephanie Boozer. Her email is stephanie@merakoh.com.
DEADLINE for ALL PHOTO RECIPE SUBMISSIONS: MAY 10th 2012
Winners will be chosen and notified by end of June 2012! Your name or website (whichever you prefer) will be credited with a possible quote about you from me.
More then one way to win! A book is always limited to so many pages. If your image is not accepted for the book, I would still love the chance to spotlight your photo recipe on my blog! Make sure you include ALL the details above so we can contact you with other fun, empowering opportunities!
DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES: HAVE FUN w/YOUR CAMERA!
As I said above, each photo submitted should capture a common developmental milestone or important moment that moms experience with their kids. Below are some specific photos I’m looking for! Have fun with this! Think of it as a photo assignment (that may end up in print!)!
1-2 year old -Imitating Domestic Activities like; cleaning, sweeping with a little broom, shaving with dad, etc -Roll Playing; talking on the cell phone, wearing mom’s shoes, etc. -Quiet Time; reading books in bed with dad, mom or grandparent -Creative Playground Shot -Dogs and/or Cats–this age is WILD about any dog or cat they see -Disappearing Baby–a baby feature that is disappearing as they become toddlers, like; chunky legs, puffy cheeks, first hair do’s, first boo-boo’s, etc. -Pointing out body parts: for example “Here’s My Belly Button!” -How they “cling” to mom or dad during this stage
3-4 year old -Potty Training -Their Bedroom -Princess Dress Up -Tea Times -Learning to Ride a Tricycle -Love for Music and Playing Instruments -Ballet Class
5-7 year old -The crazy, fun way they dress themselves -All the Stuffed Animals in their bed, maybe a funny photo with them posed in the middle of them all -Any Defining Details they LOVE at this stage (fingernail polish, dolls, hair accessories, any boy details too! etc.) -Writing Their Name -Fixing their own hair or shaving with dad (this happens at two different stages) -Learning to Ride a Bike
8-10 years old (I’m especially excited about this age group because so many parents tell me they slow way down in taking photos of this age, and they want to be inspired. This is our chance ladies to give them that inspiration!) -How fast their growing with a growth chart or carpenter ruler on the wall -Missing their two front teeth -Friendships -Tree Climbing -Sports (Little League, Swimming Lessons/Swim Team, Soccer, etc) -Cooking -Finding identity outside of family; funny, adventurous, independent, etc.
Special Needs Photo Recipes I’m also drafting out a specific section of the book to address the unique position of capturing Special Needs children. If you have a Special Needs child, Stephanie and I would LOVE to hear from you in regards to Photo Recipes that would inspire other Special Needs parents and photo tips you’ve learned that are specific to Special Needs kids.
If you can believe it, I have SEVERAL MORE Photo Recipes outside of the ideas above that are already underway! But I wanted to give you some focus on what to submit and what I’m looking for. I’m so excited for this book, and I’m especially excited to bring attention to your talent while inspiring moms around the world!
Thank you SO MUCH for submitting!
Again, use the Submission Guidelines above as a checklist to make sure you have everything in order.
DEADLINE for ALL PHOTO RECIPE SUBMISSIONS: MAY 10th 2012 (in 7 days!)
Where to Send? All submissions must be emailed to my assistant on this project, Stephanie Boozer. Her email is stephanie@merakoh.com.
Empowering moms to capture their kids is all about giving moms the tools they need to make time stand still, so when her little giggle erupts–the sweetest sound you’d ever heard–you know how to freeze it in time so you hear it again every time you look at the photo.
FAQ in the last 24 hours! (you ask the BEST questions!)
In the last 24 hours of this blog post going live, we’ve had such a GREAT response that it’s posed more questions. Here are a few of the answers and a question (second poll) for you!
1. I’ve watched your DVD “Beyond the Green Box” and learned a lot from it. Will your “beyond the green box” course be different that the DVD? SOOOO Excited about these online courses!
A: First, I’m SO EXCITED TOO!!! Yes, it will. We will cover some of the main components in “Beyond the Green Box” but go much deeper on Focus Plains, creating a blurry background with ANY lens whether it’s the Kit Lens or a low f-stop lens. Over the years of teaching women, I’ve found that many have a big disconnect around the idea of focusing, depth of field, and how does Shutter Speed tie in. In our CONFIDENCE Workshops we cover these things on a much deeper level than the DVD, and that is what I plan on doing for the online courses. I want to challenge you with fun photo exercises to so you understand all the main components of your camera and can move from understanding to creating. If you have a chance to watch “Beyond the Green Box” it would enhance your experience in this course, but it isn’t required to do the course.
2. I’m excited about the online Wedding Workshop! I’m curious about the format. Will there be any live interaction like a webinar format or will it be reading and writing?
A: Great question. The assignments will be posted every Wednesday. This way you have tons of time to shoot over the weekend and edit Monday and Tuesday. I don’t want this to be a stressful process of rushing to get an assignment turned in on Monday morning. This experience is meant to be enriching, filling you up. Two, detailed, personal critiques will be done (one by me and one by another pro wedding photographer) and returned each week so you can build on the tips and challenges we draw out in our critiques. I will also have a set time each week to be on the Private Forum so you can ask any questions. And it won’t be much writing at all, more reading and shooting like crazy!
3. They all sound fabulous! Hmmm…where to start?? Are they all going to be running at the same time, or is it possible to sign up for more than one at a time? Any discounts for signing up for more than 1??? My head is spinning!!
A: I NEVER thought of this, and that’s why I LOVE that you asked it!! YES, we will totally offer a discount to those of you who take more than one class this summer with exception to the CONFIDENCE Grads who will already be getting a discount if they take the “Magic Light” course as a refresher. I’m going to offer one class at a time. This way I don’t get overwhelmed with the critiques. So you can try one, and then do more after you see how much you learned!
4. I really NEED Brian’s Business Course! Is it okay if your business is new, barely even begun? Or would it be over my head? When do you think this course will be offered?
A: Brian is so pumped about empowering all of you with powerful tools that we use every week! This course is for EVERY level of business. If your business is super new, this course will help you get clear about your financial goals, what YOU define as success, and how to get there. If your business is several years old, you will feel like a REFRESHING BREEZE is hitting you with a whole new way to look at your financials and determine goals for the quarter, year and more. Be prepared to think-think-think and search your heart on what you want from your photography business! We plan to offer this course at the end of July/early August. So please email us at info@merakoh.com to be put on a waiting list if you are interested!
Now, here is my question for all of YOU! Will you vote today so we can best meet your needs! If you already cast your vote on this second poll when I updated yesterday’s blog post, you don’t need to vote again.
CONFIDENCE GRADS!
Have you received my last two emails that were sent JUST TO YOU? If not, please email us today with your updated email. We want to catch you up on what we are offering to CONFIDENCE Grads, and you will also get the opportunity to register for these online courses before anyone else. But we need your most recent email to make it happen. Registration for our Summer Enrichment Online Courses will go live TO YOU ONLY end of this week! Be prepared and send us your recent email to info@merakoh.com.
Let me know in the comments if you have any more questions! I LOVE them!
Do you have a different class idea that you would love us to teach online? If so, post it in the comments, and if others reading along agree, have them “like it”. If it gets enough likes, we may just offer that class up!
I’m so excited to announce a new offering!!! We are going to do Summer Enrichment Online Courses for the first time!
Everybody JUMP for JOY!! I’m so excited!!!
Over the years, many of you have asked for this in emails because all the costs of traveling to our CONFIDENCE Workshop, paying for a hotel, plane ticket, let alone finding someone to watch the kids for the weekend. Well, what if this summer we came to YOU!
There are three BIG requests we are emailed on a weekly basis.
1. Will you look at my photos and give me feedback?
2. Can you offer more help with the business side of photography?
3. If I can’t pay for a CONFIDENCE Wkshp, is there still some way you can teach me how to get light like yours in my photos?
I want you to know I’ve been listening. Whenever someone sends us an idea or request, the answer is often “not yet.” Not no, but we need time to think it through so “not yet”. The “yet” is finally here for the three big requests above!
CUSTOM TO YOU!
The course offerings below were designed to meet these exact needs. I know what it’s like to want a pro to give you honest feedback on your images so you can grow and feel more confident. That is solved this summer! Keep reading!
Here are the SUMMER ENRICHMENT Online courses that we are building!
WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY, Part 1 I’m going to offer a 4 week intensive course on Wedding Photography starting the first week of June. You will be given weekly assignments/shoots/challenges with a specific focus in tips and tricks I’ve used for years in leading couples into a place of feeling relaxed in front of the camera. We want to capture the beauty of their spirit, not an expected pose.
You will also receive critiques of your completed assignments each week from me AND other pro wedding photographers that I’m going to have join us. This way you not only grow in doing a weekly assignment, but you get personal, detailed critiques/feedback twice a week from pro photographers.
We are starting the first week of June so you are primed with tons of tips, tricks, rich practice and guidance for a successful, knock it out of the park, wedding season! And yes, this is only Part 1. After shooting high end weddings for a number of years, I’ve got waaaaaayyyy to much to share in four weeks. This will be the first half! So excited!
Prerequisite: You need to be comfortable or open to Manual mode. Not an expert, just open.
BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS Brian, being an incredible COO (Chief of Operations) to our business, has been developing a 4 week online course that is all about the Business of Operations. He is going to walk you through our different spreadsheets on how we project our budgets for the year, for the quarter, for the month, how we create goals for our business, how we measure our success, and more. He will be giving you weekly assignments to set goals for your business and project income while helping you use the spreadsheets so that you can plug-in your own numbers and start beefing up the business side to your photography.
This course will go deep into the heart of how you define your own success (aka, be ready to do homework and be challenged) and also challenge your brain with numbers, BUT the payoff is worth it! Whether you are toying with the idea of starting a side business, or you just started one in the last six months, or you’ve been at it for a handful of years and have reached a plateau that you want to break, this course is designed for women at every level. And it gives you framework behind how Brian and I strategically aim for the stars!
TWO MORE OPTIONS (but I want your input)
I was thinking of doing an online course called
BEYOND THE GREEN BOX that helps beginning moms get out of Auto mode and have some fun this summer with creating buttery, blurry backgrounds and more!
This would be based off our award-winning Instructional DVDs but go into much more depth, plus give you weekly feedback/critiques. We would cover Aperture Magic, Shutter Speed: Freezing the Action, and Why ISO Matters so much. I also want to discuss Depth of Field, Focus Planes, and how a bit of intentional exhaling and specific composition changes everything.
Here is another thought…I could also do a separate online course called
HOW TO CAPTURE MAGICAL LIGHT (Manual Mode with NO Stress!).
This would be the next level after BEYOND THE GREEN BOX. We would be tackling the different Metering Modes and intimately becoming familiar with the Exposure Compensation Scale that meters the light.
Prerequisite: You need a solid foundation of understanding the different roles that Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO play when manipulating the light in your photos.
NEED A REFRESHER?
If you took our CONFIDENCE Workshop and need a refresher in how to shoot in Manual mode, we could offer this class to you in two different ways! See the double asterisks below (**) that is just for YOU.
WHAT TO EXPECT
I’m so excited about these online summer courses and can’t wait to hear what you think! Would either of those last two courses sound appealing to you? For both of these, we would have a similar format as the Wedding Photography, Part 1 Course. You will be given weekly assignments/shoots/challenges and then receive critiques of your completed assignments each week from me AND two other pro photographers that I’m going to have join us. This way you not only grow in doing a weekly assignment, but you get personal, detailed critiques/feedback twice a week from pro photographers.
JUICY DETAILS!
Each online course is $450. We will make it possible to split this into two payments starting in early May. See double ** if you are a CONFIDENCE Grad for discounts offered especially to you.
Each course includes;
1. 4 Weeks of Weekly Assignments/Challenges
2. Detailed Critiques from Me Ra each week
3. a Second Detailed Critiques/Feedback from another Pro Photographer each week
4. Experience of Growing alongside your Classmates. We will host this on a Private Thread in the SOARORITY Forum so you can engage with each other there, as well as ask me questions.
5. Video Tutorials When Applicable
*The Business Class will have assignments that are geared toward your business vs photography skills. And you will be getting feedback from Brian on your completed work each week.
**CONFIDENCE GRADS have two options for “How to Capture Magical Light”. You could either follow along and get all the assignments and instructions as a “Refresher” for $250 (but you would not receive critiques on your finished assignments), or you could take the course in full, get all the critiques and receive $100 discount ($350 instead of $450) because we LOVE our grads!
HOW TO REGISTER?
Get signed up for our newsletter! The CONFIDENCE Grads will receive priority registration to all the courses (end of this week or next), and then we will open registration to everyone on our newsletter (end of next week), and last, whatever spots are left will go live on the blog. So make sure you are signed up for the newsletter! CLICK HERE to sign up!
SUMMER MAGIC
Lots of goodness planned for this summer! The sun, the blue sky, the day trips to the beach or park, make it the perfect season to enrich your creative spirit and photography skills!
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Cast your vote to let us know if engaging in “Summer Enrichment” is perfect timing for you!
FAQ in the last 24 hours! (you ask the BEST questions!)
In the last 24 hours of this blog post going live, we’ve had such a GREAT response that it’s posed more questions. Here are a few of the answers and a question (second poll) for you!
1. I’ve watched your DVD “Beyond the Green Box” and learned a lot from it. Will your “beyond the green box” course be different that the DVD? SOOOO Excited about these online courses!
A: First, I’m SO EXCITED TOO!!! Yes, it will. We will cover some of the main components in “Beyond the Green Box” but go much deeper on Focus Plains, creating a blurry background with ANY lens whether it’s the Kit Lens or a low f-stop lens. Over the years of teaching women, I’ve found that many have a big disconnect around the idea of focusing, depth of field, and how does Shutter Speed tie in. In our CONFIDENCE Workshops we cover these things on a much deeper level than the DVD, and that is what I plan on doing for the online courses. I want to challenge you with fun photo exercises to so you understand all the main components of your camera and can move from understanding to creating. If you have a chance to watch “Beyond the Green Box” it would enhance your experience in this course, but it isn’t required to do the course.
2. I’m excited about the online Wedding Workshop! I’m curious about the format. Will there be any live interaction like a webinar format or will it be reading and writing?
A: Great question. The assignments will be posted every Wednesday. This way you have tons of time to shoot over the weekend and edit Monday and Tuesday. I don’t want this to be a stressful process of rushing to get an assignment turned in on Monday morning. This experience is meant to be enriching, filling you up. Two, detailed, personal critiques will be done (one by me and one by another pro wedding photographer) and returned each week so you can build on the tips and challenges we draw out in our critiques. I will also have a set time each week to be on the Private Forum so you can ask any questions. And it won’t be much writing at all, more reading and shooting like crazy!
3. They all sound fabulous! Hmmm…where to start?? Are they all going to be running at the same time, or is it possible to sign up for more than one at a time? Any discounts for signing up for more than 1??? My head is spinning!!
A: I NEVER thought of this, and that’s why I LOVE that you asked it!! YES, we will totally offer a discount to those of you who take more than one class this summer with exception to the CONFIDENCE Grads who will already be getting a discount if they take the “Magic Light” course as a refresher. I’m going to offer one class at a time. This way I don’t get overwhelmed with the critiques. So you can try one, and then do more after you see how much you learned!
4. I really NEED Brian’s Business Course! Is it okay if your business is new, barely even begun? Or would it be over my head? When do you think this course will be offered?
A: Brian is so pumped about empowering all of you with powerful tools that we use every week! This course is for EVERY level of business. If your business is super new, this course will help you get clear about your financial goals, what YOU define as success, and how to get there. If your business is several years old, you will feel like a REFRESHING BREEZE is hitting you with a whole new way to look at your financials and determine goals for the quarter, year and more. Be prepared to think-think-think and search your heart on what you want from your photography business! We plan to offer this course at the end of July/early August. So please email us at info@merakoh.com to be put on a waiting list if you are interested!
Now, here is my question for all of YOU! Will you vote today so we can best meet your needs!
Let me know in the comments if you have any more questions! I LOVE them!
Do you have a different class idea that you would love us to teach online? If so, post it in the comments, and if others reading along agree, have them “like it”. If it gets enough likes, we may just offer that class up!
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