Thank you to our beautiful (you’ll see just  how beautiful soon ) and generous panel of judges. One of the tougher jobs to do – to read the heart-wrenching stories of inspiration and hard challenges to pick one out of all very deserving women. We truly embrace and honor every single one of you. And know that you can always nominate yourself or another again.:)

Our winner this round is….Linda Conti! An adoptive mom later in life who went after all options and who has taken many into her heart. Linda, we celebrate you!

Her dear friend, Venea wrote:

“I would like to nominate my friend Linda. Family, friends and relationships are so important to Linda. She loves capturing relationships in portraiture. She takes pride and centers her life around her family, and still finds time to take care of others.

Linda and her husband tried for 12 years to have children, during which time Linda underwent acupuncture, herbal remedies, artificial insemination and embryo adoption, to fulfill Linda’s lifelong dream of becoming a mother. The last round of embryo adoption and implantation worked, and she was able to experience pregnancy, giving continued life to a baby created by another couple, but rendered unneeded by them after they attained their desired pregnancies. Linda’s joy was short lived as she suffered the tragic loss of the pregnancy a while later. Prior to the pregnancy Linda and her husband had opened their home to foster children and Linda was able to enjoy the responsibility of being a foster mom. Finally they were blessed with two beautiful children to adopt into their lives and home forever, now ages 5 and 8.

Linda lives for her children, most days driving them the 25 miles to school herself. While the children are in school, Linda finds time to volunteer. When not working in her children’s classroom, she is also a volunteer member of the National Assistants League of Everett, Kitty Young Auxiliary, which is for Working Women, volunteering for several philanthropic projects. Among the many projects, Linda donates time to the NW Regional Learning Center for disenfranchised teens, and one of Linda’s favorites, Operation School Bell where Linda is basically a personal shopper, helping match up needy children in Snohomish County with appropriate school clothes and basic supplies.

2 years ago when health prevented Linda’s mom from living at home anymore, Linda moved her father (now 83!) in to live with her.

Hard economic times have forced Linda and her husband to have to weigh their expenses, through no fault of their own. They had built their dream house out of sweat equity and are raising their family there. Unfortunately, just prior to the economy crashing, they put their house as collateral and built an investment home, in an effort to further secure their financial future. The colossal drop in value of both homes has caused them to risk loosing their investments and their financial future. Linda is always exploring new ways to expand her photographic abilities to offer a means to provide for her family. She is working tirelessly to build a clientele to help ensure her family’s security.

Linda could greatly benefit from a weekend of renewal. She got her first camera when she was 11 and I would love to see her advance and succeed. She is always doing for others and deserves a break for herself! In case you are wondering, I know she is available and I will gladly watch her children for her if her husband wants!

As Linda has blessed all who know her, I would love the blessings be returned!! Thank you for your consideration ”

Congratulations Linda!! I hope you’ll find both respite and inspiring joy at the workshop.  Brian and I look forward to giving you a BIG HUG this weekend!

xo,

m

p.s.  Three Spots Left for this Weekend in Seattle!

This Saturday and Sunday we have our CONFIDENCE Workshop in Seattle!  Want to start the New Year off with confidence in your photography and a creative spirit that is refreshed?! Then come join us!  Ladies only!  CLICK HERE for details!  Or you can email Genie (genie@merakoh.com) with any questions.  ALL LEVELS WELCOME!

The new photo contest is officially here, and it’s all about Gatherings!

Your response to the New Beginnings Photo Contest was so great, we are thrilled to launch a NEW 2012 photo contest around the theme of Gatherings with a new prize: $500 GC to Target (woo-hoo! just gets better and better!)

How Do You Find or Take the Right Photo to Enter?

Think about it this way…What photos have you taken that show the beauty, love and humor of Gatherings?  Note the obvious ideas but go out of the box too!  This can be a gathering of people you love or what about gatherings of objects you love–like that collection of shoes you hide (check out our NEW Humor Category!), or what about your recent holiday photo that you are super proud of (see this NEW Category too!). I know it took a TON of work to make that family holiday photo happen!  Why not enter in the contest!

Keep getting those photos off your computer, take a step of courage in entering, and by doing so, inspire each other with how we see the world around us!

Remember to invite your kids to the challenge too for the special Kid’s Clicks Category! Be sure to check back because every week I’ll be picking two of my favorite entries, giving them feedback and posting it on the website under Me Ra’s Critiques! Check back to see if yours is picked!

Like it or what?! Woo-hoo!

xo,

m

p.s.  Three Spots Left for this Weekend in Seattle!

This Saturday and Sunday we have our CONFIDENCE Workshop in Seattle!  Want to start the New Year off with confidence in your photography and a creative spirit that is refreshed?! Then come join us!  Ladies only!  CLICK HERE for details!  Or you can email Genie (genie@merakoh.com) with any questions.  ALL LEVELS WELCOME!

Our first Running on Empty contest for 2012! With Florida SOLD OUT and only a few spots open for Seattle and LA/OC, this is a very special gift for a woman who’s given her all.

It’s always a privilege to be able to announce this contest for a seat in Me Ra’s CONFIDENCE Workshop. We do our best to hold one seat aside for a special mom.

Do you know a mom who needs this kind of group and weekend getaway? Her own ‘play group’? A woman Running on Empty?  Nominate her today. Let’s start her year with a gift,  give her something to SMILE BIG about all year and lift her spirit!

If you know a MOM who is;

A. Running on Empty

B. Lives near the Seattle area or has mileage to spend

C. Can arrange for a sitter and get the weekend free, starting Friday, January 20th 7-9pm, for the Meet & Greet through Sunday evening, January 22nd, about 7pm.

D. Most importantly, has a PASSION for photography

Nominate her TODAY! Nominations must be in by Monday night, January 9th at 6pm PST.

We will announce the winner in time for her to jump in and make all the arrangements. So make sure your nominations are all in by Monday at 6pm PST. If you are not familiar with this contest, read Me Ra’s description below and see what it’s all about! Moms are one of the most beautiful parts of creation. This contest is all about acknowledging their beauty, even when they are Running on Empty and they sometimes know it least of all.

“Here’s how it works!

In honor of how wonderful moms are and all that they do and give, Brian and I keep one spot reserved in (almost) every workshop for a special mom like YOU! That’s right, you (or she) will get a free pass to the upcoming CONFIDENCE Workshop in the Seattle area! (Please note, we don’t provide room/board and travel.)

To nominate a mom, you must post a comment telling us about the mom who you think deserves a big break in life! If you are a mom, you’re probably laughing because we ALL deserve a serious break. But the moms we’re looking for are the ones who have had a ridiculous amount of stress in their life whether from trauma or things just not going her way this year. She is a mom in your life that needs a serious blessing to come her way. She needs a serious surprise that gives her empty tank some fuel. If she is a woman that has miscarried, she is still a mom in my mind b/c I know her heart became a mother’s heart the moment she found out she was pregnant. Don’t hesitate to nominate her too.

I’m proud to say that some of our previous winners stepped out on a limb and nominated themselves. Take courage in them and feel free to nominate yourself if you know you need a serious break. Who knows, you may have your house remodeled by Oprah!”

xoxo Me Ra

_________________________________________

We’ll collect all the nominees, have a committee of wonderful moms vote, and then announce the winner in the next week! Being as wonderful as they are, it’s not an easy job. As one said recently, “After reading each story I’d say, ‘I’m voting for HER’.”  Each one of you is so deserving.

Nominate her today and turn her day around!  Oh, wait!  Don’t forget to let her know you’ve nominated her too! If I was a mom nominated I’d love to know my friends were thinking of me whether I won or not! Deadline for ALL nominations is Monday 1/9 at 6pm PST. Nominations MUST be posted as a comment on this blog post.  Nominations emailed, posted on other blog posts or FB may be overlooked. Please post all nominees here . Thanks! (A tip: write in Word or other program first, then cut and paste over – just in case.:))

What do past attendees say about the CONFIDENCE Workshops?  Take a look at Me Ra’s birthday post where over 100 women shared what a difference this workshop has made in their life.  CLICK HERE to read their comments!

May 2012 spark many moments of happiness in your heart! ~ Genie

____________________________________________

We have limited spots left in our Seattle and Orange County/LA, CA Winter workshops.  Women only (sorry guys!).  Tampa, FL is SOLD OUT!  CLICK HERE for Seattle Details and Orange Country/LA Details!

We had the most INCREDIBLE turn out for our first photo contest with the Nielsen Photo Group!  The New Beginning photos that were submitted were simply AWE-some!  What better way to start the New Year than be inspired by your peers!  If you haven’t had a chance to see the winners photos, you MUST check these out!  They are incredible!

GRAND PRIZE WINNER and BABY CATEGORY!

Leah Robbins
A giddy little girl celebrates her first birthday!

Leah wins;

• A Seat at Me Ra Koh’s CONFIDENCE Workshop (value: $999).  Brian and I can’t wait to have YOU!
• SONY a65 DSLR with DT 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Standard Zoom Lens, 24.3 MP Digital, Translucent Mirror Technology. Sony’s latest DSLR! Be one of the FIRST to own it! (value: $999.99)
• Full Registration for the WPPI (Wedding & Portrait Photographers International) conference, which is held annually in Las Vegas! (value: $399)
  Full registration includes one free guest. The WPPI tradeshow has over 300 exhibitors showcasing an assortment of photography and imaging products. There are also over 75 wedding industry speakers presenting on wedding and portrait photography, lighting, Photoshop and much more! This expo is sure to jump-start your creativity!
• Two V.I.P. Tickets to The Nate Berkus Show (taped in New York City).

CATEGORY WINNERS! 

CHILDREN Category

Shante Gillette
Water approaching. (Image 1 of 4)

RELATIONSHIPS Category

John Krauss
Happy and content while rocking away under the guise of Fidel.

ELEMENTS Category

Nicole Rae
Without thought or regard… carefree. (Image 1 of 6)

CAMERA PHONE Category

Sean Conaty
July ’11.

KID’S CLICK Category

Family’s tentative first steps into the cold, foamy shoreline of New York’s Coney Island Beach.  This little photographer won a Toys R Us Gift Certificate for the special KID’S CLICKS category! (value $250)

PEOPLE’S CHOICE WINNER

Maggie Habieda Nowakowski
Nature’s Miracle.

All Category Winners receive;

• $250 B&H gift card.
• Autographed copy of Me Ra Koh’s best-selling book Your Baby in Pictures (value $19.99)
• One year subscription to PDN, the #1 magazine for professional photographers (value: $65)
• PDN PhotoPlus Expo Gold Pass (value: $50)
  PhotoPlus Expo is the largest annual photography tradeshow in the U.S. Category winners will each receive a 3-day pass to the expo plus priority admission to the keynotes, special events, a swag bag and much more!
• Go Pro! All winning entries may be submitted to sell as stock images!
• Winning images will be published in Rangefinder magazine and seen by over 60,000 subscribers.

I wish all these winners could hear the oooh’s and aaahhh’s that our family made when we looked at their images!  Simply beautiful and inspiring work!!!

Thank you so much to EVERY ONE who entered!  Wow, the judges had a TOUGH time choosing!  I’m so glad I don’t have their job!!!  All of you did so great!

Deep appreciation to our incredible photo judges; Julie Holder (recently the photo editor at the Nate Berkus Show and now the photo editor of Rolling Stone!), incredible photographer Matthew Jordan Smith (you must see his work!), and wonderful Jacqueline Tobin, executive editor at Rangefinder magazine!

Hold on to your seats! 

The New Beginnings Photo Contest is the first of many more to come from Me Ra Koh Media and The Nielsen Photo Group!  We had so much fun with this contest and had such great response that we are going to start a new one with a new theme next week!  Juicy details to come!! Stay tuned!

A BIG thank you to our wonderful sponsors; SONY (the Grand Prize winner got a new DSLR thanks to SONY!), Amphoto Books, PDN, Rangefinder magazine, WPPIonline, PDN/PhotoPlus!

xo,

m

December is the month for contests!  Today’s Daily December FB contest starts new at 10am today, and here is a second one for you!

Go to the Crown Publishing Group FB page and post your favorite baby photo TODAY on their page.

One lucky winner will receive a copy of my book, Your Baby in Pictures,

and a SONY 3D HD Bloggie Camera (retail value $250)!

Happy Friday!!!

xo,

m

_____________________________________________

Our Favorite Holiday Gift Ideas for the Photo Lovers!

1. The Gift of CONFIDENCE with your Camera!   Tampa CONFIDENCE Workshop  is SOLD OUT!  Only a few spots left for Seattle’s and Orange County/LA CONFIDENCE Workshops!

2. Me Ra’s national bestselling book, “Your Baby in Pictures“, includes forty of her favorite Photo Recipes for capturing your baby and the password to watch ten of the Photo Recipes from Behind the Scenes!  See the trailer here!

3.  Her award winning DVD series, Refuse to Say Cheese and Beyond the Green Box.  FOX News featured these dvds as a Top Ten Holiday Gift!

**The DVDs are back in stock for stuffing your stockings!  Orders must be received by Friday, December 16th to guarantee holiday shipping and arrival!

I’ve got a special team of elves for the holidays, and we are gearing up to start a DAILY Facebook Contest through the whole month of December!  Every day at 10am, on my FB Page, a new contest will start! You’ll be asked to either post your answer to the question in a comment, maybe post a photo or even like something! Easy-peazy!  The winner will be announced the NEXT day before the new contest starts!  I LOVE stocking stuffers, and I thought this would be a fun way to give you some–or give you some to give to the photo lover in your life!  Here’s a peek at some of the stocking stuffer prizes coming to you daily!  See you on my FB page tomorrow at 10am!

Wait!  Did you know our New Beginnings Photo Contest deadline has been extended to tomorrow!  If you haven’t yet, get your photos off your computer and submitted TODAY, especially your kid’s photos!  One lucky kid is going to win a $200 GC to Toys R Us!! And if you want us to just give it to you, we won’t tell.   Check out the latest Kid’s Click Category!  A 7 year-old’s submission is my Weekly Photo Pick this week!

Happy Holidays!

xo,

m

p.s.

Happy Halloween everyone!

We had Harry Potter with us this year!

Well actually, not just Harry, but the whole crew!

Post YOUR favorite Halloween pic on my Facebook Fan page (lots of fun changes going on there for those of you who clickety-click the Like button!).

The Halloween photo who gets the most likes by tomorrow at midnight wins a $10 GC to Amazon!

Happy Halloween!

xo,

Professor Trelawny (the one who sees the future )

Our Dallas Confidence! Workshop is just around the corner the weekend of November 12-13. It’s Me Ra and Brian’s first time in Dallas for a workshop and everyone is completely EXCITED, including them! It brings Me Ra great joy to offer one spot to a deserving mom for this confidence building weekend.

Do you know a mom who needs this kind of group and weekend getaway? Her own ‘play group’? A woman Running on Empty?  Nominate her today. Let’s turn life around and put a BIG SMILE on her face and lift her spirit!

If you know a MOM who is;

A. Running on Empty

B. Lives near the Dallas area or has mileage to spend

C. Can arrange for a sitter and get the weekend free, starting Friday, November 11th 7-9pm, for Meet & Greet through Sunday evening, November 13th, about 7pm.

D. Most importantly, has a PASSION for photography

Nominate her TODAY! Nominations must be in by Wednesday night, November 2nd at 6pm PST.

We will announce the winner in time for her to jump in and make all the arrangements. So make sure your nominations are all in by Wednesday at 6pm PST. If you are not familiar with this contest, read Me Ra’s description below and see what it’s all about! Moms are one of the most beautiful parts of creation. This contest is all about acknowledging their beauty, even when they are Running on Empty and they sometimes know it least of all.

“Here’s how it works!

In honor of how wonderful moms are and all that they do and give, Brian and I keep one spot reserved in (almost) every workshop for a special mom like YOU! That’s right, you (or she) will get a free pass to the upcoming CONFIDENCE Workshop in the Dallas area! (Please note, we don’t provide room/board and travel.)

To nominate a mom, you must post a comment telling us about the mom who you think deserves a big break in life! If you are a mom, you’re probably laughing because we ALL deserve a serious break. But the moms we’re looking for are the ones who have had a ridiculous amount of stress in their life whether from trauma or things just not going her way this year. She is a mom in your life that needs a serious blessing to come her way. She needs a serious surprise that gives her empty tank some fuel. If she is a woman that has miscarried, she is still a mom in my mind b/c I know her heart became a mother’s heart the moment she found out she was pregnant. Don’t hesitate to nominate her too.

I’m proud to say that some of our previous winners stepped out on a limb and nominated themselves. Take courage in them and feel free to nominate yourself if you know you need a serious break. Who knows, you may have your house remodeled by Oprah!”

xoxo Me Ra

****

We’ll collect all the nominees, have a committee of wonderful moms vote, and then announce the winner in the next week! Being as wonderful as they are, it’s not an easy job. As one said recently, “After reading each story I’d say, ‘I’m voting for HER’.”  Each one of you is so deserving.

Nominate her today and turn her day around!  Oh, wait!  Don’t forget to let her know you’ve nominated her too! If I was a mom nominated I’d love to know my friends were thinking of me whether I won or not! Deadline for ALL nominations is Wednesday, November 2nd at 6pm PST. Nominations MUST be posted as a comment on this blog post.  Nominations emailed or posted on other blog posts may be overlooked. Please post all nominees here . Thanks! (A tip: write in Word or other program first, then cut and paste over – just in case.:))

What do past attendees say about the CONFIDENCE Workshops?  Take a look at Me Ra’s birthday post where over 100 women shared what a difference this workshop has made in their life.  CLICK HERE to read their comments!

Get those nominations in and have a wonderful Halloween with the kiddos!

Genie

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Dallas, November 12-13 CLICK HERE!  Only Two spots left! Who’s coming?

Dallas Minis are SOLD OUT!

Seattle, Tampa/Clearwater and LA/Orange County are early 2012! Click here to get your Christmas present set up!

Our Washington DC Confidence! Workshop is SOLD OUT except for ONE SPOT. We set this one aside for a deserving mom and know we’ll find one who could really use a break right now.

Do you know a mom who needs this kind of group and weekend getaway? Her own ‘play group’? A woman Running on Empty?  Nominate her today. Let’s turn life around and put a BIG SMILE on her face and lift her spirit!

If you know a MOM who is;

A. Running on Empty

B. Lives near the DC area or has mileage to spend

C. Can arrange for a sitter and get the weekend free, starting Friday, October 7th 7-9pm, for Meet & Greet through Sunday evening, October 9th, about 7pm.

D. Most importantly, has a PASSION for photography

Nominate her TODAY! Nominations must be in by Thursday night, September 15th at 6pm PST.

We will announce the winner in time for her to jump in and make all the arrangements. So make sure your nominations are all in by Thursday at 6pm PST. If you are not familiar with this contest, read Me Ra’s description below and see what it’s all about! Moms are one of the most beautiful parts of creation. This contest is all about acknowledging their beauty, even when they are Running on Empty and they sometimes know it least of all.

“Here’s how it works!

In honor of how wonderful moms are and all that they do and give, Brian and I keep one spot reserved in (almost) every workshop for a special mom like YOU! That’s right, you (or she) will get a free pass to the upcoming CONFIDENCE Workshop in the DC area! (Please note, we don’t provide room/board and travel.)

To nominate a mom, you must post a comment telling us about the mom who you think deserves a big break in life! If you are a mom, you’re probably laughing because we ALL deserve a serious break. But the moms we’re looking for are the ones who have had a ridiculous amount of stress in their life whether from trauma or things just not going her way this year. She is a mom in your life that needs a serious blessing to come her way. She needs a serious surprise that gives her empty tank some fuel. If she is a woman that has miscarried, she is still a mom in my mind b/c I know her heart became a mother’s heart the moment she found out she was pregnant. Don’t hesitate to nominate her too.

I’m proud to say that some of our previous winners stepped out on a limb and nominated themselves. Take courage in them and feel free to nominate yourself if you know you need a serious break. Who knows, you may have your house remodeled by Oprah!”

xoxo Me Ra

We’ll collect all the nominees, have a committee of wonderful moms vote, and then announce the winner in the next week! Being as wonderful as they are, it’s not an easy job. As one said recently, “After reading each story I’d say, ‘I’m voting for HER’.”  Each one of you is so deserving.

Nominate her today and turn her day around!  Oh, wait!  Don’t forget to let her know you’ve nominated her too! If I was a mom nominated I’d love to know my friends were thinking of me whether I won or not! Deadline for ALL nominations is Thursday 9/15 at 6pm PST. Nominations MUST be posted as a comment on this blog post.  Nominations emailed or posted on other blog posts may be overlooked. Please post all nominees here . Thanks! (A tip: write in Word or other program first, then cut and paste over – just in case.:))

What do past attendees say about the CONFIDENCE Workshops?  Take a look at Me Ra’s birthday post where over 100 women shared what a difference this workshop has made in their life.  CLICK HERE to read their comments!

The blog is open! Enjoy your week ~ Genie

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Our Sacramento Workshop is this coming weekend – here we come Sacramento!! We have a few spots open – have you been thinking about it? At the lovely Amber House B&B near the Capitol. CLICK HERE to sign up!

Dallas, November 12-13 CLICK HERE! Four spots left!

Seattle & DC SOLD OUT!

Last week, we did the most FUN contest to celebrate your photo recipe results from “Your Baby in Pictures“!  I invited women to post on my FB page all forty, yes FORTY, of their photo recipe results from my book!  The prize…FIVE winners would get 50% OFF the Early Bird price for our CONFIDENCE Workshops!  Well, holy smokes!  I thought this contest would take a couple weeks because forty photo recipes are a lot!  But NO!  These women had their photos ready to go!!!  Within the day we had winners!  Check out a sample of their awesome photos!  If you want a chance to win this contest, see the juicy details below!

A BIG congrats to LISA WARD! 

Inspired by Photo Recipe #33, “Everyday Settings to Remember”

Inspired by Photo Recipe #36, “Flying Cherub Silhouette”

Our next winner is LESLIE CHANG!

Inspired by Photo Recipe #32: “Those Sweet White Shoes”…or red!  (Leslie commented on how the Photo Recipe “Your Baby’s Heritage” also inspired this photo because she is Chinese and her husband is British.  Just ADORABLE!)

Inspired by Photo Recipe #15 “The Push-up” (You can just see how hard Leslie’s twins are working at pushing themselves up! I LOVE IT!)

Next winner was JENNIFER LLOYD GRAY!

Inspired by Photo Recipe #5,  “The Fleeting Hair Swirl”  This is one of the most gorgeous fleeting hair swirls!  Beautiful Jennifer!

Inspired by Photo Recipe #25, “The First Swim”

I especially loved that butterfly swimsuit because butterflies are one of my FAVORITE things to wear!  She’s a kindred spirit with me! 

Our fourth winner is DANA CONLAN MERILL!

Inspired by Photo Recipe #17, “Baby and Toddler Together (Yes, It’s Possible!)”  Wow Dana!  You captured so many amazing moments, but this one is a favorite of mine!  So precious!!!  Wonderful job!

Inspired by Photo Recipe #34, “Making a Messy Meal Worth It”  I’d say they are making that ice cream worth it, and you are by capturing the moment!  GREAT JOB Dana!!!

Our FIFTH Winner…could it be YOU????

We had a lot of wonderful photos posted, but you have to post all 40 photo recipe results to win this contest!  If you want to be our fifth winner and get to attend a CONFIDENCE Wkshp for $400 instead of $999!!!!…. CLICK HERE for all the contest details!

Congrats again to the winners!  Your photos are WONDERFUL!  ALL OF THEM!!! Email Genie, genie@merakoh.com, to get your coupon code for an upcoming CONFIDENCE Workshop! I can’t wait to MEET YOU!

To see all forty of the winners’ photos scroll down on my FB page!

xoxo,

m