Meet the Seattle Fall CONFIDENCE Workshop, a beautiful group of women who flew in from all over the country!  On Day Two, we start the morning with unpacking metering so that we can be shooting in Manual Mode by the time the Family Shoot happens that same afternoon.  Women are always a bit nervous, especially the beginners, that they will not be able to make it happen.  But you are about to see twenty photos that prove they not only made it happen, but they knocked it out of the park!

Some of these ladies have blogs and website, we’ve hyperlinked their names if they do!  Be sure to check out more of their work.  And if you have a few moments, leave a comment of celebration or encouragement b/c they all worked so hard and really pushed their limitations for two days.  Super proud of these ladies!

We start the family shoot with me “thinking outloud” as I walk through setting up my camera and the family for a holiday photo, and then what other poses/set ups, tricks to help them relax, after we’ve got the holiday photo done.

Here is the holiday family photo “set up” that I walked the group through (and maybe the ladies will remember ALL the subtle adjustments we made until it felt right).  Photography is a collection of subtle shifts–little shift here, little shift there, another little shift for the best rim light, another shift to have mom’s face lit even, and on you go until VOILA!  You see it! Now you are ready to lift the camera up and grab the photo!  Challenge for YOU:  Before you snap your photo, check to  make sure there aren’t any other subtle shifts you could make that would draw the emotion and light out that much more.

(this family is our neighbors, and i LOVE them so much!  just had to say that!  )

What a fun image of this little guy, taken by Amaris Michelle Espinosa.  The slight vignette that she put on this image draws us right into his happy face!  For those of you who have my book “Your Baby in Pictures”, this is the SAME little boy who was the crying baby for the photo recipe “Tiny Cries”!  How do they grow THIS FAST!

 Amy Swank caught Amanda and her husband without their little ones running around them, or they might have been and we don’t even know it.  I love to take at least a couple images of the parents together during a family session.  They always sell because they probably haven’t had any professional images done of them since their wedding:)  Amanda…you look marvelous!  (Amanda came to our CONFIDENCE Workshop four years ago! One of my favorite parts of the shoots is seeing ladies from past workshops and how their families have grown!)

I always try to position (pose) a family in a great spot with awesome light.  Then I will tell them to just talk to each other for a second while I get ready (I’m really ready and actually snapping shots already).  This is a great way to relax a family, especially a family with more than 2 kiddos (and you get the most “candid” images), like Carrie caught.  Very nice!

 Christy Cowan also captured an awesome, relaxed portrait of this family.  Remember, not all need to be looking at the camera.  Trying to engage them with eachother will most likely yield genuine emotion.  Awesome job Christy!

Oh my goodness, I just love the Mom and Dad in this image.  We had a fun time setting this shot up with the couple’s help and the group working together.  Knowing little tricks to help people relax in front of the camera make ALL the difference.  Don’t they look completely in love?  And the sweet little girls are watching them from the back.  Mmmmm, goodness.  Way to go Gargi!  This gorgeous mom is Tonya Todd, a wonderful photographer in our area!

Genny Kothari  really caught the emotion of this mother and daughter’s bond.  The coloring is magnificent!

Another shot that I just love.  You can almost tell what their faces look like by looking at the movement of their feet.  Innocent happiness.  Great view Jacki!

Jill Ulander knew what she was composing when she took this image.  I really like the natural lines that the railing fence and stairs make.  Really nice and crisp with a buttery background.

 Julie Wray…another image of an amazing family, relaxing and just having fun!  Look at the smile on Dad’s face.  It doesn’t get more “real” than that.

Karyn surely shot this is at a low aperture.  The tree leaves are glistening almost like holiday lights!  Keeping your aperture low while shooting portraits, really makes your subjects “stand out”.  Fantastic!

I can totally feel how safe this little girl feels in Daddy’s arms.  Katie, such a tender moment you captured.

I love this pose that Krista caught.  Putting the children up front and the parents blurred out in the back (with big smiles) is always a winner.  For this shot, since the two girls are not exactly on the same plane, I would have shot this between 2.8 and 4.0, depending on which lens is used.   And the emotion on the older girls face is an added bonus here.

It’s okay to cut heads off sometimes.  It really works in the “Rule of Thirds” composition that Kristy choose to go with here.  Kristy, this is adorable!  Awesome job!

Look at his face!  Maria, you really caught him in his element!  Absolutely darling!

 Danielle Kindelberger captured this tender moment between mom and her boys.  I love the simple black and white tone that you applied here.  Just perfect.

This looks like a magazine image.  Wow… Michaela Hundahl!  It is hard to shoot with such a strong backlight and  girl, you took your meter and knocked it out of the park!

Neyssa Lee worked her magic with this little girl.  The slight camera tilt adds a little more texture by bringing in the door frame.  Precious Neyssa, your little guy is going to have the BEST photos as he grows up!

Robyn…I hope they put this image on their wall!  What a super family portrait!

Every one of these women took their camera, creative spirit, courage and WENT FOR IT!  Not only did they capture awesome photos, but we had a BLAST in the process!

Thank you so much ladies for a wonderful, WONDERFUL weekend!  One of my favorite moments was when Danielle introduced herself and said she didn’t know who I was but was just surfing for a weekend getaway and figured Hotel Murano was a great place to spend it!  LOL!  Brian and I still laugh about that moment!  We hope Danielle, and all the rest of you, got that weekend away that filled you up and nourished your creative spirits to move forward with confidence!  You have all that it takes to go for it!

Is Danielle glad she came? Was the weekend the break she needed?

THANK YOU so much to all the families for being our models!  What would we do with out YOU!!  We appreciate you so much!!  And I know you are going to LOVE all the photos these ladies captured!

xoxo,
m

p.s.  We have a Seattle CONFIDENCE Workshop in January!  More Winter CONFIDENCE Workshops are happening on East and West Coast! Early Bird Registration and our Payment Plan is going on now!  (Christmas is looking REAL GOOD for some special ladies! )   CLICK HERE to find the city nearest you and get ALL the juicy details!

We leave DC today after a wonderful week of adventure with the kids and powerful workshop with the DC CONFIDENCE ladies.  Every time Brian and I walk in to the workshop room the morning of Day One, to meet all these beautiful women for the first time, I wonder what magic will happen.  What stories will unfold?  What glass ceilings will be shattered?  And what will transformation look like for each of them on the other side of the weekend.  Each workshop unfolds in its own way.  I can’t help but think this is too amazing to happen again.  But it does happen, and I know it’s because of the fact that powerful transformation comes when women come together wanting more for themselves.  Yes, they are all nervous the beginning of Day One.  Whether she is a beginner-beginner with her camera or charging money to beginning clients, each woman is nervous because she has chosen to do something very courageous.  She has chosen to say “I want more.  I know there is more to learn.  I know there is more for me.  And I want it not only for myself but every woman here.”  Vulnerability mixed with courage equals transformation that is inescapable.

We walk through many exercises together.  As many of you know, on Day One we bring in baby models and work with indoor lighting as we push ourselves to get out of our own creative box and try set ups we may have never thought of.

To celebrate the courage our Seattle women have, to acknowledge the confidence they gained and the many shifts that happened for them over our weekend, I want to show you some of their beautiful photo results.  But these wonderful photos are only the tip of the iceberg for what happened internally.  I wish I could share ALL their stories with you.  For now, you will probably see their stories reflected in the magical photos they captured.  (And I say magical because these were all shot in the hotel lobby and restaurant…but you’d NEVER guess it!)

Robyn…this is pure parenthood bliss that you captured!  I LOVE mom’s expression!  Simply beautiful!

When you find great light and your exposure is spot-on, you can get really crisp images like this one that Neyssa Lee caught!  I love the catch light in his eyes.

The next two images are fantastic “tiny toes” shots with so much more!  Take a look at how different the eyes of Michaela Hundahl and Maria were on this shot.  Compositionally, oh so different, but both so lovely.

Kristy H. was able to capture this little guy feeling safe and secure in his father’s arms.  Sometimes we can get caught into thinking we always need to say everyone’s faces, but having the hint of their presence can often make dad or mom’s presence that much more powerful.

I love the composition on this image.  Mom is looking gorgeous in this very tight shot with the light just pouring in on to baby’s face.  What a great moment Krista!

Katie, your image is very similar to Krista’s.  I am digging how sharp this little baby’s face is with mom slightly blurred out in the background…all up against a very simple colored wall.  That type of simple background really makes us focus on the little boy!

Babies over the mom’s shoulders are just a great way to start a baby shoot!  The mom is probably feeling a little self-conscious, so turning her away from the camera, putting her at ease, while getting the amazing shoulder line always works.  Great shot Karyn!

What wonderful composition this image has to it!  Great job Julie Wray!  Mom looks beautiful in this shot!  Baby isn’t in focus, as it should be because the story is so powerfully about mom’s joy.

Wow, Jill Ulander, you found some really even, perfect light by this big window.  I also love that we can see mom totally smiling in the background.

This is the same set up but a different perspective!  Amaris, GORGEOUS!

Jacki, I am so impressed that you turned the baby’s face toward the light.  That is awesome!  The plain wall really makes us feel the love mom has for her little girl.  Very nice!

The warmth of this image really draws me in.  The warm tone and the warmth of the emotion from both parents as they play with their little guy.  Again, just pure joy is displayed on their faces.  What a wonderful moment Genny Kothari caught.

What a sweet portrait of this little girl!  I love how Gargi placed herself a perfect distance away, yet still keeping that nice, even light on the little gals face.  That, my friend, is “Finding the Light”!  I’m thinking your weekly photo sessions with your own baby are a different story now. 

You can’t go wrong with fingers and toes.  Christy Cowan, your focal point of the finger grabbing the toes is spot-on!  I just want to eat those toes up!!!

I’m really proud of this photo because an orange couch with brown wall can be tricky with white balance.  But the group unpacked this set up and look!  Just priceless!  Look at the fabulous catch lights that Carrie caught in her eyes!  Yeah Carrie!

Danielle Kindelberger, this is such an amazing shot of sleeping baby.  I love how sharp the tiny fingers are!  Just precious!  You would NEVER guess what the setting was of this shot–the hotel lobby!!  It looks like you did this in a studio, love those prepared “black backgrounds”. 

The tenderness and security exudes from this image that Amy Swank captured.  It is so peaceful. Love!

Here are some more of my favorite Behind-the-Scene moments from Day One!

And I LOVE this shot because Brian is a walking manual for EVERY camera out there, regardless of what brand the camera is!  Every time I turn around he is trouble shooting technical glitches on some of the cameras, and the relief on women’s faces when that glitch is finally gone is PURE ECSTATIC JOY!!!  That’s what I need to take a photo of next!

To all the Seattle CONFIDENCE Ladies from September…I LOVED our weekend together!  I still find myself laughing when I remember Gargi’s introduction!  Thank you for bringing all of yourselves to the workshop, for pushing your limitations and going after confidence with everything inside you.  It was an amazing weekend, and I can’t wait to show everyone what Day Two looked like.  So proud of all of you!

And a VERY BIG THANK YOU to all the mama’s and their gorgeous babies!  We appreciate you so much!!  I can’t wait for you to see the dozens and dozens of amazing photos these ladies captured of your babies!!!

xoxo,

m

p.s.  Winter CONFIDENCE Workshops have started the Early Bird Registration and are filling!  Christmas is looking REAL GOOD for some special ladies!     CLICK HERE to find the city nearest you!

This month the SOAR! Recipients are assigned Engagement Shoots!  So get ready!  Tomorrow through Thursday, you can visit the SOAR! blog to see their photo results from doing an Engagement Shoot or even staging one for practice!  The purpose of the shoot is to capture a couple and show their engagement with each other.

Charisse is one of our lovely SOAR! Recipients this year, and her family happened to be models at our Sacramento CONFIDENCE Workshop.  I decided to demonstrate with Charisse and her husband some favorite photo tips to capturing a couple whether they are newly engaged or have been married for fifteen years.

I started by asking Charisse what she loves about Keith, and then asking Keith what he loves about Charisse.  At one point, Charisse said that she loves the way he makes her laugh.  As a photographer, I know it’s easier for people to start with “loud” photos and then move to a more quiet photo.  Laughing photos are more loud in energy and action.  So I photo coached Charisse on what I wanted her to do–I wanted that great big FAKE LAUGH with lots of leaning into Keith, and I also wanted to use her hands to communicate affection.  I think Keith was so amused by it all that he smiled naturally on his own.    He was such a great sport!  In capturing a couple’s love for one another, we are focusing on all the nuances, subtle gestures with hands, leaning into one another, eyes closed, etc to create a three dimensional image.  These are a few of my favorites!

I LOVE how Charisse’s hand on his chin, a subtle action that happens so fast, and yet communicates so much adoration and tenderness.  (If it happens to fast, I ask her to do it again.  I’m all about “Do Overs”.

I had Charisse rest her hand on her chest.  I think hands communicate TREMENDOUS emotion.  In fact, try doing a photo shoot of a couple in love.  They don’t have to be engaged, it’s more the photo exercise of drawing out their subtle gestures that shows us a story of affection in the photos we capture.

And when they are done doing the loud, animated, laughing shots, and they have tried a hundred different ideas that you’ve given them on what to do with their hands, they get to exhale.  That’s when the quiet shot is most powerful and rich.

Charisse, you and Keith were the most fun, beautiful models!  Thank you for letting me play with all different kinds of ideas!  And thank you for getting silly with me!  Your husband is such a GREAT sport!  I can’t wait to see YOUR engagement photos this week on the SOAR! blog!

And Ali, boy, did she luck out!  She second shot my DC Minis with with me on Friday!  Our last mini was a couple celebrating their third wedding anniversary, and they are SO IN LOVE!  Can’t wait to see her results of a couple engaged!

Happy Monday everyone!  After an incredible DC CONFIDENCE weekend, we are off with the kids to the Smithsonian!

xo,

m

Why do I love shooting in parking lots over parks?  I know not everyone can come to a CONFIDENCE Workshop (although I hope you ALL can at some point! ).  So how about if I show you why I love shooting in parking lots!

Last weekend, we had our Sacramento CONFIDENCE Workshop (with the most lovely ladies!).  During the model shoot, I noticed one group was photographing their mom and baby in the grass.  Perfect time to demonstrate why I love parking lots over parks!

Grass eats up the light!  When the sun hits the grass, the light is sucked up instead of bouncing back up in to the person’s face.  Sometimes the light will even have a green hue to it.  Anyone ever experience this?  This doesn’t mean you can’t ever photograph people in grass, BUT if there is a big parking lot with lots of cement, even an alleyway, I may consider going there.

Here is an “unedited” example of how the light isn’t bouncing back up into baby’s face.  Instead, you can almost see the shadows on baby’s face around the eyebrows, cheeks and chin.  Does everyone see what I’m talking about?

But look what happens when we move mom and baby into the alleyway and have them sit down on the concrete!  The concrete is white/gray and the sunlight bounces off the concrete and illuminates their faces–no shadows anywhere!  Just gorgeous light!  This photo is straight out of the camera with no editing.

Can you see the difference?  It’s your own Fill Light happening without needing a flash or reflector!

During Day 2 of the workshop, we walk the ladies through our system or organizing images and post process.  I show the ladies how I edit my images and talk about my reasoning behind the editing choices I make.  You could take this image into Lightroom, and accentuate the colors just a bit. (Isn’t this mama gorgeous?!)

But I like it in Black and White too!

This is one of my favorite tricks that we teach at the CONFIDENCE Workshop.  The weekend gives you a bag full of tricks so you can walk away from the workshop in confidence, both inside and out!  Some secret confidence stuff happening in the p.s. below for those of you thinking about making 2012 your year for confidence!

We just got in to DC late last night!  I’m so excited to meet all the DC CONFIDENCE women this weekend!  But first, we are headed with the kids to do some sight seeing today!  And over to Ali’s for dinner, one of our awesome SOAR! Recipients!

But Ali and I will both be online tonight at 5pm PST to kick off a rare Ask & Learn with Brian Smith!  It’s not every day that you have a Pulitzer Prize winning photographer who is super excited to answer all and any questions!  Get your questions ready ladies!

xoxo,

m

p.s. There have been some exciting changes to our next set of CONFIDENCE workshops!  I’m not going to make it official until early next week, but you could look at this page and take a peak (new city added and date changes per your request!).

p.s.s.  Okay, I have to do this too!  I was editing Mini Session photos on the plane today, and I have to show you a couple sneak peaks!

ANNIE!!!  I was FREAKING OUT on the plane when I got to this series from our Mini!!

And the Sossaman Clan of SEVEN singing their hearts out!!  SO MUCH FUN!!! I first met Sharon when she came to our Sonoma CONFIDENCE Workshop FOUR YEARS ago. Now she is this AWESOME Photographer! Check out her beautiful new website!  And their family has become the dearest friends.  (love you guys!)

So for real?!  We have one Mini open for tomorrow at 3:45pm from a last minute cancellation!  No one wants it?!    If you do, just email Genie and show up (genie@merakoh.com or info@merakoh.com)!  Woo-hoo!  (More Mini Photos coming!  Never fear Tresha and Carrie!   Going to be worth the wait, promise!)

p.s.s.s. Is a third p.s. against the law? 

My dad is feeling great since surgery on Tuesday!  Thank you again and again!  Can you hear how light my heart is!  Okay, that’s it.  I promise!

Meet Pulitzer Prize winning photographer and SONY Artisan, Brian Smith!

I know what you are thinking…”wait a minute…he’s not an Amazing Mom!”    Yep, your right.  But…Brian is freaking AMAZING!  And somehow, he has graciously made time in his busy schedule and accepted the invitation to be here today to talk about shooting celebrity portraits, his new book Art & Soul, and how to win the Pulitzer Prize.  But that’s not all!  Brian Smith  is ALSO going to be with us tomorrow night on the forum for our 2 hour Ask & Learn!  I personally promised him you would ALL come with questions, small and big ones, so mark your calendars ladies for this awesome treat!

CLICK HERE to register yourself on the SOARORITY Forum!

For those of you who feel intimidated to ask Brian a question, keep reading this fantastic interview we had.  Brian is completely approachable, super giving and just all around FUNNY!  I first met him through SONY three years ago, and he has a heart of gold.  I am truly honored to be a SONY Artisan alongside someone like Brian.  If you ever wanted to connect with a celebrity photographer, today and tomorrow night is your chance! 

 And now, on to our interview! 

Q: What’s your first memory of photography?  Or being enthralled with picture taking?
I think everybody from my era remembers the magic the first time they watched a print develop in the darkroom. It’s kind of sad that many people starting out now will never have that experience. The real magic came when I had my  first photo published in the local newspaper when I was in high school. I shot sports for my hometown newspaper and still remember the first time I went out to the doorstep and picked up a paper with one of my photographs. It was a bit surreal. A few years later I had my first magazine photo in LIFE and I was absolutely and totally hooked.

And Brian, thank you SO MUCH for being here!!  You are the BEST!  (There is just something about men named “Brian”.  )

A few weeks ago, I participated in the craziest thing I’ve ever done online—a TWITTER PARTY!  It was insane, like one of our SOARORITY forum Ask & Learn nights but on CRACK!  But it was sooo much fun!  For those of you who joined in, we had over 11 million impressions–ELEVEN MILLION PLUS!  Craziness!  The awesome ladies at Mom It Forward compiled the top 10 Ways to Gain Confidence with a Camera from all the tweeting we did.  Below is their post!  To see 4-10, CLICK HERE!

___________________________________________________

by Jamie Moesser on September 13th, 2011

By now, we all know that blogging and involvement in various social media outlets has become a new, fascinating, and powerful means of self-expression. Hand-in-hand with blogging is the subject of photography as a means of enriching your written content and garnering interest. Blog photography as a means of self-expression in and of itself is a topic deserving of it’s own “face time,” however. As one of our tweeters put it, “social media + photography = a powerful new form of personal narrative.”

Last week, our #gno tweeters had the opportunity to learn some valuable photography tips from Me Ra Koh, key note speaker at Evo ’11, a regular photo expert contributor for The Nate Berkus Show on NBC, author, and host of the sold-out CONFIDENCE  workshops. Her work and photo-recipes have been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Lifetime Television, and VH1. She and other panelists shared ideas on how to gain confidence both behind and in front of the camera. Here are the top 10 tips, in no particular order:

Top 10 Tweet Tips for Camera Confidence

1. Decide what story to tell before you shoot. Get in closer, frame the picture tighter. If the background doesn’t add to the story of the photo, get it out. In other words, look for background that accentuates the story.
2. Don’t be afraid to shoot from unconventional angles, whether that means standing on a picnic table or bed looking down at your subject, or lying on the floor looking up. Take lots of shots to find out what works best.
3. Know that it’s not necessarily what camera you use, but how you use it. @chookooloonks says, “I’ve seen great cameras take crappy shots, and crappy cameras take great shots. It’s all in how you use the tool.”

To see 4-10 Tweet Tips, CLICK HERE!

A big, (actually GIGANTIC) thank you to the awesome ladies at Mom It Forward for walking me through my first Twitter Party!  And a HUGE thank you to my amazing panelists and all of you who tuned in!

xoxo,

m

p.s. What’s Left:  CONFIDENCE Workshops!

Just ONE spot left in Sacramento CONFIDENCE Workshop this weekend!  CLICK HERE to take it!

FOUR SPOTS left in Dallas, TX for November!  Other cities SOLD OUT!  CLICK HERE for Dallas Details!

p.s.s. See the newest Weekly Pick at Critique at the New Beginnings Photo Contest!  Have you entered the New Beginnings Photo Contest?!  It’s not to late, and there is a Kid’s Click section too!!!

The second Monday of the month is here!  This means a new SOAR! Photography Exercise!  The assignment was to do a Senior Portrait Session with Textures in mind.  I asked the ladies to go out into their local area and find places that have diverse textures for a possible photo shoot.  We did this exercise last year, and the results were AWESOME!  To see the whole exercise so you can do it too, CLICK HERE! 

Linda Baylis, one of our three SOAR! Recipients from last year, knocked this exercise out of the park in sharing her journey and discoveries!  In fact, our Linda is now settled in New Zealand!!!  She recently launched her photography business and is gearing up to SOAR! in the beautiful area called Hawke’s Bay!!!  I know she will do so well!  Linda’s got so much spunk, power, confidence and passion!  I am…no, actually WE ALL ARE, so PROUD OF HER!!!  CLICK HERE to see Linda’s new website!  Below is the post that she wrote last year for Seniors and Textures.  May this exercise inspire you to see textures in a whole new light!

xoxo,

m

__________________________________________________________

I’m not sure that any of our three SOAR! Recipients have considered Senior Portraits as their main photography focus, but I’m wondering if tackling a senior shoot with textures in mind…may just open up a new love or disdain.

Let me just say is it was LOVE at first CLICK! This week’s photo exercise left me brimming with confidence, inspiration, and excitement. For the first time ever I walked away from the shoot knowing I had some great stuff and the added bonus… we had so much fun!

The day before the session I set out to scout some locations. I already knew where to find some great brick walls and red doors in Old Sacramento Town but I wanted to investigate a mid-town area my photographer friend Bree Hester had taken me to once. I never thought the urban grunge look would fit with my emerging style so it’s not a  location I’d considered before. Oh what I was missing out on!!!

Here’s what I found… two whole blocks of amazing textures, colors, open shade and a world of shooting possibilities. Seriously – I was practically bouncing off the walls I was so excited!

Looks can be deceiving… luckily my senior’s Mom who joined us on the shoot trusted me on that!

And here are the results…

What did I learn?

1. Looks can be deceiving – the grungiest wall can make a beautiful backdrop!
2. Seniors ROCK. Christian was the nicest young man – so relaxed, so photogenic and so open to direction! And patience… this guy was a trooper!
3. Mom’s are a great asset to have on a shoot – the picture above with him sitting on top of the rust covered wall was taken in full sun. I had Mum hold up the screen from my 5 in 1 reflector kit to block the sun.
4. It doesn’t matter how many times I fold up my reflector kit with ease and grace in the privacy of my own home – I will never master it during a public photo session.
5. I am no longer concerned with the technical details. I shoot in raw for the added insurance but feel I’ve finally crossed that line that allows me now to concentrate on the other aspects of good photography.
6. Despite having my most unusual problem to date… not knowing how to cull down the images – I still see so many things I wish I had tried, could have done differently….
7. Last but not least, there is nothing more rewarding than the excitement of a client who LOVES your images as well as the experience of the actual session. Seriously.

After reading Me Ra’s blog post yesterday I realized there are many more ideas and techniques I’d like to explore.  For example, while I shot in manual during this session, I never changed my aperture from f.2.8. I’d never thought of a wheat field as ‘texture’ and I’m eager to find out if any of our museums have fabulous pillars. As well as exploring how textures can enhance senior images I had another goal for this session. I really wanted to shoot for an album and come up with a fantastic studio sample album featuring my very own images. This is something I said I aspired to way back in my SOAR application. I’m so excited with how the album came out and had so much fun with the textures and colors. Quite a change from my classic wedding album designs! You can check it out here.

I really hope you have as much as fun and get as much inspiration from this exercise as I did. I look forward to seeing your results. Keep it coming Me Ra!

Take care,
Linda

(We love you Linda!!! xoxo, m)

Yes, Brian and I finally entered the 21st century and got iPhones.  As a photographer, I almost feel embarrassed on how long it has taken us to get one.  I feel like I have to justify myself and tell all my photo friends that AT&T didn’t have coverage in our home so we had no choice but to wait for Verizon.  But I don’t really have to share all that, right?! 

But SERIOUSLY…I am going CRAZY over the photo apps.  I mean CRAZY!!!  I LOVE THEM!!

Blaze had his last baseball game last Saturday, and I was so giddy about taking photos with my iPhone that one of the moms asked if I had just bought it that morning.  To funny!  I won’t bombard you with ALL the photos I took, but here are my top three!

I am so crazy about this kid!

And my FAVORITE!

It’s kind of fun to not have to think about camera settings and just play with composition!  I was thinking about the Third’s Principle a lot, and seeing how far I could push the envelope.  It was also fun having the space of a square for composition.  Just those two factors, the Third’s Principle and having a square image to work with, got my creative juices going.  Sometimes it’s the simplest of things that recharges our creative energy.  Not to mention all those filters!

On our drive home, I took this little gem!  I love that the shutter dragged on this enough to blur the tree in the foreground.

And one little MISSY snuck in the car with mom’s iPhone and took this self portrait (so classic!).

Just Hilarious.  She doesn’t know that I found this yet. 

So TELL ME, what are your favorite Photo Apps!!

xoxo,

m

For the last two months, I’ve had the honor of being the Photo Judge for a wonderful website called Our365.

Our365 has two different platforms.  First, one in every four women who have a baby in the hospital have Our365 photographers take their baby’s first hospital photo (Remember that sweet hospital photo of your little one swaddled with the hospital cap on?  That’s the photo!).  Second, many of these new moms want to join a community that helps support the first year, 365 days, of their baby’s life.  Our365′s website and newsletter is filled with wonderful tips from your baby’s health to caring for your baby to developmental changes to expect and more!  When you sign up for their newsletter, you fill out how old your baby is and they send you tips based on your baby’s age!  Their newsletter reaches over 1.25 million new moms!  Yes, 1.25 million!!  Isn’t that AMAZING!

I connected with Our365′s team through Random House.  They were kind enough to do a book giveaway of “Your Baby in Pictures” (which is still selling strong thanks to many of you!).  We continued the conversation, and I’ve been given the honor of being their Photo Judge every month for their Photo Contests!  They tell me the theme for the month, and I write a shortened version of a Photo-Recipe from “Your Baby in Pictures” to inspire their readers.  It’s been a wonderful partnership!

Check out the last two Baby Mama and Baby Papa Photo-Recipes and all the great photo submissions!

If you have a baby between 0-12 months, check out this month’s Photo-Recipe and enter the Photo Contest!  The theme is Water Baby!

Starts today!

Now we’re off to teach our Photo Coaching Intensive Workshop and have a Mexican dinner afterwards with the ladies!  Can’t wait!  (Pray it doesn’t rain!  )

xoxo,

m

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Last Week for the Early Bird Discount!

If you are planning to join us this Fall for our CONFIDENCE Workshops, make sure you register this week to get the Early Bird Discount Price of $799 vs. $999.  If you’d like, you can also break up the amount into payments.  Click on one of the four Fall CONFIDENCE Cities for more details!

Sacramento

Washington DC

Dallas

Seattle

We are taking a field trip to The Nate Berkus Show website today!  I’ve got TEN Photo Tips to inspire your picture taking for the perfect Father’s Day gift!  No matter what age the  kids are, whether they are sleepy newborns or rascally boys, you’ll find a special something to inspire your picture taking.  And most of all, dad will get the BEST gift ever this Sunday!

Click The Nate Berkus Show for Father’s Day photo inspiration!

Happy Father’s Day to my dad, Ahba.  He is the most enduring, inspirational man I know.  I’m so blessed to be his little girl.  (I love you ahba.)

And a big Happy Father’s Day to all the men who support their beautiful wives in their photography dreams!  Not only are you awesome dads, but you help us fly too!  What would we do without you?  So thankful for you!

xoxo,

m