Happy Monday!  It’s the second Monday of the month, and this month’s SOAR! Photography Exercise is going to push your comfort zone EVEN MORE!!  We are taking our cameras and hitting the streets!

A couple weeks ago, Ariane Hunter, emailed me with a FABULOUS idea!  For those of you who don’t know Ariane, she applied for the SOAR! Scholarship in 2009.  Even though she didn’t win the scholarship, she followed along the SOAR! journey, and she set her mind to fly with her photography dreams.  I am crazy proud of her!  Just check out her website and blog, and you’ll see the BEAUTIFUL work she’s doing these days.

Her SOAR! Video Submission stuck with her the last two years.  Creating the video had such an impact on her life that she wants to expand it for others to experience!  She emailed me her idea of doing a national “Street Portrait Challenge”!  I LOVED IT!!!  Before I go any farther, watch her video from 2009 to get a taste for where we are headed!

Wasn’t that video AWESOME!  Your turn!  Below is Ariane’s photo challenge that we are taking on for this month’s SOAR! Photography Exercise!

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STREET PORTRAIT CHALLENGE!  by Ariane Hunter

Objective

So much of our success comes from pushing past our fears and proving our own capabilities.

This challenge will be an opportunity for photographers to push themselves past their comfort zone by approaching strangers to take their portraits.

This challenge will develop our strength, increase confidence, and expand our creativity.

When/Where

Saturday, June 18^th @ 3pm

Your hometown OR meet me, Ariane, in Union Square Park, NYC

Rules

- All portraits taken must have a model release  (Ariane has a sample release to use, or you can find one in our Portrait 101 Kit that our attorney put together)

- All participating photographers are free to post their images online (as long as a model release is signed by subject)

- Goal is to get at least 10 portraits

- Allowed one (1) hour to get portraits

- Portraits must be of someone you DO NOT know; has to be a complete stranger

- SIGN UP to participate (Ariane asks you some GREAT reflective questions on the sign up doc, and then she has your contact info to connect with you directly about how it went.  But you don’t have to sign up to do this exercise–reflection and contact with Ariane is just a fun benefit if you’d like.  We’ll also regroup on the SOAR! forum, keep reading!)

Aftermath

- Mark your calendars for Tuesday, June 22nd, 5pm-7pm PST, on the SOARORITY forum to regroup with Ariane in a guided discussion on how your experiences went (i.e. how you felt before, during, and after the exercise)

- Or, if you are in NYC for the shoot, have drinks at a nearby bar with Ariane!  (She will send you details on the in person, gathering, once you’ve signed up!)

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When I told our SOAR! Recipients we were doing this for June’s photography exercise, all three went “GULP!”  Scary?  YES!  BUT, they DID IT!  They are going to lead the way this week on the SOAR! Blog!!  In the meantime, call your girlfriends and mark June 18th on your calendar.  Make this your Photo Challenge date!

Whether you are shooting in Auto mode or Manual, it doesn’t matter.  There is a gift you are giving that transcends our technology know-how.  The best part is the gift giving goes both ways because of what you’ll receive doing it!

June 18th, make it YOUR Artist Date, your Photo Challenge Date!  CLICK HERE to share your experience on the SOARORITY forum and talk with Ariane on June 21st!

Who is in?!

xoxo,

m

p.s.  Ariane is also going to video their experience in NYC on 6/18, so we can all watch it this summer!!  Thank you Ariane for continuing to work at your dream and inspiring all of us along the way.  You are a STAR!

Happy First Monday of the Month – It’s time for our monthly business coaching exercise from Karen Buckley at The Wisdom Connection. It’s simple but powerful. Do it! And share your results on the SOARORITY! Forum for lots of encouragement. To see the other business coaching exercises, click here.

Summer… Oh how the meaning of that word changes throughout life – I remember lazy days in Butte Montana with red sticky pop dripping down my chin only to be washed away by a cannonball into the pool. How quickly it changed to me wiping popsicle from the shiny faces of my children while balancing sunscreen, snacks and folders of work papers.

Moms with businesses know summer is two-sided – it’s lovely when the children are home from school, waking sleepy and slow. Backyard BBQ, trips to the beach, summer camps… but OMG – how do we stay on track with the business while having fun and helping our child grow so that they are ready to step into the new school year?

That is true feminine wisdom – multitasking with style!

By turning the spotlight on the second half of your year, this month’s business coaching blog gives you focus. Two months ago, you set your most audacious goal, last month you learned three ways to manage your time. Now let’s learn to soar in new ways.

The circus ranked high on our list of favorite family summer adventures. While my children snacked on usually forbidden twizzlers, I marveled at the skill and style of a trapeze artist.

I drew some interesting comparisons between the show and my own work. I’m excited to share them with you in an exercise that help women we coach grow their small businesses.

Flying through the air on a trapeze looks exhilarating, effortless, smooth. Positively gorgeous! Yet a lot goes into it.

A trapeze artist develops many skills that are applicable to being a successful business owner. In addition to developing physical readiness with arm muscles, core strength, and a body to wear those shiny tight outfits , she develops an inner quality of willingness, even eagerness to fly through the air, hold on, let go, soar, and grab on – again and again.

She does five things every successful businesswoman must do to remain efficient, effective and wise in the present moment, while keeping her vision alive:

1.     Clarify ahead of time where she is going next & what she’s going to do when she gets there

2.     Sense & watch for right timing – subtly adjusting as needed

3.     Let go of what is familiar & known

4.     Stretch with confidence toward the future. Enjoy soaring!

5.     Grab firmly to her intended target & let the momentum carry her into the next set of moves (exercise?)

The key to putting on a good show is all the work behind the scenes to get ready while also refining a sharp focus on what’s ahead. Without this confidence in her capability and vision, it would be too terrifying to let go.

Like the trapeze artist, focus on what is yours to do and keep it within your reach. Then you can enjoy the ride!

What’s your business focus for the second half of this calendar year? Write down what you plan to accomplish in these areas:

1.     Sales Target: What do you want to accomplish in sales between now & December 31^st?

2.     Personal Skill Development: What skill(s) do you want to develop as a photographer?

3.     Technical/Operations: What additional part of your infrastructure do you want to build (financial, computer, photo editing, camera, lens, or office systems)?

4.     Partners: What affiliate partners or mentorship do you want to cultivate?

5.    Inner Confidence: What’s one area where you want to feel more self-assured & relaxed?

If you don’t know – guess! The only way to learn is to practice and that takes doing it again and again.

Be clear on where you are headed to navigate the chaos of summer. Focus on these goals every week to keep in shape, on point, and ready to fully grasp what’s next. Remember to point your toes and smile as you sail through the air!!

When you are prepared, focused and stable, it will look effortless and will be just as fun as when you were five and discovered how high you could swing. With a clear focus you are ready to multitask with style while building your business and enjoying some summer fun!

Be inspired by our SOAR! Scholarship Recipients results!  CLICK HERE to read what discoveries Rachel, Charisse and Ali all made this week!

Share YOUR results on the SOAR! Forum. See you there!

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Ready to make a change but tired of having good ideas that don’t go where you want? Download “5 Keys to Starting Change (that ends up working!)” – Email us – It’s our gift for you.

Do you want to learn how to be a woman leader in your home, community, and business?  This Savvy Leadership Strategies for Women telesummit offers a remarkable line-up of business women teaching you all they know. And, it’s free for you! Sign up to get the access number to all the calls as well as the recording number to listen any time that is convenient. Be sure to especially listen in on 6/27 at 3 PT/6 ET for Karen and Fay’s talk on Women Leading Change!

*TONIGHT! Gather your questions for Christine!!  She’ll be with us for TWO hours on the SOARORITY forum to answer all your questions!  Ask and Learn with a PRO tonight, June 9th, from 5-7pm  PST on the SOARORITY FORUM!!

We encountered the snow twice in January, once by choice and second by surprise.  The photos from yesterday’s post were from our time skiing at Mt. Hood, OR.  But today’s photos came as a surprise!  We were in NY last week, and a crazy snow blizzard took place.  (From the news, it sounds like the East Coast is still getting blasted.)  When it was calm, Brian and I grabbed our cameras and spent three hours wandering through Central Park.  Beautiful.  A cherished memory of total creative play.

As we wandered the snow covered paths, we encountered a cluster of chick-a-dees.  Someone had left seeds for them, and they were all digging through the snow chirping and cheeping away.  Brian and I got down on our knees so that we were eye level with the birds.  We wanted to capture a photo of these little birds taking flight.  Here’s our Photo-Recipe so you can give it a try too!

Photo-Recipe for Creative Composition with Snow, Shutter Speed and Sweet Birds!

1.  Gather the Birds. Bird seed is a must to gather your birds.  Sprinkle a handful of bird seed in a select area.  Get as low as possible so you are eye level with the birds.  We used Sony’s Live View on the A55 so that we could be at ground level without lying on our tummy’s in the snow.

2. Put your camera in Manual mode. You will need control of the Magic Three (Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO) so you can set all three settings where you want them.  Therefore, you must move to Manual mode (but it will be worth it!  promise!)

3.  Low ISO. Set your ISO as low as possible for the best color, clarity and smoothness.  My ISO was 100.  How blurry do you want your background to be?  I wanted the birds in the back to have detail, so I didn’t go as low in my Aperture/f-stop.  I kept it at f/4.5.

4.  The key is your Shutter Speed. You want a slower Shutter Speed so that when the birds take flight their wings have motion blur.

Here are the birds before they took flight.  So sweet!  I just love them!

The birds that are moving have motion blur because my Shutter Speed was moving slow at 1/60th of a second (or 60).  Thus, the ones holding still are much sharper.  And then they took flight!

To “freeze” action, you need your Shutter Speed to move fast.  A 1/60th, you can only get a sharp photo if the subject is holding super still and your hands don’t shake.  If the subject moves at all, the movement is blurred.

5.  Play!  Play!  Play! I had so much fun photographing these sweet birds.  I tried horizontal shots, vertical shots (like the one below), super blurry birds, you name it!

Without me realizing it, my creative well was filled up by the squeaks and peeps of little ones.  May your creative well be filled too!

xoxo,

m

p.s.  This coming Monday the SOAR! Recipients and all of you will have your first SOAR! Photography Exercise!  Enjoying the Business Coaching Exercise?  Rachel, Charisse and Ali have all posted their “What is So” blogs this week!  Check em out on the SOAR! blog!

I was in Colorado a couple months ago, and I got to visit dear friends for the afternoon.  You’ve seen their family on our blog a handful of times because we’ve shot the weddings for both sisters and have continued to document their beautiful, growing families.  I love Shannon and Brittany—L-O-V-E them!

And can you believe that Shannon was pregnant with baby Cruz when I showed up!  Not only was she pregnant, but she was within weeks of her due date—a wonderful time to take pregnancy photos.  Shannon wanted a photo of the curves she sees when she is on her side.  I totally knew what she meant.  I remember being close to my due date, and I would look down the side of my body as I lay awake in bed, mesmerized by the amazing curves and form my body had taken from pregnancy.  We decided to experiment with a couple different angles, and this one is my favorite.  It feels so peaceful, like following the path of the water’s flow.

f/2.8, Shutter Speed 125th of a sec, ISO 800

Was our shooting “setting” peaceful?  Afraid not.  We had dogs, her nephew, her husband and little girl—all joining in the fun.  If you were picturing a quiet, spacious studio shoot, oh no-no-no.  This was shooting pregnancy photos right in the middle of the family room while real life was happening all around Shannon.

And even though we set out to capture a certain photo, I have to say that some of these outtakes are also favorites.

As photographers, we have this amazing opportunity to capture images that cause time to stand still.

And I am convinced that with every passing year, our images will only become more and more valuable to those whose stories we captured.

The next time you are doing a photo shoot at someone’s house don’t forget to step back and shoot all the funny outtakes.  Invite the children and pets to watch the shoot, even get involved.  You have no idea what pockets of joy are waiting to be captured.  (Shooting outtakes is also a great trick when you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed.  You have fun and feel  a release from pressure of getting “the shots”, and then you can refocus on the photos you are aiming for when you’ve relaxed again.)  Just a little something to store away in your camera bag of photo shoot tricks.

Bottom line: Instead of fighting the environment, jump in and capture all the energy and craziness surrounding you.  This is the joy of photographing real life!

xoxo,

Me Ra

p.s.  You are beautiful Shan.  I love you!

p.s.s.  For more Photo-Recipes and Tips, you can search for specific tips in our Search bar or click on the Photo Tips Category or check out our award winning DVD series, Refuse to Say Cheese and Beyond the Green Box!  Enjoy!

On Monday, I posted the August Photography Assignment for our SOAR! ladies!  It was all about using Textures to enhance Senior Portrait shoots.  Have you checked out the results from our three SOAR! Recipients?!  They are amazing!  And to my surprise, they ALL ended up working with guys!  Lots of photographers feel like working with guys can be harder than working with girls, but wow, this didn’t stop our SOAR! gals!  This week of SOAR! blogs are the BEST pool of ideas for Senior Portrait ideas when working with guys!  I’m so excited!

Below is Linsday’s from yesterday!  She ROCKED the idea of using textures to enhance a portrait shoot!  But seriously, all three of these ladies results are a “must see”!   You can see the locations around Linda’s home in Sacramento and how she integrated the textures for her shoot, and then check out the awesome results Jennifer captured while working with another graduate and an Engagement Shoot too!

Enjoy my friends!  (And to the SOAR! Recipient ladies, you hit this assignment out of the park this month!  Great job!  So PROUD OF YOU THREE!)

xoxo, Me Ra

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I love Texture so much I should have Married It!  (shhhhh….)

by SOAR! Recipient, Lindsay Baumgartner

Call me weird or call me Lindsay, but I adore texture.  Seriously though until this week I don’t think that I could have articulated that.  Scary right ; )!!  I am borderline obsessed with them.  Everywhere my husband and I drive I ohhhhh and ahhhhh over the scenery declaring that each one would be an amazing place to take pictures.

(So this handsome young man is named Drew.  I had the pleasure of shooting Drew and his cousin Tyler in the same session.  They were a hoot fixing their hair and discussing wardrobe changes.  Drew was drafted by the Florida Marlins this spring and will undoubtedly have a great career.  It was an incredible honor and pleasure to take pictures of these sweet and charming young man, and ohhh what a “trooper” he was.  I drug them into a heavily wooded area down a steep hill all so that I could check out the possibilities of this tree.)

(Let me tell you it did not disappoint!!  This incredible hollow tree was incredible!!  It took a couple smiles and perhaps one please to convince Drew to climb into the tree.  Rest assured he looked thoroughly for any spiders or bugs that might attack him mid image ; ), haha I just love it!!)

I’ve been told many times I think outside of the box.  I have been told I see the potential in what the average person might not see.  To me this has always seemed so funny.  Doesn’t everyone see what I do?

(You might recognize this girl.  She was in Me Ra’s blog as well.  She was a model Senior for us at our May workshop.  She and her friend were absolutely amazing and I fell in love with them instantly!!)

(I eagrly asked them if they were interested in walking down a ways to this interesting wood structure that was lying on the side of the train tracks.  It looked like a 3D Star of David, and I was instantly transfixed.  These two girls rocked it…ahhhh to have the confidence they have!!)

I must confess that on a trip to Las Vegas I had a couple of drinks (and by couple I mean one, I am an absolute and utter light weight) and tried to convince my husband, and best friend that I could make something spectacular out of our hotel garbage can.  They laughed at me and continued on…I stopped in my tracks and pleaded with them that I really could.  To which they said…of course you could…but do you need to?

My husband is constantly cursed with this as I bring home all kinds of treasures (not to him) that I can transform into something amazing.  For example just tonight I had to explain to my husband why I would spend $13 on an old buoy.  To which I stood open mouthed pleading with him to tell me it is not the best looking buoy he has ever seen.

(This is one of my favorite places.  It is in the middle of our little downtown area, and you would never know it is there, but there is a little gate that leads down to this quiet place with a picnic table and tree.  It feels like a secret hideaway and it has a number of great textures like this rusted metal panel.  Did I mention I love rust?!!)

So as you can imagine my seniors sometime look at me in an odd way when I take them to where I want to shoot them.  The thing I adore about this age group is they might think it odd, but their adventurous side overrides questioning where in the world I am taking them.

(For this image I picked a couple of daisies from the hill behind me and threw them on the ground I wanted it to look like they just happened to be there.  I had her lay on the ground beside the train tracks and then in true Lindsay fashion I laid down on the ground next to her and was able to capture this image.)

For instance I have drug Seniors into huge fields, down alleys, inside of trees, down hills, under bridges, and pretty much anywhere I can think of.

(We found an old run down peewee baseball field and this is where I was able to capture this image.  I loved the idea and texture of the fence, and don’t get me started on the amazing wood behind him.)

I find great pleasure in finding new locations and odd backgrounds to create an image.  So for this week Me Ra gave me a gift of further understanding myself.  You gotta love that about her…right?!!!

(So this might sound a bit strange, and well the look on his cousins face said he agreed.  To get this shot I found a tree branch that had amazing NW moss hanging from it.  Oh, I adore moss too…go figure.  Unfortunately the branch was too high to capture the image I wanted.  So…I asked his cousin if I could get on his shoulders…and after pause and consideration of my seriousness I climed on and was able to capture this.  Thanks Ty…what a “Trooper”!!

Every day is a chance to see something ordinary in a new way.  I feel as though somehow showing the beauty in something that at first glance might be dingy is God’s special gift to me.

(And lastly this image is from a alley in our small downtown area.  The basic red of the alley seemed a bit predictable so I had him position himself near this old telephone pole, and whalaaaa.  You have this image!!)

I can always see the potential in something…this search and passion for transformation fuels much of my life.  Driving up from the Oregon coast I told my Aunt that all this variety and beauty in our scenery could not have happened by chance.  I thank God every day for the gifts he has given me and the ability to see the beauty in all that surrounds me.

Shine On,

Lindsay

Brian and I had the honor of shooting an amazing wedding in Denver, CO this weekend.  It was a three day event with no expense spared from custom linens to an 8 piece band being flown in.  There are so many wonderful photos to share, but for now, I leave you with one of my favorite.  The First Dance.

Every year Brian and I pick something new to focus on for improving or exploring with our photography.  This year, I’ve been focusing on capturing emotion through means of showing movement.  There is so much focus these days on photos only passing if they are sharp, sharp, sharp.  But sometimes we lose the emotion, the romance, the mystery when all the softness is removed.

When Preston and Anne started their First Dance, I happened to already have my camera on a tripod.  I had just been getting some big, wide angle room, scene setters (promise to show you later).  I decided to take advantage of my camera being on the tripod and get in close with the wide angle.  My ISO was all the way down to a 100 ISO to allow as much velvety, color saturation as possible.  My aperture was up at a f/5.  That’s a bit high for me, but I wanted the suspended ball lanterns and onlookers to have a bit of definition.  The shutter speed was where it all came together.

Since my camera was on a tripod, I could slow my shutter speed all the way down to 1/2 a second.  This slow shutter speed gave me the motion blur in Anne’s wedding dress sweeping the floor.  Since everyone else was standing relatively still as they watched the couple dance, they are not blurred but more defined then the couple.  This makes Anne’s motion stand out with so much more significance.  When I look at this photo, it reminds my heart of the romance, the elegance, the passion that filled the tent during their First Dance.  I want my photos to be sharp when sharpness serves the story I’m wanting to tell.  But at the same time, I never want to close my heart to the idea of slowing a moment down by showing the motion.

As you are embracing your camera this summer, pick one thing to work on instead of everything at once.  And while you work on that one thing, be slow to delete the blurry photos.  You never know what magic they may hold.   Or, take a bold step in a different direction and intentionally slow your shutter speed down to capture the motion, like I did above.  The joy of photography will continue to grow as you enlarge your space to experiment.

A heartfelt thank you to Anne, Preston and their family and friends for giving us the honor of capturing their wedding event.

Happy Monday friends!

Much, much love,

Me Ra

p.s.  It is the first Monday of the month for the SOAR! blog!  That means we’ve got a new Business Coaching exercise from Karen and Fay for you to tackle!  The title is Three Steps to Build Trust and Confidence as a Business Woman! I think it’s Happy Monday AND Happy August SOAR! ladies!  Check it out at the SOAR! Scholarship blog!

p.s.s.  Big video surprise coming to you tomorrow! 

Carey Schumacher, owner of Barefoot Memories, is our guest photographer today! She’s an AMAZING everything – mom, photographer, friend. You can read more about her from her interview a few months ago. Thank you Carey so much for stepping in with some on-the-spot coaching!

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There I was on the morning of Father’s Day, waiting for my clients at the beach in La Jolla.  It was a gorgeous sunny day, and I was not the only photographer at the beach.  Nearest me was a dad with his tripod, setting up the camera for a group family picture on the beach, self-timer style (had I more time, I would have gone over to him and offered to hit the shutter for him).  A little further away, there was an adorable family in photo session garb accompanied by what appeared to be a nice female professional photographer.  Smiling to myself, I watched from a distance as the photographer followed the family around, photographing candid moments of mom, dad, and their cute little toddler daughter.  I really enjoy watching other photographers enjoying their work & creating great photos for their clients, and those moments were no exception.

Then the photographer did something that made me literally slap my head in confusion.  I was dumbfounded.

Because of the low tide that morning, the beach gods were graciously granting us beautiful open shade alongside some rocks that had been under water not 8 hours prior.  I was planning on using that same shade when my clients arrived — it’s too good to pass up!  This photographer took that awesome shady gift and set up the family for a group family photo with everyone looking at the camera, but she put dad & baby in the shade and had mom squatting there next to them with her face in the full sunshine.  With you in mind, Me Ra Koh readers, I took this pic from a distance & blurred out the faces, so I could show you what I saw:

If she was planning on cropping out mom or creating some artsy over-and-under-exposed artwork (which, I admit, could have been her plan the whole time), she was using some very creative lighting strategies to accomplish her goal.  If her goal was to create a traditional evenly lit family image, that posing and lighting strategy was NOT going to work.  She had a flash on her camera, so that would help light up the dad & the daughter, but there’s no way the flash could light them up enough to match the sunlight that was hitting mom’s face.

If she had only put them in the shade so that ALL of their faces were lit the same — oh what a gorgeous family picture she could have created!!

To the photographer, if you happen to read this:  I’m so sorry to be dumping all over your technique!  If you know me at all, you know I love sharing knowledge and helping fellow photographers improve.  This blog post of mine is being written to that end:  to help emerging pros improve.

I’ll say this in the nicest possible way I can:  If you don’t know how to handle lighting at your shooting location, you need to PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE and LEARN LEARN LEARN until you start charging for your photography.  There are a LOT of new photographers entering the world of professional photography, and you will set yourself apart from the new masses when you improve your skills!  Having a creative eye is one thing.  Being able to search out and identify good lighting and bad lighting situations on-location is another.  Combine the two, and you’re on your way to Awesomeville!!

Had I been at that photographer’s side, and had she given me permission to share my two cents, I would have advised her to pose the family so that all of their heads were in the shade.  I would have also recommended that she position herself so that a brightly lit surface was behind her.  With bright sand or a sun-drenched rock face behind her, all of that awesome sunlight would bounce off the bright surface, onto her family’s happy faces, and back to her camera.

Here’s an example from later that morning, when I had my clients in some shade:

I’m not saying this is an award-winning photograph, but all three people are evenly lit without using a flash, and the little boy’s eyes are bright and cheery because of that bright surface behind me.  If he were looking at me with a dark surface behind me, his eyes would be lifeless.

Just for kicks & giggles, here are some more images from that session on Father’s Day:

That little dude wasn’t too thrilled about the crashing waves, but he was ALL OVER racing with dad, so that’s what we did!
For that image, I had my camera set to Av mode (I choose the aperture, the camera chooses the shutter speed) at f/2.8.  The important thing is that I had my camera set to “evaluative” or “matrix” metering (sometimes called “pattern”).  That way, it didn’t just try to get good exposure on the subject, which would have washed out the sky.  Instead, the camera took the whole scene into account when choosing a shutter speed, and chose one fast enough to keep the sky blue.

But for this picture, I had to change my settings:

If I had used matrix metering in that cave, the camera would have tried to expose the dark walls of the cave, and the boy would have been totally over exposed.  So, I switched to “center-weighted” or “partial” metering.  I was telling the camera to look more at the boy and forget about the surroundings (the dark cave walls).  So the camera chose a shutter speed that would expose his face, leaving the walls of the cave pretty dark.

So there ya have it:  some tough love for new pros, and some beach tips for you, too, all in one Carey blog post.

Me Ra: We’re all praying for you and your family here at Chez Schumacher!  Please let your dad know that we love him and are praying for God’s hand upon him to be loving, healing, constant, and keenly felt.

We had the most AMAZING Memorial Day weekend with our CONFIDENCE Workshop in NY!  I can’t wait to post up some Behind the Scene photos for you!  But first, I still need to show you Part 3 from the Seattle CONFIDENCE Workshop!

Here are some QUICK FRESH PHOTO TIPS to working with families!

I like to start by having the family sit on the steps together.  I get the family-group type shots, and then I can start to pull them out individually. Having said that, there is no bullet proof order for working with kids.  I try to listen to their energy and what they can handle and when they can handle it.  If they seem like they are more comfortable next to mom and dad in the beginning, then we start there.

Below, I’m bringing the little boy (or “big brother”) forward to do some photos that are more focused on him.

When I’m working with families, especially kids, I’m working at ways to set up a scene that shows their personality or role in the family.  Whether it’s the brave big brother who can stand on his own. 

Or the little sister who loves to dance and twirl.

I asked this little one if she wanted a photo of her pretty shoes. She nodded without hesitation.  I suggested she sit down on the steps because that might help me get a better photo of her shoes.

And since she thought I was focusing on her shoes, her sweet, little mouth relaxed.

All the pressure of having to “perform” for the camera was gone.  It was the Refuse to Say Cheese moment that I was looking for most.  But how do you do that when a camera is staring them in the face?  Idea: ask them if you can take pictures of anything besides their face.  They will never know if you zoomed in or out for the photo below.

This one is “almost” my favorite!

But this one is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE!   (and it’s blurry too!  Not all photos need to be sharp!  Say “no” to the Sharpening expectation.  There are some amazing moments in your blurred photos too!)

Thank you Seattle CONFIDENCE ladies!  We will start sharing the NY CONFIDENCE Workshop, but I want you to know one more time—
Brian and I loved every moment we had!

For those of you following along, I hope these fresh photo tips spur some new creativity in you!  I would even love to see your results!  Post ‘em up on the SOARORITY forum!

xoxo,

Me Ra

p.s.  Have you been wanting to attend a CONFIDENCE Wkshp?  We had a couple hundred votes come in for the Fall City choices!  We are so excited to tally them up and have already started making calls to see what locations can work in the cities you voted on!   Make sure you are signed up for our Newsletter (see right margin) because we will release the Fall Cities and a Priority Registration to all our newsletter peeps first!

p.s.s.  Would you hate me if I didn’t post a new blog tomorrow?  I am drinking the kids in (all their snuggles, hugs, giggles, smiles, all of it) after being away for the last five days.  I will be back Monday with a new week of posts!

Are you ready for Part 2?!!  Happy Monday Friends!

Let’s start the week off with one of my favorite populations to photograph!  High School Seniors!  But let’s start from the beginning of Day 2 of the CONFIDENCE Photography Workshop!

We started the day with demystifying the whole concept of metering.  For some reason, the photography industry can make shooting in Manual so scary.  But it isn’t at all.  After Brian and I walked everyone through the breakdown of metering in Manual, showing them lots of photo examples and giving a basketful of analogies, we let them loose on each other!  It was a blast!

I love this photo!  Lindsay was the model, and I love how the women are doing all sorts of things—checking out their results (that’s my mama next to the lady in pink), shooting, and I especially love Jen laughing.  Learning new things should be FUN! 

Linda and Idie sharing results with each other.

One of my favorite photos of my mom during the weekend!  She and Sue were going for it, and having a ball at the same time.  (my mom is the one who is laughing–isn’t she beautiful )

And then it was time to take what we learned to the Live Photo Shoot!  We had two or three families and three teenage girls show up for the Live Shoot (The Family Photo Tips come later this week—Part 3!).

I LOVE photographing Seniors!  They have such a great energy.  They are open to anything.  If you tell them to go stand in the ocean, they will totally try it.   Anything for a great Senior Photo.  How can you NOT love working with a subject that is that open?!

I showed our CONFIDENCE ladies a few different set ups that I use when shooting with Seniors.

First, I like to have them sit. Sitting for a photo is often way easier than standing.  It’s a great way to help the Senior loosen up and get used to the camera and me Photo Coaching them along.

This is what I was seeing.

I also love to have girls stand with their rear against the wall, but let their upper body lean forward.  This is a super slenderizing pose for them.  I try to stay away from touching my subjects b/c it can make them feel even more stiff with the camera.  Instead, I photo coach what I envision by modeling it.

You can see how she has her hands set gently behind her, and she is leaning forward with her rear against the wall.  It may feel a bit awkward, but it creates such a flattering, beautiful look.

I Photo Coached her to look over my left shoulder, and then I asked her to slowly turn and look right at me.

Love it!  Doesn’t she look fantastic!  She is such a sweetie!  Even though she’s not a little girl anymore, I’m thinking about my Refuse to Say Cheese motto.  I want to capture as many different and diverse expressions as I can.  I don’t want her to be looking at the camera and smiling for every photo because she is so much more than that one smile.  It’s such a honor to peel away the layers and discover who she is as an individual.

Shooting away!

I also like to discover what people look like when they laugh. This is a fun process.  I have them do funny things so I can start to see the gestures that naturally come out of them when they are laughing. Sometimes it’s easier to have them sit for this series of photos.  The important thing is to play with the subject, try different ideas.  You may feel nervous about your technical abilities, but if you keep giving your Senior ideas, they will LOVE you for it.

This is one of my FAVORITES from the “laughing segment”.  I love how natural and relaxed she looks.  And I LOVE the color all around her!

The CONFIDENCE ladies split up into small groups and went for it.  This is one of the set ups they made.  I had to get my own shot!  (Nice work ladies!)

Cheryl is the beautiful mom in the middle.  She attended our Orange Country CONFIDENCE Workshop a couple weeks ago.  It was SO FUN to see her and meet her two daughters.  I had to photograph them all together.  Aren’t they beautiful!  (Thanks so MUCH to all three of you!)

I’m working on Part 3 to show you some Photo Tips from the Live Family Shoot we did. I hope these quick photo tips for Seniors are helpful.  The biggest encouragement I want to give is this, Let yourself S-T-R-E-T-C-H into photography.

There is so much to learn that we can get overwhelmed.  We start to think we need to know everything to make great photos happen.  But it’s not true.  The biggest thing we need is a connection with our subjects.  And this connection can only happen if we are willing to look silly, be silly and keep trying different ideas as we become better and better with the technical stuff.

When you remember that your biggest job is to help your subject relax, you remember that they may be even more nervous than you.  And that’s something to take comfort in because now you’ve allowed yourself to bond with them.

They feel vulnerable in front of a camera.  You feel vulnerable asking them to stand a certain way.  You both feel vulnerable together.  This makes the reward of a great photo that much better—for you both.  Try to see photography as a partnership between you and your subjects, instead of you being the “Photographer” with a capital P.  This subtle mental shift will allow you both to breathe and have so much more fun.

xoxo,

Me Ra

Today is the second Monday of the month which means there is a NEW Photography Exercise at the SOAR! blog this morning!  Yeah!!

I’m teaching on the concept of Less is More, and how to apply this to our images.  I’m not talking about cropping your images on the computer.  That works in the beginning, but what happens when you shoot a Portrait Shoot or Wedding and you have to crop on thousands of images?  No, it’s better to break that habit now and start practicing the concept of Less is More.  It’s all about how to frame out all that you can to make the story even more powerful—or simply show another take on the story.

For example, how do you take this wide angle photo and incorporate the concept of Less is More?  See the results on the SOAR! blog today!

xoxo,

Me Ra

p.s.  I hope you all had a WONDERFUL Mother’s Day yesterday!  We had a full weekend.  Saturday was Blaze’s GI JOE birthday with Brian dressed up as Commander Chief (oh yeah, photos of that are coming!  ), and yesterday was a total surprise that Brian coordinated.  Tell you later!

p.s.s.

To learn more about capturing Story Telling Elements that you can capture with your camera, check out our Award Winning DVDS, Refuse to Say Cheese and Beyond the Green Box!  You have until this Wednesday to get 20% off all DVDs and 101 Kits in honor of Mother’s Day!  Use the promo code: mamalove.