Photo-Recipes | Me Ra Koh Photography Blog

August 27th, 2010

The Other Side of the Mountains!

By the time you read this, we will be sleeping in a tent under the pine trees! Yep, we made it camping friends! We really made it!

So stay tuned for the infamous Top Ten Reasons to Go Camping! The 2011 list may knock it out of the park this year! The weather is saying 90 degrees today and snow flurries tomorrow! Who knows what adventures await us!

Barbaric Yelps if nothing else!

Did you see The 2009, Top Ten Reasons to Take the Kids (and the Dog) Camping!

And the post that started it all! The 2008, Top Ten Reasons to Take the Kids Camping!

xoxo,

Me Ra

p.s. If we happen to run into each other in the woods, you bring TP and I will try to remember too!

6 Comments »

August 24th, 2010

MamaBloo Photo Tale: It’s Finally Back to School Time!

Kari from MamaBloo here!

With five kids I am always in a quandary about how to document the first day of school. I remember back to a post from Me Ra about when Pascaline started Kindergarten. There she was on the front porch tying her shoes — oh, such a milestone and she was doing such a good job. I felt myself sucked in to the STORY of her first day so much that here I am years later reflecting on it!

But, I must be honest. By the time the first day of school rolls around I am anxious to get the little buggers out the door so I can kick back and salt the rim of my coffee cup and drink my morning “beverage.” There is no more creative-story-telling juice left in me. All my good ideas have been sunburned and chlorine drowned by months of entertaining and corralling a passel of kids. Plus, to get ready for this glorious day, I have undergone trips to Abercrombie followed by standing in line for kindergarten registration: a gamut no mother should have to endure.

So, the first day of school pics.

I lit a candle and tried to channel as much Me Ra as I could.

Chanting a bit, to be honest. “What would Me Ra do? What would Me Ra do?

Nothing. I got nothing. Not a thing. No creative spirit. No energy to fiddle with the white balance on my camera. Cursing the day I learned that just stacking your kids in a row and snapping their photo was not “telling the story!” Drats! Curses! A pox on all things that Refuse to Say Cheese!

So, I parade the children out the door to the front door. And I stare at them. They stare back. Then they start to stare at each other as if to say, “The old lady has finally lost it.” Just as they are about to do the unthinkable and put their arms around each other and smile ( and I will never ever be able to show these pictures to Me Ra) an idea begins to take place. Just a little bud of inspiration tunneling itself up through the dry cracked desert. “Uh, Izzy, hold up 6 fingers any way you want to and start modeling!” Ah man, that 6th grader took off with this! It was like the number six was a sugar-hit or something. I am flying now.

I AM photo-coaching.

I am Me Ra but a smaller, rounder, more freckled version.

Onto my 4th grader and her 4 fingers and then my 8th grader and her 8 fingers. “Have fun with your fingers!” I yell. Who knew that these digits would be the inspiration for some memorable photos.

And then, just for old time’s sake, I had them put their arms around each other and look right at the camera and say, “Cheese!!!”

And I kept that photo, too.

love, Mamabloo

8 Comments »
Tags: MamaBloo

August 19th, 2010

Photographing Baby Details: There is No Comparison!

Some of my favorite Defining Details to shoot are Baby Details. The little toes, hands, eyelashes, yawns, ears…I could go on and on. Why are we so in love with every little baby detail?

I adore Brian, love him to pieces. So I decided to shoot “Brian” same ear detail. And you know what…I don’t really need to say anything else, do I? It’s just not the same.

Even turning it to black and white and adding a border doesn’t help.

I now visually get why “Baby Details” can never be matched. If you are blessed to have a baby near you, get out that camera and think small by shooting the smallest details. Little tip: nap time is a great time to shoot!

xoxo,

Me Ra

p.s. For more ideas on how to capture your baby’s Defining Details, check out the Refuse to Say Cheese DVD!

p.s.s. The Running on Empty Contest for DC starts Monday morning! Get ready ladies! Is it you?!!

25 Comments »

August 18th, 2010

Post Process Lightroom Tips for Photos from SOAR!

The SOAR! Recipients have done such an AMAZING job blogging their journey these last eight months. This week they are highlighting the awesome influence some of the SOAR! Partners have had on their photography journey! Don’t miss it!

If you are a beginner in Post Process stuff, here is one post you don’t want to miss. For those of you who don’t know, Adobe is one of our awesome SOAR! Scholarship partners. They are equipping the recipients with all kinds of amazing software and books. Jennifer dove right into Lightroom and fell in love with one of my favorite features; Vignettes. Keep on reading, and you’ll be adding vignettes to your photos in no time! (great post Jen!)

______________________________________________________________________

The day that Lightroom was delivered down our drive, I became a professional photographer…

At least it feels that way! I really am in love with using Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. We kind of have this thing… this little relationship now. Even though we are still getting to know each other, I am by far one of Lightroom’s biggest fans. Not only is Lightroom a cataloguing genius, it is just plain EASY to use!

My life has changed. I heart you my little photo editing b.f.f.

Want to know one of my favorite, super-easy, must-haves on most of my picture edits? Let’s look!

On the right hand side, when you are in the “Develop” screen, you can scroll down and see “Vignettes.”

Moving those sliding scales leads you to the perfect finishing touch for your picture.

Here’s a before and after:

These were from the self portrait exercise we did last week-The vignette is letting me put focus on the details that help tell the story. So simple and so effective! I love that! In fact, I love it so much that I’m a little addicted to vignettes.

But I didn’t become a “vignetting queen” right away. I experimented many times and tried a lot of different edits before I had a few things that I included in most pictures. See, the value of Lightroom is that it is non-destructive editing. I can make all kinds of ugly attempts at improving a photo and with the click of my mouse, go right back where I started, straight out of the camera. And then I can change my mind again and, with the same click of a mouse, go straight back to the edits I tried. This is so huge, especially when you are learning what looks good and what doesn’t!

(these are the history of my edits from beginning to end-picture below-before and after…if I click on Import, I will see the picture I imported (SOOC), if I click on Fill Light, I will see where I stopped editing. and I can click on any of these steps in between and see where I was during editing!)

Lightroom is such a powerful tool. In fact, there is so much more I could tell you than what will fit in this blog. Here are some of the most fun features Lighroom offers. While I am getting better at photography, I’m also getting better at presenting my photos. And, when I need bigger help because of tricky lighting or something like that, Lightroom has saved me!

Besides picture editing, Lightroom will be so helpful in working with clients…from watermarking to putting together slideshows and publishing them on my website.

I am SO grateful to Adobe for their partnership with SOAR! What a gift we’ve been given! And now that I’m working with Lightroom, it’s time to start learning all of CS5-unbelievable!!

Here’s to hoping you are having a great week! If you haven’t used Lightroom, go download a trial version today! Tell ‘em the “vignetting queen” sent ya’!

Let’s do this y’all!

Jen

_____________________________________________________________

For more Post Processing Tips, check out these two blog posts from the Archives!

Me Ra’s Six Time Saving Steps to Processing an Image!

and

Make Post Process Count!

To read more of Jen’s SOAR! journey, CLICK HERE!

And tomorrow, we discuss the beauty in photographing Baby Details! This post will make you smile!

2 Comments »

August 17th, 2010

The Joy of Photographing Real Life!

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!

8 Comments »

August 13th, 2010

Three Examples when Shooting Senior Portraits w/a Guy!

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

________________________________________________________________________________

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

No Comments »

August 9th, 2010

August Photography Assignment for SOAR!

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. They could be looking for brick,

concrete walls (I know my little brother is not a HS Senior. Just showing the point of concrete walls.)

even pink garage doors!

Or metal garage doors!

Instead of just asking, ‘How can I take the best photos of this High School Senior?’ I wanted the SOAR! gals to observe their client’s personality and see what type of textures and environment would enhance the personality. 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. We shall see!

Want to try this month’s SOAR! photography exercise too? It starts with grabbing your car keys or putting on your walking shoes and talking a photo journey through your community. Observe textures down alleyways,

This couple asked if we could do their whole engagement shoot in an alley in Santa Monica. See how I used the diverse textures in the alley to enhance their story!

Are there any museums in your area with big stone pillars?

What about the color and textures of a garbage dumpsters,

or old brick vs. new brick, open fields, pebbles on the beach, etc! Go crazy with this! Searching for textures can be so much fun!

Take some sample shots at both low and high f-stops. Notice the time of day. How is the texture going to change based on where the sun is. A wheat field at sunset

is a very different thing effect then a wheat field at noon.

0060_BritGreer[1]

You may be surprised at how focusing on textures gives you a new tool to add to your bag of photography tricks!

Post what your results are at the SOARORITY Forum! We would love to see them!

Happy Monday!

xoxo,

Me Ra

p.s. I’m excited to see what our SOAR! Recipients discover on the SOAR! blog this week! Tune in Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, as the SOAR! ladies each share their photo results of Seniors and Textures and what they discovered in the process!

3 Comments »

August 2nd, 2010

Slowing Your Shutter Speed Down to Capture Romance!

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!

8 Comments »

July 29th, 2010

Have You Ever Photographed Your Kids Playing Wii?

I’m so excited to say that my dad came home from the hospital last night! Yes! He really did! After 45 days, he’s back home. We still have a very long road ahead, but I couldn’t help but cry when I saw him finally resting in his own home. So thankful.

Needless to say, there has been more unexpected events this summer than I can count. Some of them I’ve shared, some of the news is still to come. But can I just say I LOVE Wii! In those first few weeks of my dad being in the hospital, life was turned upside down, and one day I came home and found Gina playing Wii with the kids. It was to hilarious not to shoot!

Look at those faces! HILARIOUS! For those of you who love Wii and love Photo-Recipes, try this out over the weekend! Send me what you get! (You are waiting for those intense facial expressions! )

Photo-Recipe:

There is a coffee table right in front of these guys, so I sat down on it and shot them straight on. I wanted to be eye level with them, so that it when you looked at the image it felt like they were right in front of you. I set my aperture to f/2.8. My shutter speed was 1/60th of a second (or it may say 60 on your camera). That is a slow shutter speed in some ways which can cause motion blur or camera shake, but since they were sitting in the same spot and not really moving anything but their arms—it works. There is a lot of natural light in this room, so I was able to have my ISO down to 200. I took a bunch of shots in a row so I could get as much diversity as possible in their facial expressions. At first they were all a little self conscious of me shooting, but after a few minutes they forgot about me. So hang in there for the shot. It’s so worth it!

And a big thanks to Wii for helping my kids stay entertained on several afternoons when mom was at the hospital. Plus, I have to thank my beautiful sister-in-law, Carmen, for convincing me to buy a Wii in the first place. Love you Carm!

Have a great weekend friends!

xoxo,

Me Ra

11 Comments »

July 27th, 2010

More Photo Tips for Dealing with Racoon Eyes and Full Sun!

Two weeks ago, I posted a Photo-Recipe on how to deal with full sun. All three of our SOAR! Recipients were assigned the task of trying this out, and they did an amazing job! I encourage you to check out their posts on the SOAR! blog. They rocked it! In fact, I wanted to share Linda’s with you. If you missed it, I know you will enjoy this! (thanks Linda, and girl, GREAT job!)

___________________________________________________

One of the goals I set in last week’s business coaching exercise was to improve my photography skills. The further I progress on this SOAR journey the more I realize the need to break this goal down into realistic and manageable actions to prevent me from becoming frustrated and overwhelmed by the very thing I profess to love. I think the past six months has taught me much about the skills and techniques I need to work on and practice to become the kind of photographer I aspire to be. Now is the time for me to truly acknowledge I can’t acquire these skills all at once. As Me Ra says in this week’s photo exercise – it’s time to slow down!

How to shoot in full sun is something I defiantly need to learn and practice. Here in Sacramento by around 8.30am I’m in trouble, so finding the conditions to do this exercise was not a problem. Finding a cooperative model on the other hand was and it’s finally time for me to wise up and say NO to practicing on my children. It’s just not fun for anyone and slowing down with those two monkeys in tow is certainly not an option. Even my shameless bribes and pleading don’t buy me much time. But this weekend my options were limited and I had to work with what I had.

So here is my little Racoon eyed Jack… around 10am facing into the sun.

Full Sun 1

Full Sun 2

Here he is turned around with his back to the sun and half a chocolate chip cookie in his tummy just to get him to do it! Much better, but to me it feels somewhat flat. I’m really starting to get a feel for the style of image I want to capture and I really want to see those catch lights in the eyes.

Full Sun 2

So we found some open shade on my neighbors front porch and tried again. There was a strip of direct sunlight on the concrete in front of him to reflect the light back into his face and light up his eyes a little.

Open Shade 1

Open Shade 2

This exercise was a great way for me to start observing and working with available light. Not so great on the moving people around but I’m going to try it again later in the week with a more cooperative model! Look forward to seeing what you learned from this exercise along with your images over on the SOARORITY forum.

Take care,
Linda

6 Comments »