March 9th, 2010

Portrait of Pascaline “Eux de Toilet” (Making the BEST of it w/ your Camera!)

Our life has been made up of vomit and diarrhea the last seven days.  Yep, there is no nice way to put it but just say it as it is.  If this had lasted for one to three days, I don’t think I’d use a whole blog post to share.  BUT as of last night at 3am, it’s been seven days friends.  Count them out, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, AND 7.  Do I want to scream?  YES!  Do Brian and I feel like we are up to our elbows in cleaning, cleaning, cleaning? YES!

It started on our flight back to Thailand from Cambodia.  Blaze felt a little nauseous.  We boarded the plane.  Buckled up, etc. etc.  And then all of a sudden the little guy started vomiting in his seat.  The airline stewardess brought me Kleenex!  Um yeah, not super helpful.  I don’t tell me Asians use Kleenex to clean up vomit b/c that is ridiculous.  I simply think this airline stewardess wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer.  A nearby, sympathetic passenger passed me baby wipes—an angel in disguise.  And get this, as I’m on my hands and knees trying to clean up, the plane starts to taxi and just takes off!  So much for waiting for everyone to be seated.

Same thing happened at the airport and then at our house.  Next day Blaze laid low, and the storm seemed to pass.  Mom’s up to bat.  Oh yeah friends.  I vomited so much in one night the blood vessels popped on my eyeball so it looks like I’ve been in a bar fight.  “Should look better in three weeks,” says the doctor.  Great.  I laid low the next day and felt okay after.  Well let’s see, let’s bring Pascaline up to bat.  She hasn’t had a turn.  And Pascaline not only knocks it out of the park one day, but two and three days, and I think today makes it four….um yeah.  She has taken the championship by managing to throw up in every room, on our clothes, and at 3:30am this morning (when you thought it couldn’t get ANY better), she got up and vomited all over the home school stuff.  That’s feeling a little “set up” to me, but never fear, home school will go on to her dismay.  :)

Blaze, who has been playing in the ocean and chasing monkeys, came down with it again, and then last night I felt nauseated again.  Could it be all the cleaning up we’re doing?  Who knows.   But the doctor was extremely helpful and said that we all have a stomach bacteria.  Take the antibiotics for five days.  That should kill it.  The tricky part is getting Pascaline to keep it down.  And thus, our first week back in Thailand isn’t at all what I pictured.  So I figured it was time to take pictures of what it is.

You see, the climax for me was when…WAIT…this gets gross, so just stop reading if you need too—basically, consider yourself warned.  The climax was when Blaze said he had gas but instead had diarrhea all over the cushions.  As Brian and I start to clean it up, Pascaline decides to contribute by vomiting on Brian.  It was so awesome.  True parenting doesn’t get better than that point.

So you’ve got Pascaline hanging over the toilet, and Blaze showering behind her from his little mess.  And I figure, “What the hell.  It’s time to shoot the sh#$% out of this.”

Portrait of Pascaline Eux de Toilet!

Look at those BIG, SAD, Brown eyes.  We fell for them the first six times she had an episode.  And then the eyes didn’t work any longer.

Less is More!  Don’t even need to see her big brown eyes to feel it.  :)

I call these next few images “The Waiting” series.

And this last one is almost a little glamorous looking, don’t you think?!

(Photo Recipes: ISO was 200, f-stop was 2.8, and Shutter Speed was 125th of a second.)

Do you think I’m just the MEANEST mom on the island?

Was this the blog post that I thought I’d be writing for today?  No.  But thanks for humoring me because it feels really good to vent.  And regardless of how utterly exhausting and emotional the last seven days have been, shoot me for saying this, but I want to capture it on some level because right here and now, this is a big part of our trip in the last week.

And in case my parents are worried after reading this, here is a little status.  Blaze went kayaking with Brian today and feels great.  Pascaline has made it almost 20 hours without vomiting or running a fever.  In fact, she was sassing Brian a couple hours ago which is always a sign of her normal self coming back.  :)

For those of you who are wondering about Brian…is he up to bat next?…Good question.

xoxo,

Me Ra

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February 17th, 2010

Breakfast with Brian

We have left the island of Koh Tao.  But before parting, I had to share this image.  Every morning we had breakfast at this table overlooking the bay.  Brian was feeling so stuffed up, but doesn’t the scene itself look serene.  The kids would climb the rocks, and we would sit and read over a pot of Green Tea.  Hard to leave this place, but it’s good to be exploring a bit this time.  And off we go to Koh Phi Phi.

For all of my Photo Recipe lovers, here we go!

I lowered my ISO to 100 for the best color saturation.  It was pretty bright out so I could get away with the 100 ISO.  My f-stop was 4.5 because Blaze was all over the place.  So I wanted to make sure I caught some good detail on him.  And my Shutter Speed was 1/80th of a second.

xoxo,

Me Ra

17 Comments »

February 11th, 2010

MamaBloo Photo Tale: Turning The “Story” on its Ear

I feel like if you give me a laptop, a cup-o-coffee, and some time alone, I can tell a pretty good story.  Better yet, put me among friends, feed me, and give me the floor and I can PERFORM a good story.

 

But I am still working on telling the story with my camera.

I am probably being hard on myself.  Ugh, I say.  Do I have to “tell the story” or can I just line the kids up, put the camera settings on the dreaded green box, and yell “SAY CHEESE” and snap the picture.

I know, I know… I can just hear Me Ra’s gasp, can’t you???

What’s a mom to do?

Outsourcing.

So, I handed my $900 camera to my 4 year old son, Ty. “YOU take the pictures today,”  I say.  He beams.  I give him a quick lesson on the basics  –  viewfinder, thingy on back to look at the picture he just took, camera strap (a must!).  Then I set the camera on aperature priority and I turned on all the lights in our house and opened the curtains wide.  And I let him tell HIS OWN STORY.

Then I got out of his way.

How he sees the world made me stop.   One time a while back my then-8-year-old, Izzy said, “Adults get wrapped up in the craziest things sometimes.”  And that quote came to mind when I looked at Ty’s shots.

What he saw was not what I would have photographed.  But it was worth my time.  A fleeting moment of Daddy re-filling the ketchup bottle.

 

 

Mommy’s Desk.

 

Mommy, working on her blog and not looking her best.  But he tells me that I am the “prettiest mommy in the whole world.”  Het tells me I am “wonderful pretty.”

 

 

Part of a toy.

 

 

As Me Ra and Brian head back to Thailand, I think back to a post she wrote on how the people in Thailand really SEE kids and that Blaze noticed this.  He said he “felt invisible” in America. 

Then I thought, THIS is what my son sees.  This is his world.  This is the story he chose to tell with the camera. Although I have a need to photograph him from top to bottom AND in such a way that my love for him somehow translates into digital pixels, that is purely MY need.  HIS need is for ME to see his world the way he sees it.  And, today I did because I handed him my camera.  Today, photography taught me to slow down and really think about my child, my baby boy, and how he must see the world from only a few feet off the ground. 

He turned my paradigm of “Telling the Story” on its ear.  And I am so glad he did.  Because I think I’ll go a bit easier on myself next time I pick up my camera.  It’s not just about me afterall…

Click here to read Me Ra’s post mentioned above about Blaze feeling invisible.

Come visit me at MamaBloo and check in with my other tales!

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February 2nd, 2010

CxO Fight Club: Leaving the Think Tank

Last Monday, Brian and I flew to Colorado to meet with four other small, powerful businesses.  These aren’t just any businesses, but some of the top leading businesses in the wedding/portrait photography industry.  David Jay and Todd from ShowIt, Rachel LaCour and Andrew Niesen of ShootQ, Bob and Dawn Davis Photography (Oprah’s photographers), and Lawrence and Julie of Tofurious (viral marketing/SEO masters).  It was an amazing group!

We were invited by Jeff Jochum, the CMO of SmugMug to participate in a CxO Fight Club, basically, an intense Think Tank.  Jeff’s been an advisor to Brian and I for the last few years.  His wisdom has helped our business grow in endless ways.  He has a history of taking several companies worth $1-$3million and helping them grow to $40 plus million.  Needless to say, when Jeff has advice for us…we listen.

His plan was to bring us together, dismantle our businesses, challenge our businesses on so many freaking levels, and then push us to prepare our businesses for a Venture Capital presentation.  None of us are really sure that we are going to look for Venture Capital/Angel funding, but we went through the motions last week for the sake of finding clarity about our business goals.  There is something about having to articulate your business goals, strategies, marketing plans…All of it…with absolute clarity.  Oh my Lord, it was intense.  We had 14 hour days, sometimes going over things at midnight, and our brains were pushed beyond measure.

At the end of the week, we had a face off.  All five businesses presented to the panel of judges, including a former Venture Capitalist.  Talk about stress, pressure, and being challenged beyond your comfort level.  Think Shark Tank.

By the third morning, I got so angry with Jeff.  I felt like he was pushing me beyond my capacity.  I was on the brink of tears and had a few words with him.  It was as if he mentally rolled up his sleeves because I was at the point of breakthrough and just didn’t know it.  But he knew it.  I had to remind myself that this is what I was paying for.  I wasn’t paying to be encouraged and built up for four days.  I already knew Jeff believed in us.  I was paying to be challenged, questioned, critiqued, analyzed on every level and come out stronger on the other end.

I’m happy to say that all that happened.  Brian and I can’t believe how much we grew in four days.  The growth that happened in the Think Tank would have taken four years if left to our own devices.  The week was exhausting but in all the right ways.

And one of the best parts, we walked away with four other businesses to join our Panel of Advisors.  I know we talk about this a lot, but it is so important to surround yourself with a support group of some kind.  Whether you meet in person, via phone, or on the SOARORITY forum, you must set your mind to making it happen.  The photography industry can feel lonely.  We are all so focused on fine tuning our craft and building our business.  Who has time to connect and find support?    Yet, the value of knowing your not alone, the empowerment it gives…it may be the most important part to surviving.  They say that in the first year, nine out of ten businesses fail.  I wonder how many of those nine had support to cheer them on.

I know many of you are starting out and don’t know where to find that type of support.  Chopping Block has been working hard on the SOARORITY forum so that it provides a place of safety and support for you.  Here is one example of how hard they’ve been working…We were actually ready to go live with a Ning site last Thursday, but we all pulled the plug because we discovered there were specific features Ning couldn’t provide.  They were features that are essential to you being able to find support from one another.  So Chopping Block went back to square one and are rebuilding SOARORITY on a VBulletin site, as fast as they can.  Supports starts with communities like this.  In fact, I met David (DJ) on his Open Source Forum years ago.  You never know how connections online will form into life long supportive friendships.

Jeff, thank you for such an amazing week.  You not only believe in us, but you push us, say the tough things we need to hear, and then keep on believing in us.  You know we love you so much.

To my fellow Fight Club members, DJ, Todd, Rachel, Andrew, Bob, Dawn, Lawrence and Julie…Brian and I feel so blessed to have you in our lives.  So very blessed.  The support we all found in each other last week was priceless.  I can’t wait to see where we all go from here.

xoxo,

Me Ra

p.s.  Brian and I won the CxO Fight Club presentations!  :)   We were so surprised.  Talk about intense competition…if you could have only seen how awesome the other four presentations were.  And if only the $2million we asked for was real!   :)

p.s.s  Follow the SOAR! Recipients this week on the SOAR! Blog, as they share their first Business Coaching exercise with you!  It’s an exercise that you may want to try for yourself and your business!

p.s.s.  Only six more days till we leave for the jungles of Thailand!  With our heads full from last week, we get a space of time to process, restructure and get ready for an amazing 2010!  Counting the days!

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January 28th, 2010

A Main Ingredient to Successful Business!

You may not like me when I say it, but there is no way around it.  One of the main ingredients to a Successful Business is Exercise!

Have you made a New Year’s Resolution to be in better shape?  It’s never to late!  I’m not talking about Barbie Doll shape or those Size 6’s that are really the new Size 10’s—ugh!  I’m talking about feeling good about your body/fitness and raising your CONFIDENCE (there’s that word again!).

When we started shooting weddings more consistently, I would wake up Sunday morning and be WORTHLESS for the rest of the day.  It was insane!  I’d nap on the couch and feel like a train hit me.  This was not okay for my family.

Shooting weddings is such an endurance based activity, standing on your feet for up to 12 hours.  I knew I needed to get in shape for the job.  So I started swimming to build up my back muscles and endurance level.  Eventually, I met this scary guy, Troy Nesby.

He’s not that scary. :)   But he is a darn good trainer.  AND guess what ladies, he is putting Cross Fit and Cardio exercises/workouts on his new blog.  It’s called the Homework Fitness blog, and it’s pretty great.

I LOVE it because one of my biggest battles is keeping consistency in a life that is made up of consistent travel.  I feel like I do so good with exercise at home, but then we hit the road and my diet and exercise routine struggle.  But if my dad can do it, I sure as heck can.

My dad has travelled abroad for almost forty years.  He is sometimes out of the country two or three times a month.  And guess what, when he flies from Seattle to Korea, he checks himself in at the hotel (in KOREA) and does cardio after a THIRTEEN hour flight!  He’s in his late sixties and has no body fat!  He made a decision on his 40th birthday to stay in shape, regardless of how crazy his schedule was, and he has done it.  If I think my schedule gets crazy, I don’t have anything on him.

So last year I bought resistance bands that I can take anywhere.  If you don’t have a gym membership, you totally need these bands.  They cost maybe $15 at Target.  And when I’m on the road, I pull up Troy’s blog and find a workout that I can do from anywhere in the world.

What do you say ladies?  What about setting some fitness goals.  My goal is to exercise 5-6 times a week.  I do pretty good with 3 times, but I’d like to bump it up because honestly, I just feel better on the days I workout.  What’s a realistic goal that you can set for yourself?  If you do any of Troy’s workouts from his blog, post a comment on how it went.  I’ve started doing it, and for some reason it helps me feel more accountable.

Why is exercise a main ingredient for a successful business?  There are many things in the life of your business that you can’t control or predict.  Choosing to get up in the morning and hit the gym before the kids wake up is something you can control.  And it’s amazing how this keeps you grounded while building your business.  Jeff Jochum and I talk about this off and on.  Give it a try.  You’ll see what I mean!

CLICK HERE for Troy’s Homework Fitness Blog!  And leave a comment after you do a workout!  I won’t feel so alone!  :)

xoxo,

Me Ra

8 Comments »

January 6th, 2010

Mamabloo Photo Tales: Trying the Fake Laugh Photo Tip on Your Kids!

This is Kari from Mamabloo—stepping in to help Me Ra while they prepare to make the SOAR! Scholarship announcement this Friday.

Okay, I know we all think our own kids are cute. But, mine REALLY are… being totally 100% objective here… my kids are darn cute….

The problem is that because I am a photography nut, my kids actually don’t like being photographed that much. So it is very hard to actually document their darn-cute-ness. Sometimes, it’s like I am pointing a weapon at them instead of a camera. This impression is not aided by the expression “just let me shoot you, please!?!!?” They usually look frightened, sometimes they look bored and sometimes they just look disgusted with me. And the older ones usually reserve the famous eye-roll

for very special photography occasions like graduations and band concerts.

So, right before a recent band concert of Izzy’s, I tried some Photocoaching a la Me Ra and Brian. “Look natural” I shout at them.  They stare back.  They try to smile.  They look like ZOO animals!  (I promise you, if you couldn’t tell, this is NOT Izzy’s most natural look.)

Ah, man. Me thinks that I am not a good photocoach.

So, after a sigh and some digging deep into my endless abyss of patience, I go to my old standby (and my favorite Me Ra tip! ). I go to… THE FAKE LAUGH. That’s right. Make them throw their heads back and fake it! What makes this work in my family is that itty-bitty, nano-moment when my kids transition from the fake laugh to the real laugh. But first I need to set my camera on continuous shoot because this moment is fast, I tell you. Elusive even.

“Just pretend you are having fun! Throw your head back and laugh! FAKE IT, for the love of God!”

Darn cute, don’t ya think?

To check out Me Ra and Brian’s video that demos their famous “Fake Laugh”, check out their video at:

http://www.merakohblog.com/2008/10/08/brians-video-and-people-magazines-sexiest-man-alive-contest/

And to see more Portrait Photo Tips from Me Ra, check out these 6 tips!

http://www.merakoh.com/2008/10/28/q-a-segment-2-top-six-poses-for-senior-portrait-shoots/

Yours truly,

Kari from Mamabloo

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December 15th, 2009

Mamabloo Does a Photo Shoot of the Christmas Tree! Fun Photo Tips for Everyone!

My dear friend, Kari, has started her own blog.  And I am LOVING it!  It’s called Mamabloo.  Some of you may recognize Kari from her funny comments on my blog posts, and then there was that incident where Oprah rebuilt her HOUSE!  (no, I’m not joking.)

Kari has a down to earth style of writing that nine out of ten times makes me smile.  When I post Photo Tips or Exercises, Kari will bust out her camera and give it her best go.  She’s not a professional photographer.  She is a full, and I mean FULL TIME mama, with FIVE kids in tow.  She doesn’t know all the camera jargon, but that doesn’t stop her from capturing her family stories.  What is so great is that she’ll often email me the stories behind what happened and her fun results.  Some of her stories have me rolling…and that got me thinking…why don’t I ask Kari if I can share some of her stories with you!  So for experiment sake, we’ve got our first Mamabloo Photo Tale.

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I love Christmas trees.  Every year I load the family up in the mini van – all 7 of us – the Saturday after Thanksgiving and head out to someplace to get a tree. What happens next is predictable and consistent from year to year. My husband, Dave, and I get in a fight.

We are in complete and utter disagreement over everything regarding the tree. What size it should be, how much we should spend, and, of course, where it should go in the house. The truth of the matter is, I always win. And Dave always sulks. This year, he took a different approach and just said “I’ll do whatever you want” over and over – sorta like a mantra — and the whole day was much better. Ahhhh…Merry Christmas. So it is not a coincidence that this year I think we have the best tree ever. Ever. So, it is finally time to take a picture of it.

Me Ra tells us that taking a good Christmas Tree photo requires 8 simple steps. Gee, only 8. Off I go to try the first step.

Step One says to set the shutter speed at a VERY slow speed. Check: 1/5

And to set the camera to TV mode (I didn’t even know it had a TV mode, but, hey, I watch a lot of TV, so it should be fine) Check.

And put the ISO up high. Check: 1600

Here is my first crappy picture.

I GUESS I AM GOING TO HAVE TO READ ALL THE STEPS!

The next steps actually involved the timer on my camera!  I actually had to Google it to find out where the stinkin’ timer was on this thing.  I spent the next few nights in short bursts of time shooting my favorite parts of the tree using Me Ra’s advice.

So……I wasn’t able to completely adhere to all the steps – anything called “RAW” scares the ba-jeebers outta me.  The imagery that word, RAW, conjures up is just wrong.  And I am glad I have had some ballet and yoga in my past because I needed to contort myself to see through the viewfinder. But, I was able to fiddle around with her 8 steps and come up with something to forever document the best tree ever. Even Dave agrees.

To try Me Ra’s 8 steps for photographing a Christmas tree, CLICK HERE!

If you are hungry for even more Christmas Tree Photo Tips, check out THIS POST where Carey Schumacher of Barefoot Memories chimes in!

Mamabloo and I would love to know what you think of Mamabloo’s first Photo Tale.  Should we share another one with you!  Post a comment and let us know.  (and post one fast b/c you know we are both going to be refreshing all day!  :) )

 

xoxo, Me Ra

 

p.s.  Oh!  Wait!  I just got word as I was preparing this post that we have TWO NEW CONFIDENCE Workshops to announce for the Spring!  We are coming to Jersey City, NJ for all our East Coast ladies and also Huntington Beach, CA for our West Coast ladies!  It’s going to be a GREAT Spring!  If a CONFIDENCE Wkshp was on your Christmas Wish List, stay tuned this week for Registration Details—either Wed, Thursday or Friday :) !

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December 1st, 2009

SOAR! Scholarship Goes Live Today!

You have all been so patient and supportive as I’ve tweeted the unfolding developments of the SOAR! Scholarship.  Even now, as I write this blog, a handful of people from SmugMug, Chopping Block, Taco Lamp, and more, are racing the clock with us to bring you SOAR! today.   A few of them have been up ALL NIGHT!  Our goal is to go live with the video, website and all the details by 4pm PST (maybe sooner).  Between SOAR! and our new website and blog, I feel like we are birthing triplets! 

 

Stay tuned.  It’s going to get really good!  Think “Running on Empty Contest” magnified a 100x’s!  For up to the minute updates, search for #SOAR on Twitter. 

 

In the meantime, while we are finalizing details, go over to my dear friend, Kari Hale’s new blog opening.   Mamabloo went live today!  Her blog is going to be an awesome one to follow!  I’ve been waiting for Kari to have a blog my whole life!  You will LOVE her!

 

Check back later this afternoon and come SOAR! with me.  This is a scholarship that will change the lives of three women!  You may be one of those women!   

 

p.s. Wait! What else happens today? The two Photo Contests end!  Have you submitted your photo entries yet? Remember to submit your Photo Contest entries today!  We’ve got two photo contests going on right now that you don’t want to miss! I’m loving the submissions!  To read the details on what our Photo Contest Themes are CLICK HERE!

 

p.s.s. The bugs are worked out of our Newsletter box on the right side!  Sign up today, and you will be entered in a drawing for my favorite Sony DSLR camera!

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November 30th, 2009

Top Ten Stocking Stuffers for the Photo Enthusiast!

Christmas lights went up this weekend in our neighborhood. We even got our first Christmas card! Eeks! I’m still finishing off our pumpkin pie! I’m not ready for the holidays to be official! Are you? You know what, I don’t think it matters if we’re ready. I think the holidays are here whether we’re prepared or not. So let’s form a circle! Gather in! :) We must support each other! I’ll support you tossing the leftover pumpkin pie as I make room for the eggnog. I’ll support you buying your own stocking stuffers b/c let’s face it, Santa doesn’t stuff our stockings the way mom did. So here we go ladies and gents; this is my Top Ten Stocking Stuffers for the Photo Enthusiast whether you are a beginner or pro!

I admit, you need a BIG stocking for #1. But it’s so worth it! The moment we’ve been waiting for is finally here!

#1 Me Ra’s Sexy Copper Brown, Sony a330 DSLR Camera and Lens!

Price: $549.99 BUY HERE!

Family Circle magazine highlighted this Copper Brown DSLR in their Favorite Holiday Electronic Picks! Check it out on the newsstands this month! And remember, the secret Sony trip we made this summer? We were filming a revised DVD for them called Kids in Focus. I’ll blog about that amazing experience more later. But here is the coolest news, when you purchase your new Sony Alpha DSLR, Sony will include a copy of our newly released Kids in Focus DVD! Exclusively available at Sony Style stores and Sony.com! If you get it, you must PROMISE to send me a photo of yourself with your sexy, new camera!

#2 The Buttery, Background 50mm f/1.8 lens.

Price: $149, BUY HERE!

I love this lens b/c it gives you the low fstop ability to create buttery, blurry backgrounds! FYI, all the images, shot live, for the Kids in Focus DVD were captured with the Sony a330 DSLR and 50mm lens! And believe me, I pushed the camera and lens abilities to the limits, and they both blew my expectations out of the water!

#3 NEW Refuse to Say Cheese Organic Cotton Baby Onesies w/ FOUR Colors to Choose from!

Price $24 Holiday Special $19.20 till 12/4!

Coupon: stockingstuffer BUY HERE!

Style 1

Style 2

Photography Printed Onsies for Babies

I’ve been wanting to make Refuse to Say Cheese onesies forever! Aren’t they sweet! They are by far one of my favorite Stocking Stuffers! We even have two styles to choose from for the little ones. Sizes range from 6-18 months. And the boys versions are green onesies with the brown camera!

#4 Can’t forget about Mom! NEW Refuse to Say Cheese Women’s American Apparel T-shirts!

Price $29.99 Holiday Special $ till 12/4!

Coupon: stockingstuffer BUY HERE!

Style 1

Photography Printed Tshirts for Women

Style 2

Photography Printed Tshirts for Women

You asked for them, and we got them just in time for the holidays! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!!!

#5 Our Award Winning Instructional DVD Set.

Price $ 49.99 Holiday Special $39.99 till 12/4!

Coupon: stockingstuffer BUY HERE!

Instructional Photography DVDs w/Me Ra Koh

Fox News recommended the DVD set on TV as a top Holiday pick! NAPPA gave the DVD set their prestigious Gold Award! Sony’s new Kids in Focus DVD was inspired from this DVD set. And thousands of customers have emailed us their praise for Refuse to Say Cheese and Beyond the Green Box! What are you waiting for!

#6 The Sony External Flash for a price that’s hard to BEAT!

Price $129.99 BUY HERE!

I love this little flash because it solves the red eye and black cave problem in seconds. With this flash, you can point it toward the ceiling and bounce the light. Bouncing the light gets rid of all the red eye, and your kids don’t look like they are climbing out of black caves. It’s light weight, easy to snap on, and the price is pretty amazing!

#7 The BEST Photo Editing Software EVER: Adobe’s Lightroom 2.

Price $169.99 BUY HERE!

We do ALL our photo editing with Adobe’s Lightroom. I could sing Lightroom praises for hours. This software has made photo editing ten times faster. When you have little ones running around, fast post process is a BIG deal. Lightroom is super intuitive and Dynamic with a capital D! Ask other users, they will confirm what I’m saying.

#8 Stop Reinventing the Wheel with our Popular 101 Kits!

Price: $99, Holiday Price $79.20 till 12/4!

Coupon: stockingstuffer BUY HERE!

Essential Nuts and Bolts for Photography Business

Do you want to stay up all night trying to reinvent the wheel on starting a photography business? Or, do you wish that someone did the research for you and just shared it all with you? I SHARE IT ALL in our popular 101 Kits. You’ll receive photo release waivers, marketing tips, package pricing, and much more. Just read the reviews when you click to buy now! We’ve received hundreds of HAPPY emails from customers! And when you buy two 101 Kits, you get an even better deal. Our Portrait 101 and Wedding 101 Kits are the most popular!

#9 Chic jill-e Camera Bags that will make Her Giddy!

Price: $24.99 to $384.99 BUY HERE!

extraordinary Pro camera bags by jill-e designs deliver function and fashion

My girlfriend Carey bought me a Jill-e Camera Bag for my birthday a couple years ago. Love it! Love it! You can’t beat the classiness of these camera bags for women (and they’ve got some pretty hip ones for men too–Brian approves! :) )

#10! Me Ra’s best resource for Artistic Inspiration: The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity-10th Anniversary Edition.

Price: $26.40 BUY HERE!

If your creativity needs to be inspired, this book is for you. There are endless exercises that jog your creativity, whether it’s tackling fears, beliefs we have regarding our worthiness to create, you name it, this book tackles it! It is my Bible when it comes to creative inspiration. You’ve heard me quote it several times, why not treat yourself or someone you love to their own copy!

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You have it friends! Our Top Ten Stocking Stuffers for the Photo Enthusiast! If your purchasing a product from our store (tshirts, onsies, DVDs, 101 kits) remember to use the Coupon: stockingstuffers. This Coupon will give you 20% off until this Friday, December 4th!

Happy Holidays!

xoxo,

Me Ra

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November 20th, 2009

Shooting with Flash as My Kids Imitate Teenagers!

I have to admit. I think I was holding on to the slim hope that at some point yesterday, our new website/blog would go live. But alas, some bugs are more buggier than others. So in the meantime, as the team continues to iron with amazing diligence, we move forward.

And what better post, then to tell you what my kids did last night. The kiddos know we’ve been working so hard on the new website and a handful of other projects. So while Brian and I were working on the new site, they decided to surprise us. They came downstairs dressed us as teenagers (or at least this is what they picture teenagers looking and acting like ;) ). It was hilarious!

Photo Tips for Moms w/Me Ra Koh

I know what your thinking ‘underwear on the outside of your pants?’ The kids explained that teenage boys are always wearing their pants so low, and since everyone can see their underwear, why not just wear them on the outside? Totally!

Blaze wanted this shot. As I was shooting, he kept saying “That’s classic mom. Just classic.” He told me “classic” is a teenage word. Duh, mom.

photo tips for moms w/Me Ra Koh

Notice how they planned their socks? Yes, that was planned.

I asked them to give me their best “teenage expression”.

Photo Tips for Moms w/Me Ra Koh

Isn’t that funny?! I love the socks dynamic in that one too. :) I don’t even know if they “know” any teenagers. Nonetheless, they have a definite idea of what it means to look and act like a teenage boy.

This is my favorite! So much attitude going on.

Photo Tips for Moms w/Me Ra Koh

So how did I make the lighting happen on these images? I used my external flash.

Photo Recipe Time! This is something you can totally try yourself! If you have an external flash, turn the flash on auto and leave the buttons on the back of your flash alone. Turn your camera to an ISO of 800, Shutter Speed of 60 or 1/60th, and an fstop between 4.0 and 2.8–up to you on fstop.

Then take your flash head and instead of pointing it at your kids, point it at the ceiling. This is called “bouncing”. Bouncing gets rid of the shadows and looks more like natural light. I love to bounce behind me, but for these images I tried bouncing off the ceiling. And that’s it friends. If you try it this weekend, show me what you get! Email them to mera@merakoh.com. I totally want to see!

And maybe, just maybe, we’ll have a new website/blog early next week! (I pray to the website gods, please, please, please!)

xoxo, Me Ra

p.s. Oh, Don’t forget to submit your Photo Contest entries! We’ve got two photo contests going on right now that you don’t want to miss! I’m loving the submissions, but if you haven’t submitted–you’ve got until December 1st. To read the details on what our Photo Contest Themes are CLICK HERE!

p.s.s. We have 16, yep SIXTEEN!, babies showing up on Saturday for our Baby Extravaganza Photo Shoot. Brian is going to video tape the whole thing, so maybe we can give you a baby peak! It should be interesting with that many cute babies!

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