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

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

Style 2

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!

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!

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!

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

Commit to a New Year’s Resolution today! Why not?! If you are in need of a weekend with women, full of laughs, and creative inspiration with your camera, the Seattle CONFIDENCE Photography Workshop is for you! It’s just in time to give you CONFIDENCE with your camera and prepped for a new year of photographing your family for the holidays, vacations, playing in the snow, inside on those horrible, rainy days with all the low lighting, (if your from the Pacific Northwest, you KNOW what I mean!). And don’t forget about those pets! We’re going to cover it all!

Ladies, we are going to be READY for an awesome 2010 of photography! All levels are welcome! Topic details are below! But first, to give you a window into what our workshops look like, check out the trailer here by clicking the PLAY arrow button!

EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION STARTS TODAY and last TWO WEEKS!

FAQ: (if we don’t answer your specific question here, email Genie direct at genie@merakoh.com )

Question: What is the Early Bird Registration?

Answer: If you register between today and October 1st (that’s two weeks), you get to pay the Early Bird fee of $799 instead of $999! Pretty great savings for all of you who jump on board fast! After October 1st, the registration goes back up to the normal price of $999. But we must warn you to not wait until October 1st. The last CONFIDENCE Workshop was sold out by the end of the first day for Early Bird! To take advantage of the Early Bird Registration, REGISTER HERE!!!

WHEN? January 16th and 17th 2010, All Day Saturday and Sunday

TIME? An optional Continental Breakfast is served at 9:15am, and then we jump into the workshop by 9:30am. Each day will finish around 6pm. (But we have been known to get excited and not stop on time. So see if you can stay late if that happens again. )

WHERE? The BEAUTIFUL Gallery space at Hotel Murano . We are going to use this incredible gallery as our creative space to learn, grow, be inspired, and create!

MEALS:

FRIDAY MEET AND GREET: One of the things I LOVE most about doing the Seattle CONFIDENCE Workshop is that we get to host the Meet and Greet at our home. Brian and I would like to invite you and your spouse into the privacy of our home for our special Meet and Greet. We’re going to have wine and appetizers, and a lot of laughs. The Meet and Greet will be from 7-9pm. Our purpose is to give you a chance to connect with other women attendees and begin to feel welcome, safe and inspired. We have our work all over the walls, so it will be fun to share with you some of our personal photography.

BREAKFAST: A continental breakfast of fresh fruit, yogurt and pastries will be served both mornings at the Gallery. So feel free to show up at 9am to grab a plate of yummies before we start the day. We’ll also have coffee and tea waiting for you.

LUNCHES: Both lunches on Saturday and Sunday will also be catered for us. If you are a vegetarian or have any food allergies, be sure to email us so we can accommodate you. No problems, we are happy too! No one can be more work than our Gluten-Free, Dairy Free diets. Brother!

SATURDAY DINNER: This dinner is optional for our attendees, but we would love to have you join us! You are invited to a group dinner at a local restaurant within walking distance of the hotel. Details to follow upon registration.

WHERE TO STAY: The Hotel Murano has been highlighted and raved about in Fortune, Conde Nast, Sunset and USA Today. Every floor features a glass sculpturist and their work. There is beautiful glass art at every turn. You can’t help but be inspired by the environment. And, the greatest thing is they are WONDERFUL to work with. Our contact there, told us to have our attendees email her direct for a discounted room rate (around $149). Once you’ve registered, Genie will email you all the contact details to get your room set up. FYI, you are also within walking distance to several restaurants, art galleries and the famous Chihuly Museum of Glass. Plus, the Hotel Murano has a pillow menu! You can choose from six different types of pillows. Can you beat that?

DAY ONE TOPICS:

True to this workshop, time tested (and approved ), we are excited to start the day with understanding the mechanics of your camera and learning about indoor lighting so you can capture shots of your loved ones in difficult lighting. The second half of the day will be hands on CONFIDENCE building as we process a FULL morning.

DAY TWO TOPICS:

Day Two will pick up where we left off. We’re going to continue to demystify tough lighting and camera settings. We’ll also walk you through our Post Process steps as we demonstrate lightroom, turning images to black and white, editing, what’s the difference between a JPG and RAW image, etc. Depending on the groups interest, we’ll talk about the in’s and out’s of starting your own side business too. (But this depends on the needs of the group.) We’re also going to cover the question of what to do with your images? Are stock photography options available to you, what is the bottom line of blogging, and where should you have your work printed and why?

The BEST part that everyone always loves the most is the models! We’ll also have models join us (both adults and kids), so you can practice EVERY THING we’ve been teaching you. And true to our workshops, we’ll sprinkle our time with creative exercises and inspiration that make our weekend so special.

By the end of our weekend, you will be filled with CONFIDENCE, refreshed, inspired, and possibly shooting in Manuel like it’s nobody’s business. (I promise, shooting in Manuel is way easier than people make it sound, but one step at a time.)

PAYMENT OPTIONS:

1. You can pay the whole balance at once. If you are taking advantage of the Early Bird Registration, you must pay the whole $799 at once before 10/1/09.

2. You can make a retainer (non-refundable fee) of $650 to reserve your seat. The remaining balance of $350 (total is $999) must be paid in full 14 days before the workshop date. You can pay by check or credit card at our e-store (the fastest way to ensure a reserved seat for yourself!). If you’d like to pay the Retainer of $650 to reserve your seat, you’ll need to use the word RESERVE as your coupon code when registering. Call us if you have any questions at 253-468-8913.

NEED HELP CONVINCING THE HUBBY?

If you need help coming up with ways to convince your hubby, check out Brian and Jeramy’s Top 12 Reasons for a Husband to Send His Wife to a CONFIDENCE Photography Workshop. You and your husband will crack up, and comments from other husbands are even FUNNIER! CLICK HERE!

REFUNDS & CANCELLATION POLICY:

Our policy is to not accept refunds. Due to the costs of holding a workshop, we must pay many of our workshop expenses months ahead of time. If you must cancel due to unforeseen problems, depending on your reason for canceling, your tuition may be considered as a credit for a future workshop. Thank you for understanding!

WHAT DO PAST ATTENDEES SAY ABOUT THIS WORKSHOP? To read what the last Seattle Workshop Attendees said, CLICK HERE!

Jen from Seattle, WA wrote; I know how these workshops can change your life…it did mine! MeRa and Brian were my inspiration…Thank you … you all are doing such greatness in this world!

Jeramy (husband of a wife who attended twice) from CA wrote; if you are reading this post and are on the fence about going to this workshop…or wondering if it’s really worth it….let me just tell you about my experience. my beautiful bride went to the Sonoma workshop last year with me ra and brian…and it changed her life. like so many women, she struggles with self-doubt and insecurities…coupled with strong passions and desire to create things of great worth. the magic of this workshop will help you see that YOU ARE special and can do anything it is that you want to do, if you just set your mind to it. there is limitless potential in you all…and if you have ever wondered how to get it out….sign up for this workshop and you’ll see. you will never be the same again.

Marianne from Seattle, WA wrote;
This was the BEST day I’ve had in a long time…it was so nice to wade through and be challenged, laugh along the way, conquer a fear, and leave wanting more. What a day! I can’t thank you enough!

Kari from Seattle wrote; Me Ra takes the camera apart and puts it back together in a way that actually makes sense! Prepare to laugh, learn, and walk away inspired!

Julie from Seattle, WA wrote; As a past workshop attendee…It WILL change your life and how you see yourself.

Allison from Virginia wrote; I can tell you with total honesty that this will be a life changing time for you all. Just soak it all in and throw yourselves in wholeheartedly and you will come away with SO MUCH!!

WHO IS THIS WORKSHOP FOR?

This workshop is for women only. It is a workshop that is meant to inspire women, and at the same time help them understand their cameras. Coming from a Masters degree in teaching, Me Ra and Brian bring a number of teaching strategies to the workshop so every woman walks away with CONFIDENCE in using her camera. But this workshop is more than a photography workshop. True to their reputation and the testimonies you’ve read, Brian and Me Ra have a heart to bring inspiration, encouragement and vision to women. They will make you laugh so hard your side will be aching. And then be prepared because their stories may bring tears too. Me Ra and Brian have a goal to refresh women, build their CONFIDENCE and help them capture the photos they want. But not only help women shoot better photos, but also, having the understanding behind HOW they got their favorite photos so they can replicate the lighting again and again.

OUR PROMISE:

We promise to have lots and lots of stories, laughs and possibly a few tears at this workshop-all signature elements to a Me Ra Koh Workshop!

Can’t wait to see you all for another awesome CONFIDENCE workshop!

QUESTIONS?

Feel free to email Genie ( genie@merakoh.com) for any and all questions. Genie keeps me up to date on all questions as we travel for wedding season. She is truly my “little Genie”! If you need help with booking your hotel, understanding the area, flights, payment options, shoot her an email!

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? CLICK HERE to register today and make her Christmas and New Year AMAZING!!

BIO for Me Ra Koh Photography, Inc.:

Me Ra and Brian are a husband/wife photography team. Their business is diversified into several powerful ways. They travel worldwide shooting high end weddings together. They teach photography workshops for women across the country. Their workshops often sell out, and attendees describe them as “inspiring, life changing” weekends. In 2008, Me Ra and Brian scripted and produced a DVD series called, Refuse to Say Cheese and Beyond the Green Box. This homegrown DVD series has caught the eye of large corporations, and in March 2009, the series won the prestigious NAPPA GOLD award for the Best New DVD for Parents! Their DVDS are accompanied by other award winning photography products to help budding businesses get off the ground (see www.refusetosaycheese.com). In 2008, Me Ra was asked to represent women photographers in the iconic role for Sony as an Artisan of Imagery. This accepted invitation is a huge honor. The high end magazine, Wedding Style by Grace Ormonde, has called Me Ra and Brian a Master of Their Craft. Their work has been published in several nationwide magazines. They have also been spotlighted on VH1, Martha Stewart and Oprah! Me Ra, having a published writing background, dedicates two hours a day to writing her daily blog so women can find photography tips, inspiration and confidence. To follow her blog, along with thousands of other readers, visit www.merakohblog.com.

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Want to learn more about REFUSE TO SAY CHEESE? Check out our Award Winning DVD set, Refuse to Say Cheese and Beyond the Green Box ,or discover our popular 101 Kits for starting or expanding a business in photography, click on the titles of your choice!

Your going to love this new Amazing Mom interview! With great excitement, I’d love for you to all meet Lora Ayers!

1. When did you start your business and what was the turning point of taking it from a hobby to a business of charging people and putting up a website?

Last June I received an email from a distant friend with a photography website link – I spent hours looking at her pictures. I’ve always enjoyed art and thought my husband/kids were all I needed to be happy, but now I was completely inspired to do more! My friend also gave me a list of other photographer’s blogs to check out. I found Me Ra’s blog and fell in love! I started with the very first blog post and read every single one of her posts. Based on a past Christmas wish list post from Me Ra’s blog, I decided to buy a used Canon 30D. I had no idea how to use the buttons and dials, so I took a starter class at a technical school. I was on my way!

Next I chose to purchase Me Ra’s Portrait 101 Kit, which is what gave me the know-how to transition a love for photography into a photography business.

Her Portrait 101 Kit is packed with all kinds of important information that you need to get your business up and running – including Me Ra’s story and how she got started. I was encouraged to start shooting at a price I was comfortable with and to begin blogging. All my camera had was a kit lens, so I rented an 85mm f1.8 lens and started calling some of my pregnant friends to do maternity/newborn photos. I posted some of the pictures on my blog and then sent an email out to friends and family to let them know about my newfound passion. The turning point for my business was after someone scheduled a paid session last October. She was very influential and sent EVERYONE to my blog to see her pictures because she loved them so much. This resulted in a stream of paid clients that keep booking me (mostly through word of mouth) today!

2. What inspires your photography?

It sounds so simple, but the first thing I think of is raw emotion. Whether it is a newly engaged couple,

a family with a new baby, or a dad’s joy (and sadness) while dancing with his daughter on her wedding day,

I want to capture all kinds of emotional moments that will transport people to that place/time/feeling.

3. What inspires you as a person, artist?

There has always been a part of me that loved to create, but most of all, I love having fun and making others happy.

I’m not sure how this fits in, but I have always been inspired by people who have gone through extreme circumstances and/or challenges, both physical and emotional, and have still been able to imagine and achieve their dreams.

I can’t separate my personal and artistic inspiration; maybe I’ll learn how to do that in an upcoming Me Ra blog post!

4. What made you decide to do photography as more than a hobby? What was your turning point?

I bought my first DSLR days after falling in love with photography. From the beginning, I had my heart set on starting a business. The biggest turning point was when I followed Me Ra’s advice in the Portrait 101 kit and started a blog. My friends and family did most of my marketing by sending complete strangers there to check out my work!

5. What are the classes/workshops/DVDs that you’ve watched to teach yourself photography? Were they helpful?

I have learned so much from Me Ra’s blog… seriously! From big decisions, like which camera to buy, to smaller tips and tricks; even how to do a family session and bark like a dog, which I do often. I haven’t had too many moms barking yet because usually they are in the photos or too shy, so it’s left to ME! “Ruff! Ruff!”

Scott Kelby’s books are great for Photoshop, and I purchased Kevin Kubota’s RAW Workflow for Lightroom DVD.

Those items have helped me tremendously, but when I couldn’t find something or needed a quick answer, Google was always there to lend a hand.

Another extremely helpful thing is when I met a good friend on Me Ra’s blog. Ali won a photo contest for the “wet dog” picture, so I emailed her and we’ve been friends ever since. She had started a photography business and was willing to share her experiences with me. I’ve called her for advice and encouragement several times and she has helped me to get where I am today. I appreciate her so much. (Hi Ali!)

6. What is one piece of marketing advice that you can give our newbies? (something that you did to get your name out there)

My best advice is to get a blog and/or Facebook presence, shoot something/anything, and post often. I just booked a wedding

with someone who saw my Facebook fan-page, and the coolest thing is that you can tag your clients and then all their friends will end up coming to your page and possibly become new fans. The best part is that most online marketing is FREE. Another piece of advice is to find a photographer who will let you tag along on one of their shoots or weddings to help (anyway you can – hold stuff, pose people, or maybe even second shoot). Doing this gave me so much confidence.

7. What was your first “paid” shoot like? How did you feel on the way, during and after?

My first paid – non-family/friend – shoot went pretty well. It was a family of four with two preschoolers.

I was very nervous while driving to meet them at their house, and I followed them to different locations that THEY had picked out. The first one happened to be on a golf course, so we had to hurry because golfers were waiting on us! Can you imagine?! It is my first paid shoot and there are golfers rushing me… AAAH! It got better toward the end when everyone (myself included) started to relax and have fun. I loved capturing them rolling around in the fall leaves and playing together. Afterwards, I kept stopping the car to review the photos, because I couldn’t relax until I knew there were some good shots in there. The clients looked at their photos later that week and loved them! As their positive comments poured in, so did the self-assurance that I had been missing.

8. What is the best and toughest part about doing this while being a mom and wife at the same time?

The best part is working at home during the week and being available whenever my family needs me. When it’s time for a shoot on the weekends, I take off and it’s “Daddy Duty.” I love getting out of the house and being creative, and my husband and kids have that special time together, so it works out great!

The toughest part is that I have to choose between things I love. When I’m on my computer editing, I’m thinking of my two year-old bored in the next room. I feel the drive to be better and learn more, but finding the time ‘to become’ means that something else suffers (usually housework – maid, anyone?!). My life’s dream of being a wife/mother now has to blend with my passion for photography.

9. What is one piece of advice you’d give to newbies?

Sorry, I couldn’t pick… I have 2 pieces of advice:

#1 – Shoot A LOT! When I first started shooting friends and family I made so many mistakes, but I learned so much. Every time I gave it a go, I would learn something new.

#2 – Connect with people who share your passion. I can’t say enough about how much it has helped me to make ‘photog’ friends, and most of them are out of state. With the Internet and cell phones, it’s possible to connect with anyone.

Last thoughts…
I just wanted to add that I am a woman who has dealt with a fear of rejection all my life. I usually made up for it by being extremely bubbly, or others may say “the life of the party”. I never had enough confidence to pursue a career whole heartedly for fear of failing. Whenever I thought of possibilities for my future, my past failures and my fear of rejection were there to stop me. I thought that by being the best mother I could be that I had reached my potential, I never allowed myself to think any further than that. When I look back at how photography came into my life, and how I had a dream and went after it without hesitation, I am really amazed and proud of myself. Finally I let go and pursued something that I wanted so badly, and I didn’t let my “junk” get in the way.

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Lora sent me the last paragraph of her interview a couple days later than the rest. When I read it, I was so inspired. Lora, it took so much courage to share your own struggles with rejection, but you have no idea how many people will be blessed by that last paragraph of raw honesty. Thank you so much for not only the last paragraph, but ALL your wonderful thoughts and beautiful images. I still can’t get over you and Ali meeting through the comments on this blog. I LOVE hearing those kinds of stories! And I’m so glad the blog has been a source of inspiration for you. It means the world to hear that. Thank you for all your time and sharing your passion with such an open heart!

Lora has never been to a CONFIDENCE Workshop, but I was thrilled when I heard how much our Portrait 101 Kit helped her business. In honor of Lora’s great interview, Brian and I thought it’d be fun to offer our readers a 20% discount today on our Portrait 101 Kit. We’ve had so many people tell us this 101 Kit made their day! To take advantage of it, CLICK HERE , and when you check out enter the Coupon Code AMAZINGMOM. Enjoy!

To see more of Lora’s beautiful work, click LORA’S WEBSITE!

To order your own copy of our Award Winning DVDs, see below!

I also invite you to ask Lora your questions in the comments. I know she would love to hear your thoughts!

Much love from my office 35K ft in the air, Me Ra

p.s. Check out the last three Amazing Mom features? If so, check them out here!

1. Interview w/ Leslie Webber from Indianapolis, Indiana!

2. Interview w/ Michelle Riddle from Santa Cruz, CA!

3. Interview w/Tracie Stier-Johnson from Milwaukee, Wisconsin!

A new one to come next week!

p.s.s. AND, would you like to be featured on our blog too?

If you have attended our workshop, purchased one of our five 101 Kits , or watched our DVDs, and feel like your life has taken a new and wonderful turn for the better, then please send me an email at mera@merakoh.com . I will send you directions on how to be featured. We can’t promise to feature everyone, but I want to do this type of blog post more and more. Hundreds of people have sent us the most amazing emails regarding our workshops and DVDs impacting their life, their before and after photos, their revived passion; I would love for all of you to hear those stories!

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The SEATTLE CONFIDENCE Workshop SOLD OUT last night! Wow, that was lightning fast! But we still have a few spots left in the Minneapolis CONFIDENCE Workshop! The Minneapolis seats are the only spots left for a 2009 CONFIDENCE Workshop. To grab one, CLICK HERE !

Want to learn more about Framing, Composition, Blurry Backgrounds and Lighting? Check out our Award Winning DVDs, Refuse to Say Cheese and Beyond the Green Box (They are BACK IN STOCK!! Yeah!!), or discover our popular 101 Kits for starting or expanding a business in photography, click on the titles of your choice!

We’ve decided to end the 2009 CONFIDENCE workshops with a BANG! We’re back in Seattle, on our stomping ground and SUPER excited! WOO HOO!!! If you’ve been needing a CHRISTMAS IDEA for your hubbie’s, how does a weekend with women, cameras, laughter, tears and creative inspiration sound?!

We are going to have our Women’s Photography Workshop in Seattle area on November 14th and 15th 2009! It’s just in time to get you acquainted with your camera and prepped for a new year of photographing your family for the holidays, vacations, playing in the snow, inside on those horrible, rainy days with all the low lighting, (if your from the Pacific Northwest, you KNOW what I mean!). And don’t forget about those pets! We’re going to cover it all!

Ladies, we are going to be READY for an awesome winter of photography! All levels are welcome! Topic details are below! But first, to give you a window into what our workshops look like, check out the trailer here by clicking the PLAY arrow button!

Early Bird Registration starts today!

Question: What is the Early Bird Registration?

Answer: If you register between today and September 23rd (that’s two weeks), you get to pay the Early Bird fee of $799 instead of $999! Pretty great savings for all of you who jump on board fast! After September 23rd, the registration goes back up to the normal price of $999. To take advantage of the Early Bird Registration, REGISTER HERE!!!

WHEN? November 14th and 15th 2009, All Day Saturday and Sunday

TIME? An optional Continental Breakfast is served at 9:15am, and then we jump into the workshop by 9:30am. Each day will finish around 6pm. (But we have been known to get excited and not stop on time. So see if you can stay late if that happens again. )

WHERE? The BEAUTIFUL Gallery space at Hotel Murano . We are going to use this incredible gallery as our creative space to learn, grow, be inspired, and create!

MEALS:

FRIDAY MEET AND GREET: One of the things I LOVE most about doing the Seattle CONFIDENCE Workshop is that we get to host the Meet and Greet at our home. Brian and I would like to invite you and your spouse into the privacy of our home for our special Meet and Greet. We’re going to have wine and appetizers, and a lot of laughs. The Meet and Greet will be from 7-9pm. Our purpose is to give you a chance to connect with other women attendees and begin to feel welcome, safe and inspired. We have our work all over the walls, so it will be fun to share with you some of our personal photography.

BREAKFAST: A continental breakfast of fresh fruit, yogurt and pastries will be served both mornings at the Gallery. So feel free to show up at 9am to grab a plate of yummies before we start the day. We’ll also have coffee and tea waiting for you.

LUNCHES: Both lunches on Saturday and Sunday will also be catered for us. If you are a vegetarian or have any food allergies, be sure to email us so we can accommodate you. No problems, we are happy too! No one can be more work than our Gluten-Free, Dairy Free diets. Brother!

SATURDAY DINNER: This dinner is optional for our attendees, but we would love to have you join us! You are invited to a group dinner at a local restaurant within walking distance of the hotel. Details to follow upon registration.

WHERE TO STAY: The Hotel Murano has been highlighted and raved about in Fortune, Conde Nast, Sunset and USA Today. Every floor features a glass sculpturist and their work. There is beautiful glass art at every turn. You can’t help but be inspired by the environment. And, the greatest thing is they are WONDERFUL to work with. Our contact there, told us to have our attendees email her direct for a discounted room rate (around $149). Once you’ve registered, Genie will email you all the contact details to get your room set up. FYI, you are also within walking distance to several restaurants, art galleries and the famous Chihuly Museum of Glass.

DAY ONE TOPICS:

True to this workshop, time tested (and approved ), we are excited to start the day with understanding the mechanics of your camera and learning about indoor lighting so you can capture shots of your loved ones in difficult lighting. The second half of the day will be hands on practice as we process a FULL morning.

DAY TWO TOPICS:

Day Two will pick up where we left off. We’re going to continue to demystify tough lighting and camera settings. We’ll also walk you through our Post Process steps as we demonstrate lightroom, turning images to black and white, editing, what’s the difference between a JPG and RAW image, etc. Depending on the groups interest, we’ll talk about the in’s and out’s of starting your own side business too. (But this depends on the needs of the group.) We’re also going to cover the question of what to do with your images? Are stock photography options available to you, what is the bottom line of blogging, and where should you have your work printed and why?

The BEST part that everyone always loves the most is the models! We’ll also have models join us (both adults and kids), so you can practice EVERY THING we’ve been teaching you. And true to our workshops, we’ll sprinkle our time with creative exercises and inspiration that make our weekend so special.

By the end of our weekend, you will be filled up, refreshed, inspired, and possibly shooting in Manuel like it’s nobody’s business. (I promise, this is way easier than people make it sound, but one step at a time.)

PAYMENT OPTIONS:

1. You can pay the whole balance at once. If you are taking advantage of the Early Bird Registration, you must pay the whole $799 at once before 9/23/09.

2. You can make a retainer (non-refundable fee) of $650 to reserve your seat. The remaining balance of $350 (total is $999) must be paid in full 14 days before the workshop date. You can pay by check or credit card at our e-store (the fastest way to ensure a reserved seat for yourself!). If you’d like to pay the Retainer of $650 to reserve your seat, you’ll need to use the word RESERVE as your coupon code when registering. Call us if you have any questions at 253-468-8913.

NEED HELP CONVINCING THE HUBBY?

If you need help coming up with ways to convince your hubby, check out Brian and Jeramy’s Top 12 Reasons for a Husband to Send His Wife to a CONFIDENCE Photography Workshop. You and your husband will crack up, and comments from other husbands are even FUNNIER! CLICK HERE!

REFUNDS & CANCELLATION POLICY:

Our policy is to not accept refunds. Due to the costs of holding a workshop, we must pay many of our workshop expenses months ahead of time. If you must cancel due to unforeseen problems, depending on your reason for canceling, your tuition may be considered as a credit for a future workshop. Thank you for understanding!

WHAT DO PAST ATTENDEES SAY ABOUT THIS WORKSHOP? To read what the last Seattle Workshop Attendees said, CLICK HERE!

Jen from Seattle, WA wrote; I know how these workshops can change your life…it did mine! MeRa and Brian were my inspiration…Thank you … you all are doing such greatness in this world!

Jeramy (husband of a wife who attended twice) from CA wrote; if you are reading this post and are on the fence about going to this workshop…or wondering if it’s really worth it….let me just tell you about my experience. my beautiful bride went to the Sonoma workshop last year with me ra and brian…and it changed her life. like so many women, she struggles with self-doubt and insecurities…coupled with strong passions and desire to create things of great worth. the magic of this workshop will help you see that YOU ARE special and can do anything it is that you want to do, if you just set your mind to it. there is limitless potential in you all…and if you have ever wondered how to get it out….sign up for this workshop and you’ll see. you will never be the same again.

Marianne from Seattle, WA wrote;
This was the BEST day I’ve had in a long time…it was so nice to wade through and be challenged, laugh along the way, conquer a fear, and leave wanting more. What a day! I can’t thank you enough!

Kari from Seattle wrote; Me Ra takes the camera apart and puts it back together in a way that actually makes sense! Prepare to laugh, learn, and walk away inspired!

Julie from Seattle, WA wrote; As a past workshop attendee…It WILL change your life and how you see yourself.

Allison from Virginia wrote; I can tell you with total honesty that this will be a life changing time for you all. Just soak it all in and throw yourselves in wholeheartedly and you will come away with SO MUCH!!

WHO IS THIS WORKSHOP FOR?

This workshop is for women only. It is a workshop that is meant to inspire women, and at the same time help them understand their cameras. Coming from a Masters degree in teaching, Me Ra and Brian bring a number of teaching strategies to the workshop so every woman walks away with confidence in using her camera. But this workshop is more than a photography workshop. True to our reputation and the testimonies you’ve read, Brian and Me Ra have a heart to bring inspiration, encouragement and vision to women. They will make you laugh so hard your side will be aching. And then be prepared because their stories may bring tears too. Me Ra and Brian have a goal to refresh women, build their confidence and help them capture the photos they want. But not only help women shoot better photos, but also, having the understanding behind HOW they got their favorite photos so they can replicate the lighting again and again.

OUR PROMISE:

We promise to have lots and lots of stories, laughs and possibly a few tears at this workshop-all signature elements to a Me Ra Koh Workshop!

Can’t wait to see you all for another awesome CONFIDENCE workshop!

QUESTIONS?

Feel free to email Genie ( genie@merakoh.com) for any and all questions. Genie keeps me up to date on all questions as we travel for wedding season. She is truly my “little Genie”! If you need help with booking your hotel, understanding the area, flights, payment options, shoot her an email!

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Click HERE to register today and make her Christmas AMAZING!!

BIO for Me Ra Koh Photography, Inc.:

Me Ra and Brian are a husband/wife photography team. Their business is diversified into several powerful ways. They travel worldwide shooting high end weddings together. They teach photography workshops for women across the country. Their workshops often sell out, and attendees describe them as “inspiring, life changing” weekends. In 2008, Me Ra and Brian scripted and produced a DVD series called, Refuse to Say Cheese and Beyond the Green Box. This homegrown DVD series has caught the eye of large corporations, and in March 2009, the series won the prestigious NAPPA GOLD award for the Best New DVD for Parents! Their DVDS are accompanied by other award winning photography products to help budding businesses get off the ground (see www.refusetosaycheese.com). In 2008, Me Ra was asked to represent women photographers in the iconic role for Sony as an Artisan of Imagery. This accepted invitation is a huge honor. The high end magazine, Wedding Style by Grace Ormonde, has called Me Ra and Brian a Master of Their Craft. Their work has been published in several nationwide magazines. They have also been spotlighted on VH1, Martha Stewart and Oprah! Me Ra, having a published writing background, dedicates two hours a day to writing her daily blog so women can find photography tips, inspiration and confidence. To follow her blog, along with thousands of other readers, visit www.merakohblog.com.

This is obviously the AFTER image (after I’m done processing the image in Adobe Lightroom).

This is the BEFORE image. This is the image straight out of the camera.

What do I do in Lightroom? What are the Six Time Saving Steps to my Post Process? If you’ve attended one of our CONFIDENCE workshops, you know that I don’t like fussing over images–takes to much time away.

First, I make sure the color balance is good (her skin looks good, the pinks look true, etc). Then I step back from the image (in my mind’s eye) and decide what the story is for this image. The image of Chloe is about Chloe’s confident eyes. She’s looking right into the camera, unafraid and totally engaged. This tells me she is bold and spirited. Even the pucker in her lips confirms it. This is the story that I want to draw out in the image. So I adjust toning in Lightroom to draw out her eyes. I want the viewer to be struck by her eyes more than anything else. Thus, I need to tone down anything that could distract us from her eyes. For example, the pink shirt and yellow mat below her.

All I did was lower the saturation. This means I removed some of the color so that it’s not a full black and white but has more of a vintage color. A full black and white would be a little to serious for me with this image. Then I raised the level of Contrast for an added sharpness to her eyes. I raised the Blacks a tad to add a little more impact to the Contrast. And last, I added a Vignette so the edges of the image would fade into a blacker type color. And that is it.

If you counted with me, that is SIX. Six is it. I put in a few pink arrows below so you know where to locate these steps in Lightroom.

1. Color Balance (or Temperature) looks good out of the camera

2. Identify the Story of the Image

3. Lowered the Saturation

4. Add Contrast

5. Up the Blacks a little

6. Add a Vignette (to add a Vignette, scroll down farther in Lightroom and you’ll see the Vignette scale)

Sometimes I don’t even lower the saturation. I just up the brightness, up the contrast and add a vignette. The post process tends to be within six time saving steps, or even less!

Why am I sharing this? I want you to fall more in love with photography! I want you to continue to fall in love with the stories of your kids that are unfolding around you on a daily level. I want you to know that you don’t have to own and understand Photoshop to be an amazing photographer with amazing images. Photoshop is not what makes an image amazing. You are what makes an image amazing b/c you spotted the moment and captured it.

We have two enemies when it comes to our photography. One is our own critic within. We talk about shutting that guy up a lot around here in the Personal Reflections category. The second enemy is Post Process. Instead of finding ways to grow our passion for photography, we grow our hours behind the computer doing post process.

Let me set the stage for what my life used to look like. I used to be big into Photoshop and Actions that change your image in a trillion different ways. But this is what happened. After a full day, bedtime prayers were finally said. It was almost 9:30pm, and I was exhausted. I got on my computer to start working on images, and somehow I got stuck for the next FIVE maybe SIX hours. And more than not, I had been stuck on ONE, TWO, maybe THREE FREAKING images. Tweaking it here. Tweaking it there. Trying this Action out. Trying that Action out. Hyper focused on a single image, bent over my computer at 1am, and pity the Brian who tries to have a conversation with me. The result was traumatizing to Brian.

Does that picture ring a bell with anyone? Seriously ladies, I have two active kids, we homeschool, I have a demanding business, dinners to make, groceries to buy and a dog to run, I don’t have time to deal with TWEAKING IMAGES a little here and a little there–especially when I’m the only one who will ever notice that I raised the Contrast by two more points! Can I get an AMEN!

Enter Adobe Lightroom. It walked into my life a couple years ago. I ignored it (in a snooty way) at first because Photoshop was “much more” familiar (as anything would be after that many late nights). But then I finally gave Lightroom a try and couldn’t believe how much easier and faster my post process could go! I could make my images without having to mess with Actions, Flattening an Image, Layering, Gaussian Blurs, etc. etc. (I’m getting dizzy!).

Nope. None of that anymore. Me Ra is now in bed around 10:30 or 11pm so she can get up to write her morning pages or blog, then heads to the gym by 6:45am. Me Ra is much, much happier.

So all that to say, don’t let the second enemy kill your passion for photography. Add a little contrast to make the colors pop a tad more. Add a Vignette to bring more focus to your story. Maybe lower the saturation for a vintage look, but then LOVE the moment of what you caught and walk away. Walk away from the post process trap and head to bed so you have more to give to your kiddos, husband, clients, and most importantly, yourself.

I would love to know if this post was helpful; seeing the BEFORE and AFTER and showing you what I changed in Lightroom. Would it be helpful to see more of these in the future?

p.s. If you are a wedding or portrait photographer and buried in post process, try out Shoot Dot Edit. They now handle the post process for our weddings, and they have been great. Worth looking into if you’re buried. If nothing else, their website cartoon is hilarious b/c of how true it is!

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The Minneapolis CONFIDENCE Workshop deadline for the Early Bird Registration price has been EXTENDED!! HOORAY!!! You now have until this Friday to get in on the deal! FYI, I don’t think we’ll be able to make it to the East until next Fall, so if you are near Minneapolis or on the East Coast , come join us! To find out more details and get yourself a spot, CLICK HERE!

Want to learn more about Framing, Composition, Blurry Backgrounds and Lighting? Check out our Award Winning DVDs, Refuse to Say Cheese and Beyond the Green Box (They are BACK IN STOCK!! Yeah!!), or discover our popular 101 Kits for starting or expanding a business in photography, click on the titles of your choice!

Mark your calendars and keep sweet talking those husbands, the Minneapolis CONFIDENCE workshop is going to happen on the first weekend of October. We will be together ALL DAY Saturday and Sunday, October 3rd and 4th, 2009.

The workshop will be held at the ultra cool Open Book center.

I feel like we hit gold when we found this location. The Open Book center hosts writing retreats, has gallery showings…can you imagine a more creative, infused place to do our workshop?

If you are flying in and don’t want to rent a car, Genie has worked her magic again with the chic, Starwood hotel Aloft. All the hotels are super busy the weekend of our workshop, but Genie was somehow able to get us a group rate for $129 per room! Can you believe that! We love you Genie! The only deal, you MUST book your room there by September 11th. (see below for more hotel details)

The BIG Question…Why do we call this workshop the CONFIDENCE workshop? Great question!

Calling this a “beginner” workshop has never fit the bill b/c we have all levels of knowledge and experience attend. Yet, when I look over the feedback our past workshop attendees leave, I feel like the consistent thread is women walk away from the weekend feeling confident in how to use their cameras, but more importantly, in themselves. And this factor alone is why Brian and I love doing the workshop over and over again.

So who is going to join us! We are limited to twenty spots! Early Bird Registration opens TODAY! CLICK HERE to get yourself signed up!

Ladies, we are going to be READY for an AWESOME year of photography ALL levels, each and every one, are welcome! The topic details are below! But first, to give you a window into what our workshops look like, check out the trailer here by clicking the PLAY arrow button!

EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION STARTS TODAY and last TWO WEEKS!

FAQ: (if we don’t answer your specific question here, email Genie direct at genie@merakoh.com)

Question: What is the Early Bird Registration?

Answer: If you register between today and August 31st (that’s a little over two weeks), you get 20% OFF! You get to pay the Early Bird fee of $799 instead of $999! Pretty great savings for all of you who jump on board fast! After August 31st, the registration goes back up to the normal price of $999. To take advantage of the Early Bird Registration, CLICK HERE!

WHEN? October 3rd and 4th, 2009, All Day Saturday and Sunday

WHERE? We will be tucked into the heart of Minneapolis in their art epicenter called Open Book! Doesn’t this look like a cozy space where we can sip tea and talk about photography?! I’m so excited! Julie Feldman helped find this space and even went the extra mile of taking pictures. She is determined to get the CONFIDENCE workshop in Minneapolis! We all owe you a BIG thanks Julie!! We can’t wait to meet you!

ACCOMMODATIONS? If you need a hotel, the Aloft Hotel is one block away! Let your soul breathe a little by staying at the hotel (especially for their AWESOME group room rate).

The Aloft Hotel has done an incredible thing and offered all of you a special nightly rate of $129 per night instead of being over $200! But you must book your room by September 11th to get this special rate. Be sure to email Genie (genie@merakoh.com) if you have any questions, otherwise, you can contact the Aloft Hotel direct! Just let them know that you’d like one of the rooms in the Me Ra Koh Photography CONFIDENCE WKSHP, and you’ll be set!

In the past, a lot of women have introduced themselves to each other via email and ended up sharing rooms to cut costs. When we are 4-5 weeks out, Genie will send all of you each other’s emails so you can start talking (if you haven’t already found a way to do it by that point ). CLICK HERE more info on their cool rooms!

MEALS:

LUNCHES: Both lunches on Saturday and Sunday will be catered for us. If you are a vegetarian or have any food allergies, be sure to email us so we can accommodate you. No problems, we are happy too! (genie@merakoh.com)

SATURDAY DINNER: This dinner is optional for our attendees, but we would love to have you join us! You are invited to a group dinner at a local restaurant within walking distance of the hotel. Details to follow upon registration.

GIFTS TO YOU FROM OUR SPONSORS!

We have wonderful, fantastic sponsors that are excited to support this event!

Pictage will be giving ever attendee a complimentary 1 year Pictage Lite subscription!

Pixel 2 Canvas will have beautiful canvas door prizes for us and a special treat for each and every attendee!

Shoot Dot Edit will have a special “Post Processing” treat for every attendee!

Dane Sanders, author of Fast Track Photographer, is going to give every woman an audio copy of his book!

And Adobe will have the door prizes of Lightroom 2.0 for us!

Isn’t that great ladies! Not only do we get to have a wonderful weekend together, but we get to give you surprises too! Not to mention our Me Ra Koh surprises-of course, I always have those up my sleeve! What’s a girl’s weekend away without gifts!

WORKSHOP TOPICS:

DAY ONE TOPICS:

True to this workshop, time tested (and approved ), we are excited to start the day with understanding the mechanics of your camera and learning about indoor lighting so you can capture shots of your loved ones in difficult lighting. The second half of the day will be hands on practice as we process a FULL morning.

DAY TWO TOPICS:

Day Two will pick up where we left off. We’re going to continue to demystify tough lighting and camera settings. We’ll also walk you through our Post Process steps as we demonstrate lightroom, turning images to black and white, editing, what’s the difference between a JPG and RAW image, etc. Depending on the groups interest, we’ll talk about the in’s and out’s of starting your own side business too. (But this depends on the needs of the group.) We’re also going to cover the question of what to do with your images? Are stock photography options available to you, what is the bottom line of blogging, and where should you have your work printed and why?

The BEST part that everyone always loves the most is the models! We’ll also have models join us (both adults and kids), so you can practice EVERY THING we’ve been teaching you. And true to our workshops, we’ll sprinkle our time with creative exercises and inspiration that make our weekend so special.

By the end of our weekend, you will be filled up, refreshed, inspired, and possibly shooting in Manuel like it’s nobody’s business. (I promise, this is way easier then people make it sound, but one step at a time.)

PAYMENT OPTIONS and REFUNDS POLICY: See the Registration Page for all these good details!

WHAT DO PAST ATTENDEES SAY ABOUT THIS WORKSHOP?

To hear what the Seattle Workshop Attendees said about our most recent workshop, check out this fun blog post and read their wonderful comments!

Here’s some more feedback!

Jen from Seattle, WA wrote; I know how these workshops can change your life…it did mine! MeRa and Brian were my inspiration…Thank you … you all are doing such greatness in this world!

Jeramy (husband of a wife who attended twice) from CA wrote; if you are reading this post and and are on the fence about going to this workshop…or wondering if it’s really worth it….let me just tell you about my experience. my beautiful bride went to the Sonoma workshop last year with me ra and brian…and it changed her life. like so many women, she struggles with self-doubt and insecurities…coupled with strong passions and desires to create things of great worth. the magic of this workshop will help you see that YOU ARE special and can do anything it is that you want to do, if you just set your mind to it. there is limitless potential in you all…and if you have ever wondered how to get it out….sign up for this workshop and you’ll see. you will never be the same again.

Marianne from Seattle, WA wrote;
This was the BEST day I’ve had in a long time…it was so nice to wade through and be challenged, laugh along the way, conquer a fear, and leave wanting more. What a day! I can’t thank you enough!

Kari from Seattle wrote; Me Ra takes the camera apart and puts it back together in a way that actually makes sense! Prepare to laugh, learn, and walk away inspired!

Julie from Seattle, WA wrote; As a past workshop attendee…It WILL change your life and how you see yourself.

Allison from Virginia wrote; I can tell you with total honesty that this will be a life changing time for you all. Just soak it all in and throw yourselves in wholeheartedly and you will come away with SO MUCH!!

QUESTIONS?

Feel free to email Genie (genie@merakoh.com) for any and all questions. Genie keeps me up to date on all questions as we travel for wedding season. She is truly my “little Genie”! If you need help with booking your hotel, understanding the area, flights, payment options, shoot her an email!

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Click HERE to register today and make YOUR DAY or her DAY!!

We’ll see you in MINNEAPOLIS!!!

xoxoxo, Me Ra

p.s. A number of you have emailed to see if we’re going to do another Seattle Workshop before 2009 ends. Brian and I can’t tell for sure if our travel schedule can make it work, but we might be able to squeeze one more workshop in during the weekend of November 14th and 15th. It’s a big maybe. But if you are interested, we’d love to hear from you. Please email Genie so we can put your name on the waiting list. Thanks so much! (genie@merakoh.com)

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Keep up the VOTING! Tell your friends and family to put in their two cents at a chance to win a Sony camera! We are almost past the half way mark of 750! How cool is that!!!

Our Refuse to Say Cheese DVD series is continuing to grow, faster than we know what to do with! If you haven’t ordered your own copy yet, check out our popular Instructional DVDs Refuse to Say Cheese and Beyond the Green Box (They are BACK IN STOCK!! Yeah!!), our 101 Kits for starting or expanding a business in photography, click on the titles of your choice!

Below are the beautiful, amazing, inspiring Top Five Finalists for the Vacation Aperture Photo Contest! Blog readers were not only asked to submit a Vacation themed photo, but they were also asked to integrate Aperture into their image. Buttery, blurry backgrounds or foregrounds. To see a couple Honorable Mention images that demonstrate what Aperture is, check out today’s earlier post!

Win a CAMERA! Yes, you heard me!

We are taking our voting to the NEXT level this week! If we get 750 plus votes, yes 750 by this Friday at midnight, we get to give one of the Random Voters a hip, new, Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W170 camera!

Can you believe that?! I’m so pumped! But that means you’ve got to tell ALL your friends, family, even wake up Grannie, and get them to post their vote in TODAY’s comments! I know this contest is going to get crazy real fast with the voting, so we are going to close the voting this Friday, August 14th, at midnight PST. That means you have from now until midnight on Friday to vote!

How do you vote? See the FAQ below! (It’s super easy.)

But without further delay, I’d like to introduce you to the TOP FIVE FINALISTS for the Vacation Aperture photo contest! Notice how they used Aperture to tell their stories!

1. Fourth of July at the Stadium! by Jennie in Provo, Utah.

This image jumped out at me. It has this wonderful editorial feel to it. Jennie was able to frame the boys in such a way that helps us feel like we’re standing right in front of these guys. I have to ask Jennie, did you shoot this image with a wide angle lens b/c I can’t believe the immediate feel this image carries. You did an incredible job! AND, your use of aperture to tell the story is FANTASTIC. You could have just focused on your boy’s face and his face painting, framed tight, and left out all the surroundings. But the atmosphere of people in the stands, blurred, and going as far back as we can see, adds so much UMPH to the storytelling in this image. This is NOT a snapshot! This is a story! I also love the blue sky, and how it ties in with all the shades of blue on the boys’ faces, necklaces and teeshirts. Incredible image Jennie! Thank you so much for submitting! (Have you seen Jennie’s blog? Check it out!)

2. Fishing Break! by Liza in Key West, Florida.

Liza, this image is timeless. The decision to focus on the rocks in the foreground and let your son be a soft, blur in the background is incredibly moving. You’ve done a powerful thing with this image. You’ve given us a sense of volume. Think about that! To create volume with the one dimensional image as if it was a three dimension story is AMAZING. I feel like the volume of this image is quiet and peaceful. I hear the soft sounds of water and the subtle breeze. I hear it because of your decision to blur your son and not have everything in sharp focus. I also love the blue hues to this image. I think the blues accentuate the quiet feel even more. Liza, thank you for sharing a precious moment in your family vacation. (Be sure to check out Liza’s blog!)

3. Afternoon Getaway Vacation! by Carol Ann.

Take a good look at this image, it is HILARIOUS! Talk about using Aperture to tell a STORY! Carol Ann focused on the sign “Best User Age: 2 to 5 years of age”, and then let her husband blur in the background. Carol Ann, you did an AMAZING job! Your use of Aperture, blurring the background so we see just enough of your crazy husband going do the slide, is perfect! If you had shot this image in Auto mode, we would have lost a lot of the humor in the image. With your husband sharp in the background, just like the sign, it would have felt more like a snapshot vs. a story…or better said “a comedy”. Thank you for submitting this image (thank your husband too)! Thanks for giving us a great example of how blurred action in the background can draw out the humor in a story! (Be sure to check out Carol Ann’s Design and Photography website!)

4. Welcoming Grandma and Grandpa! by Jennifer.

After I narrowed down the submissions to the Five Finalists, I went back and read the notes people included. In Jennifer’s note, she said that she was deciding to not hide her photography anymore but take a risk and share it. And wow, I’m so glad she is sharing! Doesn’t this image take your breath away?! There is so much emotion in this single image. Who ever said photography was one dimensional…well, they never saw these Finalists! Can you just feel the excitement and energy pouring out of her daughter? And the use of Aperture makes this story pop! By choosing to blur the background (which is the arriving plane and trees), we subconsciously know that our focus is the little girl and her experience of this moment. And to tell you the truth, even though the plane is blurred–the presence of the plane becomes that much stronger b/c I know the story is about this little girl. Incredible job Jennifer! I’m so excited to see what else you share with the world! (Jennifer, if you have a blog or website, please share!!)

5. Escaping the Heat in the Good Old Tent! by Linnea while camping at Lake Mayfield.

Does anyone else feel the temperature in the room rise when they see this picture? The red tones are perfect for an image that is all about escaping the summer’s heat. And what a moment of expression Linnea caught on her son’s face. I have a couple things to say about this image. One, I LOVE how she cropped half of her son’s face out of the image. This choice made the image jump out at me. When Brian and I are shooting, we are often thinking “Less is More”. The expression in the boy’s single eye is enough to fill the whole frame. Good for you Linnea, way to try something different. I love how it turned out. The use of aperture is also wonderful in this image. I love how we see baby sister blurred in the background. We know she is there, and her facial expression is pretty powerful. But the focus is on big brother. It’s as if he is looking for a break from his sister and pulling away for a moment. The last thing I love about this image is the tight framing. A tent is close, tight quarters. I love how Linnea decided to frame in tight b/c it accentuates the close quarters that much more. Wonderful job Linnea! Thank you so much for sharing! (Learn more about Linnea!)

There it is! The Fabulous Five Finalists! Didn’t I tell you they were AMAZING!

Whoever gets the most votes will win their choice of three prizes!

And all of you, plus the winners, have the opportunity to win a Sony Cyber-shot Camera! All you have to do is post a comment and vote for your favorite finalist. Leave a few words about why they were your favorite, and you are entered into the Sony Cyber-shot Camera drawing!

Let’s go! 750 vote goal, HERE WE COME!

FAQ

FAQ #1: How do you vote?

Answer: Just click on the pink word “Comments” at the end of this blog post. Put the # of photo your voting for first (it makes counting the votes way faster), and then add a few words about why you like their image the most. Remember, your comments and feedback give to the Five Finalists more than any prize from us. Please be kind, encouraging, and share all that you can with these wonderful Five Finalists! Your feedback on their images is priceless! That’s why we do the Random Voter Awards, because we appreciate your voting and feedback so much. So spread the word to family and friends! And ask them to vote! We need 750 VOTES to give this camera away!

(Please vote one time for one image. Thanks!)

FAQ #2: Is there a new Photo Contest happening right now? And when is the Deadline?

Answer: After we announce the Winners for this contest, we’ll start a new one! Start thinking of a new theme! I love your ideas!

FAQ #3: What are the prizes for the Random Voters and the Finalist?

Answer: Scroll on down!!

Prizes for the Winning Finalist and the Random Voter Winners!

In the last couple of contests, we’ve broken our record for votes received! You all spread the word, and the votes came rolling in! If we clear 750 votes on this contest, we are going to pick a Random Voter (not necessarily #750, but a RANDOM Voter) to win the Sony Cyber-shot camera!!!

And then we’ll keep going and pick one more Random Voters to win a $25 customized, cool looking Starbucks card! So that’s one Random Winner of a new, slick Sony Cyber-shot camera, and one MORE random winner of $25 customized Starbucks cards, if we clear 750!

Deadline for all voting is this Friday night, 5 days from now, 8/14, at midnight PST!! That means we have to clear 750 votes by that time for two Random Voters to be picked and win a Sony Cybershot Camera!

Prize for being the Winner of the Five Finalists!!!

Now what about the finalist’s prize! What will they get? Well first, each finalist should vote too so they get a fair shot of winning the Sony Cyber-shot camera!

Great question! The finalist will get their choice of one of our 101 Kits or the downloadable version of our Refuse to Say Cheese/Beyond the Green Box DVD series. And then, and THEN they also get to choose between one of two MORE things!

1. Their own copy of Adobe’s Lightroom 2.0 Software!

2. Or a copy of the newly released DVD “See the Light” by Carlos Baez! Watch the trailer by clicking the title. Carlos is not only a dear friend, but he is also a PHENOMENAL photographer who has years experience in the fashion and wedding industry and is now sharing his knowledge on lighting with the wedding and portrait world. This guy is loaded with tips and strategies on lighting. We just got our own copy of his DVD, and I can’t wait to watch it. Carlos is a master with lighting, and on top of that he has a HUGE heart for teaching people. Just watching him work with his clients is amazing. Your business can’t help but go to the next level with this new DVD. Check out his blog! To purchase Carlos’s new DVD, check out the Photography Mentor store. Retail Price for “See the Light” is $175!

So get all your friends and family to jump on here and vote before Friday at midnight!

Enjoy! VOTE AWAY!!!

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For more fun photo exercises, check out our Award Winning, Instructional DVDs Refuse to Say Cheese , our 101 Kits for starting or expanding a business in photography , click on the words of your choice!

Thank you for all your prayers and well wishes. I’m so glad you liked the Behind the Scene photos. Didn’t Brian do an AWESOME job with those! (He is the very best, out-of-control supportive husband ever.)

I also can’t tell you how many times I closed my eyes and visualized all the ladies we’ve met and have yet to meet from our workshops and speaking engagements. Every time I felt nervous or unsure, I pictured all your beautiful faces and reminded myself of who we were doing this for–the powerful impact it would have.

And we’re bringing all this power and inspiration to Washington DC!!! On September 19th and 20th 2009, we will be holding our Photography Workshop for Women, and we are going to have an AMAZING weekend together.

On top of this, I made an executive decision to call this workshop we do the “CONFIDENCE” workshop. What do you think? Calling this a “beginner” workshop has never fit the bill b/c we have all levels of knowledge and experience attend. Yet, when I look over the feedback our past workshop attendees leave, I feel like the consistent thread is women walk away from the weekend feeling confident in how to use their cameras, but more importantly, in themselves. And this factor alone is why Brian and I love doing the workshop over and over again.

And guess what? As many of you know, it’s a bit expensive to find accommodations for a workshop in the DC area, especially the Dupont Circle. But we looked and looked to find a place that met was convenient for all of you to get too and was within our workshop budget so we wouldn’t have to raise the registration price. We ended up finding the hip, chic Hotel Madera. Turns out the event planner there emailed Genie back saying she was a fan of our photography and would LOVE to help host this workshop! So she’s giving all of us incredible discounts on the hotel rooms, see below for the details! And she’s giving us great discounts on the meeting space and lunches so we can keep within our workshop budget. Isn’t that AWESOME! DC is welcoming the workshop with open arms on so many levels! We can’t wait to come!

So who is going to join us! We are limited to twenty spots! Early Bird Registration opens TODAY! CLICK HERE to get yourself signed up!

Ladies, we are going to be READY for an AWESOME year of photography ALL levels, each and every one, are welcome! The topic details are below! But first, to give you a window into what our workshops look like, check out the trailer here by clicking the PLAY arrow button!

Early Bird Registration STARTS TODAY and last TWO WEEKS!

FAQ: (if we don’t answer your specific question here, email Genie direct at genie@merakoh.com)

Question: What is the Early Bird Registration?

Answer: If you register between today and July 24th (that’s a little over two weeks), you get to pay the Early Bird fee of $799 instead of $999! Pretty great savings for all of you who jump on board fast! After July 24th, the registration goes back up to the normal price of $999. To take advantage of the Early Bird Registration, REGISTER HERE!!!

WHEN? September 19th and 20th 2009, All Day Saturday and Sunday

WHERE? We will be nestled in Washington, DC’s suave Dupont Circle neighborhood. Hotel Madera is the BEAUTIFUL luxury boutique hotel for our workshop Location!! We are going to use this elegant, boutique hotel as our creative space to learn, grow, be inspired, be pampered and create!

ACCOMMODATIONS? The Hotel Madera has done an incredible thing and offered all of you the nightly rate of $119 per night instead of $159! Just let them know that you’d like one of the rooms in the Me Ra Koh Photography CONFIDENCE WKSHP block, and you’ll be set! In the past, a lot of women have introduced themselves to each other via email and ended up sharing rooms to cut costs. When we are 4-5 weeks out, Genie will send all of you each other’s emails so you can start talking (if you haven’t already found a way to do it by that point ). Click here for more info on their beautiful rooms!

MEALS:

LUNCHES: Both lunches on Saturday and Sunday will be catered for us. If you are a vegetarian or have any food allergies, be sure to email us so we can accommodate you. No problems, we are happy too! (genie@merakoh.com)

SATURDAY DINNER: This dinner is optional for our attendees, but we would love to have you join us! You are invited to a group dinner at a local restaurant within walking distance of the hotel. Details to follow upon registration.

GIFTS TO YOU FROM OUR SPONSORS!

We have wonderful, fantastic sponsors that are excited to support this event!

Pictage will be giving ever attendee a complimentary 1 year Pictage Lite subscription!

Pixel 2 Canvas will have beautiful canvas door prizes for us and a special treat for each and every attendee!

Shoot Dot Edit will have a special “Post Processing” treat for every attendee!

Dane Sanders, author of Fast Track Photographer, is going to give every woman an audio copy of his book!

And Adobe will have the door prizes of Lightroom 2.0 for us!

Isn’t that great ladies! Not only do we get to have a wonderful weekend together, but we get to give you surprises too! Not to mention our Me Ra Koh surprises–of course, I always have those up my sleeve! What’s a girl’s weekend away without gifts!

WORKSHOP TOPICS:

DAY ONE TOPICS:

True to this workshop, time tested (and approved ), we are excited to start the day with understanding the mechanics of your camera and learning about indoor lighting so you can capture shots of your loved ones in difficult lighting. The second half of the day will be hands on practice as we process a FULL morning.

DAY TWO TOPICS:

Day Two will pick up where we left off. We’re going to continue to demystify tough lighting and camera settings. We’ll also walk you through our Post Process steps as we demonstrate lightroom, turning images to black and white, editing, what’s the difference between a JPG and RAW image, etc. Depending on the groups interest, we’ll talk about the in’s and out’s of starting your own side business too. (But this depends on the needs of the group.) We’re also going to cover the question of what to do with your images? Are stock photography options available to you, what is the bottom line of blogging, and where should you have your work printed and why?

The BEST part that everyone always loves the most is the models! We’ll also have models join us (both adults and kids), so you can practice EVERY THING we’ve been teaching you. And true to our workshops, we’ll sprinkle our time with creative exercises and inspiration that make our weekend so special.

By the end of our weekend, you will be filled up, refreshed, inspired, and possibly shooting in Manuel like it’s nobody’s business. (I promise, this is way easier then people make it sound, but one step at a time.)

PAYMENT OPTIONS and REFUNDS POLICY: See the Registration Page for all these good details!

WHAT DO PAST ATTENDEES SAY ABOUT THIS WORKSHOP?

To hear what the Seattle Workshop Attendees said about our most recent workshop, check out this fun blog post and read their wonderful comments!

Here’s some more feedback!

Jen from Seattle, WA wrote; I know how these workshops can change your life…it did mine! MeRa and Brian were my inspiration…Thank you … you all are doing such greatness in this world!

Jeramy (husband of a wife who attended twice) from CA wrote; if you are reading this post and and are on the fence about going to this workshop…or wondering if it’s really worth it….let me just tell you about my experience. my beautiful bride went to the Sonoma workshop last year with me ra and brian…and it changed her life. like so many women, she struggles with self-doubt and insecurities…coupled with strong passions and desires to create things of great worth. the magic of this workshop will help you see that YOU ARE special and can do anything it is that you want to do, if you just set your mind to it. there is limitless potential in you all…and if you have ever wondered how to get it out….sign up for this workshop and you’ll see. you will never be the same again.

Marianne from Seattle, WA wrote;
This was the BEST day I’ve had in a long time…it was so nice to wade through and be challenged, laugh along the way, conquer a fear, and leave wanting more. What a day! I can’t thank you enough!

Kari from Seattle wrote; Me Ra takes the camera apart and puts it back together in a way that actually makes sense! Prepare to laugh, learn, and walk away inspired!

Julie from Seattle, WA wrote; As a past workshop attendee…It WILL change your life and how you see yourself.

Allison from Virginia wrote; I can tell you with total honesty that this will be a life changing time for you all. Just soak it all in and throw yourselves in wholeheartedly and you will come away with SO MUCH!!

QUESTIONS?

Feel free to email Genie (genie@merakoh.com) for any and all questions. Genie keeps me up to date on all questions as we travel for wedding season. She is truly my “little Genie”! If you need help with booking your hotel, understanding the area, flights, payment options, shoot her an email!

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Click HERE to register today and make YOUR DAY or her DAY!!

We’ll see you in Washington DC!!! xoxoxo, Me Ra

p.s. On Thursday, we start a NEW photo contest! It’s going to be a fun one!!

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Our Refuse to Say Cheese DVD series is continuing to grow, faster than we know what to do with! If you haven’t ordered your own copy yet, check out our popular Instructional DVDs Refuse to Say Cheese and Beyond the Green Box (They are BACK IN STOCK!! Yeah!!), our 101 Kits for starting or expanding a business in photography, click on the titles of your choice!

This first prize goes to our Top, Top Finalist. This is the Finalist who received the most votes from all our readers.

The winner is Laura from Grand Rapids, Michigan! A big congrats Laura! And I feel like we should say a “hello” to your dad! If he’s tuning in, he should know that your photo along with his tenderness stole the hearts of hundreds of people who voted!

Laura, you get to choose between three prizes! You can either grab your own copy of Adobe Lightroom 2.0 software, the instructional lighting DVD by Carlos Baez, or a 45 minute mentoring session with me! Email Genie, genie@merakoh.com, and she will get you set up with your prize and/or a time set up on the calendar for you and I to chat. Thanks Laura for sending in your image! As you can see, I’m not the only one who LOVED it!

At midnight on Sunday we were two votes short of 500. We needed 500 votes by midnight to give a Random Voter Lightroom 2.0. But you know what, 498 sounds good to me. And then a ton of people voted after midnight. SO……

The Random Voter Winner for Adobe’s Lightroom 2.0 is Jasen!! His vote was the following;

I have to go with #3. Evokes an emotional response for me. Wonderful.

Jasen also has a blog too! Check it out! The image of his son standing next to the bathtub is priceless! Jasen, a big congrats to you for being our Random Lightroom Winner! Email Genie at genie@merakoh.com and let us know if you’d like to claim your prize! If you already have Lightroom, we’d love to offer you a 45 min. mentoring session with either me or Brian. Just let us know! And most of all, thanks so much for participating in the voting and leaving feedback!

We have one more prize for a Random Voter. This prize is a $25 Gift Certificate to Starbucks! This winner for this prize is Ceci! Her vote was the following;

They are all great, but I vote for #1.

Check out Ceci’s blog! The first image is just beautiful! A big congrats to you Ceci. Thanks so much for voting for a Finalist, and leaving your feedback. Be blessed my dear, and keep up the beautiful, beautiful photography! Genie will set you up with your Starbucks card so don’t forget to email her too!

I want to give a BIG thank you to ALL the people who sent us their Simple Photo images, special thanks to our Five Finalists (hats off to all five of you!), last but very important, all 509 voters. You make this community the safe and encouraging place that it is. Thanks for sharing yourself with us!

Now I have a question for everyone. It’s the middle of May. What do you say we start a new Photo Contest? What should the theme be? Something more concrete this time like family vacations or summer fun, etc. But what do you think?

And what do you think the GRAND Prize should be? Lightroom again or something else! Just curious what your thoughts are! Post em up today, and we’ll start a new photo contest asap!

Also, if you didn’t see yesterday’s post about the new Sony camera (our colors–pink and brown!), you MUST read it! It’s pretty amazing stuff!

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*Tomorrow is the LAST Day to get the Early Bird Registration Fee! We’ve got 3-4 spots left! Join us in Seattle for our next women’s workshop this coming June09! All details and video trailer are HERE!

Our Award Winning Refuse to Say Cheese DVD series is continuing to grow, faster than we know what to do with! If you haven’t ordered your own copy yet, check out our popular Instructional DVDs Refuse to Say Cheese and Beyond the Green Box (They are BACK IN STOCK!! Yeah!!), our 101 Kits for starting or expanding a business in photography, click on the titles of your choice!

Our meetings with Sony yesterday were unreal. I am so overwhelmed with how AMAZING it was that I’ve been in and out of tears. Every thing will be officially announced on Monday to the press. So you better believe that I’ll be sharing the good news on Monday morning with all of you, right here!

In the midst of an unforgettable day, we have even more crazy news to share!

This is actually another DREAM come true for me and Brian! It’s one of those dreams that your almost afraid to wish for, but you hold your breath and go for it anyway. (What do you have to lose, right?!)

Here it is…Our instructional, photography DVD series, Refuse to Say Cheese and Beyond the Green Box , has won one of the most prestigious parenting awards ever! The National Parenting Publication GOLD Award! To give you an idea of who else submits their products for this award…Last year, the 10th Anniversary Edition of Baby Einstein won! Can you believe that! Our DVDs are keeping good company!!!

We submitted each DVD on its own to be judged and scored independently, and I can’t tell you how excited we are that they BOTH won the GOLD award!

On June ST, NAPPA and their partner, Parenthood, will have our DVDS and the other winners appear in over THIRTY magazines! Brian and I are so excited to see what this will be like to have that much exposure at once! Check out the list of magazines! It’s going to be crazy! Do any of you receive these magazines already? If you see our DVDS in them, will you cut it out and send it to me? My grandma and I would LOVE to have a copy of the features!

NAPPA Editorial Partners Coverage of NAPPA winners is featured in these trusted, local parenting magazines: Akron Family – Akron, OH Albemarle Family – Charlottesville, VA Bay Area Parent: East Bay – San Mateo, CA Bay Area Parent: SF & Peninsula – San Francisco, CA Bay Area Parent: Silicon Valley – Los Gates, CA The Boston Parents’ Paper – Boston, MA Brevard County Moms (formerly Space Coast Parent) – Melbourne, FL Carolina Parent – Durham, NC Central California Parent – Fresno, CA Central Penn Parent – Harrisburg, PA Charlotte Parent – Charlotte, NC Chicago Parent – Chicago, IL Child Guide – Berryville, VA Cincinnati Parent – Cincinnati, OH Cleveland Family – Cleveland, OH Colorado Parent – Denver, CO Family Life – Mendocino, CA Family Times – Syracuse, NY Family Magazine NJ: Morris County Family – Morris County, NJ Family Magazine NJ: Union County Family – Union County, NJ Indy’s Child – IN Kids VT – Shelburne, VT L.A. Parent – Los Angeles, CA Lake/Geauga Family – Eastlake, OH Lowcountry Parent – Charleston, SC Metro Augusta Parent – Augusta, GA Metroparent – Milwaukee, WI Neopolitan Family Magazine – Naples, FL Newsday’s Parents & Children – Long Island, NY Our Kids San Antonio – San Antonio, TX Palmetto Parent – Columbia, SC Parenting New Hampshire – Manchester, NH Piedmont Parent – Winston-Salem, NC The Parent Paper – Paterson, NJ Sacramento Parent- Sacramento, CA Saginaw Valley Family- Saginaw Valley, MI South Florida Parenting – Tamarac, FL Tidewater/Peninsula Parent – Norfolk, VA Upstate Parent – Greenville, SC Washington Parent – Washington, DC / Bethesda, MD Westchester Family – Mamaroneck, NY Your Child Today – NJ

For those of you who are unfamiliar with NAPPA, here is a quick summary. (Check out NAPPA’s website to learn more! They carry a big influence on what is hot for parents!)

NAPPA is one of the oldest and most prestigious Children’s Products and Parenting Resources competitions. Expert judges and family testers select from hundreds of products that embody innovative design, quality construction, and make parenting easier.

In regards to the DVD winners, Judges evaluated programs for their overall appeal, production value, quality of content and benefits – which may be pro-social role models, educational content or pure entertainment. Every winning title is one that you could happily add to your collection and enjoy sharing with the children in your life.

Is that AWESOME or what!

If you haven’t seen our DVDS, or should I say “Award Winning DVDS” , you can check them out and purchase them at our product site, Refuse to Say Cheese! If you are a friend that lives abroad, Downloadable Versions are available too!

Okay, keep voting for your favorite Finalist! We are almost to 300 votes, and we only need 500 total by Sunday night for a Random Voter to win Adobe Lightroom 2! Click HERE to vote today!

We will be back Monday for the most amazing news ever on what Sony has done to change our world! Hint: some of you helped inspire it!

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We only have FIVE SPOTS left for the Seattle June workshop. The enthusiasm, nervousness, willingness, and openness of the attendees so far is going to make this a fantastic workshop! If you are looking to take our workshop on the West Coast, this is your best bet before the summer ends! To see all the details, check out THIS BLOG post. To grab a spot and get the early bird special, GO HERE! The Early Bird price ends this coming Wednesday, so make sure you get signed up before the special is over!