TIRED of PHOTOS that are “Happy Accidents”?

READY to become CONSISTENT with your SHOOTING?

Our 4 Week, Online Class, How to Capture Magical Light, is Coming Back this June!

Only a handful of spots left!  Our Newsletter Subscribers got first dibs, so Register Today to get one of the few spots left!

Check out the Before & After Results from Last Year’s Students! OR Scroll to bottom to read Reviews from Formers Students!

BEFORE PHOTO

AFTER PHOTO (After Week 3.  Understanding light makes ALL the difference!)

One more for you because I LOVE Before & After Examples!

BEFORE

AFTER (So awesome!  Right!)

Magical Light…the kind of light that takes our breath away. How do pro photographers capture this light over and over again? Hold on as we say goodbye to Auto mode and Aperture Priority mode! “Even Aperture Priority mode?” some of you ask. YEP! We are going all Manual to capture magical light. And I PROMISE, shooting in Manual is WAY easier than you would ever guess. I’m going to teach you step by step how I shoot in Manual to get consist, magical lighting. Every time I say this to a CONFIDENCE Workshop, they look back at me with doubt in their eyes. But by 1pm on Day 2 of the workshop, they are shooting in Manual like pros (and giving me big hugs!)! How we learn makes a difference in how well we understand something.

For those of you who don’t know, before I was a photographer I got a Masters Degree in teaching. I take teaching, or better yet–empowering and equipping YOU, very seriously. I’m confident that you will walk away with a deeper understanding of capturing magical light that you never expected! I’ve been testing that confidence for five years with our workshops and haven’t lost one yet!

More Nitty Gritty Details, CLICK HERE

WHAT TO EXPECT

Each course includes;

1. 4 Weeks of Weekly Assignments/Challenges Posted within the Private Thread. PDFs also Emailed. You don’t have to be online at a certain time, so rest assured if you live in different time zones! This online course was designed with YOU in mind!
2. Two Detailed, Personal Critiques from Me Ra Koh. (I will also be following your progress every week and chiming in on your homework outside of the critiques. If you want to be challenged to break through your glass ceilings, Buckle UP! We are going to have a blast! )
3. Four More Detailed, Personal Critiques from 2 other Pro Photographers
   Total Critiques: 8 Critiques / 2 per week for each attendee
4. Experience of Growing alongside your Classmates. We will host this on a Private Thread in the Me Ra Koh Forum so you can engage with each other there, as well as ask me questions.
5. Video Tutorials so Me Ra can Walk You Through the Lessons
6. Online Office Hours Each Week When Me Ra and/or the Critiquers will be Online in the Forum to answer your questions and talk with you in real time.

Raves and Reviews from Former Students

MeRa, I’m shadowing the class but LOVING IT!!! Can’t wait for Wednesday to learn the next concepts and then give them a go. I love the format, the step by step process of how you arrive at the proper composition and setting, etc. You do an excellent job making it clear through your examples and illustrations without getting all caught up in the deep technical issues. -Cindy

The class is fabulous! Thank GOODNESS my last day of classes is tomorrow because I’m more focused on this online class than the last day of school (I’m a teacher)!!!!! I think I log on at least 5 times a day to check if there are any new posts for me to learn from!!! Everyone is so friendly.. and so open about what they want to learn! It’s definitely one of the safest forums I’ve ever been a part of.. and I attribute that to the fabulous teacher/amazing photog leading the class! Can’t wait to start reading Lesson #3! -Kristen

(this one made me cry and laugh at the same time!)
I am sharing the lesson pdf, by email to my dad! He is 86 and in poor health, but the one who taught me about taking pictures and the one who I share my photos with even now. He was blown away by lesson 1 which, he said, he read several times and he felt it was a very articulate and clear explanation of a challenging subject! He was a physicist with a passion for optics and has been taking pictures all of his life. He has encouraged me so much that I wanted to include him in this process. I am mentioning this to you because I totally respect your “business” and I would not want to do anything unethical. My dad is deaf and almost blind, but he can see my pictures and do some reading on his computer! He said you knew as much about light as Ansel Adams, but that you explained it better! -Shirley

LOVE shadowing this class. Every Wednesday I wake and run to the computer for this week’s lesson. BEST. CLASS. EVER! Thank you to Me Ra and her team! -Courtney

This class has been amazing and I can’t believe there is still more to come! The critiques are invaluable and the lessons each week have made things so clear! I have talked to a lot of photographers and I have never had anyone explain things about my camera as clearly as Me Ra has. This class has truly invigorated my photography and has me excited about shooting instead of feeling overwhelmed. Thank you Me Ra, Brian and your team for putting this together. I wish it could go on longer!! It almost feels like I have my own personal cheerleader and mentor. What a gift you are giving to us!! -Laura

I wondered if I was going to be able to learn and practice with a “long distance/online program” but, I must admit, I have. BIG TIME! The information each week, the videos and assignments are so clear and inspiring that I am absolutely HAPPY to have taken the course. -Bea

There are so many tidbits in this course. Even if you have a good grasp of the fundamental concepts, the tidbits are worth the enrollment fee! And I just love learning from the images that the other students are submitting. I’m just shadowing, but even lurking behind the scenes is so exciting and en”light”ening! -Darby

Register in the Next 48 Hours!

xo,

m

Thanks to SONY on Monday, April 22nd, we get to all be together LIVE online for the WHOLE day!  I’m coming to @creativeLIVE, and we are going to work through “Breaking Through Creative Barriers“!

We had eight videos submitted by last Friday, and creativeLIVE gave us the go ahead to have ALL eight women join us!  I’m so excited!

But I also need a handful of baby models for us to practice on!  Want to come play with us?!

Will you help spread the word?  Here is who I need:

1.  A sleepy newborn (under two weeks old) to come with his/her mama and grandma.  Yep!  I’d love to have three generations come to model!

2. A 4-5 month old (who can push himself/herself up) to come with mama.

3.  A 7 month old (who can sit up on his own) to come with mama.

4.  12-24 month old to come with mama.

FYI, if dad is available for ANY of these–bring him too!  And if there are grandparents available for ANY of these age groups, bring them!

But here is the thing.  I don’t want to just have you and baby come model for me.  I would LOVE to also help share your story.  I’m looking for families/babies with special stories in the Greater Seattle area.  What qualifies a special story?  The parameters are WIDE open on this one.  Maybe it took you much longer than you ever imagined to get pregnant.  Maybe your little one is a miracle baby because of different challenges she had to overcome.  Maybe your baby/toddler is Special Needs.  Maybe grandma or grandpa is an intricate part to this baby’s life (all grandmas are–but there is a story around your grandma that we need to hear).

My heart is drawn to your story and giving that story voice.  If you can be my model for Monday, April 22nd, I would love to draw that story out of you while we capture it.

If you are available, please email us the following;

-Names

-Baby’s Age

-Best number to reach you

-A short summary of your story

-Low Res photo of your baby/toddler

Send your emails to [email protected] with “CreativeLive Story” in the Subject Line.  We will review all your emails and notify people by 10am on Friday.

I’m sure many of you have someone you are thinking of as you read this blog post.  Will you share this with them and ask them to consider submitting their story?

Thank you!

xo,

m

Our 14 beautiful CONFIDENCE Teachers have Spring Workshops just in time for Mother’s Day!!  And today we start the Early Bird Discount, so you can save 20% on a workshop if you register between now and March 31st (limited seating because we keep the workshops small)!

Click here to meet all our teachers, read their bios, see their work and find out the details on their workshops!

To get the 20% Discount, use the Coupon Code: earlybird

Our Budding and Growing CONFIDENCE Workshops are hands-on, demystify the technical part of photography, infuse your creativity, and are kept small for as much one-on-one help as you can get!  If you need any help or have any questions, feel free to email [email protected]

To get a Behind the Scenes look and also read what other women are saying after about their Teachers and Workshops, CLICK HERE!

*Kelli’s students, getting hands-on practice with a mom and baby, at her home in Chicago.

And remember, you can learn from them everyday at ShutterLoveOnline!  Our teachers publish photo tips for moms on Nielsen’s new website, inspiring us with their work and passion for empowering moms!  Check out one of their recent posts;

Amy, our Las Vegas, NV teacher, 4 Steps to Capturing Stunning Silhouettes!

Kelli, our Chicago, IL teacher, How to Use Window Light for Magical Results!

Tina, our Milwaukee, WI teacher, Fun Family Project: How to Build a Darkroom!

Jess, our Southern CA teacher, Changing Perspective When Shooting!

xo,

m

With the New Year, there are endless ideas of how to start the next twelve months.  Can I share a practice I do as a photographer?  It isn’t about renewing the gym membership or re-committing to a healthier diet or any other practice that acknowledges what I want to do better this coming year.  Instead, this is a practice that acknowledges who I am at this moment in time, this new year, knowing that we are always evolving with each passing year.

These last few weeks, I asked myself ‘What would my Self Portrait be as I enter this new season, the new year?  What change, transformation, has come?’ As I look back over the last year, I find that I spent more time alone than ever before.  In the past, I have chosen to be with people versus be alone.  I LOVE people and the energy that a rich conversation gives.  But this last year, I felt a calling to create intentional time to be with myself.  My morning walks with the dog have become a sacred time to quiet myself, let my mind wander, let prayers unfold, and listen to the rhythm of my steps.  This season represents a shift for me in learning how to sustain myself and my family by first pouring into myself so I can continue to pour out to others.  I asked Blaze, my eight year old, if he would take a photo of mama walking the dog–a self portrait to acknowledge the milestone of this present season.

Continue reading by visiting my Babble column and see this awesome photo gallery that I put together (took me three hours!  but so excited!  LOL!) of our fourteen CONFIDENCE teachers and their Self Portraits…

xo,

m

*Only a few spots left in our weekend CONFIDENCE Workshop with me and Brian this February!