A couple hundred of you voted for our first Summer Enrichment Online Course to be “How to Capture Magical Light”. We’ve only got 4 Full Registration spots and 6 Shadow spots left! If you know this is for you, CLICK HERE NOW to register!
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!
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!
Detailed, Personal Critiques from Me Ra Koh each week
A Second Detailed Critiques/Feedback from another Pro Photographer each week
Experience of Growing alongside your Classmates. We will host this on a Private Thread in the SOARORITY Forum so you can engage with each other there, as well as ask me questions.
Video Tutorials When Applicable
PREREQUISITE
You will need a camera that allows you to manually change the Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO, whether this is a hybrid camera or DSLR.
I strongly urge you to take this class after you have a basic foundation of knowledge for Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO. You can learn more about these three components from our award winning DVD Series; Beyond the Green Box and Refuse to Say Cheese. If you don’t have a strong foundation, you may feel a bit lost in the assignments. Our next online course(s) will be in the month of July, and I’m thinking of offering two smaller classes that equal 30 students total but one will be “Beyond the Green Box” and address the basics that are necessary to eventually capture magical light. The other may be the Wedding 101 class. If you know you need the basics, I would wait and take that class in July, and maybe we can offer this June course again in August so you have something to build on. Just thinking.
THREE WAYS to REGISTER!
Full Course Attendee. $450 (4 Spots Left!) When you sign up as a Full Course Attendee, you will receive all that is stated above; detailed, personal critiques each week from Me Ra, a second pro photographer’s critique each week, 4 weekly assignments/photo challenges and opportunity to discuss the assignments online within the private thread.
Shadow Course Attendee. $225 (half price to shadow along) (6 Spots Left!) When you shadow the course, you will receive the weekly assignments, but you will not receive any critiques or be allowed to participate in the online conversation. It’s just like auditing a class in college. You get to sit in the back, soak it all in, but you can’t participate with the students or speak with the teacher.
Refresh Yourself ($100 off for CONFIDENCE GRADS ONLY)SOLD OUT! We love our CONFIDENCE GRADS and want to continue to empower their growing confidence. We will reserve a certain amount of seats in each online course so you can take the class as a refresher with a $100 discount off the Full Course Attendee price ($350 instead of $450). The Shadow Course is the same price.
To give detailed, thorough critiques, I’m limiting the class to 30 students. A certain number of spots were reserved for our CONFIDENCE Grads to take the Refresh, the remaining 20 are now open to Full Registration students.
We also have an additional 20 spots available for those of you who want to shadow along. There are six of those spots left. Why shadow? I’ve had seasons in my life where I wasn’t up to feedback but I wanted to still be part of a group. I needed the freedom to sit in the back and just be a sponge. If sitting in the back of the class, and just soaking in the teaching and conversation sounds like the perfect mix for you this summer, hit the drop down arrow where it says Full Course and choose Shadow Course so the registration price adjusts.
You can CLICK HERE to see the details of the course, and when you turn in your weekly assignments I invite you to add any questions or ask for specific input that you may be looking for. You don’t have to, we are still going to critique it all!
CLASS BEGINS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6th!
Excited to enrich your summer with a deeper understanding on how to capture Magical Light!
xo, m
p.s. Once your registration has been processed, you will receive a confirmation email. Sometimes it takes a couple days so be on the look out!
Empowering moms to capture their kids is all about giving moms the tools they need to make time stand still, so when her little giggle erupts–the sweetest sound you’d ever heard–you know how to freeze it in time so you hear it again every time you look at the photo.
FAQ in the last 24 hours! (you ask the BEST questions!)
In the last 24 hours of this blog post going live, we’ve had such a GREAT response that it’s posed more questions. Here are a few of the answers and a question (second poll) for you!
1. I’ve watched your DVD “Beyond the Green Box” and learned a lot from it. Will your “beyond the green box” course be different that the DVD? SOOOO Excited about these online courses!
A: First, I’m SO EXCITED TOO!!! Yes, it will. We will cover some of the main components in “Beyond the Green Box” but go much deeper on Focus Plains, creating a blurry background with ANY lens whether it’s the Kit Lens or a low f-stop lens. Over the years of teaching women, I’ve found that many have a big disconnect around the idea of focusing, depth of field, and how does Shutter Speed tie in. In our CONFIDENCE Workshops we cover these things on a much deeper level than the DVD, and that is what I plan on doing for the online courses. I want to challenge you with fun photo exercises to so you understand all the main components of your camera and can move from understanding to creating. If you have a chance to watch “Beyond the Green Box” it would enhance your experience in this course, but it isn’t required to do the course.
2. I’m excited about the online Wedding Workshop! I’m curious about the format. Will there be any live interaction like a webinar format or will it be reading and writing?
A: Great question. The assignments will be posted every Wednesday. This way you have tons of time to shoot over the weekend and edit Monday and Tuesday. I don’t want this to be a stressful process of rushing to get an assignment turned in on Monday morning. This experience is meant to be enriching, filling you up. Two, detailed, personal critiques will be done (one by me and one by another pro wedding photographer) and returned each week so you can build on the tips and challenges we draw out in our critiques. I will also have a set time each week to be on the Private Forum so you can ask any questions. And it won’t be much writing at all, more reading and shooting like crazy!
3. They all sound fabulous! Hmmm…where to start?? Are they all going to be running at the same time, or is it possible to sign up for more than one at a time? Any discounts for signing up for more than 1??? My head is spinning!!
A: I NEVER thought of this, and that’s why I LOVE that you asked it!! YES, we will totally offer a discount to those of you who take more than one class this summer with exception to the CONFIDENCE Grads who will already be getting a discount if they take the “Magic Light” course as a refresher. I’m going to offer one class at a time. This way I don’t get overwhelmed with the critiques. So you can try one, and then do more after you see how much you learned!
4. I really NEED Brian’s Business Course! Is it okay if your business is new, barely even begun? Or would it be over my head? When do you think this course will be offered?
A: Brian is so pumped about empowering all of you with powerful tools that we use every week! This course is for EVERY level of business. If your business is super new, this course will help you get clear about your financial goals, what YOU define as success, and how to get there. If your business is several years old, you will feel like a REFRESHING BREEZE is hitting you with a whole new way to look at your financials and determine goals for the quarter, year and more. Be prepared to think-think-think and search your heart on what you want from your photography business! We plan to offer this course at the end of July/early August. So please email us at info@merakoh.com to be put on a waiting list if you are interested!
Now, here is my question for all of YOU! Will you vote today so we can best meet your needs! If you already cast your vote on this second poll when I updated yesterday’s blog post, you don’t need to vote again.
CONFIDENCE GRADS!
Have you received my last two emails that were sent JUST TO YOU? If not, please email us today with your updated email. We want to catch you up on what we are offering to CONFIDENCE Grads, and you will also get the opportunity to register for these online courses before anyone else. But we need your most recent email to make it happen. Registration for our Summer Enrichment Online Courses will go live TO YOU ONLY end of this week! Be prepared and send us your recent email to info@merakoh.com.
Let me know in the comments if you have any more questions! I LOVE them!
Do you have a different class idea that you would love us to teach online? If so, post it in the comments, and if others reading along agree, have them “like it”. If it gets enough likes, we may just offer that class up!
I’m so excited to announce a new offering!!! We are going to do Summer Enrichment Online Courses for the first time!
Everybody JUMP for JOY!! I’m so excited!!!
Over the years, many of you have asked for this in emails because all the costs of traveling to our CONFIDENCE Workshop, paying for a hotel, plane ticket, let alone finding someone to watch the kids for the weekend. Well, what if this summer we came to YOU!
There are three BIG requests we are emailed on a weekly basis.
1. Will you look at my photos and give me feedback?
2. Can you offer more help with the business side of photography?
3. If I can’t pay for a CONFIDENCE Wkshp, is there still some way you can teach me how to get light like yours in my photos?
I want you to know I’ve been listening. Whenever someone sends us an idea or request, the answer is often “not yet.” Not no, but we need time to think it through so “not yet”. The “yet” is finally here for the three big requests above!
CUSTOM TO YOU!
The course offerings below were designed to meet these exact needs. I know what it’s like to want a pro to give you honest feedback on your images so you can grow and feel more confident. That is solved this summer! Keep reading!
Here are the SUMMER ENRICHMENT Online courses that we are building!
WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY, Part 1 I’m going to offer a 4 week intensive course on Wedding Photography starting the first week of June. You will be given weekly assignments/shoots/challenges with a specific focus in tips and tricks I’ve used for years in leading couples into a place of feeling relaxed in front of the camera. We want to capture the beauty of their spirit, not an expected pose.
You will also receive critiques of your completed assignments each week from me AND other pro wedding photographers that I’m going to have join us. This way you not only grow in doing a weekly assignment, but you get personal, detailed critiques/feedback twice a week from pro photographers.
We are starting the first week of June so you are primed with tons of tips, tricks, rich practice and guidance for a successful, knock it out of the park, wedding season! And yes, this is only Part 1. After shooting high end weddings for a number of years, I’ve got waaaaaayyyy to much to share in four weeks. This will be the first half! So excited!
Prerequisite: You need to be comfortable or open to Manual mode. Not an expert, just open.
BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS Brian, being an incredible COO (Chief of Operations) to our business, has been developing a 4 week online course that is all about the Business of Operations. He is going to walk you through our different spreadsheets on how we project our budgets for the year, for the quarter, for the month, how we create goals for our business, how we measure our success, and more. He will be giving you weekly assignments to set goals for your business and project income while helping you use the spreadsheets so that you can plug-in your own numbers and start beefing up the business side to your photography.
This course will go deep into the heart of how you define your own success (aka, be ready to do homework and be challenged) and also challenge your brain with numbers, BUT the payoff is worth it! Whether you are toying with the idea of starting a side business, or you just started one in the last six months, or you’ve been at it for a handful of years and have reached a plateau that you want to break, this course is designed for women at every level. And it gives you framework behind how Brian and I strategically aim for the stars!
TWO MORE OPTIONS (but I want your input)
I was thinking of doing an online course called
BEYOND THE GREEN BOX that helps beginning moms get out of Auto mode and have some fun this summer with creating buttery, blurry backgrounds and more!
This would be based off our award-winning Instructional DVDs but go into much more depth, plus give you weekly feedback/critiques. We would cover Aperture Magic, Shutter Speed: Freezing the Action, and Why ISO Matters so much. I also want to discuss Depth of Field, Focus Planes, and how a bit of intentional exhaling and specific composition changes everything.
Here is another thought…I could also do a separate online course called
HOW TO CAPTURE MAGICAL LIGHT (Manual Mode with NO Stress!).
This would be the next level after BEYOND THE GREEN BOX. We would be tackling the different Metering Modes and intimately becoming familiar with the Exposure Compensation Scale that meters the light.
Prerequisite: You need a solid foundation of understanding the different roles that Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO play when manipulating the light in your photos.
NEED A REFRESHER?
If you took our CONFIDENCE Workshop and need a refresher in how to shoot in Manual mode, we could offer this class to you in two different ways! See the double asterisks below (**) that is just for YOU.
WHAT TO EXPECT
I’m so excited about these online summer courses and can’t wait to hear what you think! Would either of those last two courses sound appealing to you? For both of these, we would have a similar format as the Wedding Photography, Part 1 Course. You will be given weekly assignments/shoots/challenges and then receive critiques of your completed assignments each week from me AND two other pro photographers that I’m going to have join us. This way you not only grow in doing a weekly assignment, but you get personal, detailed critiques/feedback twice a week from pro photographers.
JUICY DETAILS!
Each online course is $450. We will make it possible to split this into two payments starting in early May. See double ** if you are a CONFIDENCE Grad for discounts offered especially to you.
Each course includes;
1. 4 Weeks of Weekly Assignments/Challenges
2. Detailed Critiques from Me Ra each week
3. a Second Detailed Critiques/Feedback from another Pro Photographer each week
4. Experience of Growing alongside your Classmates. We will host this on a Private Thread in the SOARORITY Forum so you can engage with each other there, as well as ask me questions.
5. Video Tutorials When Applicable
*The Business Class will have assignments that are geared toward your business vs photography skills. And you will be getting feedback from Brian on your completed work each week.
**CONFIDENCE GRADS have two options for “How to Capture Magical Light”. You could either follow along and get all the assignments and instructions as a “Refresher” for $250 (but you would not receive critiques on your finished assignments), or you could take the course in full, get all the critiques and receive $100 discount ($350 instead of $450) because we LOVE our grads!
HOW TO REGISTER?
Get signed up for our newsletter! The CONFIDENCE Grads will receive priority registration to all the courses (end of this week or next), and then we will open registration to everyone on our newsletter (end of next week), and last, whatever spots are left will go live on the blog. So make sure you are signed up for the newsletter! CLICK HERE to sign up!
SUMMER MAGIC
Lots of goodness planned for this summer! The sun, the blue sky, the day trips to the beach or park, make it the perfect season to enrich your creative spirit and photography skills!
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Cast your vote to let us know if engaging in “Summer Enrichment” is perfect timing for you!
FAQ in the last 24 hours! (you ask the BEST questions!)
In the last 24 hours of this blog post going live, we’ve had such a GREAT response that it’s posed more questions. Here are a few of the answers and a question (second poll) for you!
1. I’ve watched your DVD “Beyond the Green Box” and learned a lot from it. Will your “beyond the green box” course be different that the DVD? SOOOO Excited about these online courses!
A: First, I’m SO EXCITED TOO!!! Yes, it will. We will cover some of the main components in “Beyond the Green Box” but go much deeper on Focus Plains, creating a blurry background with ANY lens whether it’s the Kit Lens or a low f-stop lens. Over the years of teaching women, I’ve found that many have a big disconnect around the idea of focusing, depth of field, and how does Shutter Speed tie in. In our CONFIDENCE Workshops we cover these things on a much deeper level than the DVD, and that is what I plan on doing for the online courses. I want to challenge you with fun photo exercises to so you understand all the main components of your camera and can move from understanding to creating. If you have a chance to watch “Beyond the Green Box” it would enhance your experience in this course, but it isn’t required to do the course.
2. I’m excited about the online Wedding Workshop! I’m curious about the format. Will there be any live interaction like a webinar format or will it be reading and writing?
A: Great question. The assignments will be posted every Wednesday. This way you have tons of time to shoot over the weekend and edit Monday and Tuesday. I don’t want this to be a stressful process of rushing to get an assignment turned in on Monday morning. This experience is meant to be enriching, filling you up. Two, detailed, personal critiques will be done (one by me and one by another pro wedding photographer) and returned each week so you can build on the tips and challenges we draw out in our critiques. I will also have a set time each week to be on the Private Forum so you can ask any questions. And it won’t be much writing at all, more reading and shooting like crazy!
3. They all sound fabulous! Hmmm…where to start?? Are they all going to be running at the same time, or is it possible to sign up for more than one at a time? Any discounts for signing up for more than 1??? My head is spinning!!
A: I NEVER thought of this, and that’s why I LOVE that you asked it!! YES, we will totally offer a discount to those of you who take more than one class this summer with exception to the CONFIDENCE Grads who will already be getting a discount if they take the “Magic Light” course as a refresher. I’m going to offer one class at a time. This way I don’t get overwhelmed with the critiques. So you can try one, and then do more after you see how much you learned!
4. I really NEED Brian’s Business Course! Is it okay if your business is new, barely even begun? Or would it be over my head? When do you think this course will be offered?
A: Brian is so pumped about empowering all of you with powerful tools that we use every week! This course is for EVERY level of business. If your business is super new, this course will help you get clear about your financial goals, what YOU define as success, and how to get there. If your business is several years old, you will feel like a REFRESHING BREEZE is hitting you with a whole new way to look at your financials and determine goals for the quarter, year and more. Be prepared to think-think-think and search your heart on what you want from your photography business! We plan to offer this course at the end of July/early August. So please email us at info@merakoh.com to be put on a waiting list if you are interested!
Now, here is my question for all of YOU! Will you vote today so we can best meet your needs!
Let me know in the comments if you have any more questions! I LOVE them!
Do you have a different class idea that you would love us to teach online? If so, post it in the comments, and if others reading along agree, have them “like it”. If it gets enough likes, we may just offer that class up!
Brian and I were so excited to start Day 2 of our Tampa CONFIDENCE workshop with this amazing bunch of women! Sharing much more laughter and tears made the weekend one of the most memorable for us. They did so awesome at the baby shoot yesterday, don’t you think? With that said…you will love their images from the Family Sessions! I don’t think I have ever challenged a CONFINDENCE Workshop group as much as I did that day. Full sun, on a beach…one of the most difficult situations for shooting, especially moving subjects. They did so wonderful! As you can see from our group photo, the sun was still really high in the sky. Harsh shadows and extreme backlighting were all around us!
What a beautiful moment you captured Alla Rozenberg. We get so caught up in shooting the kids of families that I am so glad you didn’t overlook how powerful a picture of just “those two” would be. I am sure they love this image!
Vikki Sloviter, this is such a great shot of this little guy! I bet when his family goes to the beach he picks things up like this all day long. The color of this image is wonderful!
There is so much I love about this image that Tita Nelson took. Of course the motion of this little girl is awesome, but I also love the birds in the background. Everything in this image takes part in telling the story of that day.
Suzanne Hamels caught a genuine look of admiration that this girl has for her mom. It is almost as if this was an in-between moment, you know, those moments you hope to capture by accident!
This little girl’s laugh and smile were infectious! Sheetal Kakarala, I am so glad you caught her in her element! Sweet!
Another shot that really depicts a daughter’s love for her mom. Robin Nierman, this is so precious!
Mary McGuire caught a “real” moment! When you just follow a family around for a bit and not ask them to pose, these are the types of shots you will get and these are the ones that makes moms cry!
Such crisp and colorful image from Laura Sharbough. Don’t you just love the parents expression!
Catching children in motion is a wonderful thing! Kathy Haywood did just that with this image. Fantastic!
Joyce Levy, I am so drawn to your image. I love how the completely blown out sky serves as a fantastic backdrop. We are completely focused on the emotion between this mom and dad. Wonderful!
Jill Furlong shot this family with the hotels in the background and I actually really like the architecture look in this shot. Your focal point was right on, look how sharp the little boy’s face is. Really awesome!
This is an amazing image Jennifer Tacbas! Your black and white conversion again leads us right into the emotion of this moment! So good.
Wow, wow, wow Georgina Petrosky! These girls were completely stunning! Facial features to die for! The fact that the little sister is not looking and her hair is blowing on her face is just perfect! Again, such a great technical shot when the sun was bearing down on them with no shade cover. Wonderful!
Debra Dremann, it is so hard to shoot blonde children in direct sun without a darker background. I am so thrilled that you manually exposed this so you didn’t lose their hair to a blown-out sky! I am so proud of you!
The color and skin tones in this image is perfect, Carla Kasera! A sweet moment among sisters!
This is one of the best poses for a family of three. Brittany Carpenter took this image and I love how the little girl is kinda laying on her sister’s shoulder. Lovely! That little ounce of positioning totally changes the feel of this picture.
Ahhhh, Bea Byers, I hope the mom makes this a really big canvas on her wall. It is spectacular!
Barb Skrobuton shot a completely different view of this mom and little girl. This too is so adorable! I love the camera tilt on this!
Anna Serebryanik, this is insanely wonderful! A dad and his little boy throwing things in the ocean together, what a great memory captured!
Ladies, I am so proud of you for tackling the challenge at the beach during Day 2. Your images ROCKED!!!
XOXO Me Ra
How about the Gift of CONFIDENCE for Mother’s Day!
We have two upcoming CONFIDENCE Photography Workshops for Women: Buffalo, NY and Minneapolis, MN! CLICK for more juicy details! If you need help with the cost of the workshop, such as some type of payment plan, let us know! We love working all kinds of good things up so you can gain confidence! Also, email Genie pronto if you are interested because we also need a couple more baby models for this Saturday at the Huntington Beach workshop! (genie@merakoh.com) Sunday’s Family Shoot has a waiting list.
Tampa, Florida…I will never know why we waited so long to hold a CONFIDENCE Workshop in your wonderful state! And even when we did release the workshop, it didn’t fill up right away. I kept thinking, “uh-oh, did we hear wrong on this.” What do you know, we ended up having a WAITING LIST and the BEST two days on the beach! This was a crazy time too because as I think back, Brian and I ended up going to the Nate Berkus Show in NY last minute before we came to you. And then we were crazy sick, slept all of Friday before the workshop in our hotel room, and burst in with ENERGY Saturday–laughing the next two days about moving couches and crying at whatever we felt like crying about! Bliss ladies, I’m telling you, it was the most fun two days!
We had the MOST DARLING babies for our Day One Baby Shoot. Oh, these babies!!! I could eat them up! The workshop ladies split into small groups and did the baby shoots in hotel rooms, hotel lobby area, the hotel restaurant…you name it! And if they looked like things were going to easy, I loved up’ing the challenge for them. The Tampa ladies were champs! Take a look and be inspired by all these wonderful baby photos! Alla Rozenberg used the light coming in from the side to give great dimension to this portrait. The catch lights totally make her eyes sparkle. I also love that the little girl is laying up against mommy in this image. This is a great reason for mom to wear a simple black camisole during the newborn sessions…it makes an excellent backdrop!
I am so fond of the brightness and color in this image. Vikki Sloviter did a fabulous job composing this image. Seeing mom smiling at her little one on the edge of this image really “completes” this picture!
Vicky Bryan…Oh My Goodness! Isn’t this just the greatest catch of baby happiness! Fantastic!
I feel gentleness and calm when I look at this beautiful image that Tita Nelson took. Capturing babies with hands in their mouths also remind us of a certain time in their short first year of life. So sweet!
Suzanne Hamels shot a portrait that was similar to Alla Rozenberg’s. The light falling on this little girl is so spectacular. When you have a cooperative baby positioned in perfect light…shoot away! Beautiful Suzanne!
A few weeks ago you probably saw a shot of my blog with this couch and these little guys. Sheetal Kakarala caught this adorable image of one of the twins. I am just in love with the colors going on here. You would have never guessed we were in the hotel restaurant here. The blue and golden walls work so well with baby skin!
Robin Nierman shot this little guy as he was trying to escape. I love how big his eyes are! Great shot!
Mary McGuire…what a special detail shot! These little fingers will turn from this into chubby little fingers before you know it. What a great remembrance of what they looked like at this stage of life.
Laura Sharbaugh, I am speechless when looking at this image. It is perfection…the color, the expression of baby and momma, and the composition! Bravo!
This little boy was so quiet. Kathy Haywood captured his demeanor perfectly. We are really drawn into his expression because of the simple, blurred background. Very nice!
Mom is looking so beautiful in this image Joyce Levy shot. I am thinking this shot should be in a magazine somewhere. The black and white conversion is done so well!
Jill Furlong, this little one had an outfit for every direction she turned!!! I LOVE this moment that you captured! Just crazy ADORABLE!!!
Jennifer Tacbas…Wow! I am in love with your Black and White conversion here. It is so light and airy! It screams “Baby”! By shooting him with the simplest of backgrounds we are completely focused on his precious face and smile. Super Cute!
We had a window that was pouring in this beautiful light, but as you all know that putting this light behind your subjects can be very tricky and you have to shoot this kind of shot on Manual Mode. Georgina Petrosky did a fantastic job with this challenge! Yay Georgina!
There were so many wonderful shooting options with this little guy on the bed. Debra Dremann had a shot that looked completely different than the others. I chuckle when I look at this image and wonder what he is thinking about. Super job!
Shooting on an aperture between 1.4 and 2.8 will give you the look that Carla Kasera got in this image. You can tell it was shot like that because this little guys eyes are in focus but his ears are blurry! When you do shoot with an aperture like that, you have to really get that focal point on the correct spot and Carla nailed it!
So peaceful. Brittany Carpenter captured a moment of tenderness and security between a mom and her baby. It is such a soothing image to look at! Wonderful!
Bea Byers shot this great image of what I might call “modern portraiture”. The background color finished out with the color of moms fingernails…Love it!
I am so glad that Barb Skrobuton shot this lovely image of this family together! I tell you the best images are those in which no one is looking at the camera. The black and white creates a completely timeless portrait! Yay!
Anna Serebryanik shot such a sweet image of this little guy in the chair. Look at his expression! Oh, and his little fingers are pinching his leg:) Too cute!
Ambar Scofield got in a little closer. Even when he looks off to the side, it still creates an image that the parents will always look at and remember “that look”. Amazing!
A HUGE thank you to the baby models and their wonderful mamas! This was such an incredible experience, and we thank you for being so generous with your Saturday afternoon! I know we all learned a TON of things! It’s been wonderful to see your emails to Genie and see how happy and excited you are about all the photos that the workshop attendees captured. I just remember all of us ladies sweating like crazy, trying to distract, capture, repose, sweating even more, but LOVING the whole experience of it!
Tampa CONFIDENCE Ladies, I LOVED…BRIAN AND I BOTH LOVED…every minute with you ladies! From our Saturday dinner to the shoots, laughing on the beach, challenging your creativity, filling each other with inspiration and coming away with CONFIDENCE not only in your camera abilities but in you as a creative woman! What a honor to have had two wonderful days with you!
Stay tuned for the Family Shoot on the beach tomorrow! Going over all these photos makes me so excited for the Huntington Beach, CA workshop this weekend! ONLY TWO SPOTS left if you want to join us!!!
xo,
m
______________________________
How about the Gift of CONFIDENCE for Mother’s Day!
We have two upcoming CONFIDENCE Photography Workshops for Women: Buffalo, NY and Minneapolis, MN! CLICK for more juicy details! If you need help with the cost of the workshop, such as some type of payment plan, let us know! We love working all kinds of good things up so you can gain confidence! Also, email Genie pronto if you are interested because we also need a couple more baby models for this Saturday at the Huntington Beach workshop! (genie@merakoh.com) Sunday’s Family Shoot has a waiting list.
Seattle ladies! I apologize for the delay in Part 2 of our special CONFIDENCE Wkshp weekend! As you know, it’s been an INSANE seven days, but today we continue celebrating you!!!
For the rest of you tuning in, I’m excited for you to see the results and action these women took! We had a crazy snow storm the week of the worksh0p. So instead of cancelling our outdoor family shoot for the second day, we took the opportunity to build even more confidence and put these ladies to the test with all that they had learned on Day One to shoot indoors with only window light! Yep, I truly believe the bigger the challenge, the more we learn! If you have little ones, you know how challenging it can be to shoot indoors, especially with little munchkins:) BUT, the Seattle ladies really rocked their cameras and captured some great images! So proud of them.
Catherine Stegeman caught this beautiful moment between a mom and her son. I can totally feel the love he has for his mommy through his eyes and smile. Awesome!
I am so drawn in to this image that Jessica Meyers took. I think it may be the composition with the empty space. Really appealing to the eye! Fantastic Jessica!
Andrea Baue captured an adorable portrait of this little girl. This was in a stairwell with Andrea’s back against the window. It’s amazing what you can capture with window light! Andrea, the light is perfectly falling on her and creates that magical catch light in her eyes! Great job on so many levels! At first glance, this could seem like an unlikely place for taking photos but you and your group rocked it!
Julie Mankin, I can completely picture this little guy standing up at this stool. At this stage they like to stand near things and pound on them like a drum. You got him in between all his movements for a nice classic portrait. So cute!
Erin Crum had a handful of challenges to work through. This little guy was “on the move”, and the lighting wasn’t ideal. BUT, that’s what I love about the CONFIDENCE workshop! If we had IDEAL lighting and trained models, you wouldn’t feel empowered and confident when you went home to tough lighting and real kids who are on the go. Right?! Erin really worked with the tough lighting here and created this awesome family picture. I love that both of the parents hands are in the picture.
When we step back and watch the dynamics of a family, the stage they are in, we are much more able to create a photo that tells the story of this time in their life. So, so adorable…Laura Swift! This picture should be in a magazine and probably truly depicts this stage in the family’s life right now. The motion of the image makes me smile!
By the end of our family shoot, this little guy was out for the count! Sometimes that is the BEST time to capture little ones because they are so pooped. Melissa Appleton took a super close up of this little boy laying on that beautiful bench. Perfection.
Look at the expression on this little girl’s face. Kellie Pecoraro, you did an amazing job of composing this image. I think it is fabulous that we can see her doll. A wonderful Defining Detail that adds that much more to the story!
Capturing scale is a wonderful exercise. What I mean is thinking about how you can capture a story that shows how small your little one is. So often we are focused on zooming in, getting close, but what about going wide and having that wide angle show us the scale of how small our babies are. Shirley Lange took a great shot of this little boy showing us scale. Shirley, GREAT JOB!
Nicole Chao, I have a feeling that you caught a look from this little girl that her parents see often. Her expression draws us right in with the simple background. Priceless!
Linda Conti had a different view of this little guy on the stairs. Both of them work perfectly!
Big shout out and thank you to Laura Swift and Julie Mankin for some great “Behind the Scenes” images from the weekend!
LOVE IT! Joy just bursts from us when we are knee deep in exploring our passions!
As I wrap up this last post for the Seattle CONFIDENCE Workshop, I still can’t get over how much we were meant to be together “that” weekend. Such powerful breakthrough happened, and it was for that weekend in our lives. I LOVE this journey. I LOVE that I cross paths with so many brave women who are willing to step out of their comfort zone to follow their passion. And I love how divine timing works in the midst of us taking risk and going for it.
Seattle ladies, again, thank you so much for such a lovely, refreshing, powerful weekend. If you have time this week, I would love to hear in the comments what your process was like when we did our photo shoot indoors the second day. I know many of you felt overwhelmed at first, and yet, (it’s true!) I saw some of your faces brighten as you realized YOU COULD DO THIS! Yes, it was hairy. Yes, we all needed a glass of wine after. But you didn’t give up and pushed through, and wow, it was amazing to watch. Are you glad that we challenged you like this?
Thank you for all your comments and beautiful emails. Brian and I feel so honored to have played a part in your ongoing, unfolding, creative journey. We have great expectation and anticipation for where this vehicle of photography will take you! All my love, Me Ra
The EARLY BIRD Special ends TONIGHT! To save 20% on an upcoming CONFIDENCE WORKSHOP ($799 instead of $999), you must register for your spot before midnight tonight!
CLICK HERE to see what cities are still available!
Boy, if you followed my Facebook and Twitter feed, you all know that I was very close to not making it home for the Seattle CONFIDENCE workshop. But in the nick of time…I did and I am so thankful. Brian and I met a fantastic group of women and we are ever so grateful for your enthusiasm, openness and courage to follow your dreams. Here are a few of their fantastic images from Day 1 of the workshop with our Baby Models. It was so chilly in Seattle that weekend and once again, I challenged these ladies to go outside their comfort zone and to use the available light wisely. Didn’t they do so wonderful!
Shirley Lange found such wonderful even light with this image. Pulling his mommy’s hair into his mouth surely shows us the stage this little guy is at. I love those catch lights!
This window light was our main source of light during this shoot and Melissa Appleton used it to her advantage. Because the light is coming from the side, it gives great dimension to this image. It is also an added bonus that mom is looking lovely with a fantastic smile on her face.
I love the composition of this foot shot that Linda Conti took. This shot looks totally different than it does when the parent is holding the feet and you see the bottoms. Awesome!
Laura Swift caught this tender moment when mom gave a gentle kiss. I love the “Rule of Thirds” composition on this and the light is so even.
I love the emotion this image holds. Kellie Pecoraro shot this with mom full of pure joy while looking at her baby! Fantastic!
Julie Mankin shot a foot detail shot as well. I wanted to put them both up here because even though you are trying to capture one detail about your baby, there could be a hundred ways to compose this shot. Everyone’s point of view is different…and that is what makes us unique!
Jessica Meyers caught this soothing image of mom trying to calm her baby! It is so tender. I think it is great how we can see just a touch of mom’s face as well.
Erin Crum shot a great portrait image. The eyes are really crisp and clear and the skin tone is just perfect!
What a super calming image Andrea Baue captured. I remember when this baby was just falling asleep. It was completely precious!
Here are a couple of behind the scenes that were taken as well:
This picture of Brian cracks me up! I know in this image, that he is totally connecting with them in a way they will understand. That is one of the many reasons I love him so!
More from our Family Model Day 2 of the workshop on the blog tomorrow. XOXO Me Ra ***CONFIDENCE Early Bird Registration EXTENDED for THIS WEEK ONLY to GIVE WPPI and BLISSDOM ladies a chance too! CLICK HERE to see where Spring Workshops are Coming and Receive 20% Off with the Early Bird Discount!
**Looking for information about where you can catch me over the next week. Check out my WPPI and Blissdom schedule here. Please come and say HI!
Best. Weekend. Ever. Loved everything about the Confidence workshop in Tampa this weekend! Anyone on the fence about attending this workshop for any reason? I’m here to tell you that you CANNOT afford to MISS OUT!
-Jennifer from this last weekend’s Florida Workshop (thanks JEN!)
The votes are in! Our awesome team made dozens and dozens of hotel calls and got our cities confirmed! We are coming to Minneapolis, San Antonio and Buffalo!
The Early Bird Discount is $799 versus the regular price of $999. This includes to full days day, and I mean FULL, with me and Brian on Saturday and Sunday (9:30am-6:30pm), catered lunch, surprises & goodies. Plus, we used to bring all our 101 Kits and DVDs and sell them at a big discount rate to our workshop attendees. Well, last year we started doing a new thing! Now we GIVE THEM ALL TO YOU! That is over $600 in products to equip you as you head home, so you can keep practicing all that you learn over the weekend.
*Payment Plans: We have a couple different payment options that you can read about with each city. One is the option to make 4 payments of $200 instead of paying the whole $799. If you’d like this option, when you register for the workshop, choose the Payment Option drop down box and instead of Regular click “4 Payments”. Our accountant will set up the auto withdrawal for the future months.
We hope to bring CONFIDENCE to the other cities you voted for in the near future! Thank you so much for voting and helping us know where to come and plan for!
See you this Spring! Woo-hoo!!
xo, m
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Thank you Me Ra!! I was totally blessed by you and Brian! The weekend brought forth so many changes in my life. If anyone is questioning going to this workshop……GO! Take a chance. Believe in yourself. Believe in your abilities. You will walk away with more technical knowledge. However, you will walk away with new friendships, joy, and the CONFIDENCE to be who you are in the stage you are in with your camera….knowing that all you can do is grow and go forward in that journey of capturing the people and moments that you long to show the world. THANK YOU!!!!!! -Veronica, Texas
What a life changing weekend that was for me!!! Thank you MeRa and Brian for pouring all of your love and confidence into all of us. I am still flying high from the experience and wishing I could do it all over again!!!! XOXO -Melissa, Oregon
Thank you, THANK YOU! What a life-changing weekend at your Confidence seminar in Seattle! You’re attitude is such an inspiration, and I loved laughing with you and Brian! I just can’t say thank you enough for everything that changed in me this weekend! -Megan, Seattle
Oh, wow!! What an amazing weekend! Just seeing the blog and photo’s makes me wish we were doing it all over again! Thank you, Me Ra and Brian! I learned so much and was so inspired…you guys are awesome! -Karen, Texas
Brian and I are so EXCITED about our 2012 CONFIDENCE Workshops! Seattle was powerful! Florida is this weekend with a growing waiting list (we will definitely need to revisit Florida for all the women on the waiting list!), and we’ve only got 2-3 spots left in Orange County, CA!
Time to start planning for the Spring! In the midst of this insane snow storm, freezing rain weather, it’s hard to believe that Spring is around the corner. But Spring is one of the most popular seasons for our CONFIDENCE Workshops, and we know how you ladies like to plan!
Lots of Mother’s Day surprises are wrapped in a CONFIDENCE workshop spot! I especially love the Spring because you feel so ready to brush off the winter blues and get a fresh start on the year!
So you tell us! Where should CONFIDENCE come this Spring? That’s our question for YOU! Vote for the city nearest you!
Don’t see your city? Feel free to add your city! For those of you who requested Houston, logistically we could make San Antonio possibly happen this Spring. We definitely want to hear from you if Minneapolis or Denver is something you’d like. We also get a TON of inquiries for Philadelphia, so ladies, speak up because it’s in the running for this Spring. Is it time to return to San Diego, CA? We need to hear from you. And man…how do we make Australia work? I was meant to hug a koala! It has to happen one of these days…somehow!
EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION WILL START….
Hold on to your seats because after we get your votes, we will look at hotel logistics and announce the Early Bird Registration by the end of this week! Our newsletter peeps will get priority registration, so make sure you are signed up for our newsletter (see right hand sidebar).
(and one vote per person …I know some of you try to hijack the votes every time (you crack me up!)
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Making your dreams a reality is hard work. What’s the secret? Well…not sure if there is a “single” secret, but while I was at WPPI this year Dane Sanders from Fast Track Photographer asked if I could do an interview with him on the topic. What a honor. Today at [...]
A couple hundred of you voted for our first Summer Enrichment Online Course to be “How to Capture Magical Light”. We’ve only got 4 Full Registration spots and 6 Shadow spots left! If you know this is for you, CLICK HERE NOW to register! Magical Light…the kind of light that [...]
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