Workshops | Me Ra Koh Photography Blog

June 29th, 2010

Photography Workshop “CONFIDENCE” Update! Early Bird price extended to July 4th

Genie here for Me Ra.

Things are calming down a bit as her father’s condition is stabilizing. There are more procedures and surgeries happening but at least there is healing taking place as well. If you don’t know what happened you can read her blog from last week.

Thank you everyone, and there are a lot of you, for every bit of your thoughts, prayers, food, fruit, energy, gifts, arrangements, cards, flowers and love that you’ve sent their way. There are many things we’re not even aware of that has happened – thank you for those as well! Me Ra and Brian are so moved, so touched and SO APPRECIATIVE of every single bit of it. Gratitude at every moment.

More will come from her when she can.

In the meantime I’m here to talk about WORKSHOPS! We forgot to remind you that the Early Bird price of $799 instead of $999 was ending- so we’re extending the Early Bird deadline! It’s extended to this Friday, July 2nd! Happy 4th of July! Oh wait, what the heck. Let’s just make it the 4th.

How many seats are left?

San Francisco has only FOUR SPOTS LEFT! Women are flying in from Idaho and Washington to attend the San Francisco Workshop. And lots from many parts of California.

DC has only FOUR SPOTS LEFT TOO! Women are flying in from ALL OVER! PA, CT, and of course, VA and MD. And a Texan. Go figure.

San Antonio is OVER HALF FULL and has a DC gal joining y’all down there! The combination of women for each workshop is so fun to watch unfold. Me Ra and Brian have been holding the CONFIDENCE Wkshp for over three years now, and they are always amazed at how the group seems to be handpicked for reasons unknown at first but totally apparent by Sunday night–so we LOVE that the DC gal is coming to San Antonio and vice versa! It’s meant to be!

Everyone is EXCITED! And they’re all about to meet each other by email which means the excitement will grow and the fun of connecting over the workshops will begin!

Again, if you need help with your husband, remember to have them read Brian and Jeramy’s Top 12 Reasons for a husband to send his wife to a Confidence Workshop. Not to be missed or undersold.

Me Ra and Brian will be SO READY to see all of you this fall. Workshops give a lot back to them also. You know, when you get to give what you’ve got to give, share stories and hear others about their passions and turning points in life – it’s a privilege and a joy. They will be ready for it. These workshops will be extra special.

Hey San Francisco! We never did tell you what hotel you’ll be at. You’re going to the beautiful Waterfront Hotel in Jack London Square, Oakland! Accessible by BART, ferry, car (without the HUGE parking fees of the city), both SFO and OAK – it’s the PERFECT location.

Okay, if that doesn’t sell you on the location, what would? Here’s the fun thing – pick your room and rate: $115 City, $125 Balcony, $135 Waterview. It’s really an amazing location. Warmer too, especially in the summer.

In DC, the Hotel Madera is in the heart of a fun ‘hood!

San Antonio – the Hotel Indigo is beautiful, fun, on the Riverwalk, a SUPER CUTE place to stay! (There’s a marathon that weekend, so staying in town may be a good idea.)

To register your spot, click on any of the city names. Email me if you have any questions about the payment plan Me Ra and Brian offer or any other workshop detail – genie@merakoh.com. Remember the code for the payment plan: fourpaymentdeal. Sign up by the 4th to get the discount.

In the meantime, Happy 4th!

Genie

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June 16th, 2010

Early Bird for Fall CONFIDENCE Photography Workshops Starts Today!

Over 250 Women and 1 enthusiastic husband (you know who you are ) VOTED for Their Favorite City!

(phew! 250? Yes, really! Very cool!)

We released the winning cities and Priority Registration to our Newsletter Peeps this last Friday and within 24 hours, two cities were 80% FULL! We want to open the remaining workshop seats to all our wonderful blog readers! Today is the first day of Early Bird Registration and The Four Payment Deal! You have two weeks to take advantage of this special price! Check out the Fall cities and their links for more details!

Three Winning Cities!

We are coming back to Washington DC this September! If you voted for Washington DC, we are so excited to MEET YOU!!! **
Dates: September 18th/19th (Saturday & Sunday)
Location: the last group of women LOVED it, so we’re going back! The hip Hotel Madera in Dupont Circle! (email Genie for the promo code to our block hotel room rate!)
CLICK HERE for all the juicy details!
Next stop: San Francisco in October!! Some of you have waited for over a year for us to come back! It’s time ladies!
Dates: October 9th/10th (Saturday & Sunday)
Location: TBA (Genie is finalizing details now. Email her for block room rates!)
CLICK HERE to Priority Register!!
“Deep in the Heart of Texas!!” We are coming to San Antonio in November! Look out Texans, CONFIDENCE is coming to you too!
Dates: November 13th/14th (Saturday & Sunday) Location: the chic Hotel Indigo! (email Genie for the promo code to our block hotel room rate!) CLICK HERE for Texan details!

Did you know?

We are going to give you all FIVE of our popular 101 Kits and both Award Winning DVDs b/c we have full confidence in you and your photography passions! We also know the recession’s been tough, and every little bit helps. That’s over $600 in products from us to you!
The Early Bird Discount of $799 is available to you for the next two weeks before we go up to the normal price of $999. PLUS, the popular “fourpaymentsdeal” code for making payments over four months is back! Use promo code: fourpaymentsdeal when checking out
Lots more door prizes are coming from SONY, Adobe’s Lightroom, Pixel 2 Canvas and MORE!
Limited to 20 women. They SELL OUT fast, so grab your seat today!
Wait, don’t forget that you will make life long friends with 19 other beautiful women! Not sure? Keep reading!

What Past Attendees Say!

“I cannot rave enough about how life-changing, confident building, make friends for life this workshop is! When I went to the Seattle workshop I had NO idea that 2 days could change me. It is SO much more than just a photography workshop. One month later and I am still crying and laughing over that weekend. If you aren’t sure if you should go, just do it! You will have so many “ah ha” moments for both photography and about yourself!” Michelle, CA

“If you are reading through these comments, wondering if it’s realllllly worth it to go to this workshop…. GO! Go! Go! What you learn about your camera and yourself will be worth far more that the price of the workshop, I promise! I loved the Seattle workshop and can’t say enough about what it did for me as a photographer and as a mom (really!). Side note for the other non-pros out there. I am not a professional, semi-professional or even aspiring professional photographer, yet this class was worth it’s weight in gold for me. Plus you will laugh until you cry – it’s that much fun.
Now, go sign up!” Kalli, WA

“Awesome workshop, worth every penny and a million more! I can’t believe how much I learned in 2 days and how eye opening the workshop was to the questions that I’ve been asking myself about where to take my business. Thank you so much Me Ra and Brian for challenging us so much both in photography and in our thoughts and hearts. I laughed, cried, laughed, cried some more It was wonderful, so much better than I ever dreamed. And a special note to brian, thanks for our talk, I feel like I see the light ahead, I’m so excited about “putting on my glasses”! Love you both!” Jennifer, Washington DC

“This weekend was beyond powerful, it was really a life changing weekend for all of us. I drove home in tears because I was just so sad it was all over. I miss everyone something terrible. If only we could have had one more day…I came into the weekend a Mom with a camera, I left an Artist. Talk about life-altering.” Jane, NJ

“Now I’m getting all heartsick & bummed out that the weekend is OVER & we are all back home. the hotel was awesome (& I didn’t even get charged $50 for moving those dumb m&ms), the ladies were amazing, brian was hilarious (and thank you for the major metering epiphany), and mera- you were even more amazing than I expected, so loving & kind & down-to-earth & beautiful & you’ve got such an amazing handle on life & people & communication & your art. reunion!!!!! seriously. we need one. how about this fall… on the east coast! how about you give us the heads up before you post it on the blog & we’ll buy out all the spots. we’ll all bring our own box of kleenex, too. I’m now ALL MANUAL, ALL THE TIME. thank you for making it all finally make sense. Thank you for giving me the power to go ahead & BE an artist. mwah!” Kristen, PA

Feel free to email or call with any questions!
genie@merakoh.com or info@merakoh.com

See you all this FALL in Washington DC, San Francisco and San Antonio!!!

xoxo,

Me Ra

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June 3rd, 2010

Part 3: Photo Tips for Family Portraits! (Seattle CONFIDENCE Photography Workshop for Women)

We had the most AMAZING Memorial Day weekend with our CONFIDENCE Workshop in NY! I can’t wait to post up some Behind the Scene photos for you! But first, I still need to show you Part 3 from the Seattle CONFIDENCE Workshop!

Here are some QUICK FRESH PHOTO TIPS to working with families!

I like to start by having the family sit on the steps together. I get the family-group type shots, and then I can start to pull them out individually. Having said that, there is no bullet proof order for working with kids. I try to listen to their energy and what they can handle and when they can handle it. If they seem like they are more comfortable next to mom and dad in the beginning, then we start there.

Below, I’m bringing the little boy (or “big brother”) forward to do some photos that are more focused on him.

When I’m working with families, especially kids, I’m working at ways to set up a scene that shows their personality or role in the family. Whether it’s the brave big brother who can stand on his own.

Or the little sister who loves to dance and twirl.

I asked this little one if she wanted a photo of her pretty shoes. She nodded without hesitation. I suggested she sit down on the steps because that might help me get a better photo of her shoes.

And since she thought I was focusing on her shoes, her sweet, little mouth relaxed.

All the pressure of having to “perform” for the camera was gone. It was the Refuse to Say Cheese moment that I was looking for most. But how do you do that when a camera is staring them in the face? Idea: ask them if you can take pictures of anything besides their face. They will never know if you zoomed in or out for the photo below.

This one is “almost” my favorite!

But this one is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE! (and it’s blurry too! Not all photos need to be sharp! Say “no” to the Sharpening expectation. There are some amazing moments in your blurred photos too!)

Thank you Seattle CONFIDENCE ladies! We will start sharing the NY CONFIDENCE Workshop, but I want you to know one more time—
Brian and I loved every moment we had!

For those of you following along, I hope these fresh photo tips spur some new creativity in you! I would even love to see your results! Post ‘em up on the SOARORITY forum!

xoxo,

Me Ra

p.s. Have you been wanting to attend a CONFIDENCE Wkshp? We had a couple hundred votes come in for the Fall City choices! We are so excited to tally them up and have already started making calls to see what locations can work in the cities you voted on! Make sure you are signed up for our Newsletter (see right margin) because we will release the Fall Cities and a Priority Registration to all our newsletter peeps first!

p.s.s. Would you hate me if I didn’t post a new blog tomorrow? I am drinking the kids in (all their snuggles, hugs, giggles, smiles, all of it) after being away for the last five days. I will be back Monday with a new week of posts!

10 Comments »

May 27th, 2010

Vote Today for Fall CONFIDENCE Workshops! Coming to a city near you!

Brian and I are so excited! We’ve been approaching our Fall 2010 calendar from all different angels. And finally, we’ve figured out THREE weekends we can set aside for Fall CONFIDENCE Workshops! Yaba-Daba-Dooooo!

The weekends are;

September 17th-19th

October 8th-10th

November 12th-14th

But wait, what cities are we going too?

Great question! We’re not sure why, but we have this strong sense that it’s time to do a workshop in San Antonio, TX! So Texas ladies, look out, we’re coming to you this Fall! Genie’s looking for a location to set the date in stone. If you have any ideas email her at genie@merakoh.com. That leaves two cities! We’ve been able to narrow it down to five and now we need your help.

If you’ve been wanting to attend a CONFIDENCE Workshop, vote today for the city nearest YOU!!

We are excited to headed to NY tomorrow for our CONFIDENCE Wkshp on the East Coast! Man, we can’t wait to meet this group of ladies. The workshop is SOLD OUT, and the women have been emailing back and forth for weeks now! The energy and excitement is so exciting! I can’t say how great it is to see the life long friendships that come out of these workshops. Women who live right by each other meet for the first time at our workshops! In fact, at the Seattle Wkshp in May, we had two women fly in from Alaska. Turns out, they live within minutes from each other and are going to start their own photography group when they get home. Isn’t that crazy! The connections we make are divine.

Okay, enough about how much I love our attendees.

Vote, vote, vote!

Once we get all your votes, Genie will start digging away for chic spots to hold the workshop. Unless, we’re coming back to Huntington Beach, CA. That little spot on the beach ROCKED!

Okay, enough, I know, I just need to zip it.

Oh, but wait. You have until this coming Tuesday, 6/2 to vote!

And, one more thing (I promise!). Make sure you are signed up to receive our Newsletter! See it in the right hand margin? We are giving a special discount within our newsletter today! It goes out tonight! And the newsletter peeps will also get the first chance to register for the Spring Workshops. So make sure you are signed up to get the news first!

Okay, that’s it. Really and truly.

xoxo,

25 Comments »

May 24th, 2010

Part 2: Photo Tips for Senior Portraits! (Seattle CONFIDENCE Photography Workshop)

Are you ready for Part 2?!! Happy Monday Friends!

Let’s start the week off with one of my favorite populations to photograph! High School Seniors! But let’s start from the beginning of Day 2 of the CONFIDENCE Photography Workshop!

We started the day with demystifying the whole concept of metering. For some reason, the photography industry can make shooting in Manual so scary. But it isn’t at all. After Brian and I walked everyone through the breakdown of metering in Manual, showing them lots of photo examples and giving a basketful of analogies, we let them loose on each other! It was a blast!

I love this photo! Lindsay was the model, and I love how the women are doing all sorts of things—checking out their results (that’s my mama next to the lady in pink), shooting, and I especially love Jen laughing. Learning new things should be FUN!

Linda and Idie sharing results with each other.

One of my favorite photos of my mom during the weekend! She and Sue were going for it, and having a ball at the same time. (my mom is the one who is laughing–isn’t she beautiful )

And then it was time to take what we learned to the Live Photo Shoot! We had two or three families and three teenage girls show up for the Live Shoot (The Family Photo Tips come later this week—Part 3!).

I LOVE photographing Seniors! They have such a great energy. They are open to anything. If you tell them to go stand in the ocean, they will totally try it. Anything for a great Senior Photo. How can you NOT love working with a subject that is that open?!

I showed our CONFIDENCE ladies a few different set ups that I use when shooting with Seniors.

First, I like to have them sit. Sitting for a photo is often way easier than standing. It’s a great way to help the Senior loosen up and get used to the camera and me Photo Coaching them along.

This is what I was seeing.

I also love to have girls stand with their rear against the wall, but let their upper body lean forward. This is a super slenderizing pose for them. I try to stay away from touching my subjects b/c it can make them feel even more stiff with the camera. Instead, I photo coach what I envision by modeling it.

You can see how she has her hands set gently behind her, and she is leaning forward with her rear against the wall. It may feel a bit awkward, but it creates such a flattering, beautiful look.

I Photo Coached her to look over my left shoulder, and then I asked her to slowly turn and look right at me.

Love it! Doesn’t she look fantastic! She is such a sweetie! Even though she’s not a little girl anymore, I’m thinking about my Refuse to Say Cheese motto. I want to capture as many different and diverse expressions as I can. I don’t want her to be looking at the camera and smiling for every photo because she is so much more than that one smile. It’s such a honor to peel away the layers and discover who she is as an individual.

Shooting away!

I also like to discover what people look like when they laugh. This is a fun process. I have them do funny things so I can start to see the gestures that naturally come out of them when they are laughing. Sometimes it’s easier to have them sit for this series of photos. The important thing is to play with the subject, try different ideas. You may feel nervous about your technical abilities, but if you keep giving your Senior ideas, they will LOVE you for it.

This is one of my FAVORITES from the “laughing segment”. I love how natural and relaxed she looks. And I LOVE the color all around her!

The CONFIDENCE ladies split up into small groups and went for it. This is one of the set ups they made. I had to get my own shot! (Nice work ladies!)

Cheryl is the beautiful mom in the middle. She attended our Orange Country CONFIDENCE Workshop a couple weeks ago. It was SO FUN to see her and meet her two daughters. I had to photograph them all together. Aren’t they beautiful! (Thanks so MUCH to all three of you!)

I’m working on Part 3 to show you some Photo Tips from the Live Family Shoot we did. I hope these quick photo tips for Seniors are helpful. The biggest encouragement I want to give is this, Let yourself S-T-R-E-T-C-H into photography.

There is so much to learn that we can get overwhelmed. We start to think we need to know everything to make great photos happen. But it’s not true. The biggest thing we need is a connection with our subjects. And this connection can only happen if we are willing to look silly, be silly and keep trying different ideas as we become better and better with the technical stuff.

When you remember that your biggest job is to help your subject relax, you remember that they may be even more nervous than you. And that’s something to take comfort in because now you’ve allowed yourself to bond with them.

They feel vulnerable in front of a camera. You feel vulnerable asking them to stand a certain way. You both feel vulnerable together. This makes the reward of a great photo that much better—for you both. Try to see photography as a partnership between you and your subjects, instead of you being the “Photographer” with a capital P. This subtle mental shift will allow you both to breathe and have so much more fun.

xoxo,

Me Ra

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May 20th, 2010

Part 1: 16 Behind the Scenes Photos from our Seattle CONFIDENCE Photography Workshop for Women!

This last weekend was so special in countless ways! As many of you know, we had our SOAR! Recipients fly out for four days, including the CONFIDENCE Photography Workshop. We had a group of women fly in from Utah, Alaska, California and TEXAS! And, we also had my mama attend too! Talk about a combination of awesome women!

We had the popular Baby Shoot on Day 1. I walked the women through how I tackle a baby shoot.

These are a few of the images I was shooting. One of the workshop attendees asked if I could post my photos. Great idea because now you can see too!

Sweetness!

This next one is my FAVORITE! I love all the softness; the colors in the background, mom’s soft expression, baby’s sweet nose and mouth. It isn’t super sharp, but the sharpness would take away from the image. Having sharp images isn’t always the goal.

Can you believe all three images above were taken in a hotel lobby outside the restaurant? With the low f-stop, you can make buttery, blurry dreams happen just about anywhere!

The women split up into small groups and tried some hands on practice!

I love how Lindsay, one of our SOAR! gals, is up on the couch! (Read about her experience this weekend, including their surprise Studio visit with Julie Watts! It’s live TODAY on the SOAR! blog!)

Jennifer, one of the SOAR! Recipients, found some awesome freedom and CONFIDENCE during the Baby Shoot! Read her story, in her own words, on the SOAR! blog. It’s pretty powerful!

Beautiful moms from every view point.

I especially love seeing the photos women get during the live shoots! It’s so rewarding for everyone! Rhonda Kane, from central CA, a fellow SOAR! Applicant, got some great photos!

But she was getting frustrated with her color, so I let her try my Sony A900 (which has the BEST color processing ever!). Since she used my camera and card, I can show you right now what she captured—straight out of camera! Rhonda, you ROCKED IT!

Both these moms are stunning!

Even better, THREE OF THE MOMMY MODELS are former CONFIDENCE Workshop attendees. One came last June, one came last November, and another one came over two years ago!

I love seeing all the AMAZING connections women make with each other, whether they are models or attendees.

I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to see moms come back with their beautiful newborns! It’s so fun to watch them chat with the ladies, laugh, and reminise on their own CONFIDENCE experience. We are so blessed to have such an awesome community—that is ever growing with more and more beauty!

Now this last photo is another favorite of mine because it’s PROOF! I know Linda had a tough time on Day 1, as she wrote about in her SOAR! blog post this week. BUT, BUT, I happened to come across this photo last night, and it looks to me like Linda is happy with a few of the photos she captured. (Linda, you know I love you! I love that smile you’ve got on your face! I know there were challenging moments, but you hung in there and did so GREAT! So proud of you!) So proud of ALL the women this weekend!

And thus, this is the end of Part 1 for the Seattle CONFIDENCE Wkshp last weekend! Part 2 will have lots more Behind the Scenes Photos from Day 2, including a Senior and Family Shoot! Plus, you can see a photo of my mom in camera action!

xoxo,

Me Ra

12 Comments »

May 17th, 2010

Is It Friday Yet?

I had to share this image with you! Brian shot it in the parking lot after the Digital Days speaking engagement. It’s Amanda May’s little guy—he was tired after all that modeling he did! Isn’t this HILARIOUS!

We’ve had an AMAZING weekend at our Seattle CONFIDENCE Wkshp! So full. So rich. The three SOAR! Recipients! My mom joined us! I mean seriously, it was an incredible weekend!

Brian and I get to spend today with the SOAR! Recipients before they each head home. But I think we’re all ready for a SERIOUS nap! I couldn’t think of a more fitting image for the day.

Happy Monday ladies!

Me Ra

p.s. This week we announce the Running on Empty Winner for NYC! Stay tuned! New York, here we come! Counting the days!

8 Comments »

April 29th, 2010

CONFIDENCE Blooomed in Orange County, CA this Week!

I have to be honest, Brian and I were a little nervous when it came to preparing for the Orange County CONFIDENCE Photography Wkshp. Our last photography workshop was in January. Since January, a whole lot of stuff has happened. We’ve been half way around the world and gripped by the Dengue fever. I remember our last week in Thailand. I was so exhausted from the fevering, and I asked Brian if he thought I would be ready for the OC Workshop. I wanted to make sure we honored our commitment to all the women who were investing their precious time and dollars in us. We decided to take life one day at a time, and if we needed to reschedule we could. But when last Saturday morning came around, can I just say that I was so THRILLED to walk in and start our OC CONFIDENCE wkshp! I was so ready, so charged, so excited, and Brian was right behind me! I can’t explain it, maybe the women will be able to articulate better than I can, but it was the most AMAZING weekend together. These women came from Ohio, Chicago, WA and all over CA. They stepped up to the plate of gaining CONFIDENCE and hit a home run!

Here are some fun Behind the Scenes shots of the women working, risking, laughing, exploring and stepping out of their comfort zone to build their CONFIDENCE!

Saturday’s Baby Shoot!

Five sweet babies came with their mamas!

It was wonderful to meet our Running on Empty Winner, Paige (in the sweater), and watch her Confidence grow leaps and bounds! (Paige, I was serious when I said that I can’t wait to see where life takes you and your gift!)

Sometimes I have the ladies do photo exercises that requires them to take turns being in front of the camera. Being in front of the camera is one of the most UNCOMFORTABLE places, when you are used to taking all the photos. But there were wonderful treasures to be found in the exercise, and these women found them!

On Sunday, we went to Huntington Beach Pier and did several family shoots.

No matter what camera brand or model you have, Brian is like this walking—all knowing camera manual! I don’t think he’s ever not found the answer to someone’s camera question—and he’s an AWESOME teacher! He amazes me!

These two beautiful ladies are Sony shooters! We had to get a special group Sony shot! (Thanks for this awesome photo Jess! xoxo)

Here is the BIG group shot!

And then Brian got goofy. But can you blame him? He’d been with over 20 women ALL weekend! Can you find Brian and see what he’s doing?

Part II –Brian ditches the camera!

Goodness ladies! Look at Brian’s FACE! (He feels pretty great about having this photo to prove how funny you thought he was.)

To all our OC Confidence ladies,

This was the most AMAZING weekend! Brian and I loved every minute with each of you. Whether you were a beginner or advanced, you all dove in and incredible growth came from it! But the best part, we made lifetime friends. And to think that we gained CONFIDENCE in our photography abilities too! We couldn’t have hoped for more! Brian and I love you all! Make sure you register for the Soarority Forum and the SOARority FB Group page so we can all keep growing together!

I also want to thank our volunteer models! It was wonderful to meet so many new faces and reunite with past workshop attendees! Thank you for being our workshop guinea pigs. You ladies are the BEST!

But wait! We want to thank Roxanne from Pixel2Canvas too! She has always supported our CONFIDENCE Workshops with awesome door prizes and gift certificates. This time, she finally got to be an attendee, and she hosted our Meet and Greet at her beautiful home! Thank you so much Roxie! Brian and I love you!

Who attends our CONFIDENCE Workshops? Are you a good fit?

Well, at the OC workshop we had women of ALL levels. Some women were already booking clients and charging money. Some women were stay at home moms and wanted to capture their kids and not feel like their photos were always “Happy Accidents”. A couple women didn’t even have a camera yet. Some had kids in college, some had babies, some were single, some in between. But each of the women came with the same thing. They came with expectation, and they left changed. Whether it was the woman who knew nothing about her camera and left shooting in Manual or the stay at home mom who realized it was okay to pursue something that she enjoys…transformations happened everywhere—transformations that humble me b/c these women can only get what they put into it…and they each put everything into it.

If you are in Seattle or New York area, we still have a few spots left in the CONFIDENCE Workshops for May! This is an awesome Mother’s Day present if you are in desperate need of an inspiring weekend with girlfriends. Need help convincing your husband, you MUST read these Top 12 Reasons that two husbands wrote—the comments are HILARIOUS! What will you gain besides CONFIDENCE?…I wish I could describe it, but every time each woman walks away with such an amazing, magical gift that can only happen when women come together! CLICK HERE to find out all the details about our May CONFIDENCE Workshops!

Hope to see you in May!!

xoxo,

Me Ra

23 Comments »

April 7th, 2010

Big Boost of Inspiration Needed? Our Spring CONFIDENCE Wkshp Update!

I wanted to update all of you on the status of our SPRING CONFIDENCE Photography Workshops for Women in Orange County, New York and Seattle!

Brian and I are so excited to start the CONFIDENCE Wkshps up again! I think we are both realizing how much we came home with from our trip. At first, all we could see was how sick we were. But we are finding so many creative discoveries as we process our time, and we are excited to incorporate them into our Spring Workshops with all of you!

We’ve only got a handful of seats left! Here’s the status as of this morning!

1 spot, only ONE, left in the Orange County Wkshp! Dates: April 24th and 25th

5 spots left in the Seattle Wkshp! Dates: May 15th and 16th (The Early Bird Price is still going b/c we released this workshop in the midst of our Dengue Fever breaking and haven’t been able to get the word out like we normally do. So take advantage ladies, I’m leaving the $799 price live till this Tuesday, April 13th!

4 spots left in the NY Wkshp! Dates: May 29th and 30th

We would love to have you join us! There are special things about each city. Roxanne of Pixel 2 Canvas is going to host the Meet and Greet in her home Friday night for the OC Workshop! A former bride and husband are going to cater a dinner for all of us in NY!!! And the THREE SOAR! Recipients are flying in to join us for the Seattle Wkshp. The Seattle Wkshp is also special b/c it has come to my knowledge that there are women registered who have saved for this workshop for a FEW years. How can the energy of the group not be amazing? So you can’t go wrong with any of them. And we are setting up live shoots for each city so you get as much hands on practice as we can give you!

If financial assistance is needed, please email us and let us know. We will do all that we can to help you come. It seems like it’s more important than ever for women to be empowered in the midst of our recession. If you need a payment plan or want to chat with us about another way, you can always contact us. In fact, email Brian direct if you’d like (brian@merakoh.com) and copy Genie on it too (genie@merakoh.com). If you have a general workshop question, email Genie any time. She is my Master Workshop Planner!

If you are new to our CONFIDENCE Wkshps, you can click on any of the above cities to read more details. We have the BEST time ever! You can read comments from past attendees;

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!!

So excited to see so many of you in April and May!

xoxo,

Me Ra

p.s. Tomorrow, there is a special woman and aspiring photographer that I’m excited for you to meet! Stay tuned!

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March 24th, 2010

Winner for the Orange County Running on Empty Contest

We have a winner to announce! As many of you know, we ask a handful of women to be the judges for our Running on Empty contest. A number of these women are also former winners. We enlist their help because there is no way Brian and I could ever choose. And even with this contest, every woman emailed a message of struggle on picking one winner. Every story was amazing. Every woman nominated deserves to be recognized and we can only choose one. So again, I want to thank all the beautiful women who were entered or entered themselves. I am amazed at your strength and love. Thank you for sharing your life with us here. Thank you for being so strong and not giving up. You continue to inspire me more than words can say.

The votes were collected, and we have a single winner. The winner for the April Orange County (CA) CONFIDENCE Workshop is Paige S.! Paige, Brian and I want to welcome you this weekend to the Orange County CONFIDENCE workshop. Your brave and positive heart is uplifting and inspiring, and I would love the honor of lifting your creative spirit even higher this weekend. We hope all the logistics can work for you. Can you email Genie (genie@merakoh.com) by Thursday at 12 noon to confirm your coming? (I know you sent your address to her, but email her first) If it doesn’t work for you, we have beautiful Runner Ups. Thanks Paige, and I hope we get to meet in person in April!

For those of you who missed Paige’s story, here it is from her own words;

Honestly, I can’t think of a mother who DOESN’T deserve something like this! I also can’t think of a person who doesn’t have hardship in their life to further merit this gift. For that reason, I don’t think I stand out in the crowd when nominating myself. But I will say this, hardship begets growth. And thank goodness for that!

My husband is deploying to Afghanistan next week for 6-12 months (gotta love the ambiguity of the Marine Corps!) for his first combat tour. We have a 2 and 1/2 year old and a 6 month old at home. My family and my home town is across the country, and we just moved here. Like my garage is still full of boxes. And we bought a fixer-upper of sorts. But I don’t want sympathy. I’ve gotten enough of that. What I want is to do something! I want to really make something of myself while he is gone! I absolutely LOVE photography, and that fact excites me because I’ve seen a loss of passion in my life since becoming a mother. But I want to LIVE again! I want my children to have a full-time mom who loves herself. I want my husband to see me self-sufficent with that fire back in my eyes. He certainly deserves it. Thank you, Me Ra, for creating this safe haven for women like me to feel empowered!

Really, we can’t think of moms who don’t deserve or need this either. If you didn’t win, your welcome to nominate yourself again. Congratulations Paige!

xoxo,

Me Ra

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EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION has started for the next Seattle CONFIDENCE! Workshop. Yep, you got it right – it’s May 15-16 at the beautiful Hotel Murano in Tacoma!

If you register between today and April 1st, 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 April 1st, the registration goes back up to the normal price of $999. But we must warn you to not wait until then. One 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!!!

If any of you missed The Wisdom Connection call on “What to do when Procrastination Wins?” last week, email Genie (genie@merakoh.com) and she’ll happily send a link for the audio recording of the call. The post was late that day so I want to make up for it!

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