Workshops | Me Ra Koh Photography Blog

February 25th, 2010

Do You Know a Mom Running on Empty? Nominate Her Today!

Our upcoming Orange County (CA) CONFIDENCE Photography Workshop is almost SOLD OUT! The weekend is April 23-24. We are so excited! The women have already started emailing the group their stories, why they are coming, what they hope to get out of the weekend, their fears, insecurities and enthusiasm. Brian and I are loving reading their stories. Whether these women live in Washington DC, Chicago, San Diego, Seattle or Minneapolis, they are excited and ready to take their creativity and photography skills to the next level. (Yes, they are nervous before the workshop, but they never let that nervousness stand in their way. And their courage brings beautiful results.)

Do you know a mom who needs this kind of group and weekend getaway? Do you know a mom Running on Empty? If so, nominate her today. Let’s turn her day around and let her know we are rooting for her!

If you know a MOM who is;

A. Running on Empty

B. Lives near Orange County, CA, or has mileage to spend

C. Can arrange for a sitter and get the weekend free, starting Friday (April 22nd for Meet & Greet at the home of our one and only Roxanne Benton from Pixel2Canvas ) night all the way through Sunday night (April 24th)

D. Most importantly, has a PASSION for photography

Nominate her TODAY! Nominations must be in by Monday night (this Monday night at 6pm PST).

We will announce the winner in time for her to jump in and make all the arrangements. So make sure your nominations are all in by Monday at 6pm PST. If you are not familiar with this contest, read below and see what it’s all about! Moms are one of the most beautiful parts of creation. This contest is all about acknowledging their beauty, even when they are Running on Empty.

Running on Empty

Here’s how it works!

In honor of how wonderful moms are and all that they do and give, Brian and I keep one spot reserved in every workshop for a special mom like YOU! That’s right, you (or she) will get a free pass to the upcoming CONFIDENCE Workshop in Orange County! (Please note, we don’t provide room/board and travel.)

To nominate a mom, you must post a comment telling us about the mom who you think deserves a big break in life! If you are a mom, you’re probably laughing because we ALL deserve a serious break. But the moms we’re looking for are the ones who have had a ridiculous amount of stress in their life whether from trauma or things just not going her way this year. She is a mom in your life that needs a serious blessing to come her way. She needs a serious surprise that gives her empty tank some fuel. If she is a woman that has miscarried, she is still a mom in my mind b/c I know her heart became a mother’s heart the moment she found out she was pregnant. Don’t hesitate to nominate her too.

I’m proud to say that our previous winners stepped out on a limb and nominated themselves. Take courage in them and feel free to nominate yourself if you know you need a serious break. Who knows, you may have your house remodeled by Oprah!

We’ll collect all the nominees, have a committee of wonderful moms vote, and then announce the winner in the next two weeks!

Nominate her today and turn her day around! Oh, wait! Don’t forget to let her know you’ve nominated her too! If I was a mom nominated I’d love to know my friends were thinking of me whether I won or not! Deadline for ALL nominations is Monday, March 1st at 6pm PST. Nominations MUST be posted as a comment on this blog post. Either your email or the nominees email MUST be included on the blog post to qualify. Nominations emailed or posted on other blog posts may be overlooked. Please post all nominees here. Thanks!

For more details about the CONFIDENCE WORKSHOP, CLICK HERE!

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Do you live on the East Coast? We have just a few seats left for our New York area CONFIDENCE! CLICK HERE to get your spot!! And soon we’ll announce our May Seattle CONFIDENCE plus one other location from the votes we got from all of you!

Our Refuse to Say Cheese DVD series are now AWARD WINNING! Read the press release HERE ! If you haven’t ordered your own copy yet, check out our popular Instructional DVDs Refuse to Say Cheese and Beyond the Green Box , and our 101 Kits for starting or expanding a business in photography, click on the titles of your choice!

19 Comments »

February 10th, 2010

Who wants to play?

Hey it’s Genie here! Shhhh, don’t tell Me Ra or Brian but I took over while they’re flying through the air to Thailand. It’s only fair, don’t cha think?

A quick question for you who want to do a CONFIDENCE! Workshop: where would you like Me Ra and Brian to come this year? We have Orange County (CA) and the New York area covered, and of course Seattle. Where else? A number of you have sent in votes in the past (which I’ve been collecting) but I want to check again – so give me a shout with a comment below even if you told us once before.

I love the ladies who have done our past workshops!

You have all been the BEST to work with. And to see you shine is totally inspiring and heartwarming. Right on. So if you’d like the Fab Duo, Wonder Woman and Mr. Wonder, (or plug in your pet name for two of my fave people on this planet. The fact that Me Ra’s reading this has NO bearing on my saying this…really. ) to light up a spot near you, it’s a good time to chime in. Don’t you love that you get to vote?

And now that I have a camera I’m going to come to a workshop too. Any thought on which camera I have? It’s SO PRETTY!

So, where to?

46 Comments »

January 27th, 2010

Recapping Seattle CONFIDENCE Wkshp! (and a new one for Spring 2010!)

I had some time over the weekend to look through our images from last weekend’s Seattle CONFIDENCE Workshop. What a wonderful, beautiful group of women! We had the best time together. What could be better than a weekend with girlfriends (and Brian ) full of laughing, little bit of cleansing crying, understanding your camera, discovering yourself as an artist, and meeting friends that you will have for a life time! Thank you Seattle Confidence ladies!

(I’m trying to figure out what Brian is doing in our group photo. I think he said “Let’s all wave at the camera!” But then he didn’t wave. Figures!)

I love doing the CONFIDENCE workshop local because the Hotel Murano’s private gallery is the BEST place for this type of weekend. It’s so beautiful and inspiring. But the most beautiful subjects were all the models! On Saturday, we had four sweet babies come with their mamas—and even one grandma!

I especially love the one-on-one time we get to answer questions. Sometimes you just need a moment to have someone walk through your camera with you, and I know that for myself, this has made such a difference so many times!

Three (beautiful) generations!

Ladies, remember when I set up the shot of mom on her side, to accentuate a soft curve of her hips? This is one of the shots that I got from that set up. I thought it would help for you to see what I was seeing.

And remember these two boys? Hilarious! It’s freezing cold outside, but they took off their shirts and showed us their muscles!

If you are local to Seattle and want a wonderful group of mom photographers to connect with, you must contact Mary! She started this fantastic group of women, Mamas with Cameras, because of her own desire to understand her camera so she could capture her son. She was in the last CONFIDENCE Workshop, and we were lucky to have her family as a model last weekend!

And then there was another former CONFIDENCE Jamaican sister, Phillipa. Oh my goodness, her babies are the sweetest. This is my favorite one—singing on the railroad tracks without a care in the world.

Brian and I want to thank all the Seattle CONFIDENCE ladies. You opened your hearts up to us and your dreams, and what an powerful weekend it was. We are so excited to see what you captured over the weekend.

And for all of you who haven’t been able to get into a Seattle CONFIDENCE Wkshp, we have decided to offer one in the Spring! We will be flying the three SOAR! Recipients to this workshop too! So stay tuned! We are hammering out the exact dates and will let you know soon!

xoxo, Me Ra

**See Linda Baylis, SOAR! Recipient’s, blog post today on her Self Portrait!

17 Comments »

January 26th, 2010

Early Bird Registration Extended Until…

Brian and I never made an “official” announcement that we had kept the Early Bird Registration Price up for all those that were following the SOAR! Announcement. We are glad that a number of you have had the opportunity to take advantage of this.

We are going to keep the $799, Early Bird Registration price, up until this Friday, January 29th @ Midnight PST. And then we will shift back to the normal CONFIDENCE price of $999.

If you live in or around NY, we still have FIVE spots left! CLICK HERE for more NY CONFIDENCE Spring Workshop details!

If you are in Southern CA, we’ve got FOUR spots left! CLICK HERE for more CA CONFIDENCE Spring Workshop details!

AND, if you live in the Seattle, or greater Pacific Northwest area, we will be announcing a Spring CONFIDENCE Workshop weekend soon. So stay tuned!

Tomorrow I’m going to do a fun recap on last weekend’s Seattle CONFIDENCE Workshop!

…with a few shots of some pretty sweet babies!

xoxo,

Me Ra

5 Comments »

December 22nd, 2009

Letter from Santa to All East/West Coast Women (and their husbands)!

Dear Santa,

Will you please give me the CONFIDENCE Workshop this year for Christmas?! I’ve been wanting to go for three years! I have wiped a thousand runny noses, made a trillion meals, cleaned the house (more than my mom ever did!), helped out in the classroom, been a GOOD listener to my husband’s woes and triumphs, and seriously, if that doesn’t make your GOOD LIST–WHAT DOES?! Santa, I need you make the CONFIDENCE Wkshp happen, so I can somehow register? I need a special payment plan, just for me! If you can do all this, I promise that I will never doubt the magic of Santa!

Yours Truly,
Women on the West and East Coasts

To my dear friend,

This is your beloved Santa. Because you’ve been a good girl, amazing mom to those rotten kids, and ever so patient with your husband–allowing him out of the dog house–more than he ever deserves, I’m going to give you some magic this Christmas! My elves consulted with Me Ra Koh (we love her! ), and she is going to offer a Special Holiday Payment Option for her East and West Coast, Spring Workshops!

Use the Coupon Code: fourpaymentsdeal (all one word, all lower case), and you will get the Early Bird Registration deal but have FOUR months to pay it off! Me Ra and I want to give you CONFIDENCE this year! 2010 is going to be about making dreams come true! So follow the links below!

Registration for West Coast Workshop

Registration for East Coast Workshop

Love, Santa

p.s. If your husbands need some convincing, the elves tell me that two of the smartest husbands ever, put up a post called; TOP 12 Reasons Why Husbands Should Send Their Wives to the CONFIDENCE Wkshp. Ms. Claus is baking cookies for these two husbands as I type! She recognizes brilliance when she sees it.

p.s.s. Everyone on the Newsletter got this letter yesterday, and the workshops are almost half full! So make sure you hurry over to register! And if your not already, sign up for the Newsletter to the left so you get the Early Notice next time too!

p.s.s. The “fourpaymentsdeal” and Early Bird Registration ends in TWO WEEKS, Monday, January 4th 2010!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

4 Comments »
Tags: Art, Kids, Photography

December 17th, 2009

Deadline for $100 and TWO New Workshops for 2010!

Hey everyone. This is Brian, signing on for Me Ra today. I know it’s late in the day, but if you follow Me Ra’s Twitter, you know she had a pretty rough day. She wanted me to thank you for all your prayers. And knowing her, she’ll be back on the blog tomorrow.

But we wanted to remind people that the deadline for the “I SUPPORT SOAR”!” Contest is TONIGHT at Midnight PST! Thanks for all the hard work you’ve done to spread the word about SOAR! We are excited to give the winner a $100 Gift Certificate tomorrow! We’ll be announcing the GC winner at the end of Friday (so we’ve got time to count up the entries.)

And the BEST news is…TWO NEW Workshops for Spring 2010!

We are going to do CONFIDENCE Workshops in April and May, one on the West Coast and one on the East Coast!

Dates and Locations:

April 24 and 25th, at the hip Shorebreak Hotel in Huntington Beach, CA. (See you soon OC and San Diego friends!)

May 29th and 30th, at the very cool Westin Hotel in Jersey City, NJ. (For all our NY and surrounding area friends! We are finally coming to you!)

But here is what I’m excited about. I worked out a way with our Merchant Provider so you could be set up for four auto payments, over four months, for $199. It’s basically allowing you to take advantage of the Early Bird but break it up over four months.

We know four things;

1. Your Holiday Budget is stretched.

2. A lot of you want the CONFIDENCE Workshop for Christmas.

3. The Early Bird Registration of $799 is tough to pull of with the Holiday Budget.

4. We better make a new option available for Christmas! And by George, I think I’ve done it!

If you are signed up for Me Ra’s Newsletter, you will be sent an email on Monday with the private link to priority register. You’ll have the choice to Register for the whole Early Bird amount of $799 or sign up for the four payments method. (Signed up yet for the Newsletter? Look to the left!) The Workshop Early Bird Registration and Four Payments Method will go live on the blog for everyone else Tuesday morning! Early Bird and Four Payments Option will end Thursday, January 7th. At that point, registration will go up to the normal price of $999.

FYI, If you sign up for the four payments method, one of us will call you within 24-48 hours to ensure your spot and info (just to make sure, since we’ve never used this merchant tool before), AND you will be set. Please know that all payments are non-refundable.

If there are any husbands out there who need to get out of the dog house (not that I know what that’s like), you can email me with any questions! info@merakoh.com And I must say, our Genie, has helped quite a few husbands surprise their wives. She will totally be available to help too.

And again, thank you for praying for my wife. Today was rough. She’s been through a lot in her life, but her passion to empower women…may be more fierce than ever.

Best,

Brian

FIVE Days Left Until SOAR! Scholarship Deadline! Get your Complete Application and Video Entries in by Monday, Dec. 21st!

7 Comments »
Tags: Contest, Twitter

December 3rd, 2009

Mini Workshop for FREE! (12/8 & 12/9) Limited Space!

I’ve got some more EXCITING news to announce! I’m coming to CA this week to do a Mini Workshop that is going to be FREE, yep I said FREE, at the Sony Style Stores!

What do you think! I’m so excited! This event is open to gals AND GUYS! (I know…can you believe it! The guys are invited too! Brian won’t have to be the only man in the room! ) Seriously, I can’t wait to meet YOU and also CATCH UP with past CONFIDENCE women! We’re going to have a blast.

Space is limited in the Sony Style stores, so I would show up 15-20 minutes early. If you can come, RSVP on today’s blog post. You don’t have to RSVP, it’s just fun me to know your coming.

And for those of you who don’t live in Southern CA, here is the thing, with an awesome turnout, we might be able to do more FREE Mini Workshops at Sony Style stores in 2010!

Southern CA friends, are you coming?!!!!

The Juicy Details!

City #1

Date and City: Tuesday, 12/8, SAN DIEGO! (that means we get to hang out in FIVE days!)

Time: 6pm-7:30pm

Location: Fashion Valley Mall

City #2

Date and City: Wednesday, 12/9, COSTA MESA! (only SIX days away!)

Time: 6pm-7:30pm

Location: Sony Style Store in South Coast Plaza

xoxo,

Me Ra

p.s. My Copper Brown a330 DSLR camera will be there along with the new Kids in Focus DVD! Woo-hoo!!!

p.s.s. The Copper Brown a330 DSLR camera won’t be there, it’s only available online at SonyStyle.com.

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SOAR! Scholarship is LIVE! Join us in celebrating women! Three Awards, Thousands Win! Deadline to enter is December 21st! www.soarwithmera.com

Did you see the Top Ten Holiday Stocking Stuffers post? CLICK HERE!

41 Comments »
Tags: fashion, Kids, Sony

November 17th, 2009

Thank You Seattle CONFIDENCE Ladies!

Brian and I want to thank all the beautiful ladies who attended our Seattle CONFIDENCE Workshop this weekend. You were an amazing group, and I didn’t want our time to end Sunday night. There was such a magical dynamic that happened. One of my favorite parts was sharing our “shifts” on Sunday morning. Your discoveries were amazing, and I’m still churning them over in my heart.

And wow, even though the Group Critique went a little longer than planned…I can’t stop thinking about how beautiful your images were. How much your eye differs from the woman to the right and left of you. How twenty women could look at the same mom and baby and capture twenty different, beautiful poses. Thank you for risking your heart and your images.

Seattle Photography Workshop for Women w/Me Ra Koh

But let’s not forget our horrible experience at Matador. And even more so, let’s not forget our AMAZING dinner at Indochines. Every thing ended up working out for the best after all. Thanks Natalie! We all owe you one!

Much love to you all this week as you transition back into the many demands you carry, and give to the ones you love. Safe travels for all of you flying home.

All our love, Me Ra and Brian

p.s. The first round of baby invitations for this Saturday’s FREE book shoot are going out today! Be on the look out for our email b/c the sign up will be first come/first serve.

p.s.s. Our website and blog are transforming this week! Not telling you which day, but GET READY!! Yeah!

10 Comments »
Tags: Art, Photography, Travel

October 6th, 2009

Minneapolis Workshop Peaks and Wonderful Wisdom to Pass Along!

Brian and I had a special weekend with the wonderful women of the Minneapolis CONFIDENCE Workshop. It was a bit crazy trying to fly there with four delays, but the delays ended up being worth every minute. We’ve never been to Minneapolis, and I loved it! The women were all so kind and inviting. There was such a wonderful sense of safety with each other. We all cried here and there, but can I say we also we laughed till our sides hurt!

As we were packing up Monday morning, Brian said, “I definitely want to come back here next year. This weekend was awesome.” So it looks like we may be coming back ladies. We loved our time that much! And if we do come back, we should definitely organize a reunion dinner for one night. Don’t you think!

Here are some fun Group Shots! Notice the Minneapolis skyline behind us! Pretty cool, huh!

Jump for CONFIDENCE!

I love this image of the women! (Although, I’m not sure what I was doing. ) Debbie, what were you doing?

Can’t forget about Brian (front and center)! Ladies, you missed it Sunday night! But I’m sure you’ll see the photos once I get our Facebook Workshop page set up. Brian imitating our dog and cat, oh goodness.

When I got into Denver, I had a two hour layover. I texted Jeff Jochum to see how he was doing. Jeff’s been a friend and business mentor to us for several years. He used to be the VP at Pictage, and he’s now the CMO for Smug Mug. He’s also living in Denver. And can you believe he was dropping DJ off at the airport as I was arriving! He waited for my flight to come in, and we had the best time together. (DJ, I’m so bummed I missed you. Jeff said we missed each other by 30 minutes. Next time! )

Over the years, Jeff has given me and Brian such incredible advice and wisdom in running our business. I feel fortunate for every minute I get with him. He shared two things that I had to write down. I thought the Minneapolis women would like hearing this.

“Luck is when opportunity meets preparation.” Keep preparing ladies, preparing your dreams. Your preparation is not in vain. And opportunities will come.

Jeff told me his dad used to say, “Opportunity never knocks, so you have to keep checking the door.” I loved that one too. Check out Jeff’s website and watch The Road (link is below his photo). It’s pretty inspiring.

What a wonderful trip in some many ways.

To all our Minneapolis Women of CONFIDENCE,

Brian and I can’t thank you enough for opening your hearts to us. We loved our time with you. We watched so many of you grow leaps and bounds in 48 hours. We can’t wait to see how this workshop catapults you into the next season.

Much, much love,

Brian and Me Ra

(p.s. Thanks for your feedback on our new website!)

We’ve been building a new website friends, and the Minneapolis woman were the first (besides my mom) to get a peak at it! They loved it! Can’t wait for it to go live so you can all see too! Coming Soon!

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What about putting CONFIDENCE on your Christmas Wish List this year!!! We’ve only got FOUR spots left in the January Seattle CONFIDENCE Workshop! The November Seattle CONFIDENCE Workshop is already sold out! CLICK HERE to get one of the last spots!

15 Comments »
Tags: 101 Kit, Art, Beyond the Green Box, Business, Facebook, Photography, Refuse to Say Cheese

October 6th, 2009

A Sweet and Unexpected Welcome Home!

Brian and I came home last night to the sweetest presentation of “Welcome Home” surprises on our bed. I had to share. It’s to cute not too. We have the BEST kids in the world!

Me Ra Koh Photography Inc

Pascaline transcribed for her and Blaze. They took the word Mother and Father and made their own poems. Pascaline said M stood for Meow because “I’m really sweet.” Do all moms tear up when their kids call you their H for Hero?

Me Ra Koh Photography Inc

Blaze cut out pictures from magazines that reminded him of me. He set each clipping in a specific place on the bed. The display was so sweet, I didn’t want to climb into bed.

I love all the things they thought of for Father. E for Energy. Hmmmm, can the Minneapolis women and all other workshop attendees confirm that? Brian and Energy…:)

Me Ra Koh Photography Inc

I was telling the Minneapolis women this weekend how the feeling of guilt almost ruined everything for me. I used to feel guilty for every single thing. If the business was growing, I felt like a bad mom. If the kids were doing great, I felt like I was neglecting the business. No matter what, I felt like I couldn’t win. My business coach started to work through the guilt issues with me, and these last two years have been amazing. I would even say 98% Guilt Free. And even though crying on the kitchen floor still happens, it’s not often about guilt.

What amazes me is that when Brian and I feel right and good about our choices and what we’re doing, the kids are good. It’s when we don’t feel right that the kids pick up on the stress. Otherwise, if mom and dad are good, they are good. Or even better, Jeff Jochum used to tell me, “If mom is happy, everyone is happy. If dad is unhappy, who cares.”

To come home to such gifts of love, I could hug these two little ones forever and not let go. But then Blaze tells me that he’s getting to hot and needs some space to breathe.

Photos from the Minneapolis Workshop coming tomorrow!

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22 Comments »
Tags: 101 Kit, Art, Beyond the Green Box, Business, Kids, Photography, Refuse to Say Cheese