It’s probably not fair to say that last night’s PUG (Pictage User Group) was our best meeting ever because they’ve all been a blast. But you know what, I really think it was! We decided to take our group into the downtown area and work on shooting techniques with models. Being able to share tips with each other when you’re trying to help a bride and groom relax, dealing with different skin tones or different heigths, all these things were a part of our time.

Here are some fun shots of the night!

Courtney and Sam were the bride and groom models. Brian and I had the pleasure of shooting their wedding almost two years ago. They’re so much fun, we decided to see if she wanted to be a bride again (and Sam was such a great sport to get back in a tux!). Bleu, our associate, caught this sweet moment of the two.

As our daylight faded we practiced doing night shots; blurring the cars, letting the city night lights glow, ooh it was fun!

Our second couple was Jujuan and Misty. They were such sports b/c we wanted to particularly practice shooting a couple with heigth difference and skin tone differences. Who could be better than Jujuan and Misty? They’re both beautiful inside and out, and he is a basketball player which gives us the heigth difference.

Another beautiful shot of Misty and Jujuan by Bleu!

(from left; Sam, Courtney, me, Misty and Jujuan)

This one was one of my other favorite shots pictures because of how Courtney’s looking up at Jujuan, and he’s totally a head taller than the rest of us. And my favorite quote of the night was when our 5 yr. old, Pascaline, said “When I grow up, I’m going to be tall like Jujuan mom! Wait and see!”

The next morning I woke up to this email below, and I had to share it with you. It shows how wonderful the photographers are that attend the Tacoma PUG meetings. Brian and I have been so blessed to be a part of this, and we feel honored to call them our friends. If you’re a photographer, beginner or experienced, you are welcome to join us the last Wed. of every month. For more info visit our website at www.merakoh.com.

Hi Me Ra,

I just wanted to send a million thanks to you and Brian for yesterday. That single evening probably did more for the two of us in terms of motivation and confidence than all of the books, conversations and research we’ve done combined over the past year.

There are a bunch of things I’m going to change on my site in the coming week to better position us in the marketplace and I’m confident that we’re going to get some traction and do well over time. I still can’t believe how much I enjoyed last night I just didn’t expect you and the group to be so open, candid and helpful. It feels so good to be filled with hope and thoughts of the possibilities that lie ahead vs the stress of ‘how’ I’m going to do this. And honestly, the ‘how’ is what has been dominating my thoughts. So thank you for helping to get my mind focused on the possibilities!

This last weekend we had the pleasure of shooting the wedding for Francis and Andy. Two beautiful people that are perfect together. The wedding was at this quaint estate called the Schmidt House. We knew we’d be getting a lot of shots during the day on location, so Francis and Andy let us take them across the street to another spot for photos.

It was perfect!

We found an old garbage dumpster for a perfect turquoise wall and a run down brewery for some images with more neutral, glowing tones. My favorite was when a random lady came walking up to us and said, “Why on earth would you be taking pictures of a bride and groom in this kind of a setting?”

If only she could see what Brian and I could see! Take a look!

And I had to add this last one from inside the house. We shot it right before she saw Andy for the first time.

Congrats Francis and Andy!

We are thrilled to finally release our new website at merakoh.com with a new look, new music and new images!

BluDomain has done a wonderful job with helping us put every detail in place, and we love it! The back end is super user friendly so we can make changes any time without it being a big hassle.

You’ll find new images, new bios for everyone on the team, and a newsletter feature within the contact page. The coolest part is that Brian is finally on the website! No longer the invisible photographer!

We also want to give a special thanks to Truetone Productions. Dan Boss and his team custom wrote the music for this website. Their talent for music is incredible and speaks for itself! Dan and I had a few conversations where I told him the “feel” of what I wanted for the site (dreamy, but not to dreamy, upbeat but not crazy upbeat). As you can see I wasn’t the best communicator on something so abstract. But Dan never seemed confused and came back with more than we ever imagined!

Check it all out and tell us what you think!

My first blog…the pressure almost makes you never want to start one. But here I am b/c I know I’m going to love this once I get the hang of it!

It’s hard to believe that our business only started four years ago. It all started with the image below. Pascaline was only 14 months, and we were out gardening together. I was just learning how to use a camera and grabbed this shot of her with the watering hose. Friends loved it and asked me to come take photos of their kids, and the rest of the story is on our bio at www.merakoh.com.

How could I not start this blog with any other image than the one that inspired the journey?

People often tell Brian and I that photography must be the greatest job ever. They have no idea how right they are! The clients are wonderful, the places we travel to are beautiful, but the best part is we get better and better at documenting our family…our babies who continue to be our inspiration behind what we see in a moment.

So not only am I excited to give you the latest fun news of our business and what’s happening. But I also can’t wait to share the latest shots of Pascaline and Blaze!

Enjoy!