Archive for October, 2006

October 30th, 2006

Taking Care of Ourselves

This weekend I did something so fun! I took the train to Portland (no kids) and stayed in a bed and breakfast with my friend Shalom. It’s her birthday, and we wanted to get away without the little ones. Shalom and I were roommates in college, and she is one of my dearest and oldest friends. It’s hard to believe we haven’t been alone together, with uninterrupted time to talk, in eight years! It was amazing! We talked, talked some more, laughed until we cried, talked again, laughed even more, and talked until we fell asleep talking. :)

This is a shot of her and her husband that she sent us for Christmas a couple years ago (left the camera at home this weekend :) ). Her husband, Chris Shreve, is one of the most amazing painters out there. Very abstract and intense.

I find it so hard to take time to myself, especially since I’m already away from my kids when I’m working on Me Ra Koh Photography stuff. Can any mom’s relate? This week alone, we fly out to New York to speak at Photo Plus Expo. And I’m really excited, but taking the weekend off to go see a friend was tough. And yet, I’m so glad I did. I feel refreshed and ready for my kids, my husband, my work, my clients, our audience in NY… Thanks Shalom for making time in your crazy schedule! Boy, I miss laughing with you! :)

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October 26th, 2006

Still Room in the Women’s Photography Wkshp!

Hi ladies (and supportive husbands :) ),

I’m so excited for the upcoming “Documenting a Child’s Life” workshops, I can hardly stand it!!

As many of you know the first one filled up within two weeks of being announced. So we decided to offer a second one on Saturday, February 17th 2007. We made the announcement two days ago, and it’s already half full. Women are flying in from CA, the Midwest and down South. I can’t be to detailed on their whereabouts b/c a few of these women don’t even know they’re coming yet. Their husbands are surprising them with the workshop as a Christmas or birthday present. Isn’t that the sweetest thing ever!

Who’s attending? Are you a good fit for this workshop? If you’re a mom or woman who loves to take photos of children and babies, and yet you’re not to versed in your camera’s abilities or photography techniques…this workshop was designed for you. :)

If you’re thinking about joining us, shoot me an email at mera@merakoh.com ASAP. Excited to hear from you! For all the details on the February Workshop click away! :)

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October 25th, 2006

The Most Amazing School!

This year we made the big jump as a family. Pascaline started kindergarten. I still can’t believe it’s already here. Where does the time go?

As emotional as this transition of life has been, we feel so fortunate to have found a Waldorf School near us. If you’ve never heard of Waldorf education you’ve got to check out their website. The approach and philosophy behind Waldorf Education is amazing!

In the midst of it all, I volunteered to do the school photos (a first for Me Ra Koh Photography :) ), and I fell in love with every child. They all had these eyes that seemed to see right through you. It was an incredible experience.

I also had to include this image below. This little guy stole my heart. :) He was a bit shy and unsure of the camera, but during the meal blessing curiosity got the best of him. These are the kind of images that give me goosebumps and remind me of how blessed Brian and I are for having such a wonderful job.

A special thanks to all the children, teachers and staff. It was wonderful and honoring to be a “fly on the wall” those couple of days.
For those of you parents who are searching for an alternative to public and private schools, you may just fall in love with the Waldorf approach. We did!

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October 24th, 2006

2nd Women’s Photography Workshop!

I’m excited to say the Women’s Photography Workshop, “Documenting a Child’s Life”, for January 2007 filled up so fast that we’re going to offer a second one on Saturday, February 17th 2007!

See below for all the details of our second workshop, “Documenting A Child’s Life”!

Workshop Title: “Documenting A Child’s Life” Session Two

For Who: Women who have a desire to better understand their camera and the techniques in shooting for the purpose of documenting their children, friends and future clients. Beginners to Advanced Levels Welcome!

Date: Saturday, February 17th 2007

Where: Me Ra and Brian’s Home, Seattle, WA (I’m so excited about this because the home is so often where you’re shooting your little ones.)

Time: 9:30am-4:30pm

What to Bring: Notepad, Pen, Warm Clothing for Shooting Outside, and a Digital SLR camera if you have one (don’t hesitate to come if you don’t have one b/c I have 8 cameras and a number of lenses, so we should be good! J)

Meals: Catered Lunch provided, as well as yummy snacks and coffee/tea in the morning and afternoon.

Workshop Cost: $349 (a couple women are making this there Christmas or Birthday gift! Maybe even a Valentine idea! :) Great idea ladies!)

Lodging: Five blocks from our home is a new hotel on the waterfront called The Silver Cloud Inn. They are offering us a group discount of $144 per night (Friday and/or Saturday). Without the discount, the room rate is $159 plus tax. This rate comes with a water view from every room (the whole inn is literally over the water :) ), complimentary breakfast, King Size bed or two Queen Size beds, Free Parking and Free Internet Access. The Silver Cloud Inn is only two miles from the Chihuly’s Museum of Glass, the Tacoma Art Museum, Point Defiance Park and Zoo. There is a beautiful boardwalk right outside the doors of the hotel that follows the beach (a 3.5 mile jog my husband and I often do! :) ). One block away is the center of Old Town, filled with coffee shops and tea houses, and a couple quaint restaurants. There are also bigger restaurants all along the waterfront boardwalk (The Lobster Shop, The Ram, Katie Downs, etc). I’m telling you, you might want to stay an extra night so you can enjoy how sweet this part of the country is. :)

To obtain the hotel discount, let them know you are with the Me Ra Koh Photography Wkshp. group. And you must also reserve your room before the last thirty days until the wkshp.

Workshop Topics Include: Mechanics of Your Camera, Understanding the Artistic Possibilities Behind Your Camera Settings, Composition Techniques for Shooting Your Kids or Clients, Indoor and Outdoor Lighting, Processing Your Images, Hands On Shooting with Me Ra and Brian, Taking the Next Step: Pricing! J

We’ll spend the first half of the day going over the mechanics of your camera and learning about indoor lighting so you can get great shots of your kids in the kitchen, living room and bedroom. The second half of the day we’ll do some hands on shooting of children (hopefully a baby too!) and talk a bit about pricing and marketing yourself for those who may a have interest in taking the next step.

The class size is limited to 10 women to maximize your learning experience. (Since a number of women have called and emailed for info about this event we may do a second workshop! J)

Terms: A retainer (non-refundable fee) of $249 reserves your seat. The remaining balance of $100 must be paid in full 14 days before the workshop date. You can pay by check or credit card. Give our studio a call or email, and let us know what you’d prefer. 253-468-8913.

Short Bio: Me Ra and Brian started Me Ra Koh Photography four years ago. They shoot weddings and children worldwide. Their work has been featured in national magazines, and they have also won numerous international awards for their children and wedding images. This winter, their studio will be featured on VH1’s Fabulous Weddings. Me Ra and Brian keep a busy schedule full of speaking engagements nationwide, shooting together and raising their two beautiful children. To read their bio and see their work, visit http://www.merakoh.com/. For the latest news, visit their blog at http://www.merakohblog.com. To see the trailer for the upcoming VH1 wedding visit http://mkpstudio.com/2006/09/11/destination-maui-trailer-release/.

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October 23rd, 2006

Amazing Associates!

For the last several weeks I’ve been meaning to get on here and do some bragging about our wedding associate team, Bleu and Ginger Braaten. They have blown us and their clients away with their awesome images and fun personalities!

Bleu and Ginger joined us a little over a year ago. They’ve done the most amazing job this season with their weddings. In fact, the referral calls are already coming in for next summer. They are booked for May, June and part of July in 2007! :) Brian and I are super excited! Here’s one of many comments recently emailed to me;

“You two did such a great job. We had so much fun while you were shooting them and just as much fun while we looked at them. I even cried a little. :) Everyone who has seen them has the same comment..”Gorgeous”!!! Oh and the “Abbey Road” shot is awesome! Also, we love the toning actions you used… They look great! Really, we can’t say enough about the pictures and how much we love them. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, K & J”

You can’t ask for better feedback than this. Brian and I feel so blessed to have them on our team of photographers. They’re so great in countless ways. It’s a total God thing to have found them.

To give you a little peak into their wild lives; in the last eleven days they’ve shot two weddings (one in Bellevue and one on Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands), and they’ve flown to Santa Barbara to do a photo shoot for a dance studio. Check out their portfolio and bio at the Me Ra Koh Photography website.

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October 20th, 2006

A Gorgeous Hampton Wedding

Sugie and Frank’s wedding was one of the most beautiful events Me Ra Koh Photography shot this year. Their “how we met” story is the most romantic I’ve ever heard. In a nutshell; Frank has his car serviced once a year so he rode the bus into the city. That day he was looking out the window when he saw this woman walking down the sidewalk. In his own words, she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. So he did something very unlike himself, he jumped off the bus and ran after her.

Sugie was a little bit thrown off by a strange man asking for her name. But Frank was sweet about it, and she said he ended up at her work. She finally agreed to go out on a date with him, and the rest is history. :)

They recently finished building their 6 bedroom weekend home in the Hamptons. It was the perfect place for them to host their reception. After their wedding, they headed off for a three week honeymoon in Africa. So they invited Brian and I to stay at their home for a few days…we had the best time! :) We love our job!

Here are a few favorite shots, you’ve got to watch Frank and Sugie’s Slideshow to see the rest. My favorite, favorite shot is in the blog before this one when Sugie was taking off her shoes in the lemo. My favorite shot of Brian’s is this one on the beach. It could be a greeting card. It’s so romantic to me.

They also did a beautiful Korean ceremony after the church ceremony.

But honestly, Sugie is so beautiful that I don’t think we could take a bad shot of her.

Thanks Sugie and Frank for letting us be a part of such an amazing weekend! Click here for to view your Slideshow, and turn up the music for a surprise! :)

If your having trouble viewing the slideshow, you may need to update your Flash. Click here for a free Flash update.

p.s. Happy Birthday Sugie! Love you! Me Ra

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October 18th, 2006

Perfect Set Up

I love those weddings where every thing seems to work in your favor. Whether it’s the sunlight or lack of, the colors, the bride and groom’s comfort level with cameras around…for whatever reason every variable fell in place.

I’m so close to being done with the slide show from one of those weddings. The wedding took place in the Hampton’s. Being from the Northwest, there aren’t many places Brian and I visit and think ‘We totally want to live here and leave all the Pacific Northwest water and mountains behind.’ But after seeing the Hampton’s, we could visualize a second Me Ra Koh Photography studio there. The community was charming and warm. We looked at a few homes, and I think the average price was $2 million. :) Check out more of the amazing real estate there!

Not only was the location beautiful, but this wedding was an amazing event on many more levels. I’m excited for you to see the slide show (by tomorrow! fingers crossed) But as I finish up tonight, I had to post one of my favorite shots.

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October 16th, 2006

Offering a Women’s Photography Workshop!

I’m SUPER excited to share the beginnings of a new venture for Me Ra Koh Photography! It starts with a photography workshop for women, particularly women who are beginners in photography and want to know how to take better photos of their kids! The name of the workshop is “Documenting a Child’s Life.”

If you are a woman that loves photographing people, this is the workshop for you. Some of the women who are already signed up are calling it their Christmas present for 2006. :)

It’s going to be all day, at my home with a beautiful catered lunch, on Saturday, January 20th. Read below for all the details and email me if you’re interested. We still have a couple spots left. :)

Documenting a Child’s Life, Photography Workshop

For Who: Women who have a desire to better understand their camera and the techniques in shooting for the purpose of documenting their children, friends and future clients. Beginners to Advanced Levels Welcome!

Date: Saturday, January 20th 2007

Where: Me Ra’s Home (I’m so excited about this because the home is so often where you’re shooting your little ones.)

Time: 9:30am-4:30pm

What to Bring: Notepad, Pen, Warm Clothing for Shooting Outside, and a Digital SLR camera if you have one (don’t hesitate to come if you don’t have one b/c I have 8 cameras and a number of lenses, so we should be good! J)

Meals: Catered Lunch provided, as well as yummy snacks and coffee/tea in the morning and afternoon.

Cost: $349 (a couple women are making this there Christmas gift! Great idea ladies!)

Lodging: Five blocks from our home is a new hotel on the waterfront called The Silver Cloud Inn. They are offering us a group discount if we have 8 or more women staying with them. Without the discount, the room rate is $159 plus tax. This rate comes with a water view from every room (the whole inn is literally over the water :) ), complimentary breakfast, King Size bed or two Queen Size beds, Free Parking and Free Internet Access. The Silver Cloud Inn is only two miles from the Chihuly’s Museum of Glass, the Tacoma Art Museum, Point Defiance Park and Zoo. There is a beautiful boardwalk right outside the doors of the hotel that follows the beach (a 3.5 mile jog my husband and I often do! :) ). One block away is the center of Old Town, filled with coffee shops and tea houses, and a couple quaint restaurants. There are also bigger restaurants all along the waterfront boardwalk (The Lobster Shop, The Ram, Katie Downs, etc). I’m telling you, you might want to stay an extra night so you can enjoy how sweet this part of the country is. :)

Topics Include: Mechanics of Your Camera, Understanding the Artistic Possibilities Behind Your Camera Settings, Composition Techniques for Shooting Your Kids or Clients, Indoor and Outdoor Lighting, Processing Your Images, Hands On Shooting with Me Ra and Brian, Taking the Next Step: Pricing! J

We’ll spend the first half of the day going over the mechanics of your camera and learning about indoor lighting so you can get great shots of your kids in the kitchen, living room and bedroom. The second half of the day we’ll do some hands on shooting of children (hopefully a baby too!) and talk a bit about pricing and marketing yourself for those who may a have interest in taking the next step.

The class size is limited to 10 women to maximize your learning experience. (Since a number of women have called and emailed for info about this event we may do a second workshop! J)

Terms: A retainer (non-refundable fee) of $249 reserves your seat. The remaining balance of $100 must be paid in full 14 days before the workshop date. You can pay by check or credit card. Give our studio a call or email, and let us know what you’d prefer. 253-468-8913.

Short Bio: Me Ra and Brian started Me Ra Koh Photography four years ago. They shoot weddings and children worldwide. Their work has been featured in national magazines, and they have also won numerous international awards for their children and wedding images. This winter, their studio will be featured on VH1’s Fabulous Weddings. Me Ra and Brian keep a busy schedule full of speaking engagements nationwide, shooting together and raising their two beautiful children. To read their bio and see their work, visit http://www.merakoh.com/. For the latest news, visit their blog at http://www.mkpstudio.com/. To see the trailer for the upcoming VH1 wedding visit http://mkpstudio.com/2006/09/11/destination-maui-trailer-release/.

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October 11th, 2006

My Little Brother-the Writer

This is my little brother, Shauni.

He graduated from college a couple of years with a BA in English. He then spent some time studying in Spain and traveled all around Europe on the weekends. Then he decided to settle in Southern CA where he started working on his first screen play while he waited tables at night.

Shauni is one of the funniest guys I know. He was the kid that made everyone laugh in class, but when the teacher looked he always had a straight face. He’s also thoughtful, contemplative, and creative. I treasure all the talks I’ve had with Shauni about writing and the overall creative process. He’s an artist through and through.

Some would say he needed to get a job that used his degree instead of waiting tables. But he’s got a gift, and he decided to go for it with his writing.

And then the call came.

A couple weeks ago, he received a call from a respectable producer. The guy loves his screenplay and offered him a contract. Shauni signed last week, and I’m still freaking out inside! There are a lot of hoops a screen play has to go through before it hits the box office, but the fact that a real producer called and loved it is worth gold. Now Shauni is busy at work on his second screenplay, and I’m so excited for his new project.

I was thinking about the producer calling, and I thought about how powerful it is when someone in the profession says “Your work is amazing. This is worth something to me! And it’s going to speak to others.” Your family and friends can tell you you’re gifted and going to go far until their blue in the face, but it’s hard to keep going when we’re still waiting for those in the industry to validate your work. And when it comes, it’s the best thing ever. But can we hang on until it comes?

I just wanted to say a big congrats to you Shauni! I’m super proud of you! I love you! And I had to include the shot below so people would see the not-so-serious side of you too! :) (love nuna)

p.s. in case any of you were wondering, yes, he is single! :) How’s that for a big sister plug?!

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October 9th, 2006

Speaking and Teaching…A New Season

Be prepared, this may be the longest Me Ra Koh Photography blog post yet. :)

My last post was a few days ago, and yet it seems like forever! I’ve really been getting into writing and posting on our blog, and it’s so FUN to get all your emails and read all your comments. And it’s even better when some of you email me and say, “Why aren’t you blogging?! You haven’t posted any thing for three days!” :) I love it!

Well, this last week was crazy! I volunteered to do the school photos for our daughter’s school (something I’ve never done before). It was a blast because they were open to me taking a different approach. No blue backgrounds and cheesy grins! :) Instead I got to go in the classrooms and document the students working and playing. I LOVED it!

And in the midst of this, I also did a speaking engagement for a wonderful group called MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers). We had over a 100 women come, and I got to speak on “How to Take Better Photos of Your Kids.”

Here are some fun shots that Gina grabbed while I was speaking! Thanks Gina!

I think we all laughed and cried during the morning, and some of us even did both at the same time. :) It was an amazing time, and I loved meeting so many of the women afterwards. Working on the outline for this speaking engagement inspired me to offer a workshop this January to women/moms who want to learn how to document their children’s lives.

I’m super excited about this because we’re going to spend the morning talking about the mechanics of the camera (no men allowed! :) ). And then we’re going to have this yummy catered lunch and spend the second half of the day shooting kids side by side. I’m limiting the workshop to 10 women, but we had 15 sign up. So it looks like we might be doing two workshops in January!

All the encouraging feedback from the speaking engagement got me thinking about the past. As many of you know, photography was never even on the radar for Brian and me. I was actually an author and speaker, traveling all over the country speaking to women’s conferences and churches on restoration and healing when you’ve been deeply wounded. You can read the details of this on our website bio page.

Then unexpectedly we experienced one of our greatest losses. Our second baby, Aidan, died during the pregnancy. When this happened I quit speaking and went into a deep place of grief. And that is when the camera found its way into my hands and began to heal me.

I found myself taking pictures for the first time and trying to capture all the many sides of Pascaline. The first time she ever played with a balloon was one of the first images that caused someone to say, “Will you take photos of our kids?” And the rest if history. That was only four years ago.

I fell so fortunate to have had something as wonderful as photography come from such a painful loss. Photography keeps Aidan close to me, and now I get to capture my client’s stories. Documenting their lives and my children’s lives…what could be better.

After losing Aidan I didn’t think I’d ever speak again. And 3 1/2 years later, it feels like a new season has come. My first speaking engagement since Aidan was in early September in LA at Pictage’s conference for photographers. What an amazing time that was! Then we did MOPS this last week. And in November, Brian and I will be flying back to New York to speak to photographers at PhotoPlus Expo. I have a feeling there is more in store, and it feels right and good.

Thanks for reading along, and I thought you’d enjoy seeing that first shot of Pascaline with the yellow balloon. Isn’t it amazing how we never know where life will take us? I’m sure the not knowing is a good thing.

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