Archive for February, 2008

February 12th, 2008

Help Us Get on Oprah–for a Whole Show! :)

So we’re conspiring over here, and we want to know if you’ll help! :)

I am not exaggerating when I say that every week, I get 3 or more emails of wonderful stories from blog readers who at some point say, “you must be on Oprah.”

But how does one get on Oprah? Their website, I guess! Kari is our living proof that it worked! :)

So I’ve got a big favor to ask! Will you help us get on Oprah! What do I mean by this?

I have a vision for an Oprah show that is all about empowering women to use their cameras, start their own part time businesses, even going to women with children of different ages and teaching them how this big, black thing works, and also sharing my story of how I literally came from a hopeless place to where I am today. Wouldn’t this be the coolest Mother’s Day show!

A few fun stats to share with you. We started our photography business six years ago as a side hobby for me. In six years it grew to national fame with Brian and I traveling all over the world to shoot weddings at $15K plus. We have been featured on VH1 and recently asked to be icons for Sony’s new camera line. In November 07, our DVD series hit the market like a whirlwind (being the first to speak to women in plain language about how to use their cameras). And the most fun stat of all, our blog has grown in one year from having 200 unique visits a month to 10,000 UNIQUE visits a month! Isn’t that insanely wonderful! Thanks to all of you!

The best part is I get to be myself and share this with all of you. I get to be the woman who was released from a psych ward fifteen years ago (yep, my 15 yr. anniversary is coming up in May 08), who survived being date raped and losing a child, who fought through many storms. And these days I am pinching myself because my heart feels as if it’s a garden ready to explode with new life and color, despite the pain and loss.

“Me Ra Koh Photography” is fresh in the mind of the producers at Oprah after finishing up Kari’s show with them. So will you help us jump on this opportunity and visit this link on their website? By telling them about what you think of me and Brian, our blog, our DVDs, our story, etc. You can help us get on the show! I know they get thousands upon thousands of emails like this, but hey, what do we have to lose–especially in this special window of time we’re in!

One of the producers told me on the phone that this method really does work!

What do you say we overwhelm them with emails! :) Here’s the link to put your submission in! Click Here!

Thanks so much!

fyi…When you fill out their submission, be sure to include these links too:

our blog address: www.merakohblog.com

our DVDs and Workshp Site: www.refusetosaycheese.com

our portfolio and about me page: www.merakoh.com

FYI #2–All submissions are in, and we will soon be posting the Five Finalists for the “Love Themed Photo Contest”! Tune in to see if you or your friend made it to the top Five Finalists! xoxo!

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February 11th, 2008

A Little Behind the Scene Scoop on Oprah’s Show Today!

Today on Oprah, you get to see the amazing show for Kari and Dave Hale that we’ve been waiting for! I’m just dying to see for it to start!! I talked with them this weekend, and they said that Nate Berkus did an AMAZING job remodeling their house–Dave said it is unreal!!! Their little family has definitely been on a crazy whirlwind this month!

I had to share a little fun back story with you because I still can’t get over it! And, I’m secretly hoping Kari reads today’s blog and comments on “her” version of how all this went down! :)

Meet Kari!

Kari nominated herself for the Running on Empty Award last fall. This award is something Brian and I do where we give a free pass to a mom running on empty. She gets to come to our Workshop for Women-free of charge, and she also receives a free night’s stay in the Villa B&B. It’s all about getting away from the daily grind and taking a minute to breathe and not feel so empty. This is the nomination that Kari posted to our blog for the contest. This is her beautiful story.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

on 29 Aug 2007 at 2:11 pm

I gave birth to one baby, but I am a mother of four.
A year ago my husband and I essentially rescued my 3 beautiful nieces from the abuse and neglect that my brother and sister-in-law’s mental illnesses had inflicted on them. With only a few days notice, our tight, cozy family of three doubled to a family of six!

The last year has taught us more about love and more about tragedy than ever before. Time and time again I have had to stand in the gap as the waves of mental illness crashed up against me and my family, threatening to tear us apart. Standing firm this year has been an exercise in prayer, community, love, and perseverance. We have gone through the excruciating one-step-forward-two-step-back legal system and we have had to undo all of our original plans and dreams as we readjusted to caring for and nursing back to health three additional children.

Time and again I have wanted to give up and each time the Lord gives me just enough respite to keep going. My 2 year old son and my three beautiful girls are my new life – not the one we had planned, but Joseph Campbells says, “We must be willing to get rid of the life we had planned so as to have the life that was waiting for us.” Amen.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

On the first morning of the workshop, we always go around and introduce ourselves (who we are, where we are from, what we hope to gain from the wkshp). Kari introduced herself and said this was the first time she had ever won any thing. She was so excited about winning the workshop that she decided to press her luck and nominated her family for Oprah’s show to win “Nate’s Dream Home Makeover“. If you were there, you have to remember the morning ladies! We all laughed and said how cool that would be if she won–did any of us ever imagine that we’d be watching her on Oprah today!!

Kari took the story you read above, and she submitted it to Oprah’s website. Two weeks later, they got a call from a producer! I guess they really do read those email submissions of their website!

As you’ll see today, Kari and her family won their Dream Home Makeover! Can you believe it!! I still can’t believe this all happened to her and Dave!

So without Kari knowing, the Oprah producers contacted us for prints of the family. I had done a photoshoot with them when Ty was only six months old. But Gina Sook, our wonderful Associate Portrait photographer,

had done a session with them after they got the girls. Nate Berkus and his team wanted to display lots of prints, but the coolest part is they made a 4 ft by 5 ft canvas print of a specific shot Gina took!

We were so excited but given strict instructions to keep it a secret the last few weeks! I felt horrible b/c I couldn’t return Kari’s call for fear that I may let the secret out. :) She was probably wondering what a nut I was and why I wouldn’t call her back!

A little more back story on all this, Kari, Dave and I all went to graduate school together. We were in the same teaching program together. Kari and I were each other’s Peer Coaches when we had to do our student teaching in the local junior high and high schools (yes, it was brutal :) ). This was years ago, and she and Dave have remained dear friends–always supporting us through their prayers and encouragement.

When we heard what she and Dave were going to do by adopting her nieces, I was speechless. Can you imagine anything more giving?

This all makes me excited for our 2008 Running On Empty Contests–yes, we’re bringing the contest back for the upcoming workshops! We’ll be choosing one winner for the workshop in San Diego and one winner for the workshop in Sonoma! Be thinking of moms you can nominate who need a break because they’re running on empty! In March we’ll announce the contest start date for you to post your submission and all the guidelines! For more info on past contests, click here!

Kari, you and Dave deserve all the goodness the world has to give! We are so excited you were picked by Oprah and Nate! Brian and I love you both!

To all our readers, if you have a minute post a comment to congratulate Kari and Dave!!!

Don’t miss the show! Click here to find your local show time of today’s Oprah!

Tune in tomorrow, we have a special request that we want to bounce off all of you!

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February 11th, 2008

Watch Oprah Today!!

Tune in to Oprah TODAY, to see some of our studio’s photos on the show, presented in a way that may make you cry!!!

To find out what time The Oprah Winfrey Show is playing in your city, CLICK HERE!!!

Tomorrow we’ll give you the fun back story on how this all happened!

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February 8th, 2008

See the Trailer!!!!

The trailer is live on Oprah for their Monday show with Kari and her family!!! I’m totally dying and already crying!!!

Oh my gosh, you can’t miss it! Can someone record the show so we can get it up on the blog?! Are there any rockstars out there who can do this? :)

To see the trailer, ***click here!!!***

We love you Kari! We’ll all be watching on Monday!!!

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February 8th, 2008

Tune into Oprah!!!!!

That’s right! The title is NOT a typo!! Despite bronchitis and crazy travel schedules, we’ve been helping the Oprah Winfrey Show with a very cool surprise!! :)

Tune in to Oprah this Monday, February 11th 2008, to see some of our studio’s photos on the show, presented in a way that may make you cry!!!

The back story on how our images ended up on her show is so fun–I’ll be sure to tell you more after the show airs!

I would love to share it now, but I don’t want to ruin the show for you!

But I’ll give one hint!

If you were in our October 2007 Beginner’s Workshop for Women in Seattle, and met Kari Hale, one of the attendees AND one of the winners for the Running On Empty Award, YOU WANT TO BE SURE TO WATCH!!! :)

Be ready with your Kleenex box because the Hale family is the most dear family ever! You won’t want to miss this show!!!

To find out what time The Oprah Winfrey Show is playing in your city, CLICK HERE!!!

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February 6th, 2008

Bronchitis is no fun

Me Ra asked me to write another Blog post for her tonight.

I just finished looking at photos of Me Ra speaking at PMA for Sony and Bride/Groom Marian and Greg who we shot in LA this weekend. My brain is fried tonight, but I’ll try to post a sneak peak of Marian and Me Ra in LV tomorrow. I know Me Ra wants to talk about all of that fun, but I like to be mischievous sometimes when I can.

Oh yeah, Me Ra went to the doctor today and no wonder she’s so sick, she has Bronchitis.

She also asked me to announce our contest submission final date is this Sunday at 5 PM PST. The winner will receive a copy of Adobe Lightroom. We started using lightroom for all of our post-process work a few months ago and LOVE IT!!! Thank you Adobe!

We will also be selecting a random voter winner who will receive a copy Beyond the Green Box: Understanding your Digital Camera, Starring the smartest and most entertaining professor in the world (yours truly) and co-starring my beautiful wife Me Ra. If you’re fortunate enough to already own your own copy, then the winner will receive credit toward any of our new 101 kits coming out in March or any of our already popular kits.

Well I hope I said everything Me Ra asked me too. I’m sure I said more than I was suppose to say. ;-)

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February 4th, 2008

Back Home!

After five full days of speaking and shooting, Brian and I are so glad to be back home.

I’m fighting this horrible cold that doesn’t want to give up. So I’m going to spend some time laying low today and being with the kiddos. But I’m excited to catch you all up on how great our trip with Sony was in Vegas, as well as the wedding we shot in LA on Saturday. Good stuff!

Thanks so much for all the bday greetings to Brian! Your messages meant the world!

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