10. When your husband excuses himself to go use the restroom and doesn’t come back for twenty minutes, you don’t sweat it. You relax and order another drink.

9. A kayak trip invites great arguments, but instead of spending the rest of the night crying from how rude his critique of your kayak stroke was, you just splash the heck out of him and it’s over.

8. The French women who are topless on the beach don’t seem to make you as angry. AND, he’s wised up a bit and looks the other way….(”what topless women?…”)

7. You’re more apt to try something new together because the “newness” of a honeymoon isn’t overwhelming you. (We learned to scuba dive and rock climb on this trip, and wow, what an amazing thing to try together!)

6. You’re not in a rush to come home. For one, there are no wedding presents begging to be opened when you get home, only kids begging to be entertained.

5. At the airport you ask someone how to get to the subway. They explain with clear instruction. Then he goes searching for a map b/c he needs to “figure it out for himself”, and instead of starting an argument you just smile and let him find a map (while you head to the subway).

4. When she (this would be me) says, “I feel like we should eat dinner alone tonight b/c we haven’t connected and talked much.” He (which is Brian) decides against saying “We’ve been talking and connecting for the last FIVE days!” Instead he says, “sure, that makes sense.” And turns to roll his eyes so I can’t see (because he knows that will start me crying for sure!)

(now we’re getting into the top three…my favorites!)

3. Every time you turn around, head to dinner, head to the beach, sit and read, go rock climbing, he tells you how beautiful you are. And because you’ve had deep healing in your heart, your spirit smiles and says “i receive”.

2. Fights with each other are still as colorful as ever, but making up has never been so good. The honeymoon can’t even touch the anniversary make-up sessions.

1. The number one thing…the countless people who asked us if this was our honeymoon.

I know there are many of you who read this blog and have your own reasons of why anniversary trips have been better than your honeymoon. If you care to share, we’d love it! You can post it below in the comments!

Many photos to come and lots of catching up to do with all of you!

We’ve also got some fun announcements to make this week, like the photo contest winners!

Thanks for journeying with us to the end of the world!

We arrived home yesterday from the most amazing weekend!

It started Thursday. Brittany and Greer had their wedding festivities start on Thursday night and invited Brian and I to come early and celebrate with their friends and family at a special prelude dinner. The whole restaurant was reserved for them with a live country band and fancy dancing! (sorry no photos, just having fun that night :)) When we walked into Trail Dust, we had an incredible welcome from all their guests, it was like a reunion from Shannon and Rob’s wedding last July! I never imagined our photography would bring us such beautiful relationships!

The next day Brian and I slept in (a rare treat as parents) and had a fun lunch at a sweet bistro near the university.

Isn’t he a cutie!

Then Brian and I split up for a couple hours, and while I was checking out the local shops, a magazine editor calls to interview me for their upcoming issue! They are running a piece on tips for brides picking the right photographer. What a blast! It was kind of dreamy; strolling through a quaint neighborhood, going in and out of shops, and all the while doing this interview with the editor. Can you believe this will be our second magazine to premier our studio in 2008! Who are the magazines? We’re keeping the lid on it for a bit longer.

Later that evening, we shot Britt and Greer’s rehearsal dinner at JW Marriott.

Brian and I couldn’t figure out why there were two empty seats at the head table with Brittany, and Greer. The next day they told us those seats were reserved for us! They wanted us to sit with them at their rehearsal dinner! Can you see why we adore this family?!

Saturday was the wedding, and it was breathtaking! The family has been working around the clock for several months to prepare the piece of land for this event. They actually had 16 semi trucks come in and dump 160 tons of pea gravel!!! Can you imagine the work! They brought in water, electricity, and 100 plus bails of hay! The final result was out of a movie!

Brian and I were going nuts with all the beautiful things to shoot and the amazing surrounding of Colorado sky and country!

But the best part was the private shoot we did with Brittany and Greer.

When we showed the slideshow the whole tent started cheering “Brian and Me Ra are AWESOME!” Brian and I couldn’t stop laughing and then when I saw Brittany crying, so I totally started crying and couldn’t help but hug her and Shannon. Being able to capture something that meant so much to them means more than words can say. These two ladies, Shannon and Brittany, have been through so much in their life. To be a part of their weddings was such a honor, and every time we get to be with them, we walk away better people.

Sunday was our day with Shannon, Rob and their sweet 1 month old, Ruby Katherine. We did a 3 hour newborn shoot at their home (with lots of fun surprises–I’ll share more later :)).

Afterward, Shannon and Rob surprised us with an awesome three hour lunch. We laughed so hard my side hurt!

As Brian and I were coming home yesterday, we couldn’t stop talking about how fortunate we are to have the clients we do. Our brides and grooms never feel like clients, in fact, just the opposite. They almost feel like extended family, and we find ourselves scheming with them on how we can see each other again.

Plan A: Bring the kids back this winter and go skiing all together at their cabin in Vail! (we promise guys! we’ll make it out! –and Shannon, you can’t see any more Ruby photos until I’m done with Britt’s wedding. :))

Plan B: Not even going to go there! (all our love to the whole gang; Britt, Greer, Shannon, Rob, Jim, Megan, Tim, Lindsey, Irene, Buck, ALL the beautiful and hilarious bridesmaids, (and Megan, I know you’re reading! Where is your comment? love, Me Ra and Brian)

Last night we had our monthly photography meeting (PUG-Pictage User Group), and we decided to celebrate the season being more than half over with yummy martinis; Green Apple Martinis, Lemon Drop Martinis, Dirty Martinis…you name it, Brian mixed it up. (Just like Tom Cruise in Cocktail! :))

It was our first and is for sure going to be an annual Martini Garden Party event! We had door prizes, Michael brought his whole DJ set up and sweet vintage microphone. He has got to be the BEST DJ out there–besides the nicest guy! Check his site out if you need a DJ!

Who knows what the neighbors thought!

Here’s Ron, Laurel and Jen! It was Jen’s first time last night to one of our groups (we loved having you Jen!)!

And this last photo is seriously scaring me! Pascaline and Blaze went WILD on all the sugar, and at one point, Pascaline was actually mixing martinis. I’m seriously scared those two took little sips of their own (see my FYI not below). Here’s Pascaline dancing on the couch! The highlight is when she asked Ron if he shoots Nikon or Canon. That’s our girl!

Thanks for coming guys! It was such a great group with so many laughs! Ron Storer, these photos you caught are AWESOME! He’s also got more on his blog! And I think we hit a record of the last few people leaving at almost 2am!

FYI: For those of you who don’t know us well, Pascaline took one turn at shaking the mixer. And the kids didn’t take any martini sips, but they did eat a ton of dessert, and they did dance on the couch (and the dancing on the couch is often a daily thing which Pascaline wants me to learn to appreciate—she’s serious.)

It’s finally out on stands! Check it out!

Shannon and Rob’s wedding feature turned out AWESOME!!

Yeah Shannon!

It’s crazy at how you can spend months, even a year, on certain projects and then they all end up happening in the same month…July 2007!

Here’s where to look this month!

On TV: We just got word that our wedding, VH1 filmed last July, is finally going to air! The title of the show is My Big Fat Fabulous Wedding. Our couple, Erica and Shae, are actually a part of the commercial that is airing.

We aren’t sure what night their wedding will be, but the series of six weddings (one each week) starts on Thursday, July 26, 2007, at 10pm ET/PT. We are super excited!

In Print: Pacific Rim Weddings,

a breath taking national magazine, accepted one of our California weddings

for a feature spread this month! I have loved this magazine for years, so it’s an incredible honor to have our work featured! And a huge congratulations to Shannon and Rob! Plus, I have to do a shout out to David Aten of David and Co. He’s one of the most incredible event planners we’ve ever worked with! His talent and expertise helped their wedding unfold into something out of a movie!

Seattle Bride, a wonderful regional magazine, accepted another one of our local weddings for their July issue as well! Congratulations Angela and Mark!!

(two magazines running our work in the same month is a crazy first! :))

In Editorial: If your local, check out the Business Examiner this week. (this is a fun story!) The city has an annual award given to the top 40 entrepreneurs under 40 years of age. A woman who saw me speak on my book 5 or 6 years ago has kept up with our website and blog. Without us knowing or having talked with her, she nominated us. I’m told a couple hundred are nominated, and we are thrilled to be one of the top 40 entrepreneurs this year!

Phew!

In DVD: It’s so fun to get your emails as many of you are receiving the DVD 1, Refuse to Say Cheese! I can’t tell you how great it is to hear that you guys are loving it! Keep sending us your feedback (mera@merakoh.com)! And spread the word to your friends, to order here!

DVD 2, Beyond the Green Box, coming soon!

I’m off to hit Borders and find these magazines! (Brian, we need to celebrate! Let’s call a babysitter!)

Two part post today both having to do with things fireworks inspire, like kissing. Brian knows this well since he kissed me for the first time eleven years ago today. (and the fireworks are still going off) It seems they went off when John and Lauren kissed too!

Part 2 is three different exercises to try when capturing fireworks tonight with your cameras. Enjoy!

Part 1–John and Lauren!

When John first called me a year ago about our wedding photography, we spent over an hour on the phone. It was a marathon conversation, and he later told me that he’s never talked to anyone that long! We were meant to become good friends!

John and Lauren have this fantastic, funky style about them. They wanted their engagement shoot done in an alley in Santa Monica, CA. Their wedding reception was in a fantastic garage in LA. They had awesome invitations made that fold out on all sides.

My favorite is the last insert in their invitation! How cool is this!

When Brian and I showed up for their wedding, they had a big surprise for us! It was their wedding day, and they were excited to give us a surprise!

Instead of programs at the ceremony, they had their cousin design a retro style Playbill for the reception. Inside was a full page ad of our wedding photography! How can you not be speechless with clients like this!

Yesterday, I spent almost three hours on their slideshow. I got way to hyper focused in wanting it to be perfect. I’m so excited for you to see it! John and Lauren’s wedding was incredible. I think I cried half a dozen times while working on the slideshow and remembering how special this event was for Brian and I (which is probably why it took so long!).

Brian and i love you John and Lauren! We can’t wait to be back in LA and see you two again!

**Click here** to see John and Lauren’s Slideshow!

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Part 2–Capturing the Fireworks with Your Camera!

This second part was a last minute post, and Lori Momberg was so great to send me a couple of her fireworks photos. Lori and her husband are wedding photographers based out of Minnesota, you’ll have to check out their great site!

I love how Lori has the tree line and water reflection in this image! If you can manage some foreground stuff like this it really accentuates the fireworks in the sky. But how do we shoot these in the first place? Lots of different ways. Here’s two! (actually three if you’re up to it!)

One way to get firework photos is to…

1. Set your camera on AV or A mode. This means aperture priority, where you decide how blurry your background is. Since we’re wanting fireworks, we want more detail than any thing else. So bump up your aperture to somewhere between an F11 to F16.

2. A while back I did a tips post on ISO. The lower your ISO (or what we once knew as film speed), the richer your color. We want deep, rich colors for this shot, so bring your ISO down to 100 (canon) or 200 (nikon).

3. If you have a tripod great, set it up! If you don’t have a tripod or have two kids under six to manage (like me) use a table top. Since you set your camera in AV or A mode, your camera will determine how long your shutter needs to stay open to record the light from the fireworks.

4. When you see the fireworks go off, push your shutter release button (the button you push when you’re taking photos), gently let go, and let the shutter stay open as long as it needs too. When you hear the click, that means the shutter closed. It may take a few long seconds for the image to record before you can view it in on the back of your camera.

5. Is the image dark? Look at your image, click your info button and see what the camera decided the shutter speed should be. Switch from AV mode to Manuel (M). (you can do this! stick with me!) Set your aperture at the f-stop you chose (somewhere between F11 to F16), and then adjust your shutter speed so it stays open longer than what the camera had decided. Example, you took the photo in AV mode. The camera decided to stay open for 4 seconds. But it wasn’t long enough because the image is to dark. Move to Manuel, set your aperture back, set the shutter to stay open for 6 seconds (two seconds longer) and try again.

6. Is the image to bright? You basically do what we did in step 5, except this time you adjust your shutter so it DOESN’T stay open as long. If your photo was to bright or overexposed, the shutter stayed open to long and let to much light in. We just need to speed that shutter speed up a bit. Maybe have it stay open for 1 second instead of 4 seconds.

(I hope this makes sense, and isn’t to confusing! Brian dresses up as Professor T in DVD 2, and does a great skit on understanding shutter speed. I almost pee my pants, every time I watch it. You’ll love it!)

Okay, here’s a second way to try this…

1. Set your ISO to 100.

2. Set your camera on Manuel mode.

3. Set your aperture to F11 or F16. Remember, the higher the number in our aperture, the more detail we have.

4. Set your shutter speed to 4 seconds long.

5. When the fireworks go off, click your button, wait for the shutter to close.

6. Check to see if it’s to bright or to dark and then just adjust your shutter speed accordingly.

You don’t need a tripod for these shots. Lori said she held her camera in between her knees and tried to keep really still.

Idea number three! (you’re getting me excited for tonight!)

Pictures of your kids playing with sparklers!

1. Set your ISO to 100.

2. Set your camera in Manuel mode.

3. Set your aperture to F8.

4. Set your shutter speed to 1 second.

5. Have your little one twirl their sparkler in front of your camera while the shutter is open (make sure the camera is on a table or something that isn’t going to move).

You should see a trail of light for every direction they twirled their sparkler. If not, slow your shutter speed down even more. This can be a ton of fun!

Okay, you seriously better send me what you get!

Have a wonderful 4th of July!

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To learn more about me visit About Me Ra.

For information on Me Ra’s popular photography workshops and DVD series for parents, visit DVD series and “Documenting a Child’s Life.”

To see our day job, visit our website.

Some of our friends are putting together a new non-profit website for couples. The website is called Love is a Choice. I love it already! Check it out and see what’s in the works.

From what I understand, they’re going to have lots of interviews with married couples sharing tips to how they’ve stayed married along the way. There’s nothing better than hearing you’re not alone from another couple. In fact, there was a time in our marriage when we were going through some extreme trauma. Out of nowhere, three different couples, who didn’t know each other, took us under their wing and invited us out to dinner multiple times. Each couple had been married for over fifty years. What overwhelmed our friends was peanuts to these guys. Seeing our trauma next to couples who had been married for over fifty years was the best medicine to help us get through that storm in our marriage.

I have a little, little soap box and then I’ll stop. There isn’t enough talk in the wedding industry about how to keep couples married after the big day. And marriage is hard! We all need ALL the help we can get so we can reap the amazing benefits of sticking it out. I’m so excited for our photography friends to be supporting this website. I hope it encourages some of you as it’s encouraging me.

To end with a little story (true story). When Brian asked me to marry him, I said I would only marry him if we went to professional counseling together (none of this pastoral counseling stuff–our baggage was a bit heavy for that). He now tells people that he said he’d only stay married to me if we stayed in counseling.

Twelve years later, we’ve got the same counselor and an amazing marriage.

Tough at times? Very.

Worth it? Absolutely!

We are finally back home! A pot of homemade soup never tasted so good! Our flight came in Sunday night from an amazing four days in Dallas. We shot Stephen and Erica Hayes wedding in Carrollton, TX and the next day turned around and did a photography workshop. Sunday morning we went to Pastor Mike and Kathy Hayes church to hear a sermon that felt like it had been inspired by my recent journaling! What a gift their family is to us, especially their daughter Amie (my kindred spirit)! Brian and I have even been invited to document their orphanage in Nicaragua, we can hardly wait. (and it’s still a secret, but we got the okay for Pascaline to join us! can you imagine an experience like that at 6 1/2 years old! we’re so excited!)

But on to “Off Camera Lighting Demystified!”

SO, I’ve been intimidated most my photography life by off camera lighting. Why? I think some guy told me once that’s it REALLY complicated, and I just believed him. But that excuse doesn’t work any more as of this year! Every year I pick one thing to really fine tune. Last year it was color. I had a blast trying new things and getting out of my comfort zone. This year I decided on off camera lighting–the whole strobe, transmitting signals to fire flashes elsewhere thingy.

I started with the getting ready photos. To Brian’s surprise, I grabbed the light stand, opened the umbrella, pointed my flash right into it, and then hid the umbrella and flash behind Erica’s dresses. Check out the results!! I’m so excited!

You wouldn’t even guess that it was the middle of the day, and the room was fully lit. But since I fired the flash from behind her dress it illuminated all of them. In post process, I up’d the contrast to make it a bit more dramatic.

When we shoot destination weddings, we often have extra time b/c we figure that even though their package said we’d shoot for nine hours, why not stay for fourteen and get some fun shots. Let’s just say, I went crazy with lighting. Here’s her shoe shot!

I hope it’s okay to share how I did this and that by sharing the secret I’m not ruining the image for you. But I just think you’d have such fun playing with your flashes too if you felt encouraged.

For the shoe image, I gathered all her tulling and set her shoes on top. I had Brian hold the flash underneath her tulling so when it fired her tulling lit up like a high key lighting studio shot. So fun!

But here’s my favorite!

I’m going crazy over this image!!! We set up a light stand, pointed the umbrella at the back of the singer’s head, fired two flashes into the umbrella and VOILA!! How fun is that!

Are you intimidated by flashes or off camera lighting? If so, you can totally do this! Grab your flash, set your camera up so it fires a signal (Pocket Wizards are the BEST for this!) to your flash, and then put your flash somewhere, anywhere, and just try it out. The only way to learn is by trying and making a lot of mistakes along the way. But before you know it, you’ll start getting a better understanding of light and the direction of light, and you’ll blow yourself away!

If you have any other questions about the above shots, feel free to post them!

p.s. It’s good to be home and back on the blog with all of you! Upcoming this week is a video Brian and I made while on location and TX (just for you! :)), wedding photos from Cincinnati, and more tips!

Since I did a Top Limo Tip from 2006, I thought I’d share a Top Music Tip from 2006.

This summer we shot a wedding in Sonoma, CA at a small vineyard tucked in the hillside. You can check out Shannon and Rob’s slideshow here. They were such a great couple, and on a side note, Shannon is flying in from Colorado for our workshop this month! (Yeah!!!) But back to the music tip, the wedding’s scenery, decor, weather–all of it was dreamy. And the music definitely topped it off.

Shannon and Rob had Trio Solea, a group that specializes in Flamenco and Latin guitar, come and play for the day. The music was so good I found myself gravitating toward them so I could take in their music and dance a bit myself. It was the BEST I’d ever heard.

The guys of Trio Solea were kind enough to give me a CD of their work, and I think we listened to it non stop for the whole summer. If you go to their website you can hear some of their sound samples (they’re pretty awesome!).

Trio Solea is based out of the Napa Valley, but they also travel! Enjoy!

I’m either really tired, or my blog title actually rhymes!

If you need to rent a limo for your wedding, you have to call British Motor Coach! And ask specifically for Matt Lau to be your driver!

Matt was the driver for Mark and Angela’s winter wedding, and he was amazing! He not only made GREAT suggestions of where to take us for good photos, but he knew ALL the in’s and out’s of where to park in downtown Seattle, how to get the car in and out fast, and where the best brick alley is!

Matt’s personality was great! He poured the Angela and Mark champagne and treated Angela like a princess. Honestly, he was a huge part to making their day wonderful.

The number to call is 206-283-6600. Tell them you heard about us on our blog! I told Matt I’d do this because of how much I loved working with him, but I don’t think he believed me! Seattle Bride magazine is taking their votes for BEST VENDORS in 2006, and you can bet we’re voting for British Motor Coach! If you’ve experienced how great they are, you can vote for them too! (no, they’re not paying me to say all this, I just LOVED working with them, and loved how much joy they brought our couple!)

I’m telling all our Seattle brides to use Matt! Trust me, we’ve seen a lot of drivers, and Matt Lau was AMAZING. Plus, the British Motor Coach is so classy, you can’t go wrong!