Thailand | Me Ra Koh Photography Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Thailand’

March 22nd, 2010

MamaBloo Photo Tale: The Technical versus The Soul

For those of you who have been following Me Ra and Brian’s Thailand Adventures Part Deux, you know – like I do – what an amazing (both in good and bad ways) trip it has been so far.

I gotta tell ya, I had been working on a photo tale to share with you all that was about lighting. But, after reading what has been going on in Thailand and Cambodia, it just wasn’t working for me to think about the technical aspects of photography right now. I have been so inspired by the SOUL of photography after reading Me Ra’s posts.

And, frankly, my family and I have been put through the ringer these last few weeks. Oh, nothing like almost perishing on an airplane or facing the harrowing reality of orphans being sold on the street for $10. And especially nothing like facing some crazy jungle fever! But the kind of “stop and take stock” that is uncomfortable. I described it on MamaBloo as losing my OOMPH. But the bottom line is that it looks like my days as a Stay at Home Mom may be over. I knew they would come to an end someday and I absolutely acknowledge and embrace what a gift the past five years has been. But I haven’t been ready to jump back into working full time, and with a 12 month old at home, my heart just feels on the verge of breaking when I think about leaving her. I mean, like big chunks of my heart falling off of my soul.

So, I picked up my camera. Hoping it would soothe me.

I looked at my baby girl and there she was dressed in her brother’s hand-me-down tie dye shirt, our only green option for St. Patrick’s Day:

And then I went back through my 100s and 100s of pictures. Looking for just the right ones. The ones that said, “this is my baby… my Emme.”

And I realized something.

That even if my white balance isn’t right:

Or the lighting isn’t the best.

Or something just isn’t quite a masterpiece:

Or I still need to work on how to set all the dials and knobs on my camera:

I can still capture the soul of my child.

And that is just what I needed to know.

(Stay tuned – that Photo Tale on lighting is still coming!)

19 Comments »
Tags: Photo Tips, Thailand

February 11th, 2010

MamaBloo Photo Tale: Turning The “Story” on its Ear

I feel like if you give me a laptop, a cup-o-coffee, and some time alone, I can tell a pretty good story. Better yet, put me among friends, feed me, and give me the floor and I can PERFORM a good story.

But I am still working on telling the story with my camera.

I am probably being hard on myself. Ugh, I say. Do I have to “tell the story” or can I just line the kids up, put the camera settings on the dreaded green box, and yell “SAY CHEESE” and snap the picture.

I know, I know… I can just hear Me Ra’s gasp, can’t you???

What’s a mom to do?

Outsourcing.

So, I handed my $900 camera to my 4 year old son, Ty. “YOU take the pictures today,” I say. He beams. I give him a quick lesson on the basics – viewfinder, thingy on back to look at the picture he just took, camera strap (a must!). Then I set the camera on aperature priority and I turned on all the lights in our house and opened the curtains wide. And I let him tell HIS OWN STORY.

Then I got out of his way.

How he sees the world made me stop. One time a while back my then-8-year-old, Izzy said, “Adults get wrapped up in the craziest things sometimes.” And that quote came to mind when I looked at Ty’s shots.

What he saw was not what I would have photographed. But it was worth my time. A fleeting moment of Daddy re-filling the ketchup bottle.

Mommy’s Desk.

Mommy, working on her blog and not looking her best. But he tells me that I am the “prettiest mommy in the whole world.” Het tells me I am “wonderful pretty.”

Part of a toy.

As Me Ra and Brian head back to Thailand, I think back to a post she wrote on how the people in Thailand really SEE kids and that Blaze noticed this. He said he “felt invisible” in America.

Then I thought, THIS is what my son sees. This is his world. This is the story he chose to tell with the camera. Although I have a need to photograph him from top to bottom AND in such a way that my love for him somehow translates into digital pixels, that is purely MY need. HIS need is for ME to see his world the way he sees it. And, today I did because I handed him my camera. Today, photography taught me to slow down and really think about my child, my baby boy, and how he must see the world from only a few feet off the ground.

He turned my paradigm of “Telling the Story” on its ear. And I am so glad he did. Because I think I’ll go a bit easier on myself next time I pick up my camera. It’s not just about me afterall…

Click here to read Me Ra’s post mentioned above about Blaze feeling invisible.

Come visit me at MamaBloo and check in with my other tales!

12 Comments »
Tags: Kids, Photo Tips, Photography, Thailand

October 21st, 2009

Come See Us in NYC the next FOUR DAYS at PDN’s International Photo Plus Expo!

I was up at 4am this morning for the third time this week. For those of you who get up at that time every morning, I don’t know how you do it! We’ve packed this little family up, and we are in flight to NYC for a BIG week! It’s PDN’s International Photo Plus Expo this week at the Jacob Javitz Convention Center!

I love this photography conference because every type of photography is represented here from editorial to fashion to wedding to National Geographic to portrait, you name it! AND, if your looking to buy new gear or accessories, these expos always have some of the BEST deals!

I’ll be doing a handful of different things, so it would be GREAT to meet you if you can make it. On Saturday, I’m doing a two hour session for ALL levels. The title is Keep the Memories Alive with Visual Storytelling. I’m really looking forward to this talk b/c I’ll be sharing a lot of Thailand images and talking about working with kids, whether your a parent or portrait photographer. I’ve purposely made this session open to ALL LEVELS. Even if you only own a Point and Shoot, come and be inspired! Good News: The cost is minimal, and you can sign up online or at the door.

Title: Keep the Memories Alive with Visual Storytelling

Date: Saturday: 1:15pm-3:15pm

Location: Jacob Javitz Convention Center, Room SB2

I’ll also be doing four 1 hour long sessions on the trade show floor at the Sony Booth #618 with a live model shoot. I would LOVE to meet you if you can make it to the trade show floor.

Here are the times I’ll be speaking on the trade show floor;

Friday: 9:45am, 12:45pm, and 3:45pm

Saturday: 11am

I encourage you whole heartedly to also see the other Sony Artisans of Imagery. All six of us will be presenting at the Sony booth, including Matthew Jordan Smith talking about his celebrity fashion shoots! A couple of the Artisans are also National Geographic photographers and FASCINATING to listen to. Christina Mittermier shoots all over the world with a focus on environment projects. She will be wonderful to hear. Seriously, you could just camp out at the Sony booth all day. I won’t be speaking on Thursday, but we’ll be there to hang out and meet some of you if can make it.

As you walk up the cement steps that lead into the Jacob Javitz Convention Center, see if you spot a Sony banner of Blaze with his slingshot.

But the week doesn’t end with speaking.

Thursday night, Sony is hosting a huge event with American Photo. They are throwing an invitation only party for 800 people at the Aperture Gallery. PDN’s International Photo Plus Expo is one of the main annual events where new cameras, lenses, accessories (you name it) are announced to the market. This year Sony has decided to do something different, and they are going ALL out with Sony Style! First, they are hosting the Sony World Photography Awards Global Tour.

Two, Photo Plus Expo marks the one year anniversary for the Sony Artisans of Imagery program. Instead of making the hype only around products, they are highlighting the six of us Artisans!

We were invited to send them six images that had a theme from a personal project we’ve worked on this year, specifically using the Alpha 900. All our photography projects are different and going to be on exhibit for two weeks at the prestigious Aperture Gallery. They will be revealed to the press and 800 guests Thursday night. My stomach is FULL of butterflies over this event. I’m so excited to see our images on exhibit. My project is called Dreaming. It’s based on the gifts I learned from our Thailand trip. I even got to include an essay with it that will be posted alongside the images. After the event, I’ll post the images and essay up so you can all experience it.

Sony has also made behind the scenes videos of each Artisan, so they’ll be revealing those to the public too. Brian and I are so excited! And did I mention that Brian is the best husband in the world. He bought me a beautiful, black, sparkly necklace and matching bracelet to wear Thursday night with my dress.

As I type this on the plane, guess who is sitting next to me? You’d never guess, so I’ll just tell you. My lawyer! Jennifer Wing has been the most phenomenal lawyer for our business the last several years. And in the midst of all our work together, she has also become a dear friend. We invited her to come join us Thursday night to see what her hard work helps us do. I feel like a little slice of home is coming with us.

If you can make it, post a comment, ping me on Facebook or shoot us an email. I would love to meet!

Wish us luck! We will keep you posted!

Me Ra

p.s. As I race the clock with my laptop battery, I’m working a blog for tomorrow that answers ALL your questions regarding the Unexpected Image from yesterday and how I captured it. Great questions. I think we need to talk about Depth of Field, and then how I got the image will make much more sense. So hopefully I have enough juice in this battery to make it happen for tomorrow.

p.s.s. For those of you who have been following the blog for a few years, remember when I did the post about flying to NY on a whim to meet Sony? Isn’t it crazy how much has happened?! Thanks for supporting me all the way. I bring you all in my hearts to the awards night. xoxoxo

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ONE Spot left! CLICK HERE !

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!

8 Comments »
Tags: 101 Kit, Art, Beyond the Green Box, Business, Facebook, fashion, Kids, Photographer, Photography, Refuse to Say Cheese, Sony, Speaking, Thailand

October 8th, 2009

When All Holds are Loosed, What Words Come Out?

I woke up in the dark this morning. The house was quiet. I felt the water calling me–calling me to untwist, stretch and glide. I went in faith. The cold pool was almost baptismal in how it shocked me into waking. As I swam, the smallest and deepest of knots undid themselves. My mind started to wash clean, and I felt like I could breathe. It’s funny how I remembered how to breathe underwater this morning. Now it was time to write.

I wanted to share this piece below with you. I thought it might be fun. In the morning, I try to write 3 pages (some mornings I miss it, but the mornings I make it are ever worth it). I come to the paper and pen with a desire to clear my slate. I’m always amazed with how much is on my mind first thing in the morning. Did I realize I was going to bed with so many thoughts?

My morning pages often become exercises where I dump all the things that are weighing heavy on me–so I can get to the writing and creative work I love most. But this time, I decided to try something different. I decided to write whatever images came to mind, as fast as they came to mind, and see where the trail of my subconscious would lead. It was my own exercise in loosing the holds that tie me down. This is what came out. (little note: This was a free write–Writing as fast as I could without editing along the way–always a bit scary to share. )

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Write your love and voice and feel it come up through your throat, a throaty spew of words that come from a place below your bowels. Write like that and feel all this madness untangle and drift in front of you before heading down river. Write and watch the words explode like popcorn, fuller and livelier, consumable. Write and feel yourself wake up, that back room of your brain that the editor keeps padlocked.

The lock is undone, the back door is open. You are wondering how to get out, but your already out–running as fast as the starlings soar. Write and feel your pen run across the tops of your words–leaping, flying and then landing only for a fraction of a second to gain momentum to leap again. Write and feel your insides calm.

Feel your left brain start to fall asleep and your right brain flip the switch to the carnival lights. Go round the carousel as many times as you want, as many times as you can before you get sick. Jump. Leap. Free fall before you let the sickness catch you. Then run again through a long wherehouse of ribbons, ribbons of every color, rolled out, suspended, stretched, hanging like noodles over your head. Run through the colors and feel their textures, feel their vibrance, feel their movement, feel their darkness. Take a smudge of the dark and define the light’s shape to find a doorway from the wherehouse of ribbons to the jungles of Thailand.

Swing with the monkeys, call out before sunrise with the Gibbons. Call louder the 2nd and 3rd time, awakening the jungle inside you–your creative mind. Remember the padlock to the back door is gone, and your creative is already free.

Time to find her. Hide and seek never felt so necessary. Seeking her out in the night, surrounded by the tall evergreens, unable to hear her footsteps because the river’s song keeps washing the sound away. But keep looking. Look in the obscure places to find her in the obvious place–by the campfire, warming herself, dethawing, and hoping to spend the next few hours drawing horses with the stars shapes. Hoping to do it with you.

There she is by the fire. You sit for the first time, unable to catch a deep breath, but time is moving still and she takes your hand and asks you to stretch the imagination–stretch as far as you can–sweat begins to bead on your forehead. You are straining to stretch, the padlock is coming back. The more you strain, the louder the lock clangs against the cement floor.

Up she takes you. Up into the stars. Up where the sky is endless. The stars are moving, burning and inviting as you find yourself transfixed by their light. There are no limits that you can fathom or understand here. A big laugh starts to gurgle inside you and falls out of you, throwing you here and there like a balloon losing its air.

And you find yourself deflated on the cold concrete. Smaller in size than you ever knew. And just as you begin to fear the newfound truth, you here your creative giggle. She is here. Waving to you. Inviting you to run with her again. To fill yourself up again. To fall in love with the filling and emptying and soaring and deflating and filling all over again. Run. Catch her. This is the most alive you know how to be!

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Thanks for reading along–for being a safe community to share free writes with. Free writes are scary to share, if ever shared.

I hope you catch your creative self today, if only for minutes. And whether you feel full, empty, soaring or deflated–you would take comfort in the fact that you are alive in the process–the creative process.

xoxoxo,

Me Ra

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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!

17 Comments »
Tags: 101 Kit, Art, Beyond the Green Box, Business, Exercise, Photography, Refuse to Say Cheese, Thailand, Writing

July 13th, 2009

Hear the Background Stories Behind Our Photography Business!

Today is our 12 year wedding anniversary!

Image of Me Ra and Brian from Me Ra Koh Photography

I can’t believe it’s been 12 years since I walked down the aisle with Brian crying up front , and me smiling the biggest smile ever. What an intense road it’s been. At times we didn’t know if we’d make it, or how we would make it. But I’m so glad we never gave up and kept calling the family counselor. We are truly reaping the rewards from 13 years of prayer and marital counseling (yes, I did make Brian start when we were engaged. But you aren’t that surprised. ) With all the travel we’ve got happening, we’re going to escape a few blocks away to a quiet restaurant for dinner tonight. Before I say anything more, “I love you honey. No one could ask for a more wonderful husband.”

In the midst of our anniversary, I’m excited to share a special interview podcast with you. I feel like it’s perfect timing for today because this interview isn’t so much about our “photography techniques” but more the stories of what has gone on in the background and how we got to where we are.

Scott Anderson, producer of FOLIO, asked if he could interview us for his podcast. I love the subtitle of FOLIO. It’s “Conversations with Creatives”. And that is exactly what this was. Brian and I tucked the kids into bed, Scott called us and for the next hour we had a rich and wonderful conversation about living a creative life. Scott focused a lot of the interview on our daily life, the “glue”, that keeps our family going and the business growing. We talk about Sony and some of our Thailand stories which was a blast.

Scott has a handful of great interviews to listen to. We hope you enjoy not only the one with me and Brian but the others too. And I have to say, I especially like the thoughts Brian shared toward the end about being a dad and the demands/wants a dad has. That part almost made me cry.

SPECIAL NOTE: Just to be sensitive to all those who may listen, this is an interview to enjoy when young children aren’t around. I share some pretty heavy things about my past, and I wouldn’t want those little ears to hear something that is to old for them. Thanks for understanding.

CLICK HERE to listen! Hope you enjoy! Exciting announcements below!

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We only have THREE spots left for the CONFIDENCE DC Photography Workshop for Women! CLICK HERE to read ALL the details, see the schedule and get your spot!

DEADLINE for the Vacation: Depth of Field Photo Contest is July 31st! To enter your Vacation: Depth of Field image, read all the details by CLICKING HERE! We’re excited to see what you enter! We’ve got some fun images coming in! If you’ve already read about this contest and know what type of picture to submit, go ahead and CLICK HERE so you ENTER TODAY!!!

24 Comments »
Tags: Art, Business, Contest, Kids, Photography, Sony, Thailand, Travel

June 24th, 2009

Headed to Pictage Headquarters Today!

This morning we packed the kids up, kissed Prince Phillip–the cat and Rosie–our Golden Retriever, gave the house sitters the keys, and headed to the airport. We are en route to begin a two week journey with the kids. Part of the trip is for business and part for pleasure, and a BIG part is going down to a small town in Southern CA for a big, secret Sony project that is going to be amazing.

But today it starts with Pictage headquarters.

Pictage is the online, pro lab we use for all our prints. The company has a new CEO, Jim Collins, and the word on the street is that he is awesome.

He took his new position when we were in Thailand, and so some of you have probably already met him. If you have, what did you think?

Jim has set aside two hours to sit and meet with me and Brian, AND the Pictage crew finally gets to meet our kids face to face. I’m excited to hear what Jim is planning with the company. We owe a lot to Pictage and the former VP, Jeff Jochum. Those two forces combined helped get us on the map in the wedding world of speaking and tradeshow conferences. If anything Pictage is about community. If you’ve never been to a Partner Con (Pictage conference), you MUST go! I think the next one is going to happen in New Orleans this November! If 10,000 photographers at WPPI stresses you out, Partnercon is the next best thing. Smaller classes, lots of one on one connections with the speakers, great networking–Partnercon rocks.

You can also check out Pictage’s blog by CLICKING HERE! They have fun and informative podcast interviews with industry photographers. They also have a new service called Pictage Lite. If your photography business is in the beginning stages, and you don’t need something as robust as all the Pictage services, you can try Pictage Lite. (And our 2009 workshop attendees will get the first year free as a gift from Pictage!)

Tonight we’re going to head over to Disneyland to see the fireworks! Kids have never been to Disneyland. We’re excited about that. You should hear Blaze talk a million miles an hour regarding the “happiest place on earth”!

We also have meetings this week with entertainment agents, product licensing companies and more! Then we head to the big Sony project. (oooh, the anticipation of being able to tell you all the news is killing me!)

But in the midst of it all, we haven’t forgot about Virginia’s slideshow! Stay tuned, it’s ALMOST DONE!! YEAH!!! And I know I keep saying it, but the DC workshop details are almost there! The kids are so excited to see the White House! And we’re so excited to meet all of you!

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Want to learn more about Aperture and Shutter Speed? Check out our DVD series! The 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!

11 Comments »
Tags: 101 Kit, Art, Beyond the Green Box, Business, Kids, Photographer, Photography, Refuse to Say Cheese, Sony, Speaking, Thailand

May 13th, 2009

Vote and Win! Top FIVE FINALISTS for the Simple Gift Photo Contest!

We’ve got a Photo Contest for you to vote on today, AND the winner of the Mother’s Day story!

A big thanks to all the moms who shared their Mother’s Day stories. I loved reading them all! Some had me laughing so hard and others made me cry! Some were down right inspiring, and wow, some of you need to take a day off after working so hard on YOUR day! Do you know how amazing and beautiful you all are?

The one story I still can’t get over is by Katie Jordan . Did you read her story about how they had to take the oven apart to get their artichoke frittata out of it? It’s HILARIOUS! The woman needs to take her, her hubbie and mom out for a latte after that craziness! Katie, thanks for sharing! Email Genie, at genie@merakoh.com, with your address, and we’ll get the Starbucks card off to you! To read Katie’s whole story (and it’s so worth it for a good laugh), check out yesterday’s blog post.

On to the Photo Contest Finalists! Time to VOTE!!

Some of you forgot. Some of have been waiting. Some of you have no idea what I’m talking about! But here we are! It’s time to start doing our Photo Contests again!

Your about to see the TOP FIVE FINALISTS for the Simple Gifts Photo Contest!!

Does everyone remember how to do this?

You have a couple ways to win! If your a finalist, you can win be receiving the most votes. You will have THREE, not two, (I added a new prize) but THREE prizes to choose from! See details below!

If your a Voter, you can win by voting! It’s that simple. Because we cherish our voters and their feedback, we will pick TWO Random Voters to win prizes too! AND, if we CLEAR 500 VOTES, one of those Random Voters gets to claim Lightroom 2.0 as a prize! Nice huh! All you have to do is post your vote and give the photographer some positive feedback on why you liked their photo the best.

You can check by this Monday to see if you were one of the TWO Random Voters!)

But for now, let’s welcome these talented photographers and their inspiring work.

The theme was Simple Gifts. You were invited to submit an image that somehow conveys the theme of Simple Gifts. A theme that is this open can be good and tough at the same time. Check out what our finalists submitted!

Finalist #1, The Wedding Gift, by Laura from Grand Rapids, Michigan

Laura submitted an image of an incredibly touching Simple Gift. When she and her husband were married, Laura’s dad gave her this heart shaped box. For a dad to “make” a gift for his kids, wow, that alone is moving. Her father took the time to cut out images of his favorite father/daughter moments throughout the years. He cut each image out in the shape of this heart box and wrote notes on the back. Not only did Laura receive one of the most amazing wedding presents in the world, she did a wonderful job at capturing the heart shaped box.

I love how her dad’s inscription is lit on the heart shaped box. The sepia tone adds to the timeless that the gift possesses. And I love how she created drama with the blurred background of the bottom half of the heart shaped box. Laura, thank you so much for sharing such a special part of your life with us. The gift and the image you captured are both beautiful!

Finalist #2, “You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out!” by Michelle Sidles, Washington

Michelle and her family were headed to California for Christmas when the Blizzard of 08 hit. Their flight was canceled last minute, and they had zero food in the refrigerator and zero gifts for under the tree. That night she and her husband scrambeled to find something they could wrap and put under the tree. She said her son would have never dreamed of asking for his own BB gun b/c of the whole thing “You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out”, but they decided to surprise him. I can’t imagine how surprised he must have been. Some of my younger brother’s best memories are when they would hike with our grandpa through the trees in Eastern WA practicing their aim with the BB guns.

The image can be a bit startling at first if you didn’t grow up with BB guns. But I love how striking it is. It is so obvious that this boy is in love with his BB gun. It may have been the only thing under the tree, but I think he’s okay with it. I love how the target practice is set up behind him. I love how the image is horizontal, almost square shaped, and every thing in the image adds to the story. There isn’t any thing we see in the image that shouldn’t be there. Michelle, great job! Thanks so much for submitting! Check out Michelle’s blog too!

Finalist #3, Siblings, by Denise from Arizona!

Denise said her Simple Gift was siblings. She has recently been reflecting on how much her brother means to her. In her submission, she wrote; “No one on earth lived my childhood with me, and saw things that I saw at that time–except my brother.” It’s so simple, and yet so true. Her submission is perfect for the Simple Gift Photo Contest. Denise also said that since she wasn’t able to take a picture with her brother, she decided to submit this image. Here are four brothers with their dogs in the back of the truck. And I want to add, “without a care in the world”.

Denise, I LOVE how all four brothers have different focal points. What a great story you have captured! Yes, they are brothers and growing up together, but they all have different views of their childhood. I also love how you composed the shot with the different places they are each sitting, standing, leaning, etc. The dogs are a great touch. Way to go. Adding pets isn’t always easy! And Denise has her own beautiful website! Check it out! There are two shots of mom pregnant and then holding baby that are priceless. Beautiful work Denise!

Finalist #4, F 2.8, by Michelle from Wisconsin!

Michelle said that her Simple Gift idea is photography. And the way she has created this message is incredibly simple but striking. In her email she wrote that she wanted to portray the gift of photography “simply but with a little whimsy”. I think she pulled it off beautifully!

She used her daughter’s blocks to spell out her favorite aperture: F 2.8. (Can I get an AMEN everyone!) The lighting is great on this image with the white tile floor and the blurred wall color behind. Both of these elements add to the clean feeling this image gives. Michelle, did you shoot this image at a 2.8? Thanks so much Michelle for submitting your image! Your gift was one that so many of us can appreciate, but your idea of how to portray this was so original! I just love it! Michelle also has an awesome website and blog that you must see, especially her Public Enemies gallery. That is super fun to look through!

Finalist #5, Daily Treat, by Katie from Mississippi!

Katie submitted this image of her son feeding his horse a carrot. She said that every day her horse gets to look forward to this Simple Gift. What a great idea for a photo submission. I love a number of things about this image. I love how the little boy is centered in the bottom half. I don’t often center my subjects, but for this image it works so well because of how it shows us perspective. What do I mean by perspective? I love how we see the size difference between the horse gate and the big horse itself! I love how the little boy is reaching up. I picture him being on his tip toes, even though I don’t see his feet. The energy is still moving upward enough for me to fill in the blanks. And the black and white toning helps add focus to the little boy and horse. Wonderful job Katie! You caught a great moment, and I love that you shared it with us! Thank you so much!

All five of these women are so talented AND totally going for it with their cameras and creative eyes! We applaud them all.

There you have em’! The Top Five Finalists for the Simple Gift Photo Contest! Now you have the tough job of voting for ONE!

FAQ #1: How do you vote?

Answer: Just click on the pink word “Comments” at the end of this blog post. Put the # of photo your voting for first (it makes counting the votes way faster), and then add a few words about why you like their image the most. Remember, your comments and feedback give to the Five Finalists more than any prize from us. Please be kind, encouraging, and share all that you can with these wonderful Five Finalists! Your feedback on their images is priceless! That’s why we do the Random Voter Awards, because we appreciate your voting and feedback so much. So spread the word to family and friends! And ask them to vote!

Please vote one time for one image. Thanks!

FAQ #2: Is there a new Photo Contest happening right now? And when is the Deadline?

Answer: After we announce the Winners for this contest, we’ll start a new one! And it won’t take me four months to post the finalists!

FAQ #3: What are the prizes for the Random Voters and the Finalist?

Answer: Scroll on down!!

Prizes for the Winning Finalist and the Random Voter Winners!

In our last photo contest , we had over 586! We broke our record again! It was amazing! You all spread the word, and the votes came rolling in! If we clear 500 votes AGAIN on this contest , we are going to pick a Random Voter (not necessarily #500, but a RANDOM Voter) to win a copy of Adobe ‘s Lightroom software again!! And then we’ll keep going and pick one more Random Voters to win a $25 customized, cool looking Starbucks card! So that’s one Random Winner of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and one MORE random winner of $25 customized Starbucks cards, if we clear 500!

Deadline for all voting is this Sunday night, 4 days from now, 5/16, at midnight PST!! That means we have to clear 500 votes by that time for two Random Voters to be picked and win Lightroom !

Prize for being the Winner of the Five Finalists!!!

Now what about the finalist’s prize! What will they get?

Great question! The finalist will get their choice of one of our 101 Kits or the downloadable version of our Refuse to Say Cheese/Beyond the Green Box DVD series. And then, and THEN (we’re hooking our Finalists up for 2009! ), they also get to choose between one of two MORE things!

1. Their own copy of Adobe’s Lightroom 2.0 Software

2. Or a copy of the newly released DVD “See the Light” by Carlos Baez! Watch the trailer by clicking the title. Carlos is not only a dear friend, but he is also a PHENOMENAL photographer who has years experience in the fashion and wedding industry and is now sharing his knowledge on lighting with the wedding and portrait world. This guy is loaded with tips and strategies on lighting. We just got our own copy of his DVD, and I can’t wait to watch it. Carlos is a master with lighting, and on top of that he has a HUGE heart for teaching people. Just watching him work with his clients is amazing. Your business can’t help but go to the next level with this new DVD. Check out his blog! To purchase Carlos’s new DVD, check out the Photography Mentor store. Retail Price for “See the Light” is $175.

3. Or, a NEW PRIZE !!! Since so many of our finalists have their own websites and/or blogs, I’d like to offer a third choice. As I was looking at the Finalists websites/blogs, I had so much feedback to give. I’d like to offer a 45 minute, private, consultation phone call to the winner to talk about how to strengthen their websites/blog for their business! Please understand that ALL their websites and blogs are AWESOME. I’ve just learned a few tricks over the years that I’d love to share with them. It’s a fun option if the winner already has prizes 1 and 2! And best of all, I would love to chat with the winner on the phone! (If you choose this prize and find it would be more helpful to talk about photography, juggling business/family as a mother, going to Thailand , your business strategy, marketing tips, etc. You let me know! I’m yours for 45 minutes!) Value: Private 1 hr. Consultations are $500.

So get all your friends and family to jump on here and vote before Sunday at midnight!

Enjoy! VOTE AWAY!!!

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Sony Camera Contest Winners will be Announced NEXT WEEK !!! Stay tuned!!! (boy, is this contest week or what!)

For more fun photo exercises, check out our popular Instructional DVDs Refuse to Say Cheese , our 101 Kits for starting or expanding a business in photography , click on the words of your choice!

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Tags: 101 Kit, Adobe, Art, Beyond the Green Box, Business, Contest, Exercise, fashion, Kids, Lightroom, Photographer, Photography, Photoshop, Refuse to Say Cheese, Sony, Thailand

May 8th, 2009

My Self Portait and Discovery from San Francisco!

I have to tell you, the Discovery Workshop has left me changed. As each day goes by, I can tell the change is lasting. Even though I was teaching it alongside Rick and Brian, I was also powerfully affected. As teachers, we did all the exercises we asked our attendees to do, and I can’t believe what unraveled for me. I told the ladies I was going to share my new self portrait, but we ran out of time. So I hope you don’t mind if I share the process here.

This was the Self Portrait I brought to the workshop.

It’s an image that Brian and I worked on together while in Thailand. The interesting thing about this image is that I knew it had something to tell me about myself, but I wasn’t sure what that something was. I tried blogging about this image several times while in Thailand, but the story still wasn’t clear. Not until after we got home did the image, the story of the image, make sense.

Brian and I set the image up so I would be blurred while in motion. The overall image is meant to give feelings of warmth, ease, femininity, softness. But I wanted to be in blur because I was in the middle of discovering a part of myself I never knew existed. I knew I was moving toward something, but I didn’t have clarity yet. The books below are all our homeschool materials. I wanted those in focus because in the midst of feeling this change, this journey inside, our family was clearer than ever. The homeschool time we had, the projects we worked on, the long walks we did every day, I could see my family like I’d never seen them before. And lastly, if you’ll notice, I’m not lifting my head up. I’m looking down. I tried taking this shot with me looking up, straight ahead, but I couldn’t do it with ease. Inside I knew that the future was still unclear. I didn’t feel confident enough, at ease with myself, to look straight ahead as I moved forward.

I tried to hold back my tears at the workshop, but it was a lost cause. I told the women that I felt like I had begun to find this woman inside me. And yet, I only had a moment with her before we had to leave Thailand. Would I find her again? Was it possible for her to exist here, away from the calm of Thailand’s jungle? The unanswered questions have swirled inside me ever since we returned. This self portrait was my discovery process to finding the answers.

When we did our drawing exercise at the Discovery Workshop, I was amazed with what came out of me. I don’t feel like I can draw at all, but I felt like the first half of the day unleashed all this emotion inside. I found myself drawing swirls, and flames of fire, that are moving upward. I drew hands, lots of hands, reaching, comforting and calming myself. I realized I had more hands within me to help myself than the two I see.

As you can see, I can’t really draw but that didn’t matter for the exercise. The drawing affirmed an overall connection to my body. Maybe it’s the fact that I wore a two piece every day in Thailand and did it with ease–maybe that is where it started. Maybe that step of doing something I never do was the beginning of me feeling connected to my body. Did I ever realize how strong I was? Did I ever know how disconnected my heart had been from my physical body? How did that happen? These are all the questions that started to swirl, churn, and rise up within me.

And then Leslie, Rick’s beautiful wife, asked us to write three statements based on our drawings starting with the words, “I am.”. Mine were the following;

I am fire, rising, churning, surfacing, then swirling before settlement. I am more hands reaching than two, more help than I knew, more mystery, internal movement than I knew existed. I am unfolding, untangling, coming up for air.

Then Leslie did something that shook me to the core. She took her own three statements and said she was going to transform them into an interruptive dance. Leslie started by saying she wasn’t a dancer by formal training, but movement is a way she expresses herself. What she did for us was amazing. And I found myself needing to understand it more.

I had a conversation with Leslie about my three statements. Feeling totally afraid and insecure, I asked her for ideas on how she would turn my statements into movement. As we talked, I remembered going to ballet for so many years. Fourteen years of ballet, can you believe it? As a little girl, I wanted to be a dancer. But I didn’t really have a dancer’s body. I wasn’t flexible. And my ballet classes seemed to stress my dad out. Over the years, I felt more pain around ballet than freedom. I’m wondering if I disconnected from my body at the same time. Leslie challenged me to open my idea of what Dance means–outside of the box of formal ballet. And all of a sudden, in talking with Leslie, I wanted to be a dancer again. It was like this little girl inside of me called out. And her voice was pure, free and innocent.

The next day, when we were at Stinson Beach, Garrett and I had a few minutes of unexpected down time. I told him about my talk with Leslie, and I asked him to help me create a new self portrait. Without expecting it, I was in a new place. The self portrait I had brought to the workshop was no longer relevant.

I wanted this self portrait to have movement in it. I wanted to somehow show the hands within me that care for me, reach for hope, and give me ease. I wanted to somehow capture the motion of feeling at rest, and yet alive and vibrant at the same time.

Remember how I started my statements out with “I am fire.”? Well, we happened to find a red door. And even though I felt incredibly self conscious, I tried moving my arms and hands in a way that represented my statements. Garrett was so great and encouraging, and he shot away until we found what we were looking for. This was all WAY out of my comfort zone. But look at what we captured.

That is me. It’s hard to believe. I’ve never been at that much ease in front of a camera. It’s been years since I let my body move with a purpose to discover more of myself.

And then the huge “Aha” moment came (on top of all the others), I often ask my clients to move freely, relax, while I’m taking photos of them. But how little freedom do I have with myself? And how can I lead someone to being free in front of the camera, if I don’t possess it?

What do Self Portraits and Discovering the Artist Within have to do with your photography business?

Answer: Every Thing

If workshop attendees are comfortable posting them, I would LOVE to hear what your “I am” statements were. I’m working on Day 2 and Day 3, so you can have a window into those days too.

And last but not least, Happy Mother’s Day this weekend to all the beautiful, spirited, brave moms who follow this blog. Some of you are coming to the Seattle Workshop in June, and we are so excited to work with you!

xoxo, Me Ra

p.s. Wait! I owe all the dads two ideas for making Mother’s Day perfect!

1. Here are some of my favorite things that we’ve done for Mother’s Day…a trip to the nursery for flowers and a hanging basket, Brian once bought some colorful place mats and made me breakfast–the new place mats was the icing on the cake! And Brian says, “Get a card and tell her ways that you think she is a good mom.” (he’s trying to score points with me at this moment )

2. You can still purchase our Award Winning DVDs (yep, they won a major award! More details to follow!). If you want her to have them by Sunday, you can purchase the download version. Or, you can purchase fast shipping and have the DVDs delivered by Mon/Tues!

3. Let’s make it THREE, in case you missed Monday’s ideas. I did a live Q&A for Sony on Monday night. The topic was 10 Tips to Capture the Perfect Mother’s Day Moment. The forum is still posted on Sony’s Backstage Learning site. To read the tips, go to this blog post for the directions on how to access the interview. Tip #8 is my favorite. Leave a comment on there and tell me what your favorite tip was!

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Tags: Art, Artist, Business, Exercise, Homeschool, Photography, Sony, Thailand

May 4th, 2009

10 Tips to Capture the Perfect Mother’s Day Moment!

To all the dads who follow our blog (and the curious moms out there ), are you wondering what to give your wife for Mother’s Day? Did you know Mother’s Day is this weekend? If not, I’m here to help you out–make you look good. Earn you some points. Maybe even get you out of the dog house!

For every day of this week, I’m going to post an idea to help make Mother’s Day awesome. Dads play such a big part in having a successful Mother’s Day, so I’m here to help. (And yes ladies, you can print this post off and leave it on your husband’s desk every day this week. (It’s shameless but still worth it!)

Today’s idea is actually full of 10 ideas!

It’s bullet proof and FREE!

1. Tonight at 5pm PST/8pm EST, I’m going to discuss my Top Ten Tips to Capture the Perfect Mother’s Day Moment.

Whether your wife has just had a baby or has grandchildren to show off, you’ll get some great tips on how to capture the perfect Mother’s Day moment. Maybe your an aspiring photographer and want ideas for making women look good, this interview is for you too!

This is how it will go down.

I’ll be online for 1 hour at Sony’s Learning Center, starting 5pm PST/8pm EST. This is a live online interview which means you can register, hear all the tips, and then type any questions you might have. Keep refreshing your page and watch the conversation grow and grow. Dads and moms and everyone in between are invited to join!

How to pre-register for tonight’s talk!

1. Go to http://backstage101.learningcenter.sony.us/group/groupGallery.jsp?campusId=2603. Updated link, let me know if it works! If it doesn’t try clicking HERE.

2. Click the little white “Register” button in the upper right side (it’s free!).

3. Click on the “Get real time advice from the Photo Pros” box on the right side. (FYI, You must register first to join in the conversation.)

4. Click on Me Ra Koh’s chat (top of the list).

5. Start asking me questions!

I’m so excited about doing this talk tonight for Sony b/c I’m just coming off an AMAZING Discovery Workshop weekend with 20 plus mom attendees. To say it was incredible, well, it doesn’t do it justice! Stay tuned for photos and stories about what we experienced!

Okay, who is joining me tonight? Can’t wait to chat and share some tips with you!

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Our Refuse to Say Cheese DVD series is continuing to grow, faster than we know what to do with! In the midst of unpacking luggage, I jumped on a radio interview this weekend and talked about our DVDS for 30-40 minutes! It was wonderful!! If you haven’t ordered your own copy yet, check out our popular Instructional DVDs Refuse to Say Cheese and Beyond the Green Box (They are BACK IN STOCK!! Yeah!!), our 101 Kits for starting or expanding a business in photography , click on the titles of your choice!

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Tags: 101 Kit, Art, Beyond the Green Box, Business, Photographer, Photography, Refuse to Say Cheese, Sony, Thailand

April 29th, 2009

Part 2: What Types of Lenses Do You Need?

We’re back for Day Two on Lenses. Are you all still with me? Thank you so much for all the comments in yesterday’s post. If you haven’t had a chance to read people’s comments from yesterday, I strongly urge you too. A number of people chimed in about their experience with lenses and what types of lenses have made all the difference for them. My vision for this blog is that we would all learn from each other, and I can’t thank you enough for continuing the dialog in the comments!

Someone posted a question in the comments yesterday and asked if we had ever shot with the Canon equipment, and if so, how did the L series lenses compare with the Carl Zeiss lenses. To answer their question, we shot with Canon for years and owned almost every L series lens available. When Sony approached us and said they were coming out with a line of camera bodies and lenses for pros to use, we were really interested. In the pro world you only hear people talk about Canon and Nikon. Sony didn’t put any pressure on us. They sent us the equipment to test out and asked for honest feedback. I wasn’t sure what to expect b/c I loved my L lenses. And I’m a super passionate person by nature, so I really have to LOVE something to get behind it. But oh my gosh, can I just say my jaw dropped open the first time I shot with the DSLR-A900 and Carl Zeiss lenses. We were shooting a wedding in Colorado, and I started freaking out! “Brian, come here, come here now! You have to see this! Look at this color. Look how sharp this is. Look how fast this is for 24.6 megapixels!” He was like “I know! I’ve been trying to tell you!” So yeah, to answer your question the Carl Zeiss glass is freaking amazing. I can honestly say that when we switched to Sony I haven’t looked back once. My Lulu, yes I named her b/c I’m so in love with her, is magic! And the icing on the cake is that Sony wants to continue to design cameras that make sense for women and the way women think. Yeah, I’m pretty much in love with Sony right now.

Yesterday’s blog took almost six hours to piece together with shooting images of the gear and finding shots that I took with specific lenses. At one point, I was starting to fall asleep, and Brian looked at me and said “Just finish it tomorrow. It’ll be fine.” Thus, here we are wrapping the lenses up.

There are two more lenses we brought with us to Thailand. We also bring these lenses to wedding and portrait shoots. Can you guess why?

Hint: They both have my favorite lens characteristic. Can you guess what the characteristic is?

Answer: If you guessed, Low Fstops/Aperture for buttery, blurred backgrounds, you were RIGHT!

If your shooting with a higher end DSLR that has a full frame sensor, you must, without question, rent or buy the Carl Zeiss Planar T 85mm/f1.4. Yes, 1.4! Can you believe how low she goes!

This is the lens that caught the shot of Blaze when I posted about how invisible he feels in America.

The sharpness is from the lens, not Photoshop. I also didn’t make the background lush and blurry in Photoshop. The wide open aperture of 1.4 creates that effect. The vibrant color is straight out of the Sony DSLR-A900.

This 85mm is a fixed lens which means that you can’t turn it to zoom in or out. If you want to get closer to your subject, you’ve got to move your legs and feet forward. But because it’s a fixed lens, the aperture is able to go down so much more. The 85mm is the perfect lens for low lighting, buttery backgrounds, and sharp, crisp candid shots. But think it through. Make an educated purchase.

If your camera isn’t a full frame sensor, this 85mm won’t let you get close to your subject. You may have to stand 6 ft back before you can get the lens to focus. So if you don’t have a full frame sensor camera yet, stick with the 24-70mm that we talked about yesterday. I remember going to a workshop when we were starting our business. Everyone raved about the 85mm lens. I figured this was the thing to buy, but I didn’t think about how limited this lens would be with my camera body at the time. My first camera wasn’t a full frame sensor. When using the 85mm, I had to be 6 feet away from my subject. I felt restriction instead of creative. Needless to say, I put the lens away and was more than happy with my 24-70mm, 2.8 Workhorse lens. It wasn’t until I upgraded to a full frame sensor camera that I understood why people felt inspired when shooting with an 85mm, 1.4 lens. I hope that makes sense. It’s information I wish I would have known when I was first starting.

The last lens is another fixed one. It’s the 35mm, f/1.4 G-Series Wide Angle Lens.

Unlike the 85mm, you can get in super close with this little guy.

My little brother had his first baby this year. After the baby was born, he called me and asked me what camera to buy and what lens to buy with it. I told him to get the Sony DSLR-A350. He is a newbie at photography, and as I said yesterday, that’s an incredible camera body to learn on. The color is fantastic. It’s light weight, sharp, fast. For the lens, I told him to bite the bullet, spend the $1300, and get the 1.4/35mm. He wasn’t sure b/c of the price, and it didn’t have a zoom! I’m happy to say that he trusted his sister , and wow, you should see the shots he’s getting of the baby. They are awesome! The investment was a commitment, but he is capturing the moments. And he’s loving photography!

With a low fstop, just like the 85 mm above, you can take some great shots in low light. This is one of my favorite Thailand images of Pascaline.

She’s at rest, while we wait for dad. The sun was setting so light was getting harder and harder to find. But with an fstop that goes down to 1.4, I can open up aperture and let a lot of light in. Opening up that fstop also makes everything in the background blurry. I hope I’m not being to repetitive, I just know it helps to hear the same thing a few times with new examples.

The 35mm, f/1.4 G-Series Wide Angle Lens is also great for taking close-up detail shots. Pascaline had a homeschool assignment where she had to take the Sony DSLR-A350 with the 35mm, open the aperture up to a 1.4, and capture an insect, crab or whatever else she chose. But she had to get in close and think about how she was blurring the background to tell the story of the critter.

She chose the mysterious sand crabs on the beach. They spend hours making tiny balls of sand.

In this shot, you can see the little white sand crab to the right. He’s almost smaller than the balls of sand he creates.

Their designs end up being these incredible star-bust patterns spread across the beach,

only to have it all washed away when the tide comes in. It has to be one of the great natural wonders of the world because every design is different. It’s like the crabs have their own fingerprint with each design.

Pascaline is eight years old, and she took the first two images. Not to bad for an eight year old. But a lot of it is the low fstop she had to work with. I basically set the aperture at 1.4, put it on Aperture Priority Mode (the A setting) so the camera would choose her shutter speed for her. And with the low fstop she was able to experience being creative with blur. For the two shots above, she was down on all fours getting super close to the crab’s designs. That’s what I love about this 35mm. You can get in super, super close and still get a sharp focus.

When we are shooting weddings, there are a couple more lenses that we have in our camera bag. I’ll save that info for another post. But if there is any bottom line to all of this info it would be this…everyone, even you, has the potential to be a great photographer. Everyone.

I can’t tell you how many times Brian and I have taught our photography workshops and had women break into tears b/c they realize that their lens and fstop range can really help them capture the images they see and want. All this time, they had been thinking the problem was with them. They weren’t good enough at photography or just didn’t have the eye. The creative artist within us does make a difference, but the right equipment helps too.

If you are thinking about buying a DSLR, my best advice would be to save up some money and buy the camera body WITHOUT the lens that comes with it (if you have the option, if not, don’t worry). BUT, then save up and buy your lens separately, and make sure it’s a lens that has a low fstop range. It will change your whole experience with photography. If you need proof, read yesterday’s comments.

I hope this was helpful. I love to talk about all this in plain English. Life is difficult right now with all that is going on around us. Photography is a wonderful outlet, and for many of us it is a lifeline. If you have always been drawn to photography, don’t let your heart be discouraged b/c you can’t seem to capture the shots you see. Try renting some of the equipment we talked about yesterday and today, and give yourself another chance. It is well worth it.

And don’t forget to email me your results! I love to see and hear about how your growing! My email is mera@merakoh.com.

xoxo, Me Ra

*Seattle Workshop Details are coming together! We’re looking at Saturday and Sunday, June 6th and June 7th, with a possible special Meet and Greet at our home on Friday, June 5th. I’ll keep you updated!

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Tags: 101 Kit, Adventure, Art, Artist, Beyond the Green Box, Business, Homeschool, Photographer, Photography, Photoshop, Refuse to Say Cheese, Sony, Thailand