Day 3 in Rainy California

After the first full day of learning, most of the workshop attendees walked over to Fred's for dinner.  Me Ra and Brian came.  I lucked out again and got to sit by Me Ra.  Me Ra and I had a great conversation that completely shifted my thinking.  She helped me realize that I totally can charge more for taking photos and gain a client base.  Also, she told me that it's a good idea to specialize in something instead of just offering whatever kind of photo session that people wanted.  Me Ra gave me a great compliments... "I've seen your photography and you are simply AMAZING!  Your photos are what every mama would DREAM of having.  You've got to receive this truth and go for it because seriously girl, your work is awesome!... Take the leap. You know I love you and I'm in your corner!"  I'm really excited about the direction I'm headed and can't wait to see what the future holds for me and my photography.  Anyway, I think that my main CONFIDENCE issue has to do with me believing that my clients will not value my photography as much as I do.  I guess that's why I've priced my work so low in the past.  One thing Me Ra said that really helped me is that, "Fear and doubt will always be there as you plug along.  But when you actually achieve your goal, the fear and doubt is no longer present."  Time to face my fears!

Day 2 of the CONFIDENCE Workshop was my favorite.  We learned about metering and the different metering modes, what the 6 must have photos are for consumers (family photo shoots), the different ways you can use the TTL (through the lens) flash, Lightroom basics, Me Ra's story, paid vs. pro photographers, using social media, outsourcing, and good to know camera settings.

I was SO excited to do family photo shoots on the beach, but unfortunately, it RAINED!  So we had to make do shooting in this extra wide hallway.  We had a few minutes to have each other take head shots of each other.  Here's Nicole Moore taking my picture.

Photo Courtesy of Teresa Rish

 Photos Courtesy of Amy Rhodes

And now on to the photos I took of the families that came.  The lighting situation was crazy because we had to work with window light and overhead light.  Taking photos of families with small children can be a challenge.  But I am proud of what I was able to capture.

This gorgeous mom, Heather and her son, River were so sweet together.  If you observe this picture closely, you may be able to tell that there was a window to my left and a dark hallway behind them.  I loved learning how a dark hallway can make the photo appear as if we were in a studio with a black backdrop.

Check out the littlest dude, Griffin in this next one.  I LOVE how he has his arm around his mommy's chin and is touching her cheek.  Oh, the love our babies have for us is precious.  This photo was challenging too with the backlighting that's going on with the large sliding glass door.  Even though the mom and boys' hair is kind of blown out, I don't think that people with an untrained eye would even notice that.  One great truth that Me Ra taught us was that as photographers, we tend to pay the most attention to the technical aspects of our photos while consumers pay most attention to the content of the photos.

Aww... Big brother, Lincoln adores Griffin.

It was fun to experiment with different cameras and lenses.  Brian let me try a 70-200mm lenses that was worth $1500!  It was a heavy lens, but I got some great shots with it.  I was also able to try a Sony Camera.  My favorite feature of the Sony camera was the live view mode.  As you change the manual settings, what you see in the live view window is exactly what you get when you press that shutter.
Here's my favorite family shot of the day.  This family was full of energy.

Meet Sean.

He is the perfect combo of sweet

and macho.  Just check out those muscles!

The photo above perfectly sums up my weekend.  I got to take a weekend off just for myself.  I got to meet new friends and learn more about photography... one of my favorite subjects.  And to top it all off, I won Lightroom 4, the newest photo editing program!

 Thanks, Me Ra for following your dreams.  

You have blessed the lives of many.  

You are so down to earth. 

Your compliementary words and words of encouragement mean so much to me.

One of the ladies set up a Facebook group so that we can all keep in touch.  

It was so fun to spend a few days with people who are as obsessed with photography as I am.

There was a special bond that was created that weekend.

I sure hope to keep track of everyone in our group and hopefully meet up again someday.

Day 2 in Sunny California

I didn't sleep too well the night before.  My mind was racing just thinking about how much fun I'd already had... flying solo to CA, finally seeing the amazing Pacific Ocean, meeting new ladies for dinner, staying in a fancy hotel, etc.  Oh yeah, and I kept thinking about how the next day would play out... meeting the rest of the ladies in our group, what yummy food I'd be eating, what new things I would learn, etc. 

That morning, I got ready and had just enough time to walk briskly over to the pier.  I wish I'd had 30 more minutes to take in the scenery.  I just had like 5 minutes to look around.  I saw surfers, several volleyball games going on, seagulls, and people just strolling along the ocean shore.

At 9:30am, the CONFIDENCE Workshop began!

Me Ra Koh and Brian Tausend were the presenters of this workshop.  There were around 20 ladies in attendance.  We first went around the room and introduced ourselves.  When it was my turn, I told everyone the normal info of how I am married with 3 kids, etc.  Then I shared with everyone my embarrassing story about one of the times that I applied for the SOAR! Scholarship (that Me Ra and Brian created.)  The main part of the scholarship application is the 2 minute video each applicant submits stating why they feel that they deserve to be awarded this scholarship.  For the life of me, I just could not figure out how to upload my video!  So I read the fine print that said to call/email Brian if you had any technical questions.  And let me tell you, I emailed Brian, then called Brian and left messages on his phone WAY too much!  To make a long story short, we figured out how to upload that darn video.  A couple days later, I was online and discovered that the "Brian" who'd been helping me out was ME RA'S HUSBAND!  Ahh!  I could not believe it.  I just figured that Brian's last name was Koh, like Me Ra's!  Right then and there, I threw my hands up and told myself that I should just forget about winning that scholarship.  Who in their right mind would award a scholarship to a needy girl who couldn't even upload a video?!  Sure, I wanted to get recognized, but not in that way!  Everyone in the conference room got their good morning laugh in.        

Anyway, so we learned about many things in Day One of the workshop.  We talked about understanding the different types of camera lenses, about The Magic Three (Aperture/Shutter Speed/ISO), playing with different camera modes, framing and composing photos, and the elements of storytelling photos.

We had a lunch break in the early afternoon.  There were large round tables set up in the beautiful courtyard for our group. We each had a gigantic, fancy chicken salad.  The presentation of lunch was top notch.  It was yummy, but it involved cutting up practically the whole head of lettuce.   

I am a visual learner.  So when it came time to do our Mom and Baby Photo Shoot, I was so excited.  We had 6 moms volunteer to model for us with their cute babies.  See me and my fabulous picture taking posture below.

 Photo courtesy of Candi Naranjo

Meet Steven.

This little guy is about 12 months old and his parents just ADORE him. 

Meet Karene and her precious baby girl.

Meet Katie and her daughter, Karis.

 

Katie's mom hopped in.  I sure love this 3 generations shot.

Katie is also a photographer.  Check out her fantastic photos HERE.

CONFIDENCE Winner!

If you've been following this blog for long enough, than you already know that I'm a big Me Ra Koh fan.  I have been following Me Ra Koh's Photography blog for about 3 years now.  And I've applied for the SOAR! Scholarship twice.  Oh, and I've watched her segments on The Nate Berkus Show.  Early last year, I had the privilege of meeting Me Ra Koh at the Private Garden Party that she hosted in Las Vegas.

Soon after meeting Me Ra Koh, her book, "Your Baby in Pictures," arrived in my mailbox.  The book is SO great for parents who want to capture their baby's first year in photos.  The book gives step by step instructions for capturing 40 creative milestone photos for both point and shoot and DSLR cameras.  Late last summer, Me Ra posted some photos on her blog that people had emailed her.  The inspiration for each photos was one of her photo recipes.  MY PHOTO was one of them!

 Inspired by Photo Recipe #24 “Flexibility You Would Die For”- (Katie @ 9 months)

That blog post kicked off Me Ra's idea to hold a photo contest.  Me Ra Koh invited women to post on her Facebook page all forty, yes FORTY, of their photo recipe results from her book!  The prize…FIVE winners would get 50% OFF the Early Bird price to attend one of her CONFIDENCE Workshops.  The first five women to complete this challenge won.  When I first read this, I thought this is the most perfect contest for me.  Most of Katie's first year had been carefully photographed by me. So I painstakingly went through my super unorganized photo files gathering Katie's photos into a new folder.  Surprisingly, I already had 34 photos that would work for Me Ra's photo contest.  I knew that other ladies out there were furiously gathering their photos as well to be a winner of the contest.  Getting the last 6 photos was crazy fun.  I called up a neighbor and she agreed to let me take a few photos of her baby.  Then, I went across the street to my neighbor's house unannounced (around 8:30pm) to see if their baby was awake and if I could could take a sunset silhouette shot of their baby in their backyard.  What great neighbors I have.  I stayed up late posting all the photos onto Me Ra's Facebook page.  By the end of the next day, I got word that I was one of the five lucky WINNERS!  Oh wow!  I just couldn't stop smiling!  Two of my pictures were featured on her blog!

Inspired by Photo Recipe #33, “Everyday Settings to Remember” - (Katie @ 9 months playing in her room)

Inspired by Photo Recipe #36, “Flying Cherub Silhouette” - (a BIG thanks to baby Sawyer for being my model)

I had been wanting to attend Me Ra Koh's CONFIDENCE Workshop for a couple of years but I couldn't justify paying so much money to attend on top of the airline and hotel fees.  But with winning this contest, I could totally save up and go!  For the next couple months, I kept an eye on the cities that Me Ra was coming to for the workshops.  When I saw Orange County/Los Angeles listed for March 2012, I got excited.  I could go and visit some of my dad's side of the family AND finally see the ocean for the first time!  Oh yeah, AND I could finally attend the CONFIDENCE Workshop!  Sam approved and I signed myself up way back in October.

Advice

Here is an recent excerpt from the Me Ra Koh Photography Blog.  I feel that the marriage advice Me Ra Koh was given over 14 years ago is terrific. 

"When we first got engaged, a woman at our church asked me if I knew what the meaning of marriage was.  I was bright eyed and clueless to the passionate answer she gave.  She said  

"“Marriage is about fighting for eachother’s freedom–fighting for the person you know they have potential to become–seeing that person living a life where they believe they are worthy of love and all the dreams they carry inside. If no one else will fight, including the person we marry, you commit to fighting for their freedom–even when the fighting is tough love.” "

She encouraged Brian and I to consider this with every choice we made about our future jobs, family culture, lifestyle, etc.  Did our choices help the other person get one step closer to living their fullest potential?"

*To read the rest of this blog post, click HERE.

I took this photo around noon today on my scenic drive home from my Grandma Hallstrom's house.

Wow... Babies are Flexible

I had no idea that 6-9 month old babies were so flexible.

 Maybe Katie has a future in gymnastics?

Your Baby in Pictures is a fabulous new book by Me Ra Koh that gives parents a step-by-step guide in photographing their baby's first year.  What I love about this book is that there are milestones that babies reach every 3 months that should be photographed.

A Very Special Event: A Private Garden Party with Me Ra Koh

A couple weeks ago, I found out that I was invited to a very special event: Me Ra Koh's Private Garden Party.  If you know me, you know that I LOVE a party, I LOVE photography, and I LOVE Me Ra Koh! 

Side note:  For those of you who don't know who Me Ra Koh is, check out this link.  Me Ra Koh is a celebrity photographer, a published author (I just pre ordered her latest book, "Your Baby in Pictures,") and she is a correspondent on The Nate Berkus Show who shoots photos live on the show.  She gives great tips.  Also Me Ra Koh and her husband came up with the idea for the SOAR! Scholarship.

Those invited to the party had to be a previous SOAR! Scholarship Applicant (like me), a SOAR! blog follower, a previous CONFIDENCE workshop attendee, or other women photographers (pro or beginners) who want to get into a group of supportive women.  The first 65 ladies to sign up to this FREE event were in!

When I first saw this invitation on her blog and realized that I was invited, I just knew I had to find a way to be at the party.  As I read more details, I could feel the wheels turning in my head and my smile getting bigger.  My brain was thinking, "Las Vegas?!  I've never been to Las Vegas.  I want to go check out that city.  Yes!  Jenny lives in Las Vegas.  Right after Presidents Weekend?!  Sweet, Brian already has a few days off of school and I'm sure Sam could take a couple days off of work.  Hmmm... I better go call Jenny and see if she'd be up for my family coming for a visit."  So Jenny tells me that she'd love to have us come visit.  We had so many details of the trip all planned out before Sam even got home from work and I could mention this wonderful, can't-pass-up opportunity.  Sam had to "think about it" for a couple of days.  On Valentine's Day, he informed me that he'd be able to take off work and that we could go to Las Vegas.  YIPPIE!!!

MGM Grand Hotel Valet Parking 

The big day came.  I'd been corresponding with one of my SOAR Sisters, Lynde Alvarez, over email a couple of days before the party.  We decided that we would meet up at the MGM Grand Hotel and wait for the limo shuttle together.  I drove myself to the MGM Grand Hotel and met Lynde.  It was our first time meeting each other and I'm glad that she let me tag along with her.  She led me to the WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International) Trade Show (I had a free pass for the Trade Show) and we walked around for ten minutes before going out to wait for the limo shuttle.

There was a great vibe going on just waiting for our ride to the party.  I enjoyed putting names with faces (several of the ladies I recognized from their profile pictures on the Soar Sisters Facebook page.)  I met Julie Watts (inventor of the brand new Photo Pantz... genius idea) Melisa Draper, Jennifer Sharon, Rhonda Kane,  Christine Barker, and Amy Rhodes.  Oh, and on the bus, I sat nest to and chatted with the Vice President of Rangefinder Magazine, Lauren Wendle. 

 Our ride to the Garden Party - THE Limo Shuttle

The Garden Party was so fabulous.  Good food.  Great inspiring speakers.  I especially enjoyed what Lynda Kennedy had to say.  All the women in attendance got a few gifts too.  I'm excited to claim my prize soon.  I wish this afternoon could have lasted longer.  I had fun getting acquainted with other women photographers. 

photo courtesy of Rhonda Kane

Me & Amy Rhodes

 

Metering the light off my hand

photo courtesy of Rhonda Kane

Photo taken by ME!

The picture above is my favorite picture I took during Me Ra Koh's photo coaching session.

Dane Sanders, a famous photographer and author, was also in attendance.  

He did some photo coaching as well.

 Me & Me Ra Koh

The highlight of the Garden Party was meeting the host, Me Ra Koh!  A week before the party, I participated in a free teleconference call with my Soar Sisters, the women of The Wisdom Connection business coaching services, and Me Ra Koh.  I answered three questions on the teleconference and Me Ra remembered who I was!  I told her my name and she just smiled and said, "Oh Lisa!  So great to finally meet you!"  We gave each other a quick hug and my new friend, Amy snapped this picture really quick.  

The two hour party went by so fast.  I decided to wander around the WPPI Trade Show for another 30 minutes before heading back to Jenny's.  I picked up some free tote bags and magazines.  I stopped at a photo booth for a minute because there was a presentation going on.  The 50ish year old man doing the presentation called me out of the crowd to help him demonstrate some bride and groom modeling poses... talk about awkward.   

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Las Vegas.  I love spontaneous road trips!  I love hanging out with family and meeting new friends that share my passion of photography.  A special thank you goes out to my husband for doing all the driving to and from Las Vegas.