Wow, we are back and settling into the comforts of our own home after being gone for two weeks, and I find myself wondering if all last week was a dream. Our project with Sony was the most AMAZING experience ever. So many new ideas and directions opened up from last week. The impossible seems more possible than ever!

Thank you for all your prayers and well wishes. I’m so glad you liked the Behind the Scene photos. Didn’t Brian do an AWESOME job with those! (He is the very best, out-of-control supportive husband ever.)

I also can’t tell you how many times I closed my eyes and visualized all the ladies we’ve met and have yet to meet from our workshops and speaking engagements. Every time I felt nervous or unsure, I pictured all your beautiful faces and reminded myself of who we were doing this for–the powerful impact it would have.

And we’re bringing all this power and inspiration to Washington DC!!! On September 19th and 20th 2009, we will be holding our Photography Workshop for Women, and we are going to have an AMAZING weekend together.

On top of this, I made an executive decision to call this workshop we do the “CONFIDENCE” workshop. 🙂 What do you think? Calling this a “beginner” workshop has never fit the bill b/c we have all levels of knowledge and experience attend. Yet, when I look over the feedback our past workshop attendees leave, I feel like the consistent thread is women walk away from the weekend feeling confident in how to use their cameras, but more importantly, in themselves. And this factor alone is why Brian and I love doing the workshop over and over again.

And guess what? As many of you know, it’s a bit expensive to find accommodations for a workshop in the DC area, especially the Dupont Circle. But we looked and looked to find a place that met was convenient for all of you to get too and was within our workshop budget so we wouldn’t have to raise the registration price. We ended up finding the hip, chic Hotel Madera. Turns out the event planner there emailed Genie back saying she was a fan of our photography and would LOVE to help host this workshop! So she’s giving all of us incredible discounts on the hotel rooms, see below for the details! And she’s giving us great discounts on the meeting space and lunches so we can keep within our workshop budget. Isn’t that AWESOME! DC is welcoming the workshop with open arms on so many levels! We can’t wait to come!

So who is going to join us! We are limited to twenty spots! Early Bird Registration opens TODAY! CLICK HERE to get yourself signed up!

Ladies, we are going to be READY for an AWESOME year of photography ALL levels, each and every one, are welcome! The topic details are below! But first, to give you a window into what our workshops look like, check out the trailer here by clicking the PLAY arrow button!

Early Bird Registration STARTS TODAY and last TWO WEEKS!

FAQ: (if we don’t answer your specific question here, email Genie direct at genie@fioria.us)

Question: What is the Early Bird Registration?

Answer: If you register between today and July 24th (that’s a little over two weeks), you get to pay the Early Bird fee of $799 instead of $999! Pretty great savings for all of you who jump on board fast! After July 24th, the registration goes back up to the normal price of $999. To take advantage of the Early Bird Registration, REGISTER HERE!!!

WHEN? September 19th and 20th 2009, All Day Saturday and Sunday

WHERE? We will be nestled in Washington, DC’s suave Dupont Circle neighborhood. Hotel Madera is the BEAUTIFUL luxury boutique hotel for our workshop Location!! We are going to use this elegant, boutique hotel as our creative space to learn, grow, be inspired, be pampered and create!

ACCOMMODATIONS? The Hotel Madera has done an incredible thing and offered all of you the nightly rate of $119 per night instead of $159! Just let them know that you’d like one of the rooms in the Me Ra Koh Photography CONFIDENCE WKSHP block, and you’ll be set! In the past, a lot of women have introduced themselves to each other via email and ended up sharing rooms to cut costs. When we are 4-5 weeks out, Genie will send all of you each other’s emails so
you can start talking (if you haven’t already found a way to do it by that point :)). Click here for more info on their beautiful rooms!

MEALS:

LUNCHES: Both lunches on Saturday and Sunday will be catered for us. If you are a vegetarian or have any food allergies, be sure to email us so we can accommodate you. No problems, we are happy too! (genie@fioria.us)

SATURDAY DINNER: This dinner is optional for our attendees, but we would love to have you join us! You are invited to a group dinner at a local restaurant within walking distance of the hotel. Details to follow upon registration.

GIFTS TO YOU FROM OUR SPONSORS!

We have wonderful, fantastic sponsors that are excited to support this event!

Pictage will be giving ever attendee a complimentary 1 year Pictage Lite subscription!

Pixel 2 Canvas will have beautiful canvas door prizes for us and a special treat for each and every attendee!

Shoot Dot Edit will have a special “Post Processing” treat for every attendee!

Dane Sanders, author of Fast Track Photographer, is going to give every woman an audio copy of his book!

And Adobe will have the door prizes of Lightroom 2.0 for us!

Isn’t that great ladies! Not only do we get to have a wonderful weekend together, but we get to give you surprises too! Not to mention our Me Ra Koh surprises–of course, I always have those up my sleeve! What’s a girl’s weekend away without gifts! 🙂

WORKSHOP TOPICS:

DAY ONE TOPICS:

True to this workshop, time tested (and approved :)), we are excited to start the day with understanding the mechanics of your camera and learning about indoor lighting so you can capture shots of your loved ones in difficult lighting. The second half of the day will be hands on practice as we process a FULL morning.

DAY TWO TOPICS:

Day Two will pick up where we left off. We’re going to continue to demystify tough lighting and camera settings. We’ll also walk you through our Post Process steps as we demonstrate lightroom, turning images to black and white, editing, what’s the difference between a JPG and RAW image, etc. Depending on the groups interest, we’ll talk about the in’s and out’s of starting your own side business too. (But this depends on the needs of the group.) We’re also going to cover the question of what to do with your images? Are stock photography options available to you, what is the bottom line of blogging, and where should you have your work printed and why?

The BEST part that everyone always loves the most is the models! We’ll also have models join us (both adults and kids), so you can practice EVERY THING we’ve been teaching you. And true to our workshops, we’ll sprinkle our time with creative exercises and inspiration that make our weekend so special.

By the end of our weekend, you will be filled up, refreshed, inspired, and possibly shooting in Manuel like it’s nobody’s business. (I promise, this is way easier then people make it sound, but one step at a time.)

PAYMENT OPTIONS and REFUNDS POLICY: See the Registration Page for all these good details!

WHAT DO PAST ATTENDEES SAY ABOUT THIS WORKSHOP?

To hear what the Seattle Workshop Attendees said about our most recent workshop, check out this fun blog post and read their wonderful comments!

Here’s some more feedback!

Jen from Seattle, WA wrote; I know how these workshops can change your life…it did mine! MeRa and Brian were my inspiration…Thank you … you all are doing such greatness in this world!

Jeramy (husband of a wife who attended twice) from CA wrote; if you are reading this post and and are on the fence about going to this workshop…or wondering if it’s really worth it….let me just tell you about my experience. my beautiful bride went to the Sonoma workshop last year with me ra and brian…and it changed her life. like so many women, she struggles with self-doubt and insecurities…coupled with strong passions and desires to create things of great worth. the magic of this workshop will help you see that YOU ARE special and can do anything it is that you want to do, if you just set your mind to it. there is limitless potential in you all…and if you have ever wondered how to get it out….sign up for this workshop and you’ll see. you will never be the same again.

Marianne from Seattle, WA wrote;
This was the BEST day I’ve had in a long time…it was so nice to wade through and be challenged, laugh along the way, conquer a fear, and leave wanting more. What a day! I can’t thank you enough!

Kari from Seattle wrote; Me Ra takes the camera apart and puts it back together in a way that actually makes sense! Prepare to laugh, learn, and walk away inspired!

Julie from Seattle, WA wrote; As a past workshop attendee…It WILL change your life and how you see yourself.

Allison from Virginia wrote; I can tell you with total honesty that this will be a life changing time for you all. Just soak it all in and throw yourselves in wholeheartedly and you will come away with SO MUCH!!

QUESTIONS?

Feel free to email Genie (genie@fioria.us) for any and all questions. Genie keeps me up to date on all questions as we travel for wedding season. She is truly my “little Genie”! If you need help with booking your hotel, understanding the area, flights, payment options, shoot her an email!

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Click HERE to register today and make YOUR DAY or her DAY!!

We’ll see you in Washington DC!!! xoxoxo, Me Ra

p.s. On Thursday, we start a NEW photo contest! It’s going to be a fun one!!

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Our Refuse to Say Cheese DVD series is continuing to grow, faster than we know what to do with! 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!