Three things for today!
One, the Mother’s Day sale on all DVDs and 101 Kits has begun! Between now and Mother’s Day, you can get 30% off! Enjoy!
Two, we are looking at doing another workshop for women in early November 2008. We would love your input on where it should be! Take the poll and tell us where Brian and I should be coming next?
Where would you like our next women’s workshop to be?
( surveys)
Three…This one is especially exciting!! The Refuse to Say Cheese Forum is almost finished and live!!
My main reason for doing a forum (because I’ve been resistant to the idea :)) is all of you wonderful ladies coming to the workshops and meeting new, life long friends. I’ve heard your request, and I agree. You need a forum to help you stay in touch. So I’m having it set up where ALL workshops we have done will have their own private category to stay in touch with each other. (keep those life long friendships growing!)
I also have a category set up for Q&A for upcoming workshops, like the San Diego one. ๐
I have a Suffering with Me Ra category! Remember that post! I’ve got so much to say on that topic! ๐ And I’m seeing about having a couple special guests that come on to help us ladies out.
I have categories on our Products so you can post questions or reviews.
And of course, I have an Introduction category for each of you to introduce yourself as you join.
There is also a Photo Gear and Business sections because we get lots of emails on these two topics, and I think all of you have such good resources to share with one another.
But what am I missing. There are so many categories we could do, but what are the key things you’d like to see in the Refuse to Say Cheese Forum–keeping in mind that we want the same safe and encouraging spirit people feel on the blog.
Should we have photo exercises? contest ideas? Help me get out of the box here…Thanks everyone!
Hi Mera!!
Next workshop? Midwest!! Chicago!! Or anywhere East of California ..ha ha. There are lots of women out here who would love to attend but maybe can’t work it out because of the distance. We will if we have to of course. Think east! I love the refuse to say cheese forum. I will give more input later when I am not typing on my phone. One thing that would be great though would be a live question and answer session maybe. I know people do that or at least I’ve read that they do. I am sure that since it is hard for you and brian to travel and do workshops then maybe something along those lines would be a nice alternative? Okay. More later! Exciting stuff though.
I’m so excited for the forum. YEAH!
We just got the 30% discount working, so sorry about the delay this morning! If you already purchased something shoot Brian an email, brian@fioria.us. He’ll make sure you get your refund.
Also, the 30% won’t show up until you get to the final checkout, but it’s there for you. xoxo
And Kelli, thanks for your feedback on the forum! The Live Q&A is a GREAT idea!!
Yes to photo exercises and contests, it is always helpful to have a task to do to learn something from. Maybe a section where a different mom is featured every week who went to a workshop and has now started a business. Would be great to have a q&a like what you posted with Jenny and an opportunity to ask questions. I would also like to see a section where people post a SOOC shot and what the end product looked like and exactly how they got there. I think the business stuff is very important, especially an area where we can help each other out with marketing ideas.
Can’t wait for the new forums!
I think an “anniversary” or “then & now” thread would be great… It would allow everyone to see where we began and what the possibilities are to grow to!
I think a highlighted participant/guest photog would be great.
I shared other ideas with you the other night – let me know if you need more!
I am excited about the forum!!!!
I think a photo exercise section would be great. It will encourage us to get out there more and take those pictures!
OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHMYGOODNESS – that is so exciting, I can’t believe were actually going to have a fourm! Yet another thing I’m going to be addicted to! I like the photo exercises a lot – also maybe a CC section. So many times I take some photos and even though I LOVE them, I want to know if they’re really any good, or if im just crazy… likewise, I’ll take a photo and it will drive me crazy because I can’t pinpoint WHY I DON’T like it… make sense? I guess just an area where we can all help each other to become better. And I vote Arizona for your next workshop.
Ok, I also just read Michelle’s comment and I LOVE the “mom featured weekly” idea – I add each mom you feature to my Faves and look forward to more… also, before and after photos – she suggested – “How I got this effect in Photoshop” type thing. That would be kind of fun – I actually commented on someones blog last week and said “hey, how did u get this effect? Its beautiful!” and she sent back, “I used Lightroom.” Ok… what did u DO in lightroom…??? It was pretty funny but also… I still want to know how she did it!! So, long comment, sorry, Im just totally excited for this one!!
love all the suggestions so far! Cant wait to see it finished, when is the going live date?
oh my gosh!! GEORGIA!
How many times can I vote!!!!!
Come on!!!
Southern Hospitality Y’all!!!!!
abbey
Thank you so much for the discount!!! I was thinking about purchasing the DVD’s and wasn’t sure but after hearing about the discount my husband said I HAD to get them. So thank you again for the great deal! Can’t wait to watch them ๐ Oh and excited to see the forums too…
I vote Arizona….
I cant wait for the forum… something else Ill be addicted to.
I love the idea of exercises, and maybe a place for *recipes* – not the food kind! LOL
I would love to see a place for post-processing tips to share too. But the business building and photo exercises for sure!!
Yay for discounts and forum!!! I love the contests/assignments idea. Something we can do regularly and vote on amongst ourselves, even if the only prize is Me Ra Forum Fame. ๐
I think there should be a general “catch-all” or “everything else” forum – something where we can talk about being moms, tv shows we’re addicted to, movies we loved, etc. From all my forum experience, it doesn’t take long for a thread to get hijacked and turn into something completely else and totally off-topic. So that our photography-centric threads stay on topic (or try! LOL), we can discuss other things in the “everything else” folder.
Oh Me Ra I am so excited about another workshop!!!!! I really hope Chicago wins out (or Seattle, I guess, I have a friend who can score me airfare). I had a dream last night that you offered another workshop and that my husband let me go – prophetic maybe??? I am already putting that down on my Birthday-Anniversary-Christmas wishlist: Me Ra’s Workshop in November!!
yes yes yes to exercises and homework and more!!!
my hubby always visits http://www.strobist.com and their blog constantly has homework and interactive folks talking about what they applied, showing what they applied..and more! way fun!!!! (way detailed about studio lighting and more)
course, itz more geared to him than me…
so, i would be appreciative of a girl version of that! YAY! hah!!!
I Love the exercises on Photography Mentor (thanks mera). I alos love the way everyone cansend in their photo and others can give feedback. I think for new or relatively new photographers it always helps to have that feedback..
I voted for Chicago but I’d also like to suggest Minneapolis/St. Paul?? Have you ever heard the saying “Minnesota nice”? ๐
I can’t wait for the forum. Not only to have a one-stop-shop to stay connected with other ladies from the workshops but also just to mutually encourage one another and offer lessons learned and advice. I’d love to have a place to share and allow others to learn from my mistakes and vice-versa.
For some reason I’m anticipating this particular forum will not be as intimidating as some of the others (at least for me) where I’m always anxious about revealing my ignorance and feeling out of my league.
I can’t wait for the forum!! What a great support group for all of us devoted Me Ra peeps!
I would love to see a celebrate section….where else can we get an ‘atta girl’ or an ‘amen!’ to a big sale, a community accomplishment or perhaps a publication.
Bring on the forum!!
Caron
What about a section/area called “Don’t be afraid to raise your hand” “Or no such thing as a dumb question” where we can ask on another things we might think seem obvious or too stupid to ask….but prob we have all had to ask at some point in “learning” about the camera and lighting, photoshop and so on….
Wow ladies!! I’m loving your input!! This is so helpful, and I’m talking notes to all the suggestions being made. Feel free to keep them coming b/c I’m learning so much from all of you and how to give to you best. Thanks so much for being so detailed too!
Brian and I are also excited to see where our next workshop takes us!! The votes are super exciting!
I can’t sleep – so I came on here to read the comments – seriously the ONLY blog I actually read comments on.
I like Laurens Idea about frequent contests – Just mera forum fame – nothing crazy – no big prizes necessary – just trying our best and becoming better and better with each contest – I’m sure you see improvement all the time with your workshop people and your blog stalkers, MeRa. Where someone comes in saying things like Digital SIR and months later, they’re talking photography like nobody’s business – its cool to see other people evolve like that and we’d all like to see it too. This is so amazing – I can’t even tell u how happy I am that u guys are doing this!
ooooooooooooo (this just came to me) maybe Brian could have his own section? I know you’re the front man in this operation, but I think he has enough MeRa moms crushing on him that we’d all get involved in his forum – ๐ plus, hes a super talented photographer too and we all like hearing what super talented photographers have to say, you know? Enough thoughts from me – I’ll be back tomorrow! ๐
[…] I’m pretty sure that my mother has no interest in learning to take better photos. I believe that she enjoys humiliating us with the unflattering ones she takes. But if you know a mom—or are a mom—who would love to take fantastic pictures with a digital camera, then you have to check out Me Ra Koh. I took her photography workshop last month and in two days understood matters photgraphic that had evaded me for decades. More than that. I got a better understanding of what I want to take pictures of, why I want to take them, and how to do it. And I haven’t laughed so much in a long time. Me Ra is polling people on where to offer her next workshop so go tell her. […]
[…] You have all been so helpful with doing our poll for the next workshop city! Seattle and Chicago have gone neck to neck the whole way. It’s kind of crazy and super fun! […]
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[…] have all been so helpful with doing our poll for the next workshop city! Seattle and Chicago have gone neck to neck the whole way. It’s […]