on June 3, 2012, i received an email. this was one of those emails that came at just the right time…not to sound cliche, but it was an answer to prayer. i had been thinking about my business a lot during that time. even though i was a new mom, it was during those days of lots of rest throughout the day & time off of work (i forget what those days are like!). as i thought about the next steps for my business, i felt this pull to expand and start teaching on a larger level. i had been teaching private lessons for over a year, but i wanted to be able to reach more people. just a few weeks before this email arrived, i had started talking with a few colleagues about doing a workshop together in the Fall. we discussed combining our different strengths for a full day of teaching and inspiring other local photographers. and before we could really get any further into brainstorming or planning, Me Ra’s email arrived.
for those of you that aren’t familiar with who Me Ra Koh is, i invite you to take a few moments to read her story. just know that this won’t do justice to the amazing woman, photographer, wife & mom that is Me Ra! from the moment you meet her, her passion and love for life & people just pour out. she makes you feel like you’ve been best friends forever. like you could trust her with your deepest, darkest secret. i first heard about Me Ra almost 6 years ago. a friend was getting married, and had chosen her to be their wedding photographer. as we sat and looked through the beautiful photos on her website, i felt something i had never felt before. she captured life in her images in such a new and unique way. i was so drawn to her and her work & became an avid reader of her blog. when she announced her first Confidence Workshop in Seattle 5 years ago, i desperately wanted to go! i didn’t even have a camera at the time, but the thought of spending a weekend with her and a small group of women in my favorite city just sounded amazing!
i continued to follow her blog, and introduced my friend/co-worker to her work about 3 years ago. we would sit and read her blog almost every morning. it was the perfect way to start our day. when we saw that she was going to be teaching a local workshop in April of 2010, we both talked to our husbands and they gave us the green light to go. this was my first magical weekend with Me Ra. those three days transformed my life. i literally left that weekend and started my business the following week.
here are a few of my favorite images from my very first photo shoot, the weekend of the workshop…
i encourage you to read Me Ra’s account of how the Confidence Teacher program was born: Conviction: How This New Dream Started…
on Monday, i’ll share more about the program & my training in Seattle over the summer! i hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
xo
jess
It’s so special to read this journey and hear how you found my work SIX years ago. Who knew that we would come to this beautiful place of empowering women together. You are such a gift Jess.
xoxo,
m
Thank you so much for reading, Me Ra! I loved sharing this story 🙂 it’s so crazy to think about how all of this started and where we are now! Thanks for all you do! xo jess