It’s 7:30 p.m. on a Friday night and my little girl has just gone down to sleep for the evening.
After a day of drawing, building block towers, dolls, fruit cups, playdoh, endless questions, tea parties, stickers, cheerios, tantrums, hugs, and story books, I’ve collapsed into a blob on our couch for the evening, I’m exhausted just reading over the laundry list of stuff we accomplished today, yet still unsure of what we did to allow this level of exhaustion into my bones.
That’s the funny thing about motherhood, how it’s virtually impossible to pinpoint that exact part of this crazy journey that makes us feel like we need a reset button every day.
But when you add it all up, it’s amazing that we’re still standing at the end of each one.
I wrap myself up in my favorite fleece blanket, and instead of zoning out on reality TV and bowls of ice cream, I grab a cup of decaf coffee and pop open the laptop that’s become my evening sidekick. Next, I reach for my trusty camera so I can download the day’s images for an evening of creative discovery.
I’ve traded in my pre-baby nights of dancing, drinking and partying for quiet nights of photo editing. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
There is something very cathartic, healing and renewing about taking a photo you’ve snapped and then transforming it into a work of art for your family.
When my love of photography was just beginning to take shape, I quickly learned that photos very rarely come out of a camera looking vibrant, bright, and professional looking.
It takes a certain set of skills in the ‘digital darkroom’ to achieve that just right pop of color so that it doesn’t look overdone, that black and white edit with a bit of contrast and matte haze, or that vintage color effect that compliments the surroundings just right.
Learning and growing these skills became my mama reset button after a hard day.
The good news for moms like you and me is that we don’t need to invest in expensive programs like Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom to create these photos we’re after. PicMonkey is an incredible software program, completely online based (and FREE!) that will allow us moms to do all the same tricks and techniques the pros use in the digital darkroom.
Radiate is the guidebook that came out of my own need to rediscover my passions after becoming a mom through a relaxing avenue that allowed me to create beautiful images to benefit my whole family.
During Radiate, you’ll learn how to tackle photo editing in a simplified but meaningful way, while lighting you up and helping you to rediscover your inner glow. It will help you put the equation together for fantastic finished images:
Photography
+ Self-exploration
+ Editing Skills
= Images that Radiate
Are you ready to shine?
These are just a few of the skills you’ll learn in Radiate:
Here’s what you can expect from your Radiate experience:
NEW! 6 months of bonus access to the Recapture Self Village – a support hub with myself, Recapture Self community manager Jen, fellow Radiate students, and other creative moms who will guide you through the Radiate materials.
$247 (registration closes Friday 9/29)
guest teachers // bonus chapter contributors
Darrah Parker: Capturing Beauty in the Mess: In this lesson, Darrah will be your guide as you discover beauty in the most unlikely places. Using simple techniques, you will start seeing your piles of laundry, dirty dishes, and smudgy faces with new eyes. Focus will be on perspective and detail. Darrah is a photographer, writer, and teacher. She shares stories of motherhood and all of its beautiful messiness on her blog and teaches LensMama, a 10-day photography and self-care e-course for moms. She lives in Seattle with her musician husband and hilarious toddler daughter.
Kelly Tuohey: Discovering The Beauty Of Your Camera Phone: Kelly dabbled in professional photography after the birth of her second child. She quickly realized she‘d much rather teach, inspire and help other mamas learn to how take beautiful, meaningful photos of their own kids. A self-proclaimed wholehearted momtog, she’s one of “those moms” who constantly has a camera in hand…but it‘s more often than not her iPhone. Find Kelly’s musings on motherhood, photography and life at Kelly Tuohey Photography.
PicMonkey is an online photo editor that says Booyah! to whatever your creative heart desires: basic editing all the way to advanced techniques. PicMonkey is GREAT for busy moms because there’s no software to download, no registration required, frequent new content offerings, a beautiful interface, and best of all it’s easy to use! Plus when you sign up for the Radiate e-book PicMonkey will gift you with 3 months of their paid Royale features for free!
And here’s a snapshot of the chapter-by-chapter content:
is this guidebook experience for me?
Radiate is for the mom who carries a camera wherever she goes, but is frustrated with the results that are appearing with each snap. It’s for the mom who wants to explore a hobby that will not only light her up inside but will also be of benefit to her family as well.
If you are a mom who already loves documenting life through pictures, but would love it even more if your photos had a more polished quality this is definitely the experience for you. If you find instruction manuals, lengthy college classes and complicated editing programs to be daunting not to worry. Radiate will take a simplified approach!
what past students are saying
$247 (registration closes Friday 9/29)
FAQ
What will I learn in Radiate?
This class will teach you a workflow for photo editing and give you new tools and techniques to try while utilizing free software readily available to anyone with a computer and an internet connection. We will bring a context to editing techniques through weekly assignments that encourage you to reflect introspectively and to capture what matters most to you and your life.
How much interaction is there? What if I have questions?
Radiate is an guidebook that will be sent to you for immediate download after purchase. Yay! Instant gratification! There are 10 lessons broken into chapters that can be completed at your own pace when it’s most convenient for you.
But this fall, as a special bonus — the Recapture Self team will be guiding the Radiate community through 6 of our favorite lessons, offering our feedback and support. We will begin the 6 week guided journey October 13th.
How tech-savvy do I need to be?
If you are confident and comfortable with navigating the internet, uploading photos, and saving them to your computer, then you are tech-savvy enough for the Radiate e-course.
There will also be a pre-recorded video with each lesson delivering you step-by-step guidance and instruction in the editing skills focus for the week. Plus, quarterly LIVE editing webinars will also be scheduled to book owners time with Beryl for Q&A and on the spot editing of student submitted photos.
What kind of camera do I need to have to complete the Radiate lessons?
The beauty of this book is that it’s for the user of any type of camera. Radiate is NOT a technical photography course. This class is about using what you know about photography already to practice and improve, it’s about reconnecting with who you are as a person, and it’s about learning new photo editing techniques in the process.
I have a family, commitments, vacation, etc… Will I have time for these lessons?
Radiate is designed to fit into your lifestyle and timeline, vacations and all. The PDFs are printable documents and most assignments would easily be able to be completed on a family vacation or outing. As a self-study guidebook, you will need to make the commitment to read and photograph and practice. But the beauty is you can work through the lessons at your own pace when the time is right for you! Plus this October 2017 we’ll be offering a special bonus guided 6 week experience to keep you accountable!
How long does a Radiate lesson take to complete each week?
The will vary from student to student, but making room to invest 1-2 hours each week on planning, shooting, and editing your images is a good rule of thumb.
I have another editing program on my computer (Photoshop, Elements, etc…) will Radiate teach me how to use those?
Radiate will not specifically teach you how to use any of the paid software programs for your computer. However most of our editing videos present simple techniques to edit in both PicMoney and Adobe Lightroom.
If you are looking for more in depth Photoshop or Lightroom experience this probably is not the class for you. However, many of beginner concepts presented using the online options in this class could be transferable to other programs you may have seen or used in the past.
Do you have a refund policy?
It is my #1 top priority that I create a fun and inspired experience for you to learn, grow, and play as a momtographer. I give my all if you’re willing to do the same. Please read the description of the guidebook here and the testimonials carefully to decide if it’s the right fit for you as there are no refunds given after purchase.
If you can’t find the answer to your burning question I want to hear from you! Hit me up at beryl@berylaynyoung.com and we’ll see if Radiate is a good fit for you.
If you like what you’ve read and you’re ready to jump on board you can register right here, right now!
It’s time to use your camera–and that’s any camera you may have–in new, creative ways.
Together we’ll explore personal development exercises and thoughtful journaling techniques designed to help you identify what makes you who you are and what really makes you shine.
We will bring our self-exploration into focus with practical how-to webinars introducing photo editing to enhance your images and add elements of mood, emotion, and artistic expression.
You’ll also learn fantastic new skills and techniques to bring your photos to a whole new level. That summer trip to the beach is going to look even more incredible after you’re done applying what you have learned in Radiate to your photos!
I know how easy it is to make excuse after excuse when it comes to doing something special just for you. But imagine the smile that will be plastered on your face after you transform photos you’ve snapped into something beautiful. Imagine how that smile will carry you back to your work as a mom more refreshed and ready to take on the day.
Radiate is designed to put YOU at the top of the priority list. Each lesson has been specifically designed to fit into your busy schedule, while helping you slow down and reconnect with the people, places, and things that mean the most to you.
$247 (registration closes Friday 9/29)