We thought Hayden would have some fun with a birthday cupcake… apparently dirty fingers are NOT his idea of a good time……

Thanks so much Janet for bringing the kids back in for some photos!  It’s so much fun to watch them grow!!

And just to give you a reference point… here is Ben (the artisan himself) with both roasters…..

Now I’ve never actually seen the roasting process before… and I’ve got to say it’s pretty cool.  Once the roaster has reached the ideal temperature the green beans go in the hopper..

and are roasted depending on the bean and the blend for a specific amount of time….

When it first starts roasting it sounds and smells a little bit like popcorn… but not for long, and then the smell of fresh coffee beans is amazing!

If you haven’t already had some locally roasted crazy fresh coffee you should check out their web site and find a pound at a retailer near you!!

I was very proud to attend the “Man of Integrity Awards” banquet this past Friday evening.  My dad, David Steckle was nominated and we found out after dinner that evening that we was selected as to receive the award for 2012.  I think the only person who was surprised was him!  I don’t know another man who so perfectly fits the description for this award.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with it here is some info:

The “”Man of Integrity Award” was created in 2011 and will be presented to a Huron County man who best exemplifies execeptional integrity in the pursuit of gender equality in Huron County. The nominee must have behaved and/or influenced the behaviours of others to be in line with the spirit of equality and fairness between the genders. The nominee must be known to their peers as a person of honesty and truthfulness The nominee must have made conscious efforts to contribute positively to further enhance the status and equality of women in their community.]

Congrats to my dad and to all the men who were nominated!  Huron County is lucky to have each and every one of you!!

Got to say there is nothing sweeter than when a family of 2 becomes a family of 3…..

Abby’s mom is a teacher so these props just seemed like the perfect fit!

Congrats Erin & Josh!  It was so great to meet Abby!  Looking forward to watching her grow!!

The most obvious question that everyone has is “What should I wear?” … but I really think the question that should come first is “What location should we pick?”

First off, the location is going to make a huge impact on your session.  The most important piece is that you pick a location that you enjoy, will have fun at and are comfortable hanging out for an hour or more.  If you want fun carefree photos a park, or the beach might be great or even your local fair (think ferris wheel) or ice cream shop.  If that’s not your thing,  perhaps you are a book worm and you and your loved one(s) spend countless hours at chapters pouring over books and drinking coffee… that might be the best location for you.  Your family home and yard might be a great location too.  With engagement shoots I usually start in one location that we’ve talked about, but will often end up going to one or more other spots near by that catch my attention.    The starting location is really up to you and what you want your photos to look like.  Which brings us to the next piece of the puzzle.

Next to Coordinate your outfits – with each other and your location.  This does not mean that everyone has to match!  Picking a colour theme is the key idea, and it needs to make sense with the location you’ve selected, whether it’s the beach, a fall theme, or an urban setting.  If you’ve picked the beach you will probably want light airy summery clothing.   If you are most comfortable in jeans, that’s totally fine, but then pair it with a light colour top.  Sundresses are great for ladies.  It’s a bit hard to tell in this shot but Courtney & Justin did a great job of pairing their outfits.  Justin had a dark bottom and a light top with a slight pattern.  Courtney had on light coloured bottoms with a darker top.  They both went with shades of blue which worked really nicely at the beach.  They also picked a great time of day for beach photos… just before sunset!

Holly and Phil had a fall engagement session.  There outfits were perfect.  Loved his checked shirt with her cute jacket… which brings me to the next point….

Layers are awesome.  They really add interest to an image.  Holly’s scarf was a great addition to her outfit and matched the colours nicely in Phil’s shirt.    It doesn’t have to be a scarf if that’s not your thing, but layering tops or adding an interesting piece of jewellery can really make an image great.    If you aren’t exactly sure how to go about this… check out the site – www.pinterest.com -  search by a couple key words like “photography” and “outfits” and you should get a ton of ideas for what to wear.   One warning… Pinterest is a SUPER addictive site and may eat up countless hours of your time… but it sure is fun.

Now that you’ve picked a location and you all look great let’s have some fun!  The more you can interact with each other the better your session will be.   I find some of my favourite photos come from the most natural moments, when you are least aware of the camera and just enjoying your time together.  I love it when couples and families include some activity with their session.  If you have young children bring some things they love to do… bubbles are great, have a picnic, read some books, splash in the waves… whatever your kids are going to enjoy.  And please, I beg you, resist the urge to say “Cheese”…  instead try being silly, have a tickle fight or a game of tickle mom or dad, make crazy sounds, … whatever will get your kids involved and laughing.

It can be simple every day things.  I took Dr. Kate’s family photos in their backyard.  Kate & Archer love to work in their garden together and Archer was absolutely thrilled when his mom found a radish for his lunch!  How cute is that!

Holly & Phil love spending time outdoors near the river by their home, so their campfire by the river made perfect sense for them, and it was also a lot of fun to shoot!

I know it takes a little extra effort and planning before your session,  but I think you will agree that is totally worth it when you see the final results!

Spring Workshops!

It’s amazing how time flies. I had originally intended to host my next round of workshops in February, but since February has already arrived I’ve decided Spring will be a better time. It would seem this is the winter that never was. Good thing I bought all those snow pants for my kids this past fall!

Anyway. Here are the dates:

Basic Digital SLR Workshop

Saturday March 24 – 10am-3pm – $95

This is a great class if you have recently purchased a SLR camera.
There is a pretty big learning curve from a point and shoot to an SLR.
In this class you will learn about the basic elements that go together
to make great photos. It will be a hands on class, so please bring
along your camera and manual.

Digital SLR Refresher Course

Thursday March 29 – 7-9pm – $35

This class is specifially for those who have already taken my basic SLR
workshop and want a little refresher or have a question or two they
need cleared up. We’ll go over the main points again and add a trick
or two for you pull out of your camera bag when you are shooting!

Basic Post Production

Satuday March 31 – 1-4pm – $55

So you have a whole flash card of pretty photos, now what? In this
class we’ll talk about storing and organizing your photos on your
computer, backing them up, editing them in lightroom and making prints.
Feel free to bring your laptop along if you have one. We will also
talk about making prints and storing photos.

Sign up for two of the three classes and save $10!

Email me at info@sandraregier.com to request a coupon code.

Click here to register for the classes!

Looking forward to seeing you soon!

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