2020 CANNING SEASON!

GRAB YOUR BALLS ITS CANNING SEASON!

I LOVE dill pickles! I’m one of those people who can sit around and eat them straight out of the jar and call it a meal. The salty, vinegary flavor just does it for me! If its not pickles then its cucumbers marinated in apple cider vinegar with a whole lot of salt!! Mmmm…

My 1st time pickling and with so many cucumbers I needed to make sure I found a recipe I would like! A lot of people seem to like the bread & butter or spicy pickles but not me, no thanks! I wanted mine to be doused in vinegar and taste super dilly with a touch of garlic. After looking around online I found one I thought I would try! Of course I will be sharing this recipe along with the how I prepped and other random tips! Hope you all enjoy!

Preparation!

Preparation is key! This makes everything flow much smoother! I like to get all my garlic cloves peeled and my cucumbers cut. You can choose how you would like them cut. I choose to have the majority of mine sliced and a few cut into spears.

Now for sanitizing your jars and lid rims. You can either choose to boil them in hot water for 5 minuets or to make it little easier toss them all in your dishwasher ( w/o soap) and wash! Some dishwashers have a antibacterial option you can use.

Brine! In a large pot ( gallon or bigger) add 3/4 cup of canning salt, 9 cups of water and 6 cups of white vinegar. O and you can’t for get pickle crisp granules! You should be able to find these next to all other canning items! I use 1/4 tsp per quart, you can also look on back of your container for their recommendation. Unfortunately at this time I am unable to say exactly how many jars this will fill as I always use a miss match of jar sizes. I also have cucumbers coming out of my ears so if I have a few that don’t get used I just save for the next batch. Heat brine until you have a rolling boil.

Packing the cucumbers! While you’re waiting on the brine its time to pack your jars with pickles. I like to add a clove of garlic and a branch or two of dill to each jar prior to cucumbers. Don’t be stingy on the dill if you like them tasting dilly! Be sure to pack them nice and tight!

Almost to the finish line! Now that the jars are packed full of cucumbers and the brine is at a rolling boil it is time to fill the jars with brine! Fill the jars until there is a half inch of head space remaining. Wipe the rims of the jars clean – I like to dip a corner of a towel in the hot water that the lids are in. Now put the lids on and close nice and tight!

Flip! A lot of recipes call for a hot water bath but… I like to Flip! Take your jars and flip them over upside down! Wait for jars to completely cool before turning right side up! Jars should make a popping sound as their lids seal. Some times this can take a couple hours. If a lid doesn’t properly seal no worries they will still turn out they will just need to be placed in the fridge. And Thats it! Wait at least 3 weeks before you open them up and Enjoy!

53 Jars of Pickled cucumbers….. you think that’s enough? haha

THE NEWEST ADDITION TO THE DRABANT FAMILY

I’m not quite sure how the topic first came up but my youngest daughter Ava is absolutely in love with animals. For the last few months she has been asking for a puppy so… mama got her a puppy! lol I originally wanted to find one for her birthday last month but I didn’t want just any puppy, I wanted the perfect puppy! Both my girls said they would like a girl puppy. And of course I had to find one that didn’t make me sneeze as I’m allergic to most cats and dogs. Along with a few other things, it took a little while to find just the right puppy. We had finally found one that would be ready to come home right around my Oldest daughters birthday unfortunately that one past away just days after she was born.  I decided to take another look and after only a few minutes of searching I found one that was already for her new home within two days. Perfect Easter gift right?!

Lucy Louise Drabant Born February 3rd 2018

She’s a snuggler and she’s absolutely everything we hoped she would be! When I held her  for the first time, she didn’t even seem real. She really looks like a stuffed animal… only more adorable and wiggly.  Lucy is an eight week old Cavapoo aka Cavoodle. She is a crossbreed between a Cavalier King Charles & Poodle. Which means no shedding hurry!

Lucy was born in Indiana. We meet half way in Illinois to pick her up. And when I say we, I mean myself and my two girls, Olivia 4.5 & Ava 3. Most of you are probably thinking I’m crazy to drive that far with two toddlers and a puppy by myself  but, not only were they amazing but so was Lucy. It was roughly 6 hrs to get there so we left early in the morning. We had originally planned to get a hotel as I absolutely hate driving but i was just too excited to get her home and play with her so we made it home later that night. I held Lucy the whole way home and never found any hair on my clothes! YESSS.

I’v already learned so much about this little girl. So far we know that she’s capable of sleeping through the night in her crate with minimal fuss, she’s so far, (fingers crossed) already potty trained! She hates being alone, she’s a snuggler, sleeps ALOT! and she’s PHOTOGENIC!!! Hallelujah!!! Haha

Why I love Being A Wedding Photographer

PASSION

Photography in general has always has always been a great passion of mine.   When it comes to new love, couples, engagements  and weddings whats not to love?!

Weddings are amazing events to get to shoot. There  is always something going on and I never find myself bored.  Weddings are like snow flakes, no two are the same which keeps them even more exciting. Not only do they take place in beautiful locations, but they are also full of genuine emotion. I love my job most of all because  I am able to freeze all the emotional feelings the couple have towards each other  in one single image. I love that I get to spend the day capturing happiness, laughter, joy, anticipation, excitement, and maybe even some sadness.

People spend countless hours preparing and planning for their wedding day, and a lot of that effort goes into ensuring that they will look their absolute most beautiful. That makes it pretty darn fun to photograph them! They are wearing fantastic outfits, their accessories are carefully chosen, their hair is perfect, and the makeup that enhances their beautiful features.

 

 

MEETING AMAZING PEOPLE

Wedding photography is a people profession, and you get to meet some pretty incredible ones. There are, of course, your clients, who often can become more friends than clients. Between the Engagement session and the emailing back and forth you establish really solid relationships with them, which makes it way more enjoyable to do your job. I also specialize in Newborn Photography so our relationship continues much further than the wedding. I am there to capture the excitement of them welcoming their little ones into the world with Fresh 48 session(hospital) to regular newborn session.. toddler years and of course family sessions.

And then there are tons more people you’ll get to meet. There’s the bridal party, who you spend a fair amount of time with, and guests at the wedding. You will create relationships with other vendors you work with, like florists, planners, decorators, etc. And you’ll get to connect with other local wedding photographers when doing your networking. They can be an amazing source of support, advice, and friendship!

YOUR OWN BOSS

Self-employment is no walk in the park, but it’s pretty darn enjoyable. You make the decisions. You set your hours. You decide whether pajama day should be Mondays or Fridays (or both!). And if you work hard, and succeed, you get all the rewards. Extra bonus: you can work from home! The few days out of the month I do decide to venture out around 5pm I  am reminded how amazing it is that I don’t have to deal with rush hour traffic.. ick!

NEVER STOP LEARNING

As a wedding photographer I find myself shooting in a wide range of styles. There’s a lot time spent in the photojournalistic mindset, then you switch to being a portrait photographer, directing and posing. There is so many details, putting on your still life/commercial cap. You may do some shots of the location or venues, drawing on landscape and architectural skills. Light-wise you’ll need to learn to shoot in sunlight, shade, rain, snow, artificial light, and practically no light. You wind up becoming a very well-rounded shooter, able to adapt to ever-changing scenarios and lighting situations!

 

Why you should book Brittany Schaber Photography as your Newborn Photographer

Why you should book Brittany Schaber Photography as your Newborn photographer.

PASSION

Photography in general has always has always been a great passion of mine.   When it comes to newborns I just love everything about them. That “newborn-ness” is just so precious and sweet… from their teeny tiny fingers and toes, to their squishy lips and cheeks, and their ever so soft skin.  With every newborn session the little ones manage to melt my heart each and every time I get behind my camera.  Besides getting to snuggle all these adorable babies I love my job most of all because  I am able to freeze all the emotional feelings the parents have towards there new little ones in a single image.

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SAFTEY!

Baby safety is a crucial factor to look at when choosing your newborn photographer. Do not be afraid to ask questions on how certain poses are achieved to make sure your new bundle is never put in harm’s way. There are several poses you see these days that are created using multiple images so that baby is safe and secure the whole time.. thanks to Photoshop, the general consumer never knows it was a composited image. I would never risk the baby’s safety for the shot a parent or myself had in mind. Rest assured I have taken classes and been trained in on how to carefully handle newborns in the safest way. Newborns have fragile little necks and we want to make sure they are carefully placed when it comes to all those cute little poses and taking them in and out of little buckets. Even when it comes to my older “littles” I always like mom or dad to be right by there side for safety. Like the old saying goes… its always better to be safe than sorry!

CUSTOMIZATION! & ENDLESS PROPS

With each newborn session I send mom and dad a “Newborn Questionnaire” to fill out. This goes over what colors or themes you would like to see in your session. Check boxes for particular poses and group setups. The earlier you book the more customized we can get! I have a endless amount of props that you are more than welcome to look through to use during your session however if I am missing something you might like I go ahead and order it in! This is why I suggest booking a good 9 weeks or so ahead of your due date.

FAST TURN AROUND!

Who wants to wait months on end to get their photos back of their adorable little ones? No of course! Everyone who has worked with me knows I always have their full gallery done with in 2 weeks of their session.  I make sure to only schedule a certain amount of sessions so I am able to keep up with a short turn around time. This is also very beneficial if you are wanting to make birth announcements and such! Whats even better is that while you are waiting for the full gallery to be finished I post a few sneak peaks to Facebook(with your permission of course 😉 ) With these images you are more than welcome to tag yourselves and others, share to your page or even set as your profile picture!

COMPETITIVE  PRICING!

Last, but not least, price! Price is always the forefront of every consumers mind when choosing a photographer. Just remember the old saying, “You get what you pay for”.  Going with the least expensive or whomever offers the “best deal” might not be the best decision when choosing your photographer for your newborn portraits. Remember you only have a small window to capture those first days of life so if you choose a photographer that you end up not being happy with, you cannot get those days back. It is very similar to wedding photography in that you really only get one shot at it.

When hiring a photographer for any occasion be sure to find out what your really paying for! Not sure what to look for? I wrote a blog just for that! click here >> WHAT ARE YOU REALLY PAYING FOR? But in short make sure if you are wanting to print your own images ask if the prices includes digital images with print release. The answer is YES! With all my sessions from newborn, family and weddings I always include digital images with print release. I also offer the option of ordering pro prints through me. I use a pro print lab that is calibrated to my computer so the image color and quality is guaranteed every time! For a full & current pricing list please see here >>http://www.brittanyschaberphotography.com/investment

WHAT DO OTHERS HAVE TO SAY?!

If you head on over to MY FACEBOOK PAGE  you will be able to find over 50+ reviews each and everyone rated at 5 stars!

Remember it is more than the photo you are paying for, it is art and lifetime memories. When booking Keep in mind the photographer’s portfolio, experience and remember this person is going to be handling your new baby so you want to be sure they consider baby safety and know how to appropriately handle, soothe and pose your baby.

Everyone deserves classic, timeless photos captured of their new bundle. Spending a little extra time researching the photographer and photographer’s work, and possibly spending a little extra money than your friend who has a nice camera would charge you is well worth the outcome for your newborn photos.

365 Project!

365 Project!

So you might be wondering, What is  the 365 Project? Well you simply take a photo every day for 365 days. Not only will you be able to capture great memories that would otherwise be forgotten. Taking a daily photo will also help improve your photography skills and capture beautiful memories.

My goal with this project is to do just that! I want to capture all the wonderful moments that we normally may take for granted. All my special moments are made up of my family. My husband, Chris and our two daughters, Olivia and Ava.  I want to capture that smile they get when they take that first bite of their delicious ice-cream cone, their laugh when they go fast down the slide. My girls love for one another as they huge each other and say goodbye when my oldest leaves for preschool. These are some of my favorite moments and I think it would be wonderful to relive these in the future when they are older.

My Very First Image of 2017!

Here is our two little girls. Olivia 3.5 & Ava who will be 2 next month! This image was taken with my go to camera, Nikon D750 using a 35mm 1.4. I just recently purchased this lens last week. My goal with this project is to strictly try and use natural lighting and this lens is great for those low lighting shots! 🙂  Our girls are big readers! I once found Olivia hidden in the back of a puppy kennel with a few of her books reading to little Franklin. Ava is a fan of the windowsill.