Why I Started Sweet and Sauer Studios

Before Sweet and Sauer Studios ever existed, before I even thought about turning photography into something “official,” there was 15-year-old me, armed with a shiny new point-and-shoot camera from Walmart and an obsession with documenting everything.

It was 2005, and I took that little camera everywhere. I quickly became “the friend with the camera,” the one responsible for capturing every hangout, birthday, and chaotic inside joke. If you grew up in the MySpace era, you know exactly what I mean. Back when we’d take 200 photos in one afternoon, upload every single one to Facebook, and think our sideswept bangs and mirror selfies were the peak of cool.

Looking back, most of those photos were blurry, overexposed, and kind of ridiculous, but they were real. What I loved most were the unposed moments, when no one knew I was taking a picture. That’s when people were just being themselves. Those shots always felt the most genuine to me. No pressure, no perfect angles, just life happening.

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The “Why” Behind My Love for Capturing Memories

One of my favourite photos from those early years is of my little sister hugging my grandpa on the dock at our family cottage. It’s one of those photos that instantly takes you back. You can almost feel the sun, hear the water, and sense the love between them.

My grandpa is actually a huge part of why I love what I do. He passed away after a long battle with dementia, and watching someone you love slowly forget everything is one of the hardest things to go through. Toward the end, every time he saw me, he’d say, “Wow, Meggie, you’re so grown up now!” and I’d wonder, in his mind, was I still a kid when he last saw me?

That experience made me realize something I’ll never forget: memories fade, but photos and videos don’t. They’re proof of our lives, our love, and the moments that make us who we are.

And that’s also why I fell in love with video. You don’t just see the memory, you hear it. You get the laughter, the voice, the little quirks that make people who they are. If you’ve ever lost someone and wished you could hear them again, you understand how powerful that is.

That’s what inspired my slogan:

“A picture is worth a thousand words... but a video tells the whole story.”

 Even though I love photography, videography is where my heart really lives.

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Falling in Love With the Craft

Eventually, I upgraded my camera (still a point-and-shoot, but lightyears ahead of the first one), and that’s when I discovered macro photography. I was fascinated by how it could capture tiny details you couldn’t even see with the naked eye.

By the end of high school, I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life, but I knew one thing for sure: photography and videography were going to stay in it. I just never pictured them as a career.

That changed in 2014 when I finally got my first DSLR, my trusty Nikon D5300, which I still use today. Learning manual settings, shooting in RAW, and editing in Lightroom, completely changed how I saw photography. I realized I could shape light, mood, and emotion in ways I never could before.

Editing quickly became one of my favourite parts of the process. There’s something so satisfying about bringing an image to life.

But even with all that growth, I still didn’t feel “ready” to start a business. So I kept practicing, photographing friends, family, and my own milestones, slowly building my portfolio and confidence.

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How Sweet and Sauer Studios Came to Be

Fast forward to 2019. I was ready for something new. I left my job as an RECE in a preschool room and officially launched Sweet and Sauer Studios.

The name? Simple. My last name became Sauer after I got married (pronounced like “sour”), and “Sweet and Sauer” just made sense. It had personality, a little humour, and it felt like me. Although people often pronounce it like “Sawyer,” which totally ruins the pun, but I’ve accepted it 😅.

I started Sweet and Sauer Studios to share my love of photography and videography with others, but I decided early on that I didn’t want it to become my full-time source of income. Photography was my happy place, and I never wanted to risk losing that spark or making it feel like "work."

At the same time, I discovered how much I enjoyed graphic design and web design, which I now offer under the same umbrella. Those creative outlets, along with my marketing career, have helped me keep learning, growing, and connecting with people in new ways.

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What It Means to Me Now

Sweet and Sauer Studios has been a dream years in the making. I just didn’t realize it when I was 15 with that little Walmart camera. It’s grown with me through every season of my life, from photographing friends, to couples in love, to new parents and tiny newborns, and now to capturing memories for my own family.

At the end of the day, that’s what this all comes down to, preserving the stories that make life meaningful.

Freezing moments in time.

Telling stories through photos and video.

And giving people, including my son, something to look back on and feel.

That’s why I started Sweet and Sauer Studios. And that’s why I’ll never stop. 💛