February « 2013 « LeggNet's Digital Capture

February 26, 2013

Introducing STUDIO o2o

I’m pleased to formally announce the completion of the expansion of my studio home, STUDIO o2o. The studio has nearly doubled in size and added quite a few amenities to help in the creation of great images by the photographers that use it.

Some Background

When I re-entered the photography industry as a profession in 2007, I soon realized that I needed a dedicated space for the business. I know many great photographers creating fantastic content that do not have a dedicated shooting location, but for me personally I felt I did. To achieve this I began converting my office space to a studio. This small space served me well for nearly 3 years and I created some very successful stock images in this studio.

In 2010 I had the opportunity to move into a larger space in the building I was in. With this move, I was able to create a “more real” (in my mind) studio. It was around this time that I began renting the studio to other photographers as they needed it. The rental business, while not being a huge money-maker, served its role well in offsetting expenses. Over the nearly 3 years in the new space, the rental business has continued to expand.

Last year I was approached by my landlord about taking over the space directly next-door to my studio. At first I felt that it was not justified, but after serious thought and analysis I realized that it could work if I were to have other photographers use the space on a regular basis.

STUDIO oh-two-oh?

While planning for the expansion, I realized that having my name all over the studio was actually a detriment to the growing number of photographers shooting in the space on a monthly basis. I felt that if I were renting a studio space, I would not want my clients asking “who’s the dude with his name is on the door?” With this in mind, I decided to rename the studio to a more generic name. The name was derived from the zipcode of Draper, Utah – 84020. The locals pronounce it eight-four-oh-two-oh, hence STUDIO o2o.

Membership

The major part of the expansion was the creation of a second camera room. This growth allowed two separate photographers to work simultaneously in the studio. With this I decided to offer “memberships” to a limited number of photographers willing to make a commitment to the studio. The new member photographers have 24/7 shared use of the new “East Room” in the studio. With a little marketing, we have filled half of the spots already. I look forward to having these new photographers close by. (Note: as of right now, there are still a few member spaces available. contact me at rich@leggnet.com for details)

The Studio

With the expansion, the studio now has two separate camera rooms (800 sq. ft. & 600 sq. ft.), a separate entry area, private changing room, 16′ wide cyclorama, makeup/stylist areas, and more. The biggest impact on my existing studio is the creation of an entryway separate from the studio. This, along with the on-site changing room, has greatly improved the function in the existing room. Instead of describing the studio, let’s look at some photos.