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.

Going forward, I’m excited for the studio growth and the increased opportunities the space gives me for shooting, teaching, and learning.

For information on renting the photography studio on an hourly, daily, or monthly basis – please contact Rich Legg at rich@leggnet.com or visit studioo2o.com

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens – 1/100 second, f/4.5, ISO 100

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens – 1/125 second, f/8, ISO 100

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/60 second, f/8, ISO 100

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens – 1/640 second, f/4, ISO 100

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/125 second, f/8, ISO 100

I recently added the 10,000th photo to my stock photo portfolio at iStockphoto.com. I carefully timed it so the above photo would be #10,000 as a bit of a tribute to the accomplishment. It’s been quite the journey since I uploaded my very first image to the site back in 2005. In the 7 years I have been on iStock, I’ve:

- Had over 150,000 downloads
- Taken stock photos in six different countries
- Had my work published worldwide in 1,000′s of publications and websites
- Met a lot of great people
- Grown my portfolio on Getty Images to over 2,300 images
- Became a member of the iStock Inspection Team
- Worked with 100′s of fantastic models
- Opened a standalone photography studio

…and at the top of the list – left a camera on a subway in Tokyo on October 28th, 2010 which led to me meeting a truly wonderful woman :)

Creating stock photos is a seemingly never-ending growth process for me. As I begin working on the next 10,000 images, I’m extremely thankful for the journey I am on.

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/100 second, f/8, ISO 100

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/125 second, f/4, ISO 160

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and that means it is time again for Photowalking Utah to make our annual outing to Temple Square in Salt Lake City to photograph the holiday lights on display. This will be the 6th year in a row to hold this event.  It really doesn’t seem that long ago that we held the first Holiday Light Photowalk.

This year’s event will be held on Thursday December 20th beginning at 7:00 pm.  The group will meet at the statue located at Main Street and South Temple.  From there we will venture onto the Temple Square grounds to photographically capture this year’s wonderful lighting display.

It probably doesn’t need to be said, but PLEASE dress WARMLY!  Nothing can take the fun out of this event quicker than a frozen extremity.  Tripods are also highly recommended.  For those photographers who do not have a lot of experience taking nighttime photos, there will be several Photowalking Utah volunteers on hand to assist in capturing a great shot.

As always, there is absolutely no charge to participate in this event. Photographers of ANY skill level are invited to join in.

Head on over to the Photowalking Utah Facebook group if you have any questions or would simply like to say you’re coming. I hope to see a great group on the 20th.

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/125 second, f/8, ISO 100

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