Click on the title of the blog post to view the entire entry.
Studio Lighting Naturally books (workshop books) are in stock — see THIS LINK for details….
The book is now revision 2 — same book, a few extras…
If you are wanting to attend one of our workshops — More info HERE, we have a waiting list currently for a future date (it looks like the June/May workshop date is completely booked). The future date will possibly happen in June. Please email jodieotte@verizon.net to get on the waitlist.
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I did want to announce, the new small-group workshop date is April 30th to May 1st. Please see http://www.jodieotte.com/mentoring.htm for more information!
…..here’s just a mixup of some sessions of different ages 
Three questions that keep popping up in my email box, that I must answer real quick before I spend the next four days straight shooting and teaching.
1. Are you really going to be going to the Savvy Sisterhood Workshop at the end of this month? Absolutely - cannot wait, very excited to get away with my husband, Dean, and spend some time having fun with, what is it, 70 other photographers? something like that? Yes, VERY excited to get away for this. When I was asked, how could I turn it down? That beautiful inn from the Wedding Crashers movie, in my home state so no major traveling, teaching lighting and stuff (which to me is just chattin’ about something I love…)…. a group of super nice photographers…. of course!!!!
2. Are you holding more private workshops at your new studio? Yes, yes, yes…. we are looking at May 1st or 8th as a possible date. Yep, a Saturday for your convenience :) and guess what - the snow will be GONE! Keep an eye here on the blog, I’ll be announcing final details here shortly.
3. (This question mainly from the parents of the baby models from November’s Similac shoot). Will more Similac ads be coming out? Yes, we shot several different sets, just keep looking in magazines and don’t forget to let me know when you spot them
Okay, we have been busy busy busy busy!!! My email boxes are so full right now, it’s unbelievable, and I promise, all will be answered and taken care of today. I have a shoot first thing this morning, and I will spend the rest of the day answering emails and phone calls. We finished up our first childrens/baby/maternity photography workshop of the year on Friday (we only have a few seats left for workshops this year - http://www.jodieotte.com/mentoring.htm - Our furthest attendee is coming from the UK - how fun is that! :))
At any rate, the big big news? What is the big big news? Well, I was getting ready to sign another lease for my current studio, and right before we started shooting for the next Similac ad in November, I happened upon another studio situation. It all seemed too good to be true, but there it was, staring me in the face, and I had to make a decision.
Yes, we are moving into the new studio in February. It is about a minute or two down the street from the current studio. We will be using this entire building, and it sits on 8 beautiful private acres. The gentleman who has renovated this building, has done a tremendous job. Here’s a picture.
Here are two little “storyboards” of the decor going in the shooting area and the coffee-shop-style kitchen…
Needless to say, we’ve been placing orders on furniture, we have 34 gorgeous canvases that will be hung all over the building (I finally have great wall space), I have all new photography sets coming - everything from a shabby chic look to barnwood to stonework, and spring… wow, spring is going to be amazing shooting outdoors. We even have a stream going through the property!
So get ready, while I am still booking sessions right now, most are taking place starting the second week of February and we even have some booking up to August, so please contact us to get on this schedule! We also will be having an open house once everything is in place and settled, so stay tuned for the news.
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Also, we’re on Facebook —- http://www.facebook.com/#/pages/J-Otte-Photography-Black-Horse-Studio-Jodie-Otte/121000892458?ref=ts
Come join us for updates on the progress!
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I just wanted to let you all know, it’s the last day for the Studio Lighting Naturally sale below. I’ve had the book out a few years, and this is the first sale I have ever done with it. It’s selling out very quickly! The sale will remain on until midnight Eastern Time tonight. See below to place your order. And yes, this does come with the DVD which includes a video, actions, a write up on pricing, etc.
On another note, I’ve also been asked about workshops. Yes, I am still doing workshops. I currently have the following times available.
January 21st (one day) - one more seat available
February 25th and 26th
March 11th and 12th
All other dates are full at this time. I do make occasional exceptions for those who wish to have one-on-ones or want a time slot with just you and one or two of your friends. If you are looking to do this and choose your own date, please contact me at jodieotte@verizon.net and we will discuss if this is a possibility. Also, more details at www.jodieotte.com/mentoring.htm Workshops include everything from studio lighting naturally to natural light to working with newborns, kids, and pregnant clients.
Thanks! And have a great weekend!
Oh, let me post one picture while I am here ;) I envisioned this late one night, and this is a first try. It took a while to find an item shaped this way to use, but I’ve had that item for about six months, waiting for the right baby to come along. To my surprise, this one-month-old was the right one! I’m still not completely satisfied with this shot (I didn’t want to use the fluff, but we were having “sticking” problems), but I’ll play more and more with this setup as I have the chance to. This is one of the images that is going up at the new studio. Oops… did I say new studio? YES!!! More details on that later! That’s HUGE HUGE HUGE HUGE news!!!! ;)
The new schedule for photography classes has been released. This will be a more in-depth two day workshop that focuses on studio lighting, natural lighting, posing, and business! You won’t get lost in the crowd as in many workshops - groups are small - 1-4 per workshop. You may even chose to be one-on-one only.
Please go to http://www.jodieotte.com/mentoring.htm or click HERE for all details! If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to contact me at jodieotte@verizon.net
And I can’t post without a picture - I have many from this session that are absolutely beautiful, and I will share more later…
Okay, this is a random post, I need to announce a couple of things…
1. My blackberry went missing this week. If you are waiting for a call back from me, that is why you are still waiting, and I am so sorry! I’m hoping to have the new one activated by this evening and be back on track. In the meantime, if you need to reach me, please call 410-557-4631 and leave a message or send an email to theblackhorsestudio@verizon.net
2. Lots of inquiries for workshops this week. Yes, I am going to release some workshop dates hopefully next week for 2010. Please keep an eye out for this - if you have emailed concerning workshops, I have already put you on the waiting list to notify first.
Here are a few recent sessions…
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While our first shipment of books went out, we have another shipment ready to go. We also have another shipment that came in last week and are ready and waiting. For more information (now posted) or to purchase, please go to http://www.jodieotte.com/books.htm
Here’s an inside peek…
And as promised, more natural light images — this was on another very very bright day… this little boy was so sweet and so much fun to work with
Let’s talk natural light. As you may know, we now have available a Natural Lighting book for sale at www.jodieotte.com/books.htm The book, Just Lighting Naturally, was designed by request after the huge success of Studio Lighting Naturally. I will discuss this book a little more in detail here shortly, so stay tuned…
While my business mainly revolves around studio lighting with babies and expecting moms, I do photograph children quite often in natural lighting, as obviously, children need to feel comfortable and not bored stuck in front of studio lights. For the next few days, I will share natural light images, as I also get a chance to prepare the book link above with more information about the latest Just Lighting Naturally book.
This was from a session several months ago that I hadn’t share on the blog - three absolutely gorgeous little girls…. and their ponies. Oh, and a note for the photographers - these images were taken at “high noon” a scarey bright day - you know those dreaded incredibly bright days where you know you have to REALLY work for that light 
So we had a hold put on production of the book
There was a reason behind that. I’ve been developing a slightly new way that I have been post processing natural light images, and wanted to be able to share that in the book, as well as expand some of the information also included. When originally designing this natural light book, I felt something was missing. I needed to add to it, so we placed a hold while I developed more information to share.
We are finally ready for preorders as the book went into production. Shipping of the preordered books will take place July 28th. For more information, please go to http://www.jodieotte.com/books.htm
In the meantime, another sweetie…
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As some of you know, I was teaching mini-workshops for 2009, which filled up very quickly. At this time, there are no more 2009 dates left officially; however, we do have a wait list. I haven’t decided at one point I will be able to schedule more, but it probably won’t be this summer, as this summer is going to be spent with my family. If you wish to be placed on a wait list for THIS PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP, please email me at theblackhorsestudio@verizon.net
In the meantime - check out this adorable little face
Last call out for workshops. We have two seats left for 2009 Studio Lighting Naturally workshops. Please go to www.jodieotte.com/mentoring.htm for details. These workshops cover how to utilize studio lighting in a “natural” looking way. The workshops cover newborn photography, how to photograph the pregnant form, child photography, as well as how to run a succesful portrait business and PhotoShop techniques that I personally use.
As you probably know, I am no longer providing regular workshops for photographers; however, I had opened up some small mentoring groups/mini-workshops in December of 2008 as a trial, that seemed to work out very well. I am currently opening the rest of the 2009 dates and times. Please read ALL THE DETAILS HERE.
I have had a lot of questions regarding my Studio Lighting Naturally book and availability. We just received another shipment of them in last week, but I am down to only four TWO books remaining for Christmas delivery (within the continental US). Another shipment will arrive a week after Christmas. If you wish to have yours by Christmas, the last day for ordering is Friday, December 18th. See photographers link above for more detail. If you have any questions, please email at theblackhorsestudio@verizon.net. Thanks
Oh my, have I been busy busy busy with the holiday season! I haven’t had time to share some of my personal stuff at all…
I promised I would show my kids’ horses at the Muddy Creek Meadows Halloween Party. I’ll start with Erynn and Stormy… I took the time with the kids early October to make some costumes with them. Erynn and I did most of it as obviously Barrett isn’t all into this… he’s in that transitioning kid to teen stage - poor guy, that’s a rough time
Stormy was to be a Leprechaun and Willow was to be a Native American Pony. Erynn dressed up with Stormy, Barrett did not dress up, but he did paint Willow up.
Stormy and Erynn won first place in the contest… here they are… Stormy stepped so proudly with all her ribbons in her hair. Take note of the black leg warmers with gold buckles on the front, as well as the pot of gold hanging around her neck. That horse will tolerate nearly anything Erynn does to her…
Stormy wore her hat proudly… Dean couldn’t stop laughing at her in the hat… it’s just so bizarre to see that
As I show Barrett’s horse, Willow, I wanted to talk about PhotoShop. A lot of people ask me if I use a lot of photoshop. Actually, I don’t. When I shoot for clients, I shoot on all manual and make sure I get it right in camera - white balance, etc. correct in camera as well as possible. I shoot so many images for my clients that I have to take the time to get it right in camera, so my workflow runs smoothly and efficiently. When I photoshop, I use basic things - contrast, curves, color balance, dodging, burning, but when it is right in camera, I barely have to use these tools. There’s no magic button, it’s not rocket science - it honestly is about getting it right in camera - that is the secret.
However, when I shoot my family snapshots, sometimes, well… honestly, most of the time, I am lazy. I simply set my camera to Aperture Priority, and shoot away. I just performed PhotoShop magic on this snapshot. Yes, it took time. There is no easy quick fix to a shot this bad. And the horrors, this shot came from my amazing Nikon D3!!!! at ISO 5,000 and shutter of 1/40 handheld. That’s bad news as any photographer knows…. but alas, laziness, rushing around, this is what you get…
but with taking the time to color balance, tweak curves, contrast, etc., this is the result - a better snapshot! If I took the time in PhotoShop with every picture that I shoot for my clients, I would NEVER get the hundreds and thousands of images finished. That is why it is so important to shoot it right the first time, getting it right in camera.
Edited: June 2, 2009
For the record:
I was the original partner of a secret workshop that was for photographers in 2007.
For the record:
There were disagreements.
For the record:
I was asked *originally* to continue as a speaker with all for 2008, as the partnership was not going to work. I voiced I could not do both California workshops. I was to go on as a speaker instead of partner since there was a financial conflict being that I only received a small portion of what was originally discussed, and frankly, I run a very busy studio, and could not commit to much more than that. That seemed like the way that things could continue amicably.
For the record:
One week before the Orlando workshop, I was cut out of Flint. This was done in an interesting fashion. I called up asking why the June date was released without discussing it with me as that was my kids’ last day of school, I was told - “oh, I have Brianna Graham doing it instead, that’s why I released the date”
For the record:
I was not paid fully for the Orlando workshop.
For the record:
Thursday, January 10, 2008 at approximately 11 a.m., I was told to be there for Saturday, January 12 – to teach for approximately 3 hours. I asked, “should I stay for the model shoot later on to show people how to use the studio lights?” I was told “No, Amy and I have it…just leave your lights there.” Saturday, January 12th, I showed up at the studio in Orlando to teach my portion. 1 hour and 20 minutes into my teaching, I was abruptly interrupted with a “You’re done, you’re done, you’re done.”
Disclaimer:
I have received two Cease and Desists, one lawyer dropped it as the truth is the truth. Here’s the situation. I have all of this documented with journal, emails (recovered from old hard drive), and phone records. I am not the only one that had bad experiences. Many are afraid to speak up.
My request:
My request is that my pictures, my pricing structure, my tips on technique and shooting, and my lighting diagrams be taken out of all workshop-related material. I have received copies of workbooks that still contained my information without my authorization. I would also like my name taken out of the meta-tags/source code on the Secret Photography Workshop’s website, as that is extremely unethical for a business to use another business in order to get hits to their website.
For the record:
I am done dealing with this. The truth is the truth. I would never want to repeat the horrible experience I had working with this situation or the amount of times I had to bite my tongue because what was going on, and some of what was taught, I did not agree with.
A message to those who speak at workshops:
Please do yourself a favor. Have legal contracts written and signed before entering into any agreement. Everything needs to be written out and documented. Verbal agreements even amongst friends will inevitably go bad. Only agree to be a speaker if your payment is given to you in advance.
A message to those who frequent workshops:
First of all, with photography, you really do not need to attend workshops. You can find out all information about photography, post-processing, marketing, etc. through doing research in books and on line. Business related information can be easily obtained through your local Small Business Development Center for FREE.
If you are choosing a workshop, please be aware of the following things: There are moms with cameras (I use this term as the negative connotations surrounding it) who find that they don’t have much time to really develop a true portrait/photography business, and instead, throw overpriced and packed-like-sardines workshops out to teach others basic information that they have found themselves through online forums and books. Please do yourself a favor, and ask questions, many questions, to find out the credentials and business experience of your speaker before signing up. Do not feel bad about asking ANY question, although if you get vague answers, please know, there is a lot of false information being passed around on line - it’s easy to be a totally different person/business on line. Asking questions is no different than wanting your child’s teacher to have credentials and experience. This is your money, research your speaker. Know that you are receiving information that was gained by your speaker through hard work, dedication to their craft, and especially EXPERIENCE. Anyone can throw up a website and spin themselves a business. Know where your money is going to…
Just to be clear, I do have very negative feelings about being a part of this workshop as well as some things that went on during these workshops that I didn’t feel were right and that there was no “backup” to what was being taught, but I will refrain from expanding on that at this time.
I was delighted to see that one of the attendees, Dorret, took an image of me shooting one of the images below (Dorret’s work is so diverse, I need to sit down and go through her Flickr photostream with a cup of coffee - really great shots - and did I hear it right? Someone let you on their combine in Monkton while they were harvesting corn - you go!!! That’s so awesome! You must tell me the story!)
Here’s the image she took… This is one of my favorite spots on the studio property in Monkton. This was when I took the black and white image of little Simon below…
Closing this chapter. We completed the last workshop for now. I don’t forsee doing more in the future; however, I can’t say never.
A big thank you to all the attendees, I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know all of you! I’m always humbled by how sweet and kind everyone is and how far you all travel! wow!
Another HUMONGOUS thank you to Tracey for helping out - she is such a great friend to be there for me and I appreciate it so much! Wish her a Happy Birthday today! Yes, it’s her birthday!
Thanks to the models - we couldn’t have asked for sweeter models. Here are a few images (although I don’t have my regular monitors hooked back up, so the color/contrast could look off here —>
A note to clients and anyone else trying to contact the studio — the phone I do business from needed to be replaced yesterday, so I am setting up the new situation and will be contacting you ASAP — you can also email me at theblackhorsestudio@verizon.net
Workshop attendees for this week September 18th and 19th - you will receive an email filled with the last of the must-know info today, September 15th. If you do not receive it, let me know. Also, if you need a ride from the Hunt Valley hotel to the studio, please please email me at theblackhorsestudio@verizon.net If you wish to carpool (or would like to volunteer to carpool), that is fine (and in fact, you will be able to do a “reply all” to the email so that attendees may discuss between each other), but I need to know the final count that must receive rides from me.
As far as the future of my workshops - at this time, I will not be able to do any more group workshops due to the amount of clients and business growth that has happened over the last few years. I am always receiving emails asking if I will be traveling for workshops, etc. I will be honest, I really wonder how much business/clients those who travel have because frankly, there is no possible way for me to work out traveling into my schedule :). Just last week, I had nine portrait sessions on the books to be completed Monday to Friday. Not to mention other assignments and dealing with “press” issues. While I wouldn’t mind traveling here or there, I have committments to my clients, and my clients are the foundation of my photography business.
I will, however, be offering one-on-one mentoring beginning in late December; since it was just a “rumor”, those December slots are already filled - yes, that quickly and I hadn’t announced it yet!
I will give some details of these one-on-one days here…
These will take place on Fridays at my studio. The cost is $1295 (hotel/plane tickets not included) - $700 nonrefundable deposit required, balance due 7 days prior to scheduled date; however, if you bring a friend or business partner, the cost is reduced to $995 per attendee (we will limit the number of friends/business partners that you wish to sign up together to no more than 3 per day - this is your choice if you wish to add more attendees to your day). Our day will begin at 10 a.m. We will customize this day to fit your needs - YOU decide what you want to focus on the most - Business? Studio Lighting? Natural Lighting? You may assist during a portrait session scheduled that day if you wish (we will discuss details). You will receive a soft cover copy of the book, Studio Lighting Naturally as well as our natural lighting book which is still in production. Our day will end at 6 p.m. To sign up, you must not reside within a 75-mile radius of the zipcode 21111.
January and February 2009 dates are open (December is booked at this time)–
January 9th - open
January 16th - booked
January 23rd - open
January 30th - open
February 6th - open
February 13th - booked
February 20th - booked
February 27th - open
I want to apologize for the delay in responding to emails and voicemails. We have received a very large influx all of a sudden, and are working on catching up. All current emails and voicemails will be answered today (as soon as I come back to the office after a last-minute newborn shoot this morning ;))
If you are looking to book a session and have the images back in time for Christmas, please call or email now to get into my schedule. Emails are responded to fastest (is that a word? lol) at theblackhorsestudio@verizon.net
I do want to place a call out for a “backup” newborn model for September 18th. I believe we have our model, but he/she is not quite born yet, so wanted to make sure we have a backup just in case. Email me for details.
As you probably have seen over and over again, the studio was closed down for vacation and has been reopened today, August 27th. If you are waiting for a return call or email, you will receive it today.
For the photographers, if you ordered a Studio Lighting Naturally book while the studio was closed, it has shipped out this morning.
Speaking of the Studio Lighting Naturally book, there are THREE currently in stock and ready to ship immediately. If you are interested in purchasing this book, please click here.
I called Bediboo yesterday to confirm everything concerning the boutique mini sessions for tomorrow, and as soon as I said, “Hi, this is Jodie Otte”, I was met with a “Did you know you are famous?”
*Hiding* No, I’m not famous… I’m shy, I talk too much when I am nervous, and despite my online persona, I like to fly under the radar…. I’m very emotional but mostly keep it hidden. I’m too sensitive. I’m a realist. I’m an observer; I watch how people naturally connect with others or with this world, before I click the shutter….
I teeter on the edge of obsessive compulsive. I’m in love. I’m a hopeless romantic. I’m an animal lover.
But famous, I am not. But thank you *blushing*
Tracey and I will see you at Bediboo!!!!
Yes, you heard that right, no more photography workshops or seminars for me. Well, we have the last one in September (which yes, still has two seats available - so if you are interested, please sign up right away as this is the LAST ONE Click here for Info). In this one, we are going over both studio and natural lighting - it’s a two-day affair, and will include a “natural light” book as well as the Studio Lighting Naturally book.
Did you read that right? Yep, we are doing a natural light book as well. It will be made available end of September 2008.
I also have another exciting announcement to share…… hmmmm… but when should I share it?
If you are attending the September Photography Workshop/Seminar, please check your email for travel information. We do have two seats remaining. Since this question has come up a lot - no, I have no information on any 2009 workshops. We have something going on right now, adding another branch to my photography as well as have something unrelated in the works, and once that all is completed, I will be able to make some decisions for 2009.
We have one Studio Lighting Naturally book left in stock and the reorder is going out now - if you wish to preorder, we can have the books in stock within two-three weeks but I cannot guarantee they will stay in stock So if you wish to have them quickly, go ahead and preorder.
Thanks
These were two newborns that I photographed during two of my photography seminars / workshops. Yes, we will be in need of a newborn model for September. Also, we have three seats remaining for the September 2008 photography workshop. If you are interested, please go to Photography Workshop Link and an update on the Studio Lighting Naturally books - we have two books currently available in stock and ready to ship immediately - for more information, please go to Photography Book Link.
We’re back up after the bandwidth issue we had on this site. Anyway, I wanted to thank all my attendees for a fantastic workshop on Saturday as well as I am so grateful to Dean and Tracey for helping!
I also want to thank each and every one of you for the thank you cards and the sweet messages that you have sent - I promise, I will respond to each and every one - including after-questions
I did want to share this with everyone - this is from Amarilis Fraticelli from Puerto Rico who attended the workshop back in April.
I am just writing to thank you for everything you taught us. You have no idea how much I learned during that day. I had no experience with studio lightning and everything you said was new to me. But you made it seem so simple and it was very well explained by you and in your book. Your staff was also very good to us. I was anxious to go home an start shooting. Here are some recent photos. Thanks again and God bless you, Amarilis
Check out her beautiful work and her website http://www.growingupphotography.com
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Thank you so much for sharing!
A quick update - there are FOUR Studio Lighting Naturally Books available for immediate shipment and about 3 seats left for the Workshop/Seminar.
Wow…. I’m quite shocked, everything fell into place for another seminar/workshop date in September. This will be a two-day event! For details, go HERE.
We have 10 seats left 6 seats left 4 seats left
Three nevermind, make that ONE Studio Lighting Naturally book left in stock.
We will have another shipment no later than June 27, 2008.
I wanted to give a little update on the books. If you have purchased your book and have not received it, expect it any day now. They have been shipped out.
Because of some confusion on how we stock the books, I’m going to start updating both on the Studio Lighting Naturally website and on the blog of how many we have in stock at any given time, so if you are wanting the book immediately, you will know how many we have in stock. We currently, as of today, have eight books left in stock ready to be shipped out immediately. If you are looking to purchase one and get it immediately - please click here for the website.
This is a call out to local moms who are ready to have their baby or have already delivered very recently. We are looking for one newborn baby to come in to the studio on Saturday, June 28th, for a free “mini session” which will include some prints (please email for details). This mini-session will take place during a workshop that I am teaching for photographers. We are looking for the baby to be less than a week old by June 28th if possible, but it’s okay for the baby to be up to 4 weeks old by June 28th.
Please email theblackhorsestudio@verizon.net if this works for you! Thanks!
If you are a current customer and would like to do this for the free prints, you are not excluded - just send me an email!
