We got a very nice review of our studio recently. Made me glow and, really, it shows what we’ve always known!

So today we’re featuring the studio and what’s going on in the space.

Ottawa photo studio - the bare studio with our dog!

The Review
Cindy Orti rented our photo studio for some shooting and loved it.
She says:
“Most studios I’ve worked in have the look and feel of a studio, with heavy duty lighting everywhere, backdrops, etc. They aren’t necessarily a bright and welcoming space, which I deem very important when working with clients. It’s important for them to be comfortable and not intimidated by any space we work in. I think what I love most about your studio is how welcoming it is for clients.

© Cindy Orti shot at Ottawa Studio Works

Additionally, Ottawa Studio Works is the perfect size to accommodate a crew, a set, and client spectators without everyone feeling cramped. Plus the fact that the studio is also used as gallery space, I appreciate that my clients can look around at what is hung up on the wall as it keeps them entertained during wait times.

I also value that the art hung on the walls provides exposure to other Ottawa artists. It demonstrates that the studio is supportive of the Ottawa photo community and I believe that not just photographers, but clients value that as well.”

Ottawa photo studio - behind the scenes at a DIY portrait session.

We’re not a high volume rental studio. We work with clients that fit well with our studio. We provide the studio space and the following:
• 11×24 studio space
• back drop stands
• use of one backdrop
• stool, risers, chairs, tables
• prep room (approx 10×10)
• access to bathroom, kitchenette

Current rates for photo/video shoots:

Half day (max 4 hours – from arrival to departure) = $150 (please add taxes)

Full day (up to 8 hours) = $225

Two days (2x 8 hours) = $400

Shooting in studio

What else is going on at the studio?
• Photo workshops
• Exhibitions/Events – We rent the space to artists looking to exhibit their work. Coming up we have plans for Elmwood School’s year end Art Exhibition (see last year’s show) and a Music Photography show is in the works.
• Weekly Photo Round-up! – Every Friday we round-up the whos and whats of the Ottawa photo community and feature the fun on the OSW photo blog.

Have you ever wanted to shoot in a studio?! We can make it happen!

On Friday I taught another session of Photography for Communications Professionals – a course to help people get better workplace photos.

I met my client and she was nervous about shooting in manual exposure mode. This is normal!

People are often afraid to shoot ‘Manual’ – clinging to any of the auto settings – because learning to meter the light and set three variables – iso, aperture and shutter speed – can be a daunting task. And the consequences of a mistake in a high pressure event are too much!

The beauty of manual mode is that once you have set the exposure for a location the exposure usually remains the same and allows you to ignore the light level until it changes – see bull rushes, below.

Exposure - photo class

In auto mode the camera resets the variables every time it encounters a different tonal element within the evenly lit scene (bright snow, dark trees with bullrushes) even though the correct exposure for the elements is the same exposure. (The two bull rush photos have same exposure but the different backgrounds would fool auto exposure mode!)

Exposure - photo training

And, with practice, you can figure out the correct exposure for a scene in, oh, about 5-15 seconds…

With some training, reading, and/or practice you can get consistently better exposures easily in manual mode.

Remember my nervous student clinging to an auto mode?

By the end of the day she was nailing challenging exposures in tricky lighting scenarios using manual mode. She was smiling – some simple photo training went a long way!

Photo training for communications departments - here students learn to take advantage of exposure possibilities to create better photos - dark background, well exposed foreground - to bring attention to the speaker (erm, me) in the test scenario photo!

A while back I posted a newsletter on exposure and manual mode. One of our students recently commented on the newsletter and the difference between shooting manual and auto:

“Après une semaine à faire des photos d’hiver pendant la relâche scolaire, je peux définitivement dire que le mode manuel est 100% mieux. Malheureusement, les gros appareils sur les pistes de ski alpin, c’est peu recommandé…surtout avec mon niveau d’expérience dans ce sport!!!
Exposition manuelle 
Exposition appareil automatique”

Excellente!!

What do YOU use?!