Check Out Amanda Otzelberger’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Otzelberger.

Hi Amanda, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in a small town in northern Illinois, and I was always fascinated with art and photography. My dad had a few Canon film cameras and would sometimes leave for a whole day to go shooting. Excitedly, I always looked forward to seeing those photos once he developed them. I was very curious about how the simple change of light could make a huge impact on each image. Fast forward to my young adult life; I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point with a BA in Mass Communication. I worked for many years in the media business. I started fresh out of college working for WCCO Radio in Minneapolis in their Traffic Department, scheduling and tracking commercials. My husband and I moved to Denver in 2006. I worked for KMGH Channel 7 for a few years and finished my media career at KUSA Channel 9, working in the Traffic Departments at both stations. I became a stay at home parent when my first child was born in 2012. My second child came along in 2014, and a few years later I was trying to figure out how to pursue a passion of art and photography, all while balancing motherhood. I started Farm Fresh Photo at the end of 2018 by taking portraits of families, newborns, and lifestyle-type headshots around town. I also love to take day trips around the state to shoot amongst our never-ending beautiful scenery and landscapes.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Life always presents struggles, but the photography road was fairly smooth when I started my business in 2018. The following year was fantastic as word of mouth about my customer service and talents started to spread. But, then we know what happened in the first quarter of 2020! Business essentially dried up through the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s been a very slow recovery to get back to where I was. So during this quiet time, I have worked hard on my personal growth in the photography world. I’ve experimented more with light and editing, and my Canon DSLR and I are very close friends now!

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a photographer that specializes in portraits, lifestyle shoots, and landscapes. I’m mostly known for doing fun and upbeat outdoor/natural light photo shoots with families, children, maternity, and sometimes street photography. I love warm, beautiful golden hour light and capturing happiness, and genuine emotions. Freezing time for that moment is one of my favorite aspects of portrait photography. I enjoy connecting with people because we all have a similar human experience even if we have vastly different backgrounds. I think I capture that connection well during my shoots. Each family that I photograph becomes my family over the course of our session, and that helps everyone feel relaxed and more comfortable in front of the camera.

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I’m a one-woman band and I don’t overschedule myself! I can give myself and my creativity completely to each project that I’m working on, no matter how large or small it is.

Pricing:

• Packages starting at $250

Contact Info:

• Email: amanda@farmfreshphoto.com
• Website: www.farmfreshphoto.com
• Instagram: farm.fresh.photo
• Facebook: farmfreshphoto78