The Future Studio

July 16, 2013 by ~The South Dakota Cowgirl~ Leave a Comment

I mentioned a couple posts ago that I will soon have my own photography studio. I’m kind of beyond stoked in this regard, because up until now, I’ve had no place, really, to take natural light, indoor photos, and that, my friends, is about to change…

I don’t have a date for completion yet- we’re thinking sometime next Spring, as this isn’t the only project we’re undertaking right now; the barn is up and built. Now we are working on getting bunkhouses ready to house ranch vacationers, and interns, and of course we’d like to have the arena portion of our barn operational so we can start hosting events, and donating time to the local kids’ equine programs for their use as well. There’s a laundry list of things to be completed prior to finishing this, but I’m pretty excited so I can’t wait to share the plans with you guys!

And in case you missed the exciting news about this project, you should head over here and read about it now!

Here’s the floorplan (note- this will be located under the same roof as the barn, inside the house we are building, so the french doors come off the living room):

This program doesn’t allow me to do all that I want- but I plan to have a hardwood or laminate (hardwood look) floor, and I do want one focal wall – though I’m thinking that wall will be the one behind the couch (this will also function as a guest room when needed) and I plan to make it a “gallery” type wall. I’d like the corner where the windows meet to be a place to set up backdrops, and move chairs and props in and out so I can take photos there in the gorgeous light that floods these windows. I’m excited that there will be exterior access to this space as well, which allow me to have clients over and not have to have them run through my home, which is sometimes ~~especially during summer~~ messy.

Happy Trails!

About ~The South Dakota Cowgirl~

Jenn Zeller is the creative mind and boss lady behind The South Dakota Cowgirl. She is an aspiring horsewoman, photographer, brilliant social media strategist and lover of all things western.

After a brief career in the investment world to support her horse habit (and satisfy her mother, who told her she had to have a “real” job after graduating college), she finally took the leap and stepped away from a regular income; trading the business suit once and for all for cowgirl boots, a hat, and jeans. She has not looked back.

When Jenn first moved to The DX Ranch on the South Dakota plains, she never imagined she’d find herself behind a camera lens capturing an authentic perspective of ranching, and sharing it with others. Jenn has always been called to artistry, and uses music, writing, images, home improvement, and her first true love of horses to express her ranching passion.

Horses are the constant thread and much of her work centers around using her unique style of writing to share her horsemanship journey with others in publications such as CavvySavvy, the AQHA Ranching Blog, the West River Eagle, the family ranch website, and her own website.

Using photography to illustrate her stories has created other opportunities -- Jenn’s brand “The South Dakota Cowgirl” has grown to the level of social media “Influencer”. This notoriety has led to work with Duluth Trading Company, Budweiser, Wyoming Tourism, Vice, Circle Z Ranch and Art of the Cowgirl, to name a few. She also serves as a brand ambassador for Woodchuck USA, Arenus Equine Health, Triple Crown Feed and Just Strong fitness apparel. Her photography has been featured by Instagram, Apple, TIME Magazine, The Huffington Post, and Oprah Magazine. Jenn’s work has been published internationally, has been seen in several books and has graced the covers of several magazines.

Jenn became a social media influencer by accident when she started to explore Instagram as a way to share her life on the ranch with folks that don’t get to experience it. It’s grown into an incredible platform that she uses to empower women, create an environment for self improvement and share life on the ranch.

When she’s not working, she loves to drink coffee, play with her naughty border collie named Copper, start ranch colts, and run about the country chasing cans. Her mother still thinks she doesn’t have a “real” job.