With over 5 million OttLite products sold, people worldwide have made OttLite lighting their choice for bringing natural daylight indoors. Our unique lighting technology is based on the pioneering research of Dr. John Nash Ott. Today, OttLite Technology creates superior natural lighting systems specially designed to help people do what they do better.
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Dr. John Ott and The Science of Natural Light®
Photobiologist and pioneer in light research, Dr. John Ott, discovered through 40 years of research, the effects specific wavelengths of natural light have on all living things.
Known as the father of time-lapse photography, Dr. Ott developed the first OttLite product while filming “The Secrets of Life” Series for the Walt Disney Company and helped Disney animators transform an ordinary pumpkin into
Cinderella’s magical carriage. Dr. Ott’s cinematography was also featured in the 1951 Academy Award winning film “Nature’s Half Acre” produced by Walt Disney.
Dr. Ott was internationally recognized for his contributions with the following awards:
- Grand Honours Award from the National Eye Research Foundation
- Appointed a Trustee from the Light and Health Research Council in London
- Jonathon Forman Gold Medal from the Society for Clinical Ecology
- Gold Medal from the Garden Club of America
Dr. Ott’s published works include Light Radiation and You – How to Stay Healthy (1982), Health and Light: The Effects of Natural and Artificial Light on Man and Other Living Things (1973) and My Ivory Cellar (1958).
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Dr. Ott first brought natural daylight quality light indoors through his research and experiments. One notable experiment was his work with
Walt Disney to record the growth of a pumpkin through time-lapse photography. The footage would then be used by Disney animators to draw the transformation of Cinderalla's pumpkin into a carriage.
Dr. Ott was faced with the challenge of growing the pumpkin indoors. The pumpkin is a monacious plant, which means it is able to produce both males and females. Under some lighting conditions, only male plants grew, but no females. The lights were adjusted and then only females were produced, but no males. After several experiments Dr. Ott was able to provide the proper range of light wavelengths and phosphor formulation to successfully grow the pumpkin indoors.
And, thanks to Dr. Ott's vision, Cinderella successfully captured the heart of her prince!