Jeff Zoet Digital Cinema & Photography Blog

Lincoln's 1st Year - weekly photos 9 & 10

2012-01-28T12:40:00.003-05:00

Lincoln's 1st Year - weekly photos 1-8

2012-01-03T13:07:00.005-05:00

My wife and I were thrilled to welcome our son Lincoln Paul into the world on November 13, 2011. I was trying to think of fun photo ideas I could do with him as he quickly changes over the first year of his life.

One idea was to take a weekly photo of him every Sunday all the way until his 1st birthday. We decided to have him in a different outfit every week. I take a bunch of photos of him laying on a white sheet and once I select the best pose, I go into Photoshop and add a background that I feel suits the idea. So far it has been a lot of fun and I look forward to doing it every Sunday! Hope you enjoy!

Introducing the "DC&P" photo & video combo shoot

2011-07-18T15:22:00.008-04:00

I am happy to announce the birth of DC&P - a combination of Jeff Zoet Digital Cinema & Photography.

In what has felt like a natural progression, I am now offering a shoot that combines a still photo shoot with an edited video - all shot during the same session.

Unlike most photographers that have simply purchased a new still camera with an added video feature, and decided to label themselves as videographers as a result... I actually came from that background. My education and career are all based in video and post production. I have been editing and creating motion graphics professionally for over 7 years. I decided to pick up photography as a hobby about 6 years ago, and now the two are finally merging.

Please inquire if this type of shoot interests you. Here is an example of my recent shoot with Dessie.

Wonder Woman photo used in Greek Comicon guide!

2011-05-27T15:01:00.003-04:00

It's strange how things happen sometimes. I received an email earlier this year from one of the organizers of the Comicdom Con in Athens Greece. He was looking to use a particular photo that I had taken in the new guide that they hand out to everyone that attends the comicon.

The photo he wanted to use was of Wonder Woman, which just so happens to by my lovely wife Monica posing for the role... who is actually of Greek descent. We also happened to go to Greece for our honeymoon, so we have a very personal connection with it.

The image was used to help announce the Cosplay competition (when people wear costumes of characters from comic books, movies, cartoons, etc...) at the convention.

Below is the published image as it appeared, along side of the cover. I'll count this as one more fun accomplishment that I never saw coming! Hahaha.

EXCITING NEWS!

2011-05-17T09:17:00.002-04:00

Well everyone, I am very happy to announce that Monica and I are expecting our first child! Our expected due date is November 9, 2011! We are both very excited about this new chapter in our lives! I'm sure there will be plenty more posts relating to this in the future!

2011 has been a tough year.

2011-03-29T15:41:00.006-04:00

Those that really keep up with my work might have noticed a sudden lack of new images lately. I feel like I am finally at a place where I can explain what has been going on over the past couple months.

I shared a studio space with 5 other photographers. It was a great system where the rent was divided up between all of us, and we just filled out our time slots on an online calendar when we were going to use it. I used this space for about 2 years without an incident. Well not anymore.

Sometime in mid February, I brought my camera backpack into the studio in preparation for a couple shoots I had scheduled that week. When I came in the evening of the first photo shoot, the entire bag was gone. Doors were still locked, but all of my gear had been stolen.

No one knew what happened. So I called and filed a police report (which went absolutely nowhere. Thanks Pittsburgh Police). After a couple weeks, insurance finally came through and helped me replace most of my equipment.

Although I have most of the gear back, I decided without a doubt to stop using the photo studio. Since it was never discovered how someone got into the space, I could only assume that it might happen again, and I wasn't about to take that chance.

So here I am with a new camera, but no studio to shoot in. This might not hinder some photographers. But the niche that I enjoy the most is compositing shots, in which case I need a studio to shoot & light the subject in before I can put them into a different environment - as seen here...

Which brings us to today. At this point I can only accept shoots that are on-location. Hopefully I will find a new solution for studio space in the future, but this is the predicament I am in right now.

I love BEER / BIER!

2011-02-14T14:10:00.012-05:00

If you personally know me at all, you know that one of my main interests besides photography is beer. No, I’m not talking about that watered down, cheap ingredients, mass produced “beer” that you see on tap at most bars. I’m talking about German, Belgian, Irish, and American craft beer. It was inevitable that I would intertwine the two interests. Even I am surprised that it took this long to happen. So with that being said, on with the post.

My wife Monica and I bought our first house together a year ago. Our rooms have turned out to all have a similar theme. It started when we let our honeymoon location of the Greek Islands inspire the feel of our living room. Then my wife wanted to give our kitchen a certain French feel.

When it came time to decorate the dining room, I thought a German vibe would work well. So we tore up the carpet to reveal the hardwood and brought in a couple wood furnishings. Then we made a trip to Frankenmuth, Michigan and bought an authentic Black Forest Cuckoo clock. Monica created some Bavarian inspired paintings for either side of the front window (she's an amazing artist), and I decided to create a couple of pieces myself.

If you know anything about German beer (or bier), you'd know that all the breweries were required to uphold the German Beer Purity Law of 1516. It stated that all beer should only be made with 4 ingredients - water, barley, hops and yeast. The law has since been repealed, but most German beer still abides by the law. In the German language, it was known as Reinheitsgebot. As a tribute to the origin of German beer, I wanted to purchase a replica of the law as it would appear on old parchment, but I simply couldn't find it anywhere. So I looked up the original text, and created my own, as seen here.

The second image that I wanted to create was a panoramic image showcasing many of the different German glasswares. I have a pretty good collection of beer glasses - mostly Belgian and German, so I thought this would be something fun and unique to create from scratch. I also wanted to have an actual bottle of beer to match each glass, so after some hunting, I was able to find them all. I did some research for photographing this too. I had never done product shots of reflective material. After some trial and error, I got it figured out. And here is the result of a lot of hard work and planning.

If you enjoy the print, and would like to order one for yourself, you can purchase a copy at my store.

And if you haven't heard yet, I am now a beer reviewer!! You can see my thoughts on all things beer related over at Pittsburgh Hot Plate!

2010 - The year in review

2011-01-03T10:23:00.004-05:00

2010 was a fun year for me. I finished up the "Caution: Models At Work" series, and released a 2011 calendar!

I also started a series of themed-concept photos based on pop culture. It has really become popular over the past year! So much so, that I created a new stand alone web site just to focus on these type of shoots - www.becomepopculture.com. I look forward to continuing on this project into 2011!

In addition, I was asked to be a beer reviewer for a local food blog called Pittsburgh Hot Plate, where I will incorporate some photography with my written reviews of beer and restaurants in the Pittsburgh area.

Lastly, I began a joint project with illustrator / graphic designer Rachel Sager that will continue throughout 2011. It's too early to talk about this one, but it is going to be a fun project that I can't wait to share when it is complete!

Overall it was a great year, and I was happy to really start incorporating some effects and compositing into my shoots. I'm excited to see what 2011 brings!

Here are some samples from my shoots over the past year.

"Caution: Models At Work" Calendar!

2010-11-30T09:47:00.002-05:00

I'm excited to announce that the series I've been working on - "Caution: Models At Work" is ready to be purchased as a 2011 calendar!

I've also recently added posters for each of the girls individually!

You can visit my tumblr page to see the individual months, or go straight to the store!

Goldilocks

2010-08-13T10:36:00.004-04:00

As I mentioned in the previous post, Goldilocks was my next foray into the land of Fairy Tales. Well I did the shoot awhile back with the wonderful Carley Lenz, but wanted to add a couple of bears laying on the ground behind her. I just couldn't find anything that would work, so I finally got around to going to the Pittsburgh Zoo and taking a few photos of the bears. Chances are that they would be sleeping (they almost always are).

So finally I can share the finished version of the Goldilocks photos!

New Fairy Tale photos

2010-05-24T11:36:00.004-04:00

Now that I'm finished with the "Caution: Models At Work" series, I've been able to get back into some of the other themes I've been planning.

One of those themes is based on fairy tales and fantasy. I really enjoy this genre and am looking forward to seeing where this series leads me.

Two shoots I recently finished were Little Miss Muffet and Little Mermaid. I always try to put my own spin on the concept, while still referencing the original idea. So far I have no plans for the final amount of these type of shots. We'll just see where they go!

The Little Mermaid

Little Miss Muffet

Stay tuned! Goldilocks is next!

New Theme - "Caution: Models At Work" Jobs 7 - 12

2010-04-15T13:59:00.010-04:00

In my previous post, I shared the first 6 "jobs" for my 'Caution: Models At Work' series that I've been working on. I am now happy to share with you the remaining 6 shoots needed complete the project!

Now I'm going to start building it out as a calendar and figure out how to market it. Hopefully this fall there will be an event to officially launch this! All proceeds will go to charity!

Katy - the janitor

Chrissy - the painter

LeeAnn - the road worker

Shannon - the steel worker

Alyssa - the coal miner

Lyssa - the plumber

New Theme - "Caution: Models At Work" Jobs 1 - 6

2010-01-13T11:36:00.014-05:00

I've been working on a new photo project with the theme of models performing dirty industrial jobs. I'm looking to do 12 "jobs" total, and have done 6 so far. I'm hoping to turn this into a 2011 calendar, so I'll be trying to get the rest of the shoots wrapped up by this spring. Here they are so far!

Ciara - the Iron Worker

Jessica - the Construction Worker

Erin - the Electrician

Jenna - the Lumberjack

Ashley & Lyndsay - the Firefighters

and Monica - the Mechanic

Happy Holidays everyone!

2009-12-04T15:55:00.002-05:00

Interview

2009-11-16T10:30:00.002-05:00

Check out my two part interview with Photoburgh.com

Part 1

Part 2

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-26T17:38:00.003-04:00

The Wicked Witch of the West would like to wish everyone out there a Happy Halloween!

ROPE.

2009-10-07T09:58:00.004-04:00

ASMP gallery show requirement: ROPE. My immediate idea: Wonder Woman and her lasso of truth!

It's no surprise that I immediately thought of Wonder Woman when they announced that this year's ASMP (American Society of Media Photographers) Object Show's ...er, object... was rope. I've been a comic book collector since I was a kid, and have been known to do some geek-themed photos in the past. I'd been wanting to do a shot like this for awhile, so when they announced the show, I decided now was a good of time as any to do it.

My lovely wife Monica volunteered to be the model for this shot. We ordered bits and pieces of the costume through Amazon.com because none of the Halloween costumes that you can buy seemed to be all that great. (surprise, surprise)

Once we had the wardrobe figured out, all I needed to worry about was the lasso. I bought some cheap yellow rope, but wanted to be able to shape it how I wanted, so I also picked up some wire, and fed it all the way through the rope to make it more stiff and be able to pose it.

We intended on just taking the shot of Wonder Woman up in sky, but just before we wrapped on the shoot, I decided to quickly switch the lighting around and so some more simple dramatic shots... and ended up liking them too!

So here are the two final shots. Somehow, I have a feeling these won't be the last of my comic book inspired shoots!

ASMP (and my first gallery show with them)

2009-10-05T10:25:00.004-04:00

So I finally joined ASMP this past month. For those of you that are not familiar with this organization... it's the American Society of Media Photographers. I want to try to take my photography to a higher level in the years to come, so I decided to join this group in the hope of making some more professional contacts and get me work out there.

Upon joining, I noticed that the Pittsburgh chapter was having a meeting that week. I figured that this would be a good time to meet some of the other members, so I went. One of the things I found out about at the meeting was that they were doing an "Object Show" for the upcoming gallery crawl in downtown Pittsburgh. Every year, they pick an object and have everyone submit a photo of their take on that object. This year's object was rope.

Unfortunately, the day of that meeting was supposed to be the deadline to turn your submission in... and I was just finding out about it. Luckily, they said that since I was new, if I wanted to try to get it into the show, that I could still take a crack at it.

So I had an idea right away that I wanted to do, but it required a particular wardrobe for a model to wear to pull it off. I was fortunate to have my lovely wife Monica volunteer to be the model, so we ordered the wardrobe and anxiously waited for it to come in so we could do the shot. One piece of the wardrobe ended up being on back order, so I canceled it, and ordered it from somewhere else.

The show was on a Friday, and I finally got all of the wardrobe needed that Monday. So Monday night, Monica and I went to my studio to take the shots. We finished up pretty late, so I spent Tuesday compositing the photo. Sent it to mpix.com to get it printed Tuesday night. (Highly recommend mpix.com for printing) They printed it Wednesday and shipped it overnight FedEx to me on Thursday. Brought it home Thursday night to frame, and then delivered it to the gallery show 2 hours before it opened! Whew. A lot closer than I like things to happen.

But everything turned out fine, and I was really happy with the results. The photo is still on display at the Bricolage Gallery at 937 Liberty Ave Pittsburgh, PA 15222 if you would like to see it. Only up for a couple more days, and then I'll post it online once the show's over.

So that's my whirlwind story of my first ASMP show. Hopefully next year's will be a little more relaxed!

COSTUME CONTEST!

2009-09-08T14:59:00.002-04:00

Click the image below to view larger and read the details!

Fitness!

2009-08-25T15:11:00.012-04:00

Wow. Talking about an inspiring shoot! I was lucky enough to do another fitness shoot last week. This time it was with Sarah, who came down on a Saturday from Cleveland for the shoot, and then had to drive the 2 hours right back home. She is training for a big competition in early September, so she decided to book the shoot just before then to be in her prime shape!

Seeing someone this devoted to getting in shape is very inspiring to be around. Any excuses you might have for not exercising seem ridiculous when you see her photos. I hope this opens a gate for more fitness models to book shoots with me. I had a great time, and really like the potential for creative and inspiring shots with models in prime physical shape.

Sarah and her husband Ryan also run a personal training business, and wanted these photos to help advertise it. And in Sarah's case... she's her own best client! Hope these help bring in lots of business!

The Return of Lyndsay

2009-08-20T15:15:00.000-04:00

I first met Lyndsay back in 2005 when I was just getting started with portrait photography. She was kind enough to volunteer as a model for me when I didn't really have much of a portfolio to show for myself.

She mentioned during that shoot that she cuts hair, and has been cutting my wife's, her sister's and her mom's hair ever since. She even did Monica's hair for our wedding!

Well Lyndsay had her second child since that shoot back in 2005, and hadn't done any photo shoots for a while. She finally decided to update her portfolio, and I was honored to help her out. Hopefully this is the start of many more shoots for Lyndsay as she returns to the modeling world. Welcome back Lyndsay!

Flashdance!

2009-07-10T11:26:00.009-04:00

As my obsession with the 80's continues, I randomly saw this photo that Lacey posted on twitter.

She meant it as a joke- just to show how big her hair gets after blow drying it. But it instantly reminded me of Jennifer Beals' character from Flashdance. (Which was shot in Pittsburgh, by the way!) So I pitched the idea to Lacey, and she was super excited to do it!

We talked about different scenes from the movie that were both memorable and could actually be done based on wardrobe and location needs. So here are a couple of the final shots from our super fun shoot!

♫ What a feeling! ♫

And here's a little montage I found on YouTube to get you back in the zone of Flashdance if it's been awhile!

Red's Had Enough!

2009-06-30T11:00:00.001-04:00

A lot of my ideas tend to be happy or humorous ones. I don't try, but that's the way they turn out. It's just the way my mind usually works. For this shoot I did recently with Megan, I decided I wanted to take a crack at something a little darker. Maybe even somewhat violent... ok, well maybe just implied violence.

And for some reason children's fairy tales felt like a suitable genre to go about doing that. Ha ha, sorry. I can't control the random ideas that pop out of my head. I just try to roll with them.

So here is the first in what I hope to be a series of "dark" fairy tale photos.

More Michaela!

2009-06-25T11:09:00.009-04:00

During the shoot with Michaela (view the first blog post about her shoot here), we took a couple shots of her in a villain outfit. I knew I wanted to try something new with those shots, but wasn't sure what to do with them. After some thought, I decided to put her into an apocalyptic setting for a faux movie poster entitled "Hell Hath No Fury".

So here are the results of a woman scorned.

This first shot is probably my favorite. I just love the overall feel to it.

I couldn't decide between poses, so I did this one as well. Then put it into a coming soon display for a little extra fun!

And there are almost always video games based on big summer movies, right? So just for kicks, Hell Hath No Fury became an X-Box 360 game too.

Penguins Stanley Cup Parade!

2009-06-16T10:47:00.003-04:00

For the first time since 1992, the Stanley Cup made it's way down the streets of Pittsburgh. I just happen to work right next to the parade route with access to a rooftop with a great view of the players passing by.

So here is a link to the shots I took as well as a pic of one of my favorites. Make sure to click on it to see it larger.

Penguins Parade photos

Kristen

2009-05-30T15:56:00.004-04:00

I had the pleasure of working with Kristen lately. She was looking to create a basic portfolio consisting of some head shots, casual, glamour, and swimwear.

Kristen was super professional and was very easy to collaborate with. The shoot had a great flow to it, resulting in getting a lot more looks than either of us planned on getting. Proof right there that it's always better to bring more outfits than you think you'll need... because we needed them!

I hope these shots help you get where you want to go Kristen! Good luck!

Magic!

2009-05-25T15:13:00.005-04:00

So I just had an interesting shoot! I'm usually working with models, but got approached by a magician to do some promo pics. I was very intrigued since he really wanted to take advantage of my compositing skills to make some truly "magical" images.

Here's a couple of samples for our shoot. To find more information about him, please go to his website at joshknotts.com

A rock star in his own mind

2009-05-19T14:47:00.000-04:00

Just a fun shot from a recent shoot I did, as part of an idea I'm working on. Rock on!

Michaela

2009-05-15T14:32:00.001-04:00

I had the chance to meet Michaela during a group shoot I was part of in January. We decided during that shoot that we definitely needed to set up an individual shoot down the road!

After a lot of pre-planning, we finally made it happen. As with a lot of my shoots lately, most of the shots work into different themed concepts that I've been working on. I'll formally announce these groups of themed work once I have more examples to show for them.

Here are a few samples of the shots we did. Some of them are in need of some compositing to finish the intended look, so I'll upload them in a separate posting.

Rhonda

2009-05-10T14:21:00.000-04:00

Thought I'd post a couple shots form my recent shoot with Rhonda. Rhonda is pretty new to the model scene, but has already built up a nice diverse portfolio. She was kind enough to humor a couple of ideas that I've been wanting to try for some concepts that I've been continually working on.

The first couple of shots were all about being fun and innocent. Rhonda had a great collection of stuffed animals and hauled them into the studio for a great shot.

After those shots, we went to the other end of the spectrum and did a sexy "Brittany Spears-esque" type of look. It goes to show that Rhonda can fit any role! Hope you like them!

80's Aerobics - Group shots

2009-05-04T09:49:00.001-04:00

Ok, here are some highlights from the group shots!

Everyone did such a great job getting into the 80's vibe. Of course the killer playlist that I posted earlier always helps. We listened to 80's tunes during makeup and the shoot to make sure everyone got in a silly mood.

"Hello everyone. My name is Jeff, and I'll be your aerobics instructor today!"

Loosen up, don't want to pull something.

Run in place!

And let's stretch!

Feel the burn!

Ok, I think they're bored now. Time to call it a day.

A great group of models.

80's Aerobics - Individual shots

2009-04-21T13:17:00.010-04:00

Just finished the solo shots of each of the girls, so I thought I'd post them. I'll be adding the group shots soon!

Chelsea

Monica

Carley

Nirvana

Lori

Erin

You can view the rest of the photos from this shoot HERE.

80's Aerobics teaser

2009-04-16T15:25:00.004-04:00

Here is a teaser from the aerobics shoot I just shot! More to come!

80's Tunes

2009-04-16T12:28:00.002-04:00

I did a 1980's aerobics themed shoot last night. I gathered up six wonderful models, had the talented Ali Pace design custom outfits & tease hair, and enlisted the help of makeup artists Adrianna Pace and Lori Delmer to complete the look.

We rented a dance studio for a couple hours and cranked up some fun 80's tunes to get in the right mood! It was rad! I've actually had some people wanting to know the list of music that I used, so here it is!

(Now I didn't go through and check the year of every song, so there might be a couple that are either late 70's or early 90's, but they worked for the shoot!)

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper
Holding Out For a Hero - Bonnie Tyler
Physical - Olivia Newton-John
I Think We're Alone Now - Tiffany
Beat It - Michael Jackson
Rhythm of the Night - DeBarge
You Spin Me Right - Billy Idol
Take On Me - Aha
Straight Up - Paula Abdul
The Warrior - Scandal
Heat of the Moment - Asia
Jump - Van Halen
Centerfold - The J. Geils Band
Never Gonna Give You Up - Rick Astley
I'm So Excited - The Pointer Sisters
Hit Me With Your Best Shot - Pat Benatar
867-5309 Jenny - Tommy Tutone
Walk Like An A Egyptian - Bangles
Whip It Good - Devo
We Built This City - Starship
Hungry Like The Wolf - Duran Duran
Take Me Home Tonight - Eddie Money
The Final Countdown - Europe
White Wedding - Billy Idol
The King of Wishful Thinking - Go West
Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
The Power of Love - Huey Lewis & The News
Love Shack - The B-52's
When I Think Of You - Janet Jackson
Together Forever - Rick Astley
Footloose - Kenny Loggins
Safety Dance - Men Without Hats
Bad - Michael Jackson
St. Elmos Fire - Mike and the Mechanics
P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) - Michael Jackson
Tarzan Boy - Baltimora
Rock The Cradle Of Love - Billy Idol
All I Need Is A Miracle - Mike and the Mechanics
1999 - Prince
Tainted Love - Soft Cell
Thriller - Michael Jackson
Rebel Yell - Billy Idol
Africa - Toto
Faithful - Go West
Down Under - Men At Work
Smooth Criminal - Michael Jackson
Only In My Dreams - Debbie Gibson
Steppin' Out - Joe Jackson
Owner of a Lonely Heart - Yes
Higher Love - Steve Winwood
Working for the Weekend - Loverboy
Maniac - Michael Sembello
I Want You To Want Me - Cheap Trick
Addicted To Love - Robert Palmer
We Got The Beat - The Go-Go's
7 - Prince
Axel F - Harold Faltermeyer
Jessie's Girl - Rick Springfield
Don't You Want Me - Human League
Blue Monday - New Order

A new... old shot

2009-04-07T22:16:00.002-04:00

I can't call this a new shot, since I took it last July. I did however promise my wife Monica (the lovely subject of this photo) that I'd turn it into a movie poster. So sorry for the delay, but here it is!

Oh, and yes... that is her 1966 Mustang that she built when she was 16 years old!

New Studio!

2009-03-20T10:46:00.003-04:00

I finally got around to taking a pic of my new photo studio. It's kind of a crazy maze winding your way through the building to get to it, but it's definitely nice once you get there. I might shoot a fun little video of the walk to get there someday, but for now... here it is!

Makeup Artist Photo Shoot

2009-03-18T09:58:00.005-04:00

My makeup artist Lori Delmer has been working with me for about 2 years. We've been a great team, we get along wonderfully, and I am always happy (as are the models) with the results.

With my shoots though, the focus isn't usually on crazy experimental makeup. So Lori isn't really allowed to "show off" her abilities as much as she would probably like to. That being the case, I like to occasionally give Lori complete control over a shoot - the model selection, the makeup, the wardrobe, and the overall vibe. For this time around, she found a wonderful model named Lindsay, and also decided to pose in some of them herself as well! (Lori is the blonde one)

We just finished up the shoot, so I thought I would share! If anyone needs an amazing makeup artist, please contact Lori at mualorid@gmail.com! Her rates are great, and she always does a wonderful job!

The rest of the photos can be viewed here.

iJustine interview in Jenesis Magazine

2009-03-13T10:11:00.010-04:00

iJustine.

Either you know the name and follow her everywhere online or you have no idea who I'm talking about... but chances are that your friends do.

Justine Ezarik is a friend of mine that went from being a relatively unknown girl who happens to love technology, to an internet phenomenon. She has an enormous group of followers that watch all of her videos on her own site ijustine.com and YouTube, follow her updates on Twitter, and are friends with her on countless other social networking sites.

She may have gained a lot of fame in the last couple of years, but it's nice to see that she hasn't changed. While she could have gone to some bigwig photographer in Los Angeles, where she currently lives... she decided to contact me to do a photo shoot for her ever expanding promotions.

The latest usage was for a magazine called Jenesis. They did a 7 page article on her, using some of the photos from our latest shoot. You can read the article in the PDF of the magazine here. She is on page 69 - 75.

So if you aren't already following her online, now's your chance to see what you're missing!

Military Pin-up Shoot

2009-02-25T10:39:00.009-05:00

I had the great opportunity of taking some photos of Gena last month. One of the things that made this shoot unique was that the photo shoot was a surprise Valentine's Day gift for her husband, who is currently deployed over seas.

Since Gena couldn't be with her husband on this day, she contacted me to use her Halloween military costume as the base for a pin-up themed shoot.

I have to say... when a woman books a shoot with the purpose of a surprise gift for her man, I think that is awesome! I think it is a unique gift and great idea, and I am honored to help out with such a personal gift for a couple.

I would have loved to post these sooner, but I had to wait for Gena to ship the prints to her man. Couldn't risk ruining the surprise if he saw them online first! Enjoy!

Another cover photo

2009-02-13T12:40:00.005-05:00

Here is another cover shot I did. This one is for ONS Connect - The official magazine for the Oncology Nursing Society.

View a PDF of the whole magazine HERE.

The making of "Polaroid Collection"

2009-02-06T10:06:00.011-05:00

Ever since I created this photo, I've had people asking me how I went about making it. I finally decided to make a step-by-step demonstration of how it was done.

Enjoy.

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1. The photo shoot itself was pretty easy. It was just two photos.

I had the model hold two blank Polaroid photos in front of her face for the first shot. Then I had her gently open her fingers to drop the Polaroids, but not to change her hand position.

The purpose for that was so I could see what was behind the Polaroids and put it back in later.

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2. Everything from here on out was done using Photoshop. I merged the two photos together to create this shot. This was my safe point.

I liked this shot as is, so just in case the concept didn’t translate from my head to the final image... at least I had this fun shot to fall back on.

Fortunately for me, it did work.

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3. The Polaroids I used were too clean for me. So I took a picture of another Polaroid that I had, which is obviously a little dirty.

This is what I would use as the basis for all the scattered
Polaroids.

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4. I took the dirty Polaroid image and duplicated it until I had 15
versions. Then I scattered them around until I felt they looked random enough.

Obviously I had to make sure that two of them lined up with the two that the model was holding.

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5. Finally it was time to start to merge the images together. I brought in the original image, and masked out everything that wasn’t in a Polaroid photo. Then I made another layer of just the hands so they appear to be reaching out of the Polaroids.

The concept was definitely coming together now.

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6. I really liked the way it was looking, but knew I had to get it to pop out more. So I created drop shadows for all of the layers.

The Polaroids that were supposed to be laying flat had shadows that were very close to them. But the two images that are supposed to look raised off of the surface got shadows that were further away from the Polaroid. That made the appear to be higher than the others.

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7. After looking at the image for awhile, I decided that I didn’t like it against white. So I went down to the basement of my house and took a photo of a work bench surface down there.

I really liked the color of it, and how it was all beat up with lots of texture to compliment to smoothness of the Polaroids. I also liked how it made the black and white photos pop out against the color background.

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8. I placed the collage of Polaroids over the workbench image. I really liked the way it was looking, but felt that the photos almost popped out too much.

It just didn’t appear believable that they were actually on the workbench. So I decided to add some shadowing around the edges, and add a little more dirt so they didn’t look so clean.

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9. And that become the final result.

The entire process took about 4 hours in Photoshop. Normally something this intense would take longer, but this project just clicked together without a lot of problems.

Please feel free to email with any questions you may have.
~ photo@jeffzoet.com

Thanks. I hoped you enjoyed seeing this process.

My first published work

2008-12-13T12:30:00.001-05:00

And it's a cover!

Here's an image of just the cover:

And here's a PDF of the whole issue.

Get your own - Open publication

A break from our regular programming

2008-12-03T16:31:00.004-05:00

So to everyone out there that is reading this blog... it is painfully obvious that I have not been writing much lately.

I slowly faded out on doing shoots a couple of weeks before my wedding to focus on that... and have not jumped back in since. It's been nice to get back from the honeymoon and just focus on my wife for awhile. I think rushing back into shoots right after getting married would be a little too crazy.

But just so you know, I have already started booking shoots towards the end of the year and into January, so I will start uploading new photos from model shoots soon.

But for now, I'll post a link for all of the Greece photos from our honeymoon if anyone wants to take a look.

Surprise Wedding Photos

2008-10-12T14:02:00.001-04:00

I created two photos to surprise my beautiful bride with at our wedding. She knew I was up to something, but didn't get to see the final results until she saw them framed and hanging up at the reception. I originally created "the kiss" as part of "the collage", but liked it so much, that I framed a second photo of it by itself.

Needless to say... she loved them! I hope you do too!

Two Become One - the collage

Two Become One - the kiss

October 2008

2008-09-30T10:11:00.003-04:00

So this is quite a busy month for me. I thought I'd let people out there know a little bit about it so they won't wonder why I won't be posting any photos for awhile.

For the last two weeks, and the upcoming week and a half, Monica and I will be doing final preparations for the wedding and the honeymoon. So I haven't been booking any shoots during this time.

Our wedding day is October 11! I'm very excited to finally marry my best friend, and have all of our families getting together (some for the first time). We kept the wedding small, only about 60 people, and have done a lot of things that might not be considered the "norm" for how a wedding and reception go. But we just wanted to do what felt suited us, not all the pointless tradition. Should be fun. I'll point a link to the wedding photos once they're done... and yes, I just went out and hired a photographer like everyone else did.

And on the day after they wedding, we will be whisked away to the Greek Islands for a week and a half. So I should have LOTS of photos to show from that.

So I apologize for not posting anything lately, but don't worry... there will be tons of photos to view in about a month! In the meantime, enjoy this photo from a little shoot Monica and I did. Take care!

Crazy crazy crazy!

2008-09-03T10:38:00.004-04:00

Wow! August was a very busy month for me! I shot everything from weddings (yes, more than one) to senior portraits, to family portraits, and throw in a couple of model shoots as well.

That being said, I am neck deep in photo editing lately. Luckily September has slowed down a bit so I can keep up. Guess this is a good problem to have, right?

So anyway... that's my excuse why I haven't posted anything lately. I add some samples for the various shoots as soon as I get a second to breath!

No shoots in OCTOBER!

2008-08-15T09:48:00.003-04:00

Finally got to meet my niece!

2008-08-12T13:16:00.008-04:00

Got to finally meet my new niece Olivia last weekend. As usual when I'm visiting, I take a ton of photos to decorate all of my family's homes with. Here are my first photos of Olivia:

And of course I can't visit and not take pictures of my nephew Isaac:

And why not... here are a few more:

Long exposure shots

2008-08-10T12:22:00.001-04:00

While visiting my family in Michigan last week, I was walking into my parent's house from the car. I happened to glance up and was amazed by how well I could see the stars. After living in a city for 9 years, I forgot how clear the skies can be when there aren't any city lights to hinder them. So i grabbed my camera and tripod and took these shots. These were all 30 second exposures.

The next night (and last night before I left), I thought I'd go out and try again. I was disappointed to find that it turned into a cloudy night. But a little later, I started hearing thunder. So I took the camera and tripod out onto the front porch and captured the shots below. This is my first time photographing lightning.

For those curious about my methods, I set the aperture to f/22 to make sure I could keep the lens open for a long time without allowing too much light in. Then I set the camera to bulb mode (where the lens stays open as long as I am holding the shutter release down). Then I just held the shutter down when I heard thunder and waited for the lightning. These all ended up being about 10 - 15 seconds each. Any more than that, and it would become too overexposed. If after 15 seconds there was no lightning, I would simply let go of the shutter, and immediately press it again, so I didn't miss anything.

New Self Portraits

2008-07-31T12:42:00.001-04:00

I decided it was time for a couple of new self portraits. Being one who prefers to be behind the lens, I tried to think of a way to present myself that even I wouldn't mind looking at. As many of you can tell from viewing my photos, I also enjoy incorporating some type of compositing via Photoshop into some of my images.

So here are three versions that I came up with to show who I am, and to show anyone who's never heard of me before that I've got a few shoots under my belt.

Oh, and special thanks to my friend Dale Lewis for taking the original photo of me. Obviously I couldn't have done it myself since my camera is in the photo.

Justine shoot 2

2008-07-23T10:31:00.003-04:00

Is it just me, or is this summer going way too fast? I just noticed that it's almost been a month since my last post, but it only seemed like last week. Combine that with planning a wedding that is now less than three months away, and you've got one super speedy summer!

I had a fun shoot with Justine last night. We caught up and took some photos for her new web site. The site is still in the making, so I can't show any of the shots yet... well I guess I can share one, since Justine's using it as a teaser for the new site.

Photo shoot with Reese

2008-06-26T17:06:00.010-04:00

So I've notice that I've been chatting a lot lately, but not about photo shoots! So to get back on track, here is an entry about my shoot with the lovely Reese!

We started out in Schenley Park in Oakland. I wanted to do a couple shots for a fun series I'm working on. We incorporated some balloons and had a good ol' time making fools out of ourselves by jumping around and having people stare. We started with Reese jumping off of a mini trampoline, but she just wasn't getting the height that I hoped for. So I had to give her a little boost with Photoshop afterwards.

After that we went to one of the classrooms on the Pitt campus where Reese is working on her Masters in Biology (learning to cure infectious diseases). We did a little series of Bio-related shots, some playful and some more glamorous. She's not what you think of when you think of biologists! Here are a couple of those.

Reese was a ton of fun to work with. She's so polite and innocent, but when you point the camera at her... she suddenly turns all professional and intimidating! Man, she's got that model look down!

Dancing around the world

2008-06-23T09:50:00.005-04:00

My friend Richard notified me of this video, and I felt the need to pass it on. The world needs to see more videos like this that promote unity as opposed to division. It may seem a little silly at first, but please watch it all. Yes, Matt is aware that he can't dance.

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

I HAVE A NIECE!!!

2008-06-19T18:02:00.003-04:00

Olivia Pearl Zoet was born today at 9:30 am! My brother Jeremy and his wife Kim are the proud parents of their first girl! Olivia is lucky to have two older brothers Riley & Mason to look out for her.

Just wanted to share the good news! Isn't she cute?!

TEN 56 - The Movie

2008-06-19T10:41:00.005-04:00

A couple of my co-workers entered the 48 Hour Film Project this year. (I didn't take part because of scheduling conflicts. Drat!) Teams across the country make a movie - write, shoot, edit and score it — in just 48 hours. You get a character, a prop, a line of dialogue and a genre, all to include in your movie. 48 hours later, the movie must be complete. Here is their entry.

ten56themovie.com

The Struggle Within

2008-06-11T20:59:00.009-04:00

After reading my friend Rachel's post on her blog, I found myself pondering about art, and the many ways I like to express it.

Many of you simply know me as a photographer... when in fact, that is just the latest outlet I have pursued to express art. I do love it, but there are many other art forms that I enjoy as well. (See the blog below about all that)

I love art, but yes, I need to find a balance. There just isn't enough time to do it all. (or at least at the same time) But I do find myself wanting to reincorporate some of my old skills into the mix again. Not that I will stop shooting photos, but now that I feel that I have given that enough time to grow, I feel it is ok, to dabble once again in illustration. So be on the look out for that in the future from time to time.

There are many different things that I would like to do in this life time. Here are a few in no particular order. If I get to them all... great! If not... oh well, I'm sure something else of a higher priority came in and I'd rather be doing that.

1. Design t-shirts, and purchase an at-home screen-printing kit to make them myself.

2. Illustrate a children's book, and maybe even write it! (I've colored one, but never drawn one)

3. Write and illustrate a small graphic novel (yes, a long comic book) I've written one already, but not sure if I want to tweak it or start over.

4. Purchase a video camera (one that can make it look like film) and then write, direct, edit, and do visual effects on my own short films

5. Write a symphony and create it through musical software. Maybe that can even be the soundtrack for my films!

6. Learn how to home brew beer. (Yes, that is still considered an art! It's just in fermented form)

7. Learn Flash and create short animated films

8. Actually take the time to fully learn how to play guitar. (as opposed to the sorry excuse for what I know now)

9. Create a collection of photos or illustrations and start doing some gallery shows

10. Write short stories, or maybe even a novel one day... although looking at how long this post is, I might be able to cross that one off my list already!

I'm sure there's tons more, but these are the ones I'm thinking about now.

So be warned world... you never know what I'll create.

My journey through the arts.

2008-06-10T10:09:00.003-04:00

I've expressed myself through a lot of different art forms over the years.

It all started with cartoons. I loved them. I loved to draw them. Growing up, all people would notice about me is that I was always drawing. Even while sitting in church, my mom reminded me that I used to draw the entire United States, and not be satisfied until I filled in every state. (Yeah, I like maps too). If you were to track down a childhood friend of mine and ask what they think I'm doing for a living, they'd probably assume something with cartoons.

I originally wanted to draw comic strips for the newspaper. I mimicked all my favorites from Garfield to Calvin & Hobbes. But the thought of having to come up with a new joke for every day scared me. So I kept my options open.

In high school I was still drawing, but was also incorporating a comic book style. I also started doing airbrush illustrations (because me and a paint brush just don't get along), and got into graphic design as well. Another thing that influenced me was when I first used Painter on my high school's Macintosh Quadra 610. Haha, I can't believe I still remember that.

I still did cartoons a lot. And because of a trip to Disney World, I saw the process of animation first hand... I was hooked.

When choosing a college, I decided to pursue animation. Not only did it allow me to draw, but I found myself fascinated with the physics of life, how and why things move, and how to have a great time exaggerating them.

After one degree and finding out that the animation (or at least traditional or 2D animation) was a fading business and impossible to get a job in, I was forced to re-analyze my art.

I went back to college for a second degree in Motion Graphics... which is kind of a mix of graphic design and animation. I interned for a company while still in school and was fortunate enough to get hired there after graduation. And am still working there 5 years later. Only after being employed there for a couple years did I start dabbling with portrait photography on the side. And that catches you up to what I'm currently doing.

Wow, that took a little longer that I expected to explain. Sorry.

Ouch.

2008-05-07T09:25:00.004-04:00

I'm not sure if any of you have noticed it, but I have this little "Nike+ profile" at the bottom of the right column. If you you already know what Nike+ is, bare with me. But if not, I will quickly explain.

I felt out of shape. I didn't want to pay for a gym membership. But I needed some kind of accountability to keep me exercising because, let's face it, I wouldn't keep at it if there wasn't something to remind me to do it. That's where Nike+ comes in.

I went out and bought a new pair of Nike+ Shox running shoes, since I haven't ran (pretty much at all) since high school. Under the sole of the left shoe, there is a space to put a little receiver that talks to an adapter that I plug into my iPod Nano. So when I run, it keeps track of distance, pace, and calories burned. I need this.

When I get back from a run, I disconnect the adapter and plug my iPod Nano into my Mac. It automatically opens iTunes, downloads the information and also uploads it to the Nike+ website. So I can go there anytime I want to check how far I've been running, how fast, and how often. I even set goals for myself to reach to keep me going. Because, at least for me, getting up an extra 45 minutes to stretch and run is not something I like to do.

So there you have it. That's why I have the little profile on the sidebar. It tells you my latest run information. Hopefully it may help motivate someone else to run, because it sure motivates me.

If you want to see my running profile and progress, just go here.

Comicon highlight

2008-04-28T11:57:00.007-04:00

While it was fun meeting many colorful characters (see blog post below), the highlight of the convention was meeting 4 talented artists from the Philadelphia area. We chatted for a little while as I flipped though their many samples. They probably don't even remember me, but guys... if you're reading this, I was that guy with the t-shirt we all were trying to match spaceships to their corresponding movies. As seen here:

They each had their own unique style, and stuck in my mind as the 4 favorite artists I met that day. Here are their names, a sample of their work, and a link to their sites. Go check them out. They're great.

Dave Perillo montygog.blogspot.com

Tom Whalen strongstuff.net

Scott Derby scottderby.blogspot.com

Pat McMullen patmcmullen.blogspot.com

Comicon - a place for geeks

2008-04-27T11:32:00.001-04:00

Deep within me lies a comic book geek. I haven't purchased comics in years, but still have an appreciation for it. Plus I find the whole world around it very amusing!

This past weekend, I decided to attend my 2nd Comicon ever, the last being in 2000. I liked seeing people finding something they enjoyed, and just diving head first into that subculture. While some of them might be mocked in everyday life, or looked down upon by many, I was encouraged to see them shine in their own environment.

Here are a few samples of what I mean.

You might laugh at some of them, but at least they found something that they love that fulfills them. How many of us have that?

If ya ain't Dutch, ya ain't much.

2008-04-16T11:40:00.000-04:00

So for those that don't know, my last name is pronounced Zoot, and is Dutch for sweet.

My hometown is Holland, Michigan... and no, it is not a coincidence. Many of the towns in that area are named after the provinces of the Netherlands (or commonly known as Holland). Some examples of towns in the area are Holland, Overisel (Overijssel), Vriesland (Friesland), Drenthe and Zeeland.

Last weekend I went home for my brother Jason's wedding. While stopping in a coffee shop in Zeeland, I saw a little handout promoting Zeeland's new tourist campaign "Feel the Zeel". I found it humorous, but liked the thought that the little town was making an attempt to update things a bit. They have a website talking about different things going on in the area, links to local businesses, and a photo community. If you feel like it, go to feelthezeel.com to check it out.

After I walked out onto the street in this little shopping area, I noticed on the sidewalk they had all of the provinces and the crests to match them, as in this example of Drenthe.

I might not have ever noticed these things if I still lived there. But now living in a city with pretty much no other Dutchmen (and no, Pennsylvania Deutsch are not Dutch, they're German), I've become more interested in learning about my ancestry.

Monica and I plan to visit the Netherlands in a year or two, and I just hope I can find out a little bit more about where I came from before we go. So far I've tracked back 4 generations, but they were already in America at that point. The search continues. Wish me luck.

Updates

2008-03-20T09:58:00.003-04:00

Hello everyone. It's been a little while. Just wanted to mention a few things.

I decided this year that I'm going to try to get published. I've never made an effort to do it before, but I feel it's time to take the next step. Well, I found out a couple weeks ago that I will have a photo on the cover of a local Pittsburgh magazine due out in early April! Not bad for just started this process, right? I'm very excited about this, and will give you more details as things get closer.

I've also been working on a bunch of ideas that I am going to put together as a theme. I hope to get them into some galleries this year, and also to publish them into a photo book. Whether it will be self-published not will be up to the big publishing companies once it's ready to be presented. Wish me luck!

Ok, so that's what's been occupying my time lately. I'll be posting some new photos soon!

iJustine Photo shoot

2008-02-18T11:49:00.008-05:00

Did a spur of the moment shoot with Justine Ezarik, or more commonly known on the internet as iJustine.

We've talked about doing a shoot in the past, but she is usually only in town for a short amount of time, so it's hard to make it work.

But I sent her a text this week, found out she just arrived in Pittsburgh that day, and booked a shoot with her for 2 days later!

We had a great time. Very low pressure and fun. Did a couple Apple iPod/ iPhone themed photos (if you don't know why, you don't know Justine). Looking forward to working on them (some of them require a little bit of Photoshop compositing). Stop back soon... I'll have a link to them in this blog!

*update*

Ok, I've finished the first and second batch of photos from Justine's shoot. They are all here. Enjoy!

Megan's shoot

2008-02-13T10:04:00.007-05:00

Last night I had a shoot with Megan. I brought in my trusty makeup artist Lori and hair stylist Alicia and got things rolling.

It was a fun shoot, and felt really relaxed. Everyone was getting along and having a genuinely good time. I love it when things flow like that. I just wish the studio was a little warmer in the winter... as did Megan.

A little advice to people shooting with me in the future... if you have an iPod, bring it with you with a playlist of your favorite songs. I had my iPod, but it died on me during the shoot. Boooo! Luckily my brand new iPhone came to the rescue to fill the air with tunes! Although I haven't had time to add many songs to it yet. Hope everyone liked Relient K!

*update*
Finished all of Megan's shots. Here they all are.

iPHONE!!!

2008-02-11T09:40:00.001-05:00

So I've been wanting an iPhone since the day they announced them last year. But when I heard that they were only coming out with 4GB and 8GB models, I got really bummed. I have a 30GB iPod and it is about full. So the thought of 8GB wasn't even an option.

On Friday, I was chatting with someone about it, and he notified me that they just announced a 16GB iPhone. While I'd love to wait for a 32GB version, I felt this was worth while enough to take the plunge.

So Saturday afternoon, Monica and I went to Shadyside and picked one up! I've been playing on it all weekend and love it!! Finally... a smart phone that is actually smart, and runs on OSX. Yes!

Ok, I just had to share my excitement. You may go back to whatever it is you were doing.

Holy fun shoot Batman!

2008-02-08T16:46:00.005-05:00

Last night I had the pleasure of doing a shoot with my makeup artist Lori. She decided to take her turn in front of the camera.

I also had my old friend Dale Lewis assisting and learning about the fabulous world of portrait photography. Hahahaha... fabulous, yeah right.

But I did find the problem with shooting with people that I know... I talk way too much! We were having a great time, but went a little long because of all the chatting.

Lori is a graphic artist, so I'm going to try and put a little something extra into these shots to make them look fun and creative.

Here's a sample from the shoot:

Sick

2008-02-05T10:53:00.001-05:00

Feeling a little under the weather this week. Woke up Monday morning with a stuffy nose, and haven't been able to get rid of it. Still have to come into work though. Too much that needs to get done.

I have a shoot this Thursday to look forward to though. That will help me get through this. I'll be shooting Lori, the makeup artist I use on most of my shoots. She is also a creative person. Should be fun to see what we come up with when we work together on this!

MOVIE POSTER themed photo shoot

2008-01-31T17:22:00.003-05:00

I’ve started up a series of faux movie poster photo shoots. I’d love to build this series designing many different genres of movie posters. They can be based on a real movie, like the Tomb Raider poster below, or something completely original!

Now the whole point of doing this type of shoot is to walk away with a poster, right? So I’ve introduced a special rate just for this type of shoot.

Movie Poster Shoot - $200 includes:
- 1 hour shoot with 1 lighting setup
- 10 final color corrected images to choose from
- poster design specifically for you (1 by itself, 1 in “Coming Soon”display)
- 20″ x 30″ printed poster of your favorite image (originally $125 alone!)
- Professional looking DVD case to accompany the movie poster (disc contains websize versions of your images)
- 4″ x 6″ prints of all 10 of your final images

Ok, so if you want to star in your own movie, here are some things I’ll need from you:

1. Decide what genre of movie do you want. examples: comedy, action, scifi, horror, drama, fantasy, romance, etc… This will influence the overall look to the poster.

2. Get the necessary costume, wardrobe, and props to make this happen. (We can figure out together what that all entails.)

3. Come up with a title for your movie. (I can help you with that if you need it.)

4. A list of 15 - 20 names (first and last) of people you want to be used in the credits.

5. Anything else you can think of to make this as personal and unique as possible.

Now I can help you with as much of this as you need, but this is the basic check list of what needs to happen for the poster to work. Once I know what direction you are thinking, and what you have vs what you need, I’ll know what the next step will be.

Thanks.

Jeff

New Website

2008-01-15T11:04:00.003-05:00

I just finished redesigning my website. It's a lot more streamlined than the old site. Plus this really gives you a chance to see my work, since the photos are full screen! Much better than the tiny sizes that most sites display photos.

Plus I've added lots more wedding and portrait photos to give people a better idea of what to expect if they book me for those.

So take your time and check it all out! jeffzoet.com Enjoy everyone!