Jeff Zorabedian JDZ Photography

Digging Out

2010-12-29T23:16:00.002-05:00

I've been digging out from a very busy season and a very big snowstorm. Has it really been three months? Well, hiatus over. More soon.

L'Chaim

2010-10-02T02:07:00.008-04:00

Vanessa & Lin's reception featured a secret musical number starring the groom, the bride and groom's father, and the entire wedding party. It took weeks to choreograph, and Vanessa had no idea.

We were all impressed.

Vanessa & Lin - Portraits

2010-10-01T00:55:00.005-04:00

What a gorgeous couple.

Vanessa & Lin Part I

2010-09-24T00:28:00.014-04:00

I had the honor of photographing the wedding of two dear friends over Labor Day weekend at the Belvedere Mansion in Staatsburg, NY. Everything about it was spectacular: fabulous guests, beautiful weather, and a slew of musical performances. Heres Part I:

Wedding Preview

2010-09-15T23:56:00.002-04:00

Lindsay & Mike: Engagement Photos

2010-08-20T00:58:00.002-04:00

I've known Mike and Lindsay for a long, long time. I've known Mike since Kindergarten, and now he's getting married on Sunday to his amazing fiancée Lindsay. I shot these earlier this summer, and looking over them I'm getting really excited about heading up to Massachusetts Saturday morning for their Cape Ann wedding. I'll be sure to keep you posted.

Splendor In The Grass

2010-08-04T21:39:00.004-04:00

Block Island Getaway

2010-08-03T21:30:00.003-04:00

I spent a wonderful five days on Block Island. It is a hauntingly beautiful place:

I got up before dawn to photograph the sunrise. As I waded through a path in the dunes to reach the beach, a lone deer raised its head from the grass.

This is the North Light. It sits at the tip of the island amidst a wildlife refuge. The seagulls weren't happy that I got there at five in the morning.

Sunrise over Mansion Beach

The island is covered with stone walls. This is a meadow protected by the Block Island Conservancy.

It's a beatiful place, and I can't wait to get back there.

Meaghan and Mat's Wedding

2010-07-20T00:38:00.009-04:00

Meaghan and Mat were married on July 3rd.
The portraits were in a lovely park by the Bronx River.

The wedding was at the Bronxville Women's Club, a beautiful mansion just a few minutes' drive north of the city.

Congrats!

Meaghan and Mat

2010-07-16T23:45:00.004-04:00

Meaghan and Mat just got married last week at the Bronxville Women's Club in Tuckahoe. Here are a few of their engagment photos in Williamsburg. Cute, yes?

Congratulations, guys.

Zero Tolerance Benefit

2010-06-24T00:36:00.006-04:00

Earlier this month, I was honored to photograph Sanctuary for Families' annual Zero Tolerance Benefit. Sanctuary for Families is a New York non-profit that is committed to assisting victims of domestic violence. This year's benefit was attended by over one thousand people, and helped to raise nearly two million dollars. Elizabeth Vargas of ABC's "20/20" emceed the event, and none other than Grandmaster Flash dj'ed the after party. Here are some of the highlights from my evening at Pier Sixty:

Pistol Jo

2010-06-02T00:18:00.002-04:00

Some photos of my coworker Amanda looking cool. Well done.

See Jeff at Mei Mei in Brooklyn

2010-05-21T23:23:00.002-04:00

So, I have 12 new works on exhibit at Cafe Mei Mei in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. You can check them out here. Come for the photos, stay for the amazing food!

Farm Film

2010-05-04T01:25:00.002-04:00

Una and I blitzed up to Massachusetts for Easter. We spent the afternoon at the farm and I brought my camera:

old furniture in the barn

the old calf pens

in the calf pen

the shed

the front door

Hopefully it won;t be another 18 months before I get back.

Neighborhood Photos

2010-04-07T00:42:00.002-04:00

I got some film back from a walk I took down Vanderbilt Avenue in Brooklyn. The camera is made of plastic and creates beautiful, dreamy pictures:

Up On The Roof

2010-03-31T21:00:00.001-04:00

I snuck onto the roof of Una's childhood home a few winters ago. It has an amazing view of the Williamsburgh Savings Bank.

My New Website Design Is Up

2010-03-25T03:24:00.002-04:00

The bean man isn't impressed.

Check out my newly redesigned website!

I've streamlined the galleries and created a full-screen display. Let me know what you think!

Weekend Walk Downtown

2010-03-22T22:16:00.002-04:00

I walked home from midtown on Saturday afternoon and turned my attention to old signs and graffiti.

I liked the irony of a "superior" sign being held together with tape. It somehow works better with someone walking into the frame.

Jersey Street. This is a tiny, block long street that is little more than an alleyway in SoHo.

Jersey street again. I like how the tags juxtapose with the architectural detail.

It's assertive. Maybe it's a band name.

There are cloying, cartoon ASPCA ads all over city bus shelters and I think this critique says it all. (Enlarge to get the full effect.)

Pretty in Pink

2010-03-18T20:35:00.002-04:00

Another photo of my favorite subject, toned a pleasing shade of pink. It's nice to be married to your muse... and very convenient.

Testing, Testing

2010-03-17T23:13:00.002-04:00

Sometimes outtakes are SO much better than the real thing. This is a shot of my co-worker while I tested the exposure.

I think it came out.

Gearing Up For Wedding Season

2010-03-12T00:16:00.004-05:00

Now that the warm weather is approaching, I am dusting off my equipment for another season of weddings. New York area couples take note:

I love shooting events. And being at the happiest day of two peoples' lives can be an extraordinary experience.

Eleven Years Ago Today

2010-03-10T00:22:00.003-05:00

I got my first serious camera for my eighteenth birthday. I shot the first photo I was really proud of on the day before my nineteenth birthday. I was on a roadtrip in Northern California when I shot this in Mendocino County:

I haven't stopped since then.

Uptown

2010-03-03T23:48:00.002-05:00

These are some of my favorite photos from when I lived in Inwood, at the very tip of Manhattan.

Winter Walks

2010-02-27T22:36:00.005-05:00

This is some work from the past two weekends. Last weekend was mild and there was a clear blue winter sky.

Sundown on the Brooklyn Tower of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Borough Hall

This weekend saw a foot and a half of snow.

Iron Fence

And Washington Avenue always has something interesting going on.

Liquor Store

Hair Salon

Rented Truck

The Blizzard

2010-02-26T19:25:00.003-05:00

New York received over 17 inches of snow in the past two days. I trudged through the snowdrifts this afternoon to see my neighborhood transformed. Here are a few pictures:

Did You See?

2010-02-24T21:42:00.003-05:00

I try to go out with my camera as often as I can. Sometimes I go to find something specific and sometimes I just wander to see what I can see. Here are a fee scenes I wandered into on the streets of Brooklyn:

The Bridge

2010-02-24T20:02:00.002-05:00

I shot this with a plastic camera and double exposed the image. No fancy equipment necessary.

Catching the Worm

2010-02-20T00:05:00.002-05:00

It pays to get up early in the morning. I shot this in upstate New York on a morning that was so cold that my film camera stopped working. I was concentrating on the foliage when I heard a paddle hit the water. When I turned I saw this kayaker:

Sometimes it pays to be an early bird. Just not on a work day....

Blast From The Ancient Past

2010-02-19T01:41:00.003-05:00

I have been looking over some of my photos of my honeymoon in Rome and wishing that I could be there. I am a big history nerd and had a ball wandering around the ruins with my camera and my new wife. She was kind enough to humor me and get up at 7AM with me each morning and see the sights. Here are some of my favorites from the trip:

Coliseum

Forum

Arch of Titus

Pantheon

Castel San Angelo

Wife

A Snowy Night on Flatbush Avenue

2010-02-16T01:55:00.002-05:00

Vintage Me

2010-02-15T18:51:00.002-05:00

So my wife and I spent a great Valentine's Day weekend bar-hopping in the city to find vintage photobooths. We were pretty successful, as you can see here. I decided to get a few photos of myself and here is the self-indulgent result:

Thoughts?

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T23:01:00.004-05:00

For almost seven years my favorite subject has been my wife, Una. We began dating in April of 2003, and I have taken thousands of pictures of her. Here are my favorites, and my Valentine:

Happy Valentine's Day.

Thinking Warm Thoughts

2010-02-12T22:31:00.005-05:00

Now that we are firmly within winter's deathly bear hug, I find myself thinking of sandy beaches and outdoor barbecues. Every summer for the past five years, my wife has taken me to Block Island, Rhode Island for a few days of relaxation and sunstroke. I really wish I could be there right now:

Graffiti

2010-02-11T23:54:00.002-05:00

One of the things that fascinates me about the city is the omnipresence of graffiti. The increasing number of vacant buildings and stalled construction sites in my neighborhood has created a kind of renaissance for youthful vandalism. It reminds me of the graffiti I saw in Berlin, which I have exhibited here.

Here are a few samples of the graffiti in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn:

Pride and Protest

2010-02-10T22:25:00.000-05:00

I spent a little over four years trying to go to as many public events, protests, parades and rallies as I could. The spectacle of these events amazed me, and I am heartened by the civic spirit of this city. These are a few of my favorite pictures:

Election night, 2008

Memorial Day, 2007

Saint Patrick's Day, 2007

War protest, 2007

Gay Pride Parade, 2006

Mermaid Parade, 2005

Surreal City

2010-02-10T19:53:00.000-05:00

I am often struck by all of the weird stuff happening in New York. What seems weirder to me is that most people don't notice it. I try to bring a camera along with me whenever I leave the house. Here are some of my most recent run-ins with the surreal in Manhattan:

More soon.

Snow

2010-02-09T22:20:00.001-05:00

The snow falling out my window makes me want to go out with my tripod and camera. I shot these photos of Prospect Park and Grand Army Plaza during our last big snowstorm in December:

Celebrating Film Photography

2010-02-09T19:30:00.000-05:00

I would say that over 90% over the pictures I take are shot with a digital camera. Nonetheless, I am amazed by the beautiful quality of film and every once in a while, I can afford to develop the many hundreds of rolls of film sitting in the vegetable crisper in my fridge. This winter was one of those times, and I have scanned some of my favorites.

Here are some images from around Brooklyn:

This is from the DUMBO section of Brooklyn, between the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridge Overpasses. The Manhattan bridge is in the Background.

This is another view of the Manhattan Bridge from Empire-Fulton State Park.

A view of Prospect Park.

This is the Lullwater in Prospect Park.

This is Grand Army Plaza in a snowstorm.

So hooray for film.

Stay tuned.

Brooklyn Abstract

2010-02-09T01:01:00.001-05:00

Here's some abstract work from the past six months.

Take 2

2010-02-09T00:20:00.000-05:00

So.

I resolved to start a blog last January. And I did. I really did. I kept it up for three whole weeks before I ran out of steam. But now I am determined to keep this post going as a means to showcase my ongoing photographic projects.

So for my first second attempt, I am posting some shots of my neighborhood in Brooklyn. I have lived in Prospect Heights for five years, and I have a continuing project to document its people and places. Here are some photos from this weekend:

I've been shooting a lot with a long lens lately, trying to compress the elements of the buildings into interesting abstractions. I hope you like them. There'll be more soon. I promise.