Back in the grove again.
Coming out of COVID heights and taking photos. I did not really stop but back to commercial work.
Still editing a townhouse I shot, and finishing up portraits plus headshots for those trying to go back to work.
I hope all are ok.
Be Well
Over the past few weeks our lives have been rapidly changing each day leading us into the unknown.
I will keep this brief, Jay Jantzen Photography is just wishing all of you and your families the very best.
Maintain cleanliness, distancing and just thinking before doing anything and all will eventually be better.
I look forward to working with clients in the hopefully nearer than farther future.
Until Then,
Jay
So recently I put my old house up for sale. So I had cleaning and updating to do there, then who do you think did the MLS Photos?
With that out of the way, my wife and I took our kids down to Key West for a short vacation at the end of April. The cover photo to the page is the sunset colors as our room faced the east overlooking Key West Bight(marina). The few days down there were truly needed and the babies had a blast. They also ate like fiends, Shrimp, Snapper, Grouper, Conch, all sorts of yumminess.
Unfortunately the personal business is on the slow side. A big part is due to the “Day Job” and then dedicating much time to my twins.
There are opportunities to be researched though, so who knows where the next couple months may take me.
To whoever swings by my site, looked at the blog posts, and realize I do not update much let me just say I am sorry.
One gets busy and easily just forgets to update. I try to keep the website photos up to date but i admit am bad at the blog posting.
Upcoming project tomorrow, but I’m not sure the weather will affect my day. I will be portrait photographing Judges for Passaic County. I am excited for this because it is my first BIG project outside of real estate shoots.
Hopefully some of the judges will allow me to post their portraits so you may see the results.
Be well all
I am off to Appleton Wisconsin just as the polar vortex is about to hit that area. My outside life is brininging me there to design a new Rescue Truck for my Fire Department.
Recently i I had the privilege of shooting a 1.5mil$ condo on the Hudson River. This allowed me the opportunity to try out a Virtual Staging resource. I think the photos came out ok and the relator seemed very happy. There is a sample on my Instagram right now but I will post the completed in the next week.
I am also in the process of doing an editing overhaul of about 70 portraits I did, since I am now more understanding of photoshop etc.
I hope the new year is treating you all well!
I just posted photos of my babies.
There are some of a personal project of them with my Fire Department gear and then some that we used for our first Christmas Card.
Photographing babies is quite a challenge, but the results are very rewarding.
Having twins is allowing for great opportunities to practice different techniques.
I am looking forward to doing more family and corporate portraits.
How easy it is…. to lose track of time that is.
My twins are keeping my wife and I on our toes.
Adrian and Dylan have just rounded the 8 month old milestone and are going strong.
Needless to say I am getting some practice outside my comfort zone with Baby/Kiddie photos.
I will be posting some here on the site maybe this weekend or early next week.
Im sorry that I have been out of the loop, but between family and work so many things slip by the wayside.
I hope that I can keep you all more informed of my goings ons.
Until then, be well and enjoy the autumn!
P.S. Clocks “fall” back Sunday Morning. The firefighter in me will tell you this, CHANGE YOUR CLOCKS, CHANGE YOU BATTERIES.
That means your smoke detectors, CO detectors, and/or gas detectors.
Well it's been a couple of months since an update. The family is doing just fine. Yesterday, July 21st we had our babies baptized. Today my wife and I are celebrating our second wedding anniversary.
My photos for real estate have started picking up a bit thanks to Max Krasnopolsky of Coldwell Banker Real Estate.
I was out of practice with the MLS and Realtor photos and it showed. However I am back in a groove taking and editing the content.
Are you someone looking for home photos either to post a house for sale or to show off concepts?
If the answer is yes, then go to my About Me page to contact me.
Hope everyone is having a healthy safe but most of all WONDERFUL Summer!!!
Things seem to be happening at a very expedited pace these days.
By my cover page one can see a set of twins, a boy and a girl, and yes, they are mine.
These two cuties, were born on Feb 27 2018. They are our little warriors, having been triumphed through so much in their two months since their arrival. You see, they are supposed to still be inside mommy until May 19. Adrian(boy) and Dylan(girl) were born at 28 weeks 3 days gestation. 12 weeks before they were supposed to grace our world.
From the moment they were born, they were crying and breathing on their own. They had the help of CPAP to aid in their lung expansion and development, but were able to ween off of that rather fast, by NICU terms. They seem curious and attentive and are physically strong. Since hour one, the doctors all said "Don't expect them home before their due date." This naturally lead mom and I to believe we had some time to finish up what we needed around the house.
On April 18, we were informed that they were coming home the next day, one month before they were due to be born!
My wife Christina and I find ourselves truly blessed. These two little characters bring so much happiness into our home.
I look forward to presenting more photographs of them on my site, and hope that you too enjoy the content that you see here.
Look out for more page updates coming soon.
So I finished the shoot and editing for the Hon. Adam Jacobs.
The final chosen portrait that was printed 16x20 is located in the portraits section of the website.
A color print was provided for his personal use and a black and white provided for display in the courthouse.
I left the Judge with top three portrait choices and he first chose one and then changed his mind to the other. He received digital copies of all three plus a candid I grabbed while setting up.
It was a pleasure doing this session. I was pleased as was my client with the final outcome, and as long as he remains where he is, my work will be displayed publicly.
Tomorrow is Friday and between running to the hospital to see my kids and some errands I have picked up a portrait shoot in the early evening.
I'll be traveling to the county courthouse to take a portrait for a Judge who is a friend of mine.
He has been waiting to get this done and we were able to work out a time to get me in and take this portrait. If it works out I'm hoping this opens a new avenue of portraits for me.
When all is said and processed I will post the final outcome on the site.
Follow me on Facebook and on Instagram by clicking the link on the page.
Be Well!
It has been an up and down month for my wife and I. I was placed out of commission due to emergency gall bladder surgery. My wife, was just about 27 weeks pregnant when she had to be admitted to the hospital with false labor. Next, at 28 weeks and 3 days into the pregnancy, our twins said enough is enough, and decided it was time to come out.
On February 27, 2018 our twins were born. A boy Adrian at 3:40am weighing 2.7lbs, and Girl Dylan at 3:41am weighing 2.3lbs.
The babies are healthy and will be in the NICU for at least the next month and a half to two months. Mom is healthy and home.
My wife and I have opted not to post any pictures yet, but will as soon as we are ready.
As many may know I am a firefighter in Wayne NJ.
The other morning we had a house fire and since I am out of service from Gall Bladder Surgery, I decided to go take pictures of my fellow firefighters.
Wayne is a 100% volunteer department. This fire began at 320am and crews finally secured about 6am. These firefighters left the warmth of their beds to ensure the safety and security of one of their neighbors.
My 20 years of service have shown me the most dedicated people I have ever met. The photos do not even show one percent of the departments dedicated members, so this album is only a small tribute to those who serve.
I’m aware that portfolio may be vague. Pictured in this album are Capt Todd Bowen of Key West Florida and Captain Victor Barrera of Punta Allen Mexico. Capt Todd solidified my love of flats fishing for Tarpon, Bonefish, Permit, and at times whatever we could find. I have fished with him for almost 10 years in Key West’s waters. Capt Todd is the man who finally convinced me to join his yearly group and venture to a little town known as Punta Allen Mexico for bonefish.
Capt Todd is a true “old salt” having been fishing not only Florida’s waters but waters all over Western Hemisphere, before I was born. He is an amazing instructor and has become a dear friend.
Capt Victor has been fishing the waters Mexico for the better part of 30 years. Not only is he a flats guide but a member of the local commercial fishing/lobster co-op in Punta Allen and Quintana Roo. Victor is known by all(not that the population is big) throughout the Sian Ka’an Biosphere. He is also a certified bird specialist in the Sian Ka’an.
Between the two I have come to appreciate the balance of nature and eco systems. I have been taught to seek out fish beneath the water. Finally I have come to learn how to enjoy fly fishing.
I am no mariner, nor aspire to be a fishing guide, but between these two gentlemen I have developed a deeper love of being on the water than I ever have in the past. I have come to appreciate and adapt to cultures not like mine. Very importantly, I have overcome some of the hardest moments of my life.
So a tip of the hat to these Legends in My Mind.
I will be traveling to Mexico on Tuesday to do some much needed fishing. While there I am going to put some new camera gear through its paces also. There is about 7 of us fishing in total so I will take one or two days strictly photographing the others, and the area.
Punta Allen, located deep in the Sian Ka'an Biosphere part of Quintana Roo is where we will be heading. The fishing takes place on Bahia de Ascensión. It is a beautiful and off the grid part of the world. The town of Punta Allen is home to lobster fishermen, eco tourism and of course Flats Fishing.
I hope to have a good deal of portraits, candids, and landscapes when I get back.
Be well All!
I recently shot a crazy X-Mas Sweater party for a friend of mine. It was a bit strange because it is out of my normal.
I did a great deal of pre-planning, and maybe overthought what I needed to do making it complicated at first. I quickly found a groove however and once I did it was off tot the races.
In the end I was able to provide about 250 photos of various happenings around the room. I know my friend was pleased and I was able to walk away with a positive outcome. The learning experience was so great as well and next time I will be more realistically prepared for an event like this.
On a different note I will be returning to Mexico in January and am very excited to try out some new gear and bring to you new and beautiful images.
If I do not get on here before the turn of the year... I wish all of you a happy and healthy Holiday and a wonderful New Year!
A friend of mine, an Ex-Commissioner of my Fire Department, asked me to do some family photos for him in honor of his youngest son's graduation from the Passaic County Fire Academy. Kyle is the youngest of three siblings who have become firefighters, and part of the third generation of firefighters pictured in this session. Unfortunately Kyle's sister was not present to show all the family firefighters.
A Probationary firefighter, along with Justin, who is pictured with Kyle in the last photo, make these two the current newest members of the Wayne NJ Fire Department, Packanack Lake Fire Co#5.
Things ave been a whirlwind for my wife and I.
We have moved into our new house, looking to offload our old house, and now have to prepare for a REALLY big change.
TWINS!!!
Yes thats correct, twins are expected in May. We have officially started telling everyone now that we have hit the 12 week mark.
Aside from the obvious, I will now have plenty of time now to hone those baby portraits, and be possibly looking to expand my market.
Its all happening so fast, stay tuned!
It has been a little bit since I have updated my site, and for that I am sorry. My schedule has become quite hectic and throw in a move, and the passing of a family member and things just go off the rails.
But today I want to pay tribute to the person my family lost at the end of September. My cover page when you sign into my site here is that of my Uncle Andy. The photo is from a boat ride in Maine the day after my cousin Dan was married. Uncle Andy passed away on Sept 20, 2017 at the age of 62.
Many have heard of the PHANTOM High Speed Camera, and Vision Research Company who produces them. But I am lucky enough to be related to the pioneers of Digital High Speed Photography. My uncle Andy Jantzen was one of those original pioneers.
My father Art, Uncle Andy, and their sister, my Aunt Connie took over the family's high speed film business after my Grandpa Charlie passed away in 1980. For the next 12 years the trio would build and sell cameras under the name Photographic Analysis Company. as the 1990s approached, they saw where not only the film and camera industry was going, but the world of slow-motion high speed photography was also, they were going digital.
Photo Analysis found Mr. Alexandru Aciu, a Romanian engineer, to develop the needed sensors for processing the high speed digital videos. The three siblings and Mr. Aciu reorganized Photo Analysis into Vision Research Inc. and in 1992 introduced the world to The PHANTOM Camera.
The company itself grew exponentially from 1990 into the 2000's and the family run business was then sold to AMETEK. It was a short while later that my Aunt Connie and my father would retire. My Uncle Andy worked as CEO and then Director of New Product Development. He would go on to win an Oscar for his work with the cameras and was pivotal in expanding the line from the Science and Research world into the Professional Sports and Movie Industries. After 33 years of dedication my Uncle Andy retired in 2013.
Andy will always be remembered as a humorous, sarcastic, generous, and creative person. He was admired for his ethic that nothing was unachievable. He was an avid wooden boat builder. He loved the outdoors. He was a dedicated and loving father to my cousins Phillip, Daniel and Stephanie. A second father to Claire amongst others. Finally he was the devout husband to my Aunt Linda.
My uncle will be missed by many. He was a person who in many ways have touched the lives of countless people, and along with his family and friends truly reshaped how we see parts of the world.
This is a link to the Vision Research Website and their tribute to my uncle.
http://www.phantomhighspeed.com/About-VRI/History/Tribute-to-Andy-Jantzen
I was going to wait until 9/11's anniversary for this but decided to update it now.
16 years ago I responded on Thursday evening as part of an EMS Task Force from New Jersey. That night I was stationed at Liberty and South End when the FDNY brought out a brother.
The Picture of the Lamp Post and of the Don't Walk Signal with WTC1 as the backdrop is right where I was stationed. I remember the lamp post especially. When I first saw this lamp 16 years ago, encrusted in WTC Dust, it looked like a statue. The whole area looked like a movie set, almost fake.
While I have visited the memorial pools, it has been 16 years since I was able to bring myself to that exact spot again. Every time I go into the city I still get choked up, just going past Chelsea Piers, and into downtown.
