Jonathan Zoeteman

A visual anthology on life & living. Writer | Photographer | @Socality instagram.com/jonathanzoeteman 📍Calgary, Canada

[jonathanzoeteman]

It’s been a while since I did a post like this, but I think in life it’s good to celebrate people. This is my friend Rheanna and she played a massive part in helping us pull off @Socality Camp a couple weeks ago. This was also her first time ever experiencing Moraine Lake after having grown up in Calgary (only a couple hours away), and one of my favorite things is seeing people experience places like this for the first time. It’s a strange feeling when you’re surrounded by so much creative energy for a concentrated period like we were, and I’m still having some withdrawals missing all the incredible folks that came. Grateful for the ability to stay connected and for just how small our world has become. Hope all of you in America have had a fun and safe 4th of July today! ______ #Socality #ExploreAlberta (at Moraine Lake) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzhZ5XhA9hZ/?igshid=1cczk2lm1dqb6

[jonathanzoeteman]

Finally back home after a whirlwind last couple weeks and playing major catch up on work, life, creative projects, photo editing, and everything in between. Summer is in full swing here and I’m looking forward to everything that comes with this gorgeous season in the Canadian Rockies. Lots of good things in the works for this summer and I’m excited to share more as a number of new things take shape. As always, a massive thanks to each and every one of you for your constant support and encouragement. Means so much and I couldn’t be more grateful. Also a big shout out to the amazing guys behind @heartprintthreads for their support with @Socality Camp last week, absolutely love seeing local businesses buy into building community in such a big way. ______ #Socality #ExploreAlberta (at Lake Louise, Alberta) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzcONm3grxe/?igshid=1pie2kazhv2cb

[jonathanzoeteman]

Happy Birthday Canada! Words cannot express how grateful I am to call this country home. From its incredible landscapes, to its beautiful cities, to the diversity of people who call it their own, I fall more and more in love with this place every single year. To all my fellow Canadians, I hope you’ve had a safe and amazing long weekend celebrating with family and friends. ______ #Socality #ExploreCanada #ExploreAlberta (at #HappyCanadaDay) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzZmcieANjq/?igshid=1xlq140z2nf36

[jonathanzoeteman]

Just came off an unforgettable last few days with some pretty amazing people at this year’s @Socality Camp. Here’s a couple shots from the unreal sunrise we got at Lake Louise on Monday morning. Cato came all the way from Belgium to spend the week with us, and it was something special to see such a diversity of creative people in one place for a few days. Looking forward to sharing more moments from Camp in the weeks to come. ______ #Socality #SocalityCamp #LiveYourAdventure (at Lake Louise, Alberta) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzMzvKngm5e/?igshid=kdn6ho6sum77

[jonathanzoeteman]

A few thoughts I’ve been pondering this week: So much of our success in nearly all aspects of life comes back to the simple act of not giving up. Of showing up when everyone else has quit. Lots of people start but it’s a much smaller number that finish well. And whether it’s in our relationships, in our work, our art, our businesses, our physical bodies, or our souls, the change, the “magic”, the transformation seems to come in the mundane act of falling down and getting back up again, and again, and again. It was Edison who said “Our greatest weakness is giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” So I hope you keep going, even on the hardest days even when the resistance feels the strongest. I had to take a little break on here as this month has been a little crazy thus far but I’m looking forward to sharing more this week as @Socality Camp kicks off in a couple days. ______ #Socality #CaptionsByWriters (at New York, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/By6w9yBgX6s/?igshid=17xfcl75iimew

[jonathanzoeteman]

It’s been a while since I had a “bucket-list shot” involving a specific place and time land in my head, but over the last month or so I’d started planning to get out in a canoe on Lake Louise at sunrise while the lake was still thawing. This time of year is one of prettiest in the Canadian Rockies as the seasons change over from winter through to summer. These aren’t the shots I’d envisioned (although we did manage to capture a few of those too and I’ll share them at some point) but having shot a fair number of portraits and images out on the water over the last couple years, I‘be been interested in trying to capture a familiar place and subject matter in a little different way than I have before. These are a few of those and I’ll try to share a couple more from this day over the month ahead. ______ #Socality #ExploreAlberta (at Lake Louise, Alberta) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByUJHikg6eH/?igshid=vao1leuazks7

[jonathanzoeteman]

Slowly catching up on sharing some recent projects / work. I met the folks behind @heartprintthreads a couple months back and have really enjoyed getting to know them and their passion to use their social enterprise to do good both in their city and in this world. It’s been fun collaborating with them on this limited edition color-way made by a family of artisans in Ecuador. You can check it out via the link in my bio if you’re interested in picking one up or learning more about what they do. I’ve been a little quiet on here over the last few weeks, but I’m looking forward to sharing more recent work and projects with a little more regularity over the next couple weeks. Hope you’ve all had a great weekend, and wishing you an amazing start to the week ahead. ______ #Socality #MakePortraits https://www.instagram.com/p/ByPBFqeg3K6/?igshid=1ey9115rexlav

[jonathanzoeteman]

I don’t know what’s on your horizon. I don’t know what your past has carried or what your future holds. But this much I know. You are loved, you are strong, you not alone, and you are the only one who can fill your role and play your part in this life. And maybe it’s hard to see the light in the midst of it all. Maybe your hope is just a glimmering spark. But this much I also know: It’s going to be okay. I promise. It’s going to be okay. ______ #Socality #MakePortraits https://www.instagram.com/p/ByCIyZWgmXt/?igshid=141lk1p2u5vrc

[jonathanzoeteman]

Finally getting around to sharing a couple shots from a few weeks back with @juliaxmay that I hadn’t had a chance to share yet. I’ve been wrestling quite a bit of late with what I’d call “creative discontent” and I’ll probably share a few more thoughts related to that this week as I believe it’s a place that can be equal parts frustrating and yet so incredibly vital to growing in one’s personal creative process. Hope my fellow Canadians have had a great long weekend, and wishing all of you a great week ahead! ______ #Socality #MakePortraits (at Peace Bridge (Calgary)) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxtckvmAlQJ/?igshid=tx3lwjgsnxkd

[jonathanzoeteman]

Hadn’t had the chance to share anything yet from my time in New York for the event we hosted recently with the amazing folks at @BHPhoto a couple weeks ago. It was an amazing weekend with so many great people in the NYC creative community and beyond. A truly unforgettable day, and I’m already looking forward to the next one. Grateful for the chance to get back up over the city as well to catch a few more views of one of the most iconic skylines in the world thanks to @BHPhoto and the great flyers at @flynyon. ______ #Socality #BHPhoto #MakePortraits (at New York, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxjOzSvA1Hq/?igshid=rxk3eq3irmu4

[jonathanzoeteman]

The John Lennon lyric “life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans” came to mind today. I’m a little behind on a lot of things in this season, but those words reminded me of the simple truth that most of our days are spent in the moments in-between. And there’s a beauty in being all there for those moments too. Even in the crazy, in the days that are a little too much. I truly believe one of the healthiest things we can do is find gratitude in the midst of the ordinary, and further still, in the midst of the hard times. I’ve been trying to catch up on a lot of my personal creative work, and I’m looking forward to sharing some more recent imagery and projects again soon. Hope your week is off to a great start! ______ #Socality #MakePortraits (at Lake Louise, Alberta) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxeGC_tgCeV/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ao4gew7wpl18

[jonathanzoeteman]

I first had the chance to work with the incredible folks at @krochetkids a number of years back, and it’s been amazing to watch them grow and continue to empower women in developing countries through their programs and job creation. We did a little collaboration with them through @socality and I had a chance to snap a few shots of the beanie collab with @juliaxmay the other day. There’s a limited number available and you can pick one up through the link in my bio if you’re interested. Hope you’re all having an amazing week! ______ #Socality #MakePortraits https://www.instagram.com/p/BxRPnADgLg4/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=qdf6niws9tuq

[jonathanzoeteman]

Excited to be heading back to NYC this weekend for an amazing Community Event with @socality and @bhphoto on May 5! It’s shaping up to be one of the best community events we’ve had yet with a great meet-up / photowalk planned in the afternoon followed by an afterparty at a beautiful loft / rooftop in the West Village with food, drinks, and live music with a couple super-talented locals @dezduron and @lynxstagrams. Event is free, but space is limited so RSVP via the link in my bio if you’ll be in the area! ______ #Socality #SocalityNYC #BHPhoto (at New York, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw8mkcqA1SW/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=5k62z6i0ia4p

[jonathanzoeteman]

“And hey, would you like to look outside sometimes? I'm just with my friends online and there's things we'd like to change.” - ‘Love Me’ by @the1975 / I’ve always been inspired by a variety of artistic mediums and music has always been one of the big ones for me. This is a snap from a longer set @chloe.chapdelaine and I shot earlier this year that I haven’t had a chance to share yet. ______ #Socality #MakePortraits https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw3eACmAMnE/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1tvo0fon94m8q

[jonathanzoeteman]

Had the chance to fly with @flairairlines for the first time this month (which exceeded my expectations) and maybe it’s just me, but there’s something about being in the air that fills me with a sense of possibility. The word “limitless” comes to mind when trying to describe it. Maybe it’s the “airplane mode” and the lack of distractions. Maybe it’s the seeming improbability of flying thousands of pounds worth of humanity and metal at 35,000 feet, but moments in the air remind me that we are capable of things at the very edge of our imagination. And maybe, just maybe, it’s a gentle reminder that our collective dreams aren’t nearly as crazy or impossible as we think. ______ #Socality #CaptionsByWriters (at 35,000 Feet) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw042KeAApB/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1ts1nx13zshjh

[jonathanzoeteman]

Sometimes you read words that so perfectly describe the way you feel about something. Here’s a few like that from @emilyonlife inspiring me today: “‘Finding yourself’ is not really how it works. You aren’t a ten-dollar bill in last winter’s coat pocket. You are also not lost. Your true self is right there, buried under cultural conditioning, other people’s opinions, and inaccurate conclusions you drew as a kid that became beliefs about who you are. ‘Finding yourself’ is actually returning to yourself. An unlearning, an excavation, a remembering who you were before the world got its hands on you.” ______ #Socality #MakePortraits #IsraelCollective (at St. George Monastery, Wadi Qelt, Israel) https://www.instagram.com/p/BwqhghNAQbE/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1ctygf2io91fy

[jonathanzoeteman]

It was such a blast spending time in Toronto a couple weeks back to see the new @duerperformance store open and connect with so many amazing creatives as part of the community event we hosted there. A huge thanks to everyone who helped make it happen. Seriously so impressed with everyone in their company from top to bottom, and love seeing business that prioritize and see value in supporting and being a part of community building and local initiatives. Also doesn’t hurt that their products are some of the best out there for whatever adventures life throws your way. ______ #ExploreAlberta #Socality (at Spray Valley Provincial Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/BwldE1YABji/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1ukvfvwpn6f7m