Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jenni Girtman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Jenni thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
Several years ago I did a lot of photography work for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. The prosthetics department needed updated marketing photography and we set up a session. These photos were so meaningful to me and I often think of the shoot and I still love the photographs. Several patients were scheduled, including a girl about 6 or 7 years old who had lost her legs in a lawn mower accident and lived in rural Georiga. She arrived in her Sunday best, including hat and was amazing with her legs. She ran down the hallway and was really living her best life, being a happy kid, visiting with therapists she liked and trusted. Her memory inspires me often. The staff that built these children’s limbs and then helped them learn to walk and grow with them equally put me in awe. The physical therapists and nursing staff, some which had worked for decades at the hospital, knew these children. As we worked and photographed a height chart in the office’s doorway, they would talk about updates and info of kids who weren’t the office today. The entire experience of that full day shoot has stuck with me over the years. A place that could have been so harsh and painful was so amazingly full of joy and support and love from these kids who had all experienced hardships most of us will never know. It was inspirational.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am a professional photographer and small business owner of Atlanta Event Photography and Life on Film Photography. My professional experience began in 1998 at University of Florida while earning my journalism degree, I worked for newspapers and started freelancing and fell in love with moment-based photography. I try to apply it to everything I do. Atlanta Event Photography has grown to provide coverage for VISA during the Superbowl, Delta’s Chairman Galas, conferences and productions consistently in and around Atlanta since 2006. We have amazing associates that help make it all happen. Large scale events with videography and stills and drone photography; onsite printing and photo entertainment are all in scope.
Life on Film Photography is also centered on moment-based photography and is specialized for bar and bat mitzvah, weddings and portrait photography. We provide families with meaningful photography of rites of passage and I am often on the dance floor with fantastic 13-year-olds in the metro Atlanta area on Saturday nights. Albums, montage, signing books, portraits, videos, green screen or light graffiti are all in a weekend during the height of mitzvah season.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Well the Covid story illustrates all of our resilience, but specifically for photography it was a tough turn. My businesses were well established before the virus struck so PPP was a big part of my life as was unemployment and all kinds of other things we never dealt with before. My assistant was working for free in the tiny moments we had something to do. We all pivoted to the new reality, no yard work services, no subscriptions, drive only when there is work, and a lot of sitting at the computer and looking for ways to reinvent. Food delivery was booming so I started taking food photos for GrubHub and DoorDash thinking if some of the restaurants gave me food that would be a bonus and I did have a 15 year old boy at home to feed. The pay was minimal and after several months with vendors not valuing my time, I had to stop. Not having a purpose was really the hardest part of it for me. Soon the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reached out and put me back on the list of freelancers. I will forever be thankful to the newspaper for giving me back a purpose that I was missing. Telling stories again, photographing riots and protests, gathering names and meeting people again, even with 6 feet apart and masks on, was exactly what my spirit needed. Now, business is booming again and we’re moving back toward all that we were ready for before the pandemic. Now, we will do it all with so much more focus on purpose and the value of the work is more than it was before.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
One of the most rewarding thing about being a creative is that every assignment, every project is something different. Photography requires creative thought to deliver a final product every single time. Sometimes it’s building event schedules and coordinating photographers and editors while making sure to meet client deadlines and expectations. Other times it is looking for the light in a conference room or waiting for new graduates to hit their mark at the portrait station. With clients that range from Fortune 500 companies, industrial construction professionals to high profile families and university systems I am constantly in new and exciting environments where notable things are happening. I get invited because I’m creative and because I can understand what they are looking for and I capture those moments that will forever be recorded for history. This is the most rewarding part. I truly do love my job.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.AtlantaEventPhotography.com
- Instagram: @AtlantaEventPhotography
- Facebook: AtlantaEventPhoto
- Linkedin: Atlanta Event Photography
Image Credits
I took all these photographs