Since that day, I could be found at any family gathering with a camera around my neck trying to capture candid moments when no one was looking. It became customary for my camera to be there for all the big—and little—moments between my family and friends. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I signed myself up for a lifetime of being MIA in the family photos taken at any gathering.
My love for photography and storytelling started when I was a kid— I can still remember the excitement when I finally used up all the photos on the disposable camera and it was time to get it developed. By the time I was 20, I was gifted with my first ‘next-level’ camera for my birthday. Although I was excited, I remember being so scared of the thing I didn't even want to hold it. Safe to say I’ve relaxed a little since then.
it's nice to meet you, i'm jen
i am a photographer, but more than that i am a cat-mom who loves my family + friends, travelling, eating, and binge-listening to true-crime
and i am so happy you're here
Towards the end of 2019, I had been doing very small shoots through word-of-mouth recommendations. One of these shoots in particular will always be very special to me— it was a cold but very happy afternoon when I met up with my sister and her boyfriend for a Christmas card photo. What my sister did not know is that my now brother-in-law was planning on proposing to her during this shoot. Spoiler alert, she said yes.
Wanting to make this day extra special, I put considerable time into learning how to pose couples so I could turn this quick 5-minute Christmas card shoot into a full blown engagement session. The shoot was going great, he proposed, I cried too hard to get a good picture of it, we re-created it, and then we took many more photos with the fancy new diamond she was sporting on her left hand. I had so so so many photos I loved and wanted to share, but nowhere to really put them. It was after this shoot that I created the Instagram account @jennifer.fortier.photos that I still use today. Over the next few weeks I started promoting photoshoots on this account and just about everyone I knew to model for me, I truly loved it so much and always wanted to be shooting. Within a few months people started following me and inquiring about various kinds of shoots — family, maternity, couples, you name it. I said yes to every opportunity and less than a year later I was quitting my job to do this full time.
Crazy, I know.
For me, photography is many things: it started as (and remains) a hobby, it’s a career, and it’s even a creative outlet, but most importantly it is the passion that drives me. For me personally, photos give me the ability to remember a moment in a way that evokes emotions, and this is what I want to give to my clients. I want the photos I take to bring you back to that day or time in your life and help you remember your kids at those specific ages, that period of your relationship, that home you lived in, or the pets you had. My hope is that each time you go through them, from the very first day or even years later, you feel all the happiness and the chaos of that moment in time.
Here we are almost three years in and I still race home from every shoot to edit my favourite photos, still love learning about and improving my skills, and still cry at every. single. wedding (I wish I were joking). Thank you for joining me on this crazy ride.
what photography means to me
I love to travel and have been to 21 countries and counting
I have a Bcomm (Honours) degree and worked in marketing before making the switch to a full-time photographer
I have dual citizenship in Canada + the United Kingdom, a perk of having a mom who grew up in England
My 15-minutes of fame came in 2012 when I was Justin Bieber's One Less Lonely Girl during his Believe Tour in Winnipeg
I love true crime in any form but mainly podcasts, Redhanded the Podcast and Crime Junkie being my favourites
I am a chronic sleep talker (and the occasional sleep laugh)
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I am SO lucky to be surrounded by the best, most supportive people imaginable.
These are just a few of the people that have supported me through the highs and lows of starting this business, I would be nowhere without my team.
My inspiration is two-fold, my emotions + my clients
In my own life, I am inspired by moments that are so precious I want a way to remember them forever. This may not come as a surprise, but I take A LOT of pictures of everything and anything in my daily life - when my cat is curled up in a ball sleeping, when my sister and her husband are cuddled on the couch, when my food is looking GOOD, the afternoon sun hitting our living room, etc etc. I think and stop to take a picture when something in my day (big or small) makes me feel an emotion towards whatever it is I’m witnessing. I replicate this when I am with my clients by capturing the genuine moments between them naturally occurring while also giving them prompts to create meaningful connection during our shoot.
I am so inspired by my clients and the people that surround them again and again every single day. The moments between them, the words they speak about each other, the bravery and vulnerability it takes to put yourself in front of the camera. I'll never have enough words to describe how greatly my clients inspire and impact my work.
