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
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 the first week of December 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 piece of jewelry 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. Within the next few weeks people started reaching out to me asking if I would do 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.
I love to travel and lived in Germany for 7 months in 2016.
I have a commerce degree and worked in marketing full-time for almost 5 years.
I am absolutely obsessed with my cats, Rosie and Cheeto.
My 15-minutes of fame came in 2012 when I was Justin Bieber's One Less Lonely Girl during his Believe Tour in Winnipeg.
Coffee and true crime podcasts get me through most work days (highly recommend Redhanded, Crime Junkie, or Serial Killers)
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