Advice & inspiration

Jenn Ackerman and Tim Gruber advise photographers to learn the business behind the photo

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Husband and wife team Jenn Ackerman and Tim Gruber came to UNC Tuesday to speak at PhotoNight LVII. I first learned of their work several years ago when I saw Jenn’s award-winning story “Trapped: Mental Illness in America’s Prisons,” and I’ve been eager to hear more about their work ever since.

After completing their master’s at Ohio University, Jenn and Tim started working together and officially launched their own multimedia company, Ackerman Gruber Images, several months ago. Interestingly enough, their working relationship evolved over time.

“The first couple of months we struggled every day when we worked together,” Jenn said.

But, they noted that their collaboration has strengthened their work because it taught them to let their guard down and “check their ego at the door.”

“Teaming up with someone who can hold you accountable to tell the story allows you to be honest with yourself because you are accountable for someone else,” she added.

After graduating they realized that the traditional model of interning first and then becoming a staff newspaper photographer was becoming more of a rarity amongst their peers.

“We started seeking out a new business model and that’s what we found – there isn’t a model for photographers, which is really scary,” Tim said. “But at the same time it’s so exciting because who thought Miss Universe would ask two documentary photographers to document their lives?”

Miss Universe was a recent client who contacted them after seeing their work in the prisons, noting that they wanted them to photograph the contestants the same way they had photographed the prisoners.

Tim said that he has noticed a trend in that advertising agencies and other clients are asking for more natural documentation of events, which bodes well for documentary photographers.

But, they both cautioned the room full of UNC students about the immense money and time that is required to create a marketing plan and secure clients. They paid $800 for a list of email clients, and created a marketing calendar to roll out a series of post card and email promotions.

Jenn said that they budgeted $2,500 for marketing expenses this year, but that in actuality it would probably run closer to $4,000.

“In the beginning it was fun to struggle, but after awhile it sucks,” Jenn warned. “If you are constantly thinking about money you cannot be creative.”

However, they noted that they have had several big clients and that they have seen a strong need for multimedia production.

“It’s easy to get discouraged but keep the faith and good things will happen,” Tim said.

Top 10 Pieces of Advice from Tim and Jenn:

• “It takes failure to succeed so when you start failing, that’s when you know you are on the right track, It’s when you are not failing is when you are copying something that’s already been done so you’re not giving something else to the industry or the client that they haven’t seen yet ….” – Jenn
• “You never know who is seeing your work and the impact it will have.” – Tim
• “Be open to exploring other art forms and other photography that you might not necessarily like, but find the good in that and let it inspire you and drive you.” – Tim
• “Check your ego at the door because you are learning and telling other people’s stories.” – Jenn
• “Be diverse in your work and allow video and audio to be apart of that.” – Jenn
• “Find images that speak to you and satisfy you creatively.” – Tim
• “You have to do research in your stories – you have to be knowledgeable and ask a lot of questions.” – Jenn
• “Know what you are shooting for and have a vision. Go in with that vision and stick to it.” – Jenn
• “Our industry is ultimately about relationships so shake those hands so people can meet the face behind the photo.” – Tim
• “It takes the average person eight times to see your name before they remember you so don’t get discouraged and stick to your marketing plan.” – Tim

Tim and Jenn have provided numerous resources on their website about writing a business plan, identifying obstacles and creating a five-year plan.

Other posts that might interest you:

• MediaStorm founder Brian Storm advises journalism community to partner and collaborate
• Transitioning from photography to multimedia

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