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Jim, a native of Wheaton, IL,
graduated from Wheaton College with a BA in communications. He served
in the US Army as a Signal Corps photo officer and was stationed
in Ft. Gordon, GA, and South Viet Nam in 1971. He began freelancing
shortly after his military commitment and has been self-employed
since.
Mary was born in Oak Park,
IL and also lived in Florida. She is a registered nurse and also
graduated from Wheaton College with a BA degree in psychology. She
was a professional fashion and catalog model in Chicago and uses
her fashion and styling expertise in their photography.
Together, they have worked
extensively in the editorial and advertising markets, having produced
hundreds of cover illustrations for brochures, books and magazines
over the past 30 years. One of their specialties is photographing
people in real-life situations and their images often convey a spiritual
quality and vitality.
Many of their images have been
taken in third world countries during photojournalistic coverage
for relief agencies. Their scenic photos are a result of frequent
travel opportunities world wide.
As well as providing a large
selection of imagery from stock, they also handle a wide range of
special assignments in their studio or on location. Over the
years they have enjoyed photographing many notables, including four
US Presidents, Billy Graham, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Mel Gibson,
Johnny Cash,
Barbara Mandrell, Tony Orlando, Jesse Jackson, Walter Payton, Phil
Donahue, James Denton, Gail O'Grady and many Christian artists,
musicians and speakers. For years they worked regularly for Woman's
World Magazine using Chicago models for their assignments.
Jim and Mary's favorite images
in recent years have been photographed in Italy and France, where
they have enjoyed the unique lighting and subject matter for their
new digital art collections.
Their new interests are in
the fine art images they have digitally reproduced.
Whether photographing refugees,
families in America, elderly retirement situations or children in
the classroom, Jim and Mary have consistently expressed a unique
love for people and have immersed their lives in the people they
photograph. They began their careers as people photographers
and find that is their greatest joy today.
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About Jim and Mary Whitmer