For two decades, Jenny Kirchner has honed her artistic craft by documenting moments and memories with the click of a shutter. As an award-winning, internationally acclaimed photojournalist, Jenny possesses a keen eye for what makes the news. From 2007 to 2010, she served as the sole staff photographer for the Idyllwild Town Crier newspaper. From 2010 to 2021, she continued as a freelance photographer and reporter. During her tenure, she was awarded First Place by the Society of Professional Journalists Inland Empire Division 2007 for Best Sports Photo in all circulations of Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange, and East Los Angeles Counties. She has also received multiple First and Second Place awards, Certificates of Achievements, and Honorable Mention awards from The Better Newspapers competitions sponsored by the California News Publishers Association, placing her in the top 10% of competitors in the state of California.
In 2013, Jenny received international recognition from companies in France and Germany, as well as national recognition, interviewing with Wolf Blitzer from The Situation Room on CNN and Ashley Ludwig from the Temecula Grapevine in Temecula California for her coverage of the Mountain Fire in the San Bernardino Mountains in Southern California. Her photos were also featured on NBC, CBS, The Huffington Post, Good Morning America, Idyllwild Town Crier, HeArt Magazine, Valley News, Fox News 31 out of Denver Colorado, Hemetradio.com, and Lanemedia.com.
Photography has always come naturally to Jenny. Some even say she was born with a camera in hand. At the age of 15, she received a scholarship from the North American Nature Photography Association, being the youngest of ten high school students in the nation selected to attend. During this one-week program, she attended seminars and workshops and worked hand in hand with world-famous photographers, including Frans Lanting and Art Wolfe of National Geographic.
The following year, she was accepted to attend the internationally acclaimed Idyllwild Arts Academy. During this time, she learned more about basic camera and photography mechanics, spending much of her time photographing everything in sight and then hiding away in the darkroom.
In 2003, Jenny learned the basics of studio lighting and techniques while working for the nation's largest employee-owned school photography company, Lifetouch Inc. The company operated in all 50 states and Canada, and Jenny captured priceless photos of students of all ages while employed in the San Diego and Riverside, CA offices.
Jenny has a broad spectrum of abilities and experience. She helped shoot and design the book covers for "Rock to Riches: Build Your Business the Rock & Roll Way" by Chapman and Silber and "Equinox" by Nora Charles. She has been involved in fashion and model photography, headshots for musicians, and even senior pictures for soon-to-be graduates. She is often called upon by local businesses to photograph vacation rentals and cabins, many of which are published on multiple websites throughout Idyllwild and the surrounding areas.
In mile-high Idyllwild, her outstanding nature photographs can be found in the annual Idyllwild Phone Book, quarterly Visitor’s Guide, and on the front web page of the Mountain Community Telephone Directory.
In addition to photographing sporting, social, and civic events, Jenny has captured compelling night scenes involving gunmen, drug pushers, wildfires, and over-the-side car accidents. Winning their confidence, Jenny has accompanied officers from the Palm Springs Police Department, Hemet City Police Department, and the California Highway Patrol multiple times on their nightly rounds. She is a regular at incidents with Idyllwild Fire Protection District and Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire officials.
As of 2022, Jenny became bi-coastal, splitting her time between California and Pennsylvania. With this change, she is available for bookings throughout the country and is willing to bring her experience to you, no matter the distance.
Creative, talented, and dedicated, Jenny Kirchner is the photographer to call to capture the scene, the memory, and the moment.