Jimmy ienner, Jr. has spent over three decades catching the moment between the pose and the person—that unguarded instant when an artist’s true self emerges. It’s become his signature.

As Chief Photographer and Video Director at Sony Music Entertainment Inc. for nearly two decades, Jimmy worked with hundreds of the artists who shaped popular music, becoming one of the most published photographers in the entertainment industry. His work has graced dozens of CD and DVD covers, publicity campaigns, tour merchandise, major feature films, and music videos. His style revealed his subjects’ vulnerability as readily as their persona—a rare thing in an industry built on image.

He has photographed and directed some of the defining names of the era: Roger Waters, Michael Jackson, and Mariah Carey; actors including Peter Boyle and Kevin Bacon; and presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

At twenty-seven, Jimmy became one of the youngest photographers to earn professional endorsements from Leica and Fujifilm. His roster of brand partnerships has since grown to include Sony, Apple, Filson, Holdfast, Saddleback Leather, and Lift Safety.

After documenting decades of musical history, Jimmy felt a natural pull to pass that knowledge forward. From 2007 to 2008, he designed and taught a graduate-level class on Entertainment Marketing at Fordham University’s Graduate School of Business. From 2010 to 2012, he served as co-chair of the Visual Arts Committee of The Recording Academy NARAS (GRAMMYs) for Video Direction.

From 2009 to 2020, Apple Inc. employed Jimmy to mentor employees and the public in photography, videography, and personal technology.

When Jimmy’s not holding a camera, he’s likely fly-fishing. The patience required to read water, the stillness needed to observe without disturbing, the intuition for when to act—these are the same qualities that define his approach behind the lens. His expertise has earned him endorsements from Orvis, Sage, Thomas & Thomas, and ExOfficio, and he has served several terms on the Board of Directors of the Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum.

Today, Jimmy combines the freedom of freelancing with his passion for visual storytelling. He takes on hand-selected projects throughout New England, New York, and Pennsylvania—shooting for magazines and websites, and lending his eye to small businesses looking to grow.

What drives Jimmy now isn’t just capturing the image—it’s capturing the truth within it. Whether he’s documenting a rock star, a Fortune 500 CEO, or a fly-fishing guide on the Beaverkill River, he’s searching for that authentic moment when someone forgets the camera is there and simply exists. That’s where the real story lives, and that’s where Jimmy does his best work.

Professional Organization Involvement

The Recording Academy NARAS (GRAMMYs); New York, NY - FamilyCook Productions; New York, NY - The Fraternal Order of Police (FOP); Washington, DC - The Institute for American Indian Studies; Washington, CT - New York City International Film Festival - Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum; Livingston Manor, NY - Habitat for Humanity; New York, NY - New York Cares; New York, NY - Regional Small Business Associations - WWOOF-USA - Loft Artists Association; Stamford, CT - Americares; Stamford, CT - Hospice; Stamford, CT - Catskill Fly Tyers Guild; Roscoe, NY - WaterFire Providence; Providence, RI - Rhode Island Wood Operators Association; Providence, RI

Previous Full-Time Positions

Staff Photographer, Old Mill Road Media — Berkshire Magazine, Vermont Magazine, Manchester Life Magazine, and Stratton Magazine · Apple Inc. retail; Greenwich, CT — Creative · Fordham University Lincoln Center; New York, NY — Adjunct Graduate Professor · Sony Music Entertainment, Inc.; New York, NY — Chief Photographer / Video Director