Photographer gives her best shot

Photo courtesy of Jane Hartman

Puyallup resident Jane Hartman has a profession most do not hear about often, if ever. She is an aerial architectural photographer, and she makes buildings look good from every possible angle.

Hartman has lived in the area since 1961, and came by way of Maine when her parents moved to Washington for her father’s job with AT&T in developing communication systems. Her parents eventually parted ways and Hartman and her mother stayed in Washington. With a background of nine years in real estate and 14 years of property management, Hartman knows a lot about business and marketing.

The transition into aerial photography came as a result of a few different interests melding together. “My love of flying and the 172 Cessna, as well as my passions…architecture and photography,” Hartman said.

Hartman’s first foray into photography as profession came in 2003 when she had the opportunity to take an aerial photo at the Spooner Farm corn maze. “(I was asked) to take an aerial photo every year, so that people could see it,” she affirmed. Her real estate background gave Hartman connections to agents and developers still in the business, and she realized that having beautiful photos to show off waterfront or acreage property makes a huge difference in terms of reception to the sites. “I would solicit services to them to give them a cutting-edge marketing tool for their listings.”

The customers that Hartman has mostly been catering to are upper-end property owners, those with exquisite homes, real estate companies and cities that want to promote themselves as great places to dwell. Hartman has taken an aerial photograph for Mineral Lake, as well as for event centers for marketing purposes.

To get these majestic and visually stimulating photographs, Hartman flies up in a plane with a pilot and shoots away. It is a two-person job that yields stunning results for the effort and the heights reached.

Many individuals come to Hartman because they would like to give loved ones a unique gift that they can cherish for years to come. “One guy wanted to surprise his wife with an aerial photograph of their estate for her birthday,” she stated. One of the most interesting projects that she has taken on thus far was the Mineral Lake session. “Photographing Mineral Lake with Mt. Rainier in the background, to me, that project really depicts what Washington state is all about, with rolling mountains, majestic scenery and lakes we have in the area. It depicts the state as what it is… to me this is the most beautiful state in the country.”

One of Hartman’s personal missions with her company, Hartman Foto Works, is to ensure people that her products are not unattainable commodities. “Aerial photography isn’t necessarily an expensive luxury. My mission is to provide honest, efficient, quality service at an affordable rate. I am so much more reasonable than anyone else out there…I know I can beat anyone’s price,” Hartman stated.

Hartman is currently offering a package special: a one-hour photo shoot for $345, which includes 8-12 edited images directly e-mailed or loaded onto a disk for personal use.

For more information about Hartman Foto Works and its services, call Jane Hartman at (253) 970-8020.

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