Jenn Ackerman is a Minneapolis-based photographer specializing in reportage, travel and portraiture.
Originally from the East Coast, she made her way to Minnesota and quickly fell in love with the Midwest’s understated charm. Jenn takes great pride in approaching every assignment with care and respect, spending the time needed to earn trust and build genuine connections with the people she photographs. By listening first and working thoughtfully, she creates an environment where people feel seen and comfortable. Those relationships are at the heart of her work, allowing her to make honest, intimate images that reveal life beyond the surface.
She often collaborates with her husband and fellow photographer Tim Gruber. Their work as a team can be seen on their shared website Ackerman + Gruber
Awards2025 American Photography 41 Book Selection
2024 American Photography 40 Book Selection
2022 American Photography 38 Book Selection
2021 American Photography 37 Book Selection
2020 American Photography 36 Book Selection
2020 Minnesota State Artist Initiative Grant Recipient
2020 American Photography 36 Book Selection
2020 Minnesota State Artist Initiative Grant Recipient
2019 PDN Photo Annual
2019 Communication Arts Photography Annual
2019 American Photography 35 Book Selection
2018 American Photography 34
2018 Photolucida Critical Mass Finalist (Winner TBD)
2018 American Photography 34
2017 American Photography 33
2017 Communication Arts Photography Annual
2016 American Photography 32
2015 Communication Arts Photography Annual
2015 American Photography 31
2015 PDN Photography Annual
2015 Minnesota State Artist Initiative Grant Recipient
2014 Communication Arts Photography Annual
2014 American Photography 30 Book Selection
2013 Alexia Foundation Award Finalist
2013 Documentary Project Fund Recipient
2013 Minnesota State Artist Initiative Grant Recipient
2012 McKnight Fellow
2012 NPPA Short Grant Winner
2012 PDN’s 30
2012 Best of ASMP
2012 Magenta’s Flash Forward Winner
2011 CENTER Project Competition: Honorable Mention
2010 Magnum Expression Award: Finalist
2010 Anthropographia: Honorable Mention for Competition for Human Rights
2009 Photolucida’s Critical Mass Top 50
2009 Emmy Awards: Won for Trapped
2009 Inge Morath Award: Runner Up
2009 Emerging Photographers Fund: Finalist
2009 Communication Arts Photography Annual
2009 Webby Awards: Official Honoree for Documentary: Individual Episode
2009 Best of Photojournalism Awards: 1st Place - Non-Traditional Photojournalism Publishing
2009 Best of Photojournalism Awards: 1st Place - Documentary Video
2009 Photographers Giving Back Photo Award: Recognized in Portrait of the Year category
2009 First Book Prize in Photography: Finalist for the Honickman Book Prize
2009 Anthropographia: Nominated for The Photojournalism Competition for Human Rights
Select ClientsAARP The Magazine
Bloomberg BusinessWeek
Bon Appetit
Chase Bank
Delta
Departures
ESPN
Esquire
Fast Company
Field & Stream
Fortune
Inc. Magazine
Men's Health
Midwest Living
Monocle
Mother Jones
Mpls. St. Paul Magazine
National Geographic
National Geographic Traveler
Nike
Outside Magazine
People Magazine
Popular Science
Refinery29
Rolling Stone
Runner’s World
Samsung
Smithsonian MagazineThe Atlantic
The New Yorker
The New York Times
The New York Times Magazine
The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post
Target
T-Mobile
TIME
Vanity Fair
Wired