“I was doing the artwork for Brookdale’s Haunted Theatre while I was still in high school,” said Gina Ziegler, Brookdale’s full-time social media administrator. “I have always loved this school.”
That love for Brookdale is reflected in the quality and detail of every photograph the Colts Neck resident takes. Instead of taking two or three shots of the same group or activity, Ziegler will take 30 or 40 consecutive shots hoping to find just one where everyone looks good.
“For me, photography is fun,” said Ziegler. “It’s important to me that every person in the photo is happy with how they look. I try to capture the essence of each event here at Brookdale, especially when students are having fun and involved with the activities.”
Back when Ziegler was a Brookdale liberal arts major, she was active with the Theater Club and PTK.
“I was doing some creative scene painting for Brookdale’s Theater Department, and whenever they had shows, I would always bring my camera, a basic point-and-shoot. I loved taking photos, and eventually moved on to my first DSLR camera, a Canon Rebel T5. I had to use the fully automatic setting because I didn’t know what I was doing.”
Figuring out the ISO, aperture and shutter speed of a DSLR camera is very challenging, and Ziegler knew she needed more hands-on advice if she was going to take better photos.
“Around 2016, I found a photography group on Instagram that was doing in-person meetups, and I thought… what do I have to lose? I have a camera I don’t know how to use… so I went.”
“The group was mostly older or retired hobbyists who love photography. I had fun, learned a lot, and nine years later, I’m still a member of the group,” she said
But the real change occurred after the group met for a sunset photo shoot in Seaside Park. As the sun went down and darkness settled in, Ziegler stopped shooting, thinking the early evening light was not suitable for photographs. One member noticed that Ziegler didn’t know how to optimize her camera settings and offered to stay and teach Ziegler how changing the ISO or shutter speed or aperture would allow her to shoot in almost any conditions.
“In that one evening of him showing me, physically, how all of the settings on the camera worked, it just clicked – it all made sense,” Ziegler said. “After that I never had an issue again.”
Ziegler is very disciplined and shoots every day. She has a “photo of the day” series which, after 10 years, has morphed into a photographic diary. “I have every photo I’ve ever taken just in case; the one photo I hated five years ago I might decide is cool now. So I always have the raw files backed up on a hard drive.” Ziegler added that she edits almost all of her photos.
After graduating from Brookdale, Ziegler majored in psychology and minored in history at Rutgers. While her classes and activities often focused on visual arts, Ziegler confessed that she never wanted to pursue art for a career and was afraid of losing her passion for art. “I thought – – back then – – that I never want to do anything creative for my job. A job is for you to make money so you can go and do what you want and love to do.”
After graduation from Rutgers, Ziegler returned to Brookdale, working primarily at the Performing Arts Center. After a few years, she then became an hourly social media administrator in public relations. As of last December, she became Brookdale’s full-time social media administrator. Gradually, Ziegler came to see the advantages of putting her artistic skills to use professionally. “I now think it’s so cool that I get to show up and take photos of people and things and use them.”
For instance, Brookdale’s graduation is Ziegler’s favorite event to cover. “I love candid photos and whether the shot is quirky, moving or fun, I try to capture the students expressing the sheer joy of graduation,” Ziegler said. “I am laser-focused on the student, families and friends, just waiting for that perfect moment to create a memorable shot.”
Besides being a talented photographer, Ziegler is an accomplished painter who also specializes in creating pen and pencil portraits – mostly pop culture images of celebrities and others.
Ziegler confessed that she currently has 19 Instagram accounts for all of her art, writing and business interests. Her success can be attributed to setting high standards for her art. Besides taking one photo strictly for fun every day – no exceptions – she keeps to a creative schedule that includes creating a pen or pencil portrait at least once a month and finding one new place to photograph each month.
Ziegler shared that currently, two of her photographs were chosen to be exhibited in juried art shows. A juried art show is one at which exhibiting artists present their work to a panel of “jurors” or judges.
Ziegler’s first photo, a black-and-white piece titled, “Tulips” is currently displayed at the Monmouth Museum. A second piece is at the Atlantic Highlands Arts Council show titled “Mixed Emotions.”
Despite never taking a photography class, this talented alumna demonstrates that with dedication and abundant talent, having the job of one’s dreams is indeed a possibility.
