Photojournalist Jennifer Davis Heffner spoke to journalism students about her career during Atom Time in Clausen Hall on April 16, in a segment called AHS Meets the Press.

Heffner, who is also a parent of an AHS graduate, gave the students advice to take with them in the future.

“You want to do something you love,” Heffner said. “Something that you’re passionate about and can make you smile every day. Find what you’re passionate about and put 100 percent into it, no matter what that is.”

Journalism students enjoyed listening to Heffner speak about her career.

“She was really inspiring,” sophomore Abby Converse said. “She gave me a new interest in photography and making films.”

Heffner was a photographer and photo editor with the St. Petersburg Times. She then later worked in the White House Photo Office under President George W. Bush’s administration. Today, she owns her own photography company called Vita Images, which specializes in wedding, family and senior portraits. During her presentation, Heffner displayed some of her work and stressed her passion for her career.

“I started in high school by writing for my town paper,” Heffner said. “I knew from a very young age that I wanted to be a photojournalist. A lot of people don’t know what they want to be when they’re young, but photography and storytelling spoke to me at a young age.”

Heffner spoke about all of the different assignments she has done over the past years. These tasks ranged from editing 9/11 attack photos for print to taking feature photos of people laying on the beach.

“The hardest part about being a journalist, especially a photojournalist is having to be there during really difficult moments in people’s lives,” Heffner said. “You feel for these people, but it’s your job to cover that story.”

Visit Heffner’s website http://www.vitaimages.com/ to learn more about her company and her work.