Jeffrey H. Mantler, has earned the coveted degrees Master of Photography, Photographic Craftsman, and Certified Professional Photographer. As a third-generation photographer, Jeff grew up under the tutelage of his father J. Robert Mantler.
Jeff was exposed to the fundamentals of photography at an early age. His father began taking him out at the age of six to assist on assignments ranging from aerial shoots to weddings. From there, Jeff began to learn the hard way. By allowing Jeff to expose only one negative per day, his father taught him to make each exposure count. This combined with shooting along courtside with his father, who was also the official photographer for the New York Nets, built Jeff's uncanny sense of timing.
As Jeff's interest in photography grew, his father began introducing him to professional lectures at both local and regional levels. Jeff's thirst for knowledge was growing every day.
In 1986, Mantler passed away on the eve of Memorial Day. His passing was a front-page story for the two local newspapers. His son Jeff, who had recently graduated from the University of Miami, took the reigns and continued his father's legend.
Following in his father's footsteps, Jeff returned to Long Island in 1989 and began to further his quest for photographic excellence. He joined the Professional Photographers of Greater New York in 1990 and the Professional Photographers of America in 1991.
Jeff entered his first photographic print competition at a monthly meeting of the Professional Photographers of Greater New York in March 1992. He received Best in Show for his image "Little Dolls," which was later included in the 1992 PP of A General Print Exhibition. Jeff began creating images that earned him numerous awards and photographic distinctions. In March of 1995, his image "Peeping Into The Future" received Kodak's Gallery Award and was subsequently selected to the 1995 PP of A Loan Collection and EPCOT Exhibit at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
Jeff has authored feature articles in the February 1995, February 1996, and July 1997 issues of Professional Photographer, a two part series and single feature in PP of A's Positive Image, as well as a feature article in the premiere issue of Photo Shopper. Since 1994 several of Jeff’s images have been selected for and published in the PPA Loan Collection Books.
Since receiving the degrees of "Master of Photography" and "Photographic Craftsman," Jeff has become a popular teacher. He has lectured to his colleagues on his style of photography the world over, including a program demonstrating his techniques to photographers at the 1996 International Convention of the Professional Photographers of America in Orlando, Florida.
In 1997 Jeff decided to re-open Mantler Photography in Rochester, New York. In 2002 Jeff moved to the Greater Philadelphia area where he currently resides with his wife, Kelly, and daughter, Megan in Ambler, Pennsylvania.
Although Jeff currently acts as a consultant and meets corporate photographic needs he continues to specialize in creating portraits of families and children, and, is quickly becoming recognized for his illustrative images. In August of 2007, he completed a series of images illustrating the relationships between 'Grandfathers and Grandchildren' and 'Aunts and Nephews/Nieces' that will be published by Sterling Publication as part of their series "Life's Big Little Moments" and available at Barnes and Nobel in the fall of 2008. In November 2008 a number of images from a series entitle "The Seashore" were placed on display on the Center for Fine Art Photography online gallery.
Jeff has developed much of who he is today through camera's lens, and has always seen life as a portrait, and, each image he creates, a cog thereof. Subsequently, he has been commissioned to create portraits for dignitaries and had the pleasure capturing the memories of the many. No matter who, or what, his subject, he continually strives to capture and portray the essence of each and every, person, object, and moment.
