Howell native Gary Gellman of Gellman Images was in Philadelphia on Sept. 26 covering the arrival of Pope Francis at Philadelphia International Airport and captured the moment (above) when the Pope stopped his motorcade, exited his vehicle and blessed and kissed a 10-year-old boy who has cerebral palsy. PHOTO BY GARY GELLMAN/GELLMAN IMAGES Americans eagerly watched Pope Francis’ every move during his first visit to the United States in late September. People in Washington, D.C., New York City and Philadelphia lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the Pope.
Pope Francis was a constant presence on television and a social media sensation during his week in the United States.
One of the most memorable moments of the Pope’s visit was captured by a photographer with long ties to the area.
Howell native Gary Gellman of Gellman Images was in Philadelphia on Sept. 26 covering the Pope’s arrival at Philadelphia International Airport and captured the moment when the Pope stopped his motorcade, exited his vehicle and blessed and kissed a 10-year-old boy who has cerebral palsy.
Gary Gellman The photograph became a defining moment during the Pope’s visit to the City of Brotherly Love.
In an interview with Greater Media Newspapers, Gellman called it the pinnacle of his career.
“When (the Pope) got out of his car and went over to the boy, I was practically in tears as the rest of the world must have been. It is something I will never forget,” Gellman said. “To be in that place … and to have captured the image … is very neat.”
Months ago, Gellman applied to the World Meeting of Families, an organization that aims to strengthen bonds of families across the globe, and was chosen to be one of the photographers who would photograph Pope Francis in Philadelphia.
“Although we did not know exactly where we were going to be when the Pope arrived, it was pretty exciting. I have been in the industry for 27 years and the opportunity to be with the Pope and cover him so intimately was exciting,” Gellman said. “I arrived (in Philadelphia) at 7 p.m. Sept. 25 because the call to be prepared was at 3 a.m. Sept. 26 for a 9:30 a.m. arrival. When the call came to be in our places at 3 a.m. I was there.”
Gellman and another photographer’s photo of the Pope kissing the boy at the airport both received attention in the national media.
“I want to be clear, we were standing next to one another. We were part of the same World Meeting of Families team. His photo got more play than mine did, but it is more or less the same photograph so I want to be clear with that,” he said.
Gellman’s goal in covering the event “was to capture (the Pope) the way he would want to be seen and also in a very journalistic style. So we did not interrupt him in any way … we just captured him at the event as it (occurred).”
Gellman’s career has seen him photograph celebrities such as Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi and Jack Nicholson. He is the official photographer for the New Jersey Hall of Fame. “Anyone who has been honored in the Hall of Fame has come in front of my lens, but if there was one person overall that an individual like myself, who photographs people for a living, (would want to photograph), it would be Pope Francis.
“Being a strong Catholic and someone raising children Catholic, it was even more important because it was not just a person in front of me of great regard or national prominence, it was the leader of our church,” he said.
Gellman started his career in video production and moved into photography.
“I was always interested in images and although I never had a camera when I was young, it wasn’t until I got to college that I found this was something I would like to do. I liked the ability to capture an image or capture a story that can be kept forever.
At 16, Gellman worked for Freehold Township’s municipal access cable television station, writing stories and gaining experience in front of the camera. He graduated from The College of New Jersey and started his own business, Gellman Images, in 1989.
“Most young people would say, ‘Wow, that’s great, I want to photograph the Pope.’ It took me 27 years to get there. It’s not easy and it is hard work, it doesn’t happen very quickly. You start out small. … The community has been very good to us,” Gellman said.
At the time he started Gellman Images, Gellman was working a part-time job at ShopRite in Freehold Township.
“That was able to sustain me to build a career. A lot of my first customers came from working at the supermarket … There is an old saying, never give up your day job. It took me about eight years to give up my day job, but I always knew the community would be there for us and we would always be supported by good people who knew who we were,” said Gellman, who also hosts “This is Jersey” on Verizon FiOS1 News.
“Throughout my career, having met so many cool people I have photographed, I was asked to transition those opportunities into interviews. I go around New Jersey and interview people, some of whom I have photographed in the past … I interviewed the Jamaican singer OMI who wrote ‘Cheerleader.’ I interviewed him two years ago before he became famous and he is going to do another interview with us soon. I interview people who are of great interest in or around New Jersey or those who come to New Jersey from other parts of the country.” Gellman and his wife, Claire, are the parents of four daughters. “My family and I are very blessed to live in this community and (covering the Pope) is the pinnacle of what I have been able to do professionally,” he said.