Janet Fries's interest in photography grew out of the encouragement of Smith College photography professor, David Batchelder. Like the more adventurous of her generation, she and friends commandeered an old school bus and made a wandering trip across the United States. At a University of Iowa gathering of photographers, she encountered Robert Frank and his seminal work. Fries moved to San Francisco shortly after, studying with Jack Welpott and Don Worth at San Francisco State University. She gained almost immediate recognition for her portrait work, with photographs appearing in the Berkley Barb and the San Francisco Bay Guardian. Soon, her gift for capturing character began to be seen more widely. Increasingly, she was sought out for assignments with national publications, including Time, People, Fortune, Rolling Stone, and US News.
In 1989, pregnant, Fries climbed a ladder to get the best angle for an image of Sandra Day O'Connor. The Supreme Court Justice, concerned for Janet's well-being, had difficulty relaxing for the portrait. This was the first time Fries fully realized that photography was not only visual, but also physical. Shortly after, Fries entered law school, raised a family, and today is an intellectual property lawyer specializing in art law, protecting the rights of an array of writers, visual artists, musicians, and art collectors. She is also a contributing photographer with Getty Images, which licenses her photographs for publication.