Jerry Aronson started taking still photos in 1960 when, at the age of 15, he photographed President Eisenhower and Governor George Romney in Detroit, Michigan. In high school, he was the top winner of the National Kodak Scholastic Magazine awards. Later he studied under Aaron Siskind and Wynn Bullock at the Institute of Design in Chicago, where he received an MFA.
He began teaching photography at South Shore High School in Chicago in 1970 and by 1972 his students were also top winners of the same National Kodak Scholastic awards. He also began freelancing as a photographer for various concert promoters in Chicago. He subsequently moved to Colorado and established the Cherry Creek High School photo department, while continuing to freelance, now for Denver concert promoters. He also became the head photographer for the Rocky Mountain Musical Express. His still photographs cover a broad range of subjects in music and politics.