Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Charity Wade. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Charity thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I am “self-taught” – in a sense. There was aLOT of late night YouTube-ing, I followed every photographer whose style I loved and read every blog I could find on photography and/or business. Once I figured out the basics of using my camera, I practiced, practiced, practiced! I took my kids outside and grabbed shots of them in different settings with different lighting as often as they would let me.

Knowing what I know now, I’m not quite sure there was much that I could have done to speed up the learning process. The thing about being a creative, is you have to hone your skills- which takes practice. You have to find your style- which takes trying out different styles. You have to find what gets your creative juices flowing- which only comes once you’ve nailed down the basics and can get into trying new things. I’d love to say that there is a way to speed past through the learning process, but, for me, all of it was necessary to get me to this point with JustB.
I think the skills that were most essential to learn would be how to work your gear, shooting in different lighting settings, and posing.

Obviously, knowing how to work your gear is ESSENTIAL for having a photography business. There are so many settings that help bring an image to life. But the same settings won’t work for every image. You need to be able to look at the situation and know what things to change on your camera in order to still get the look you want.

Knowing how to shoot in different lighting is so important. You won’t always have the perfect lighting. You won’t always be able to find shade or have that gorgeous sunset. You need to be able to shoot in any situation…. especially if you’re wanting to do Wedding Photography that requires you to shoot throughout the whole day.

And, lastly, posing! I WISH I would have studied posing sooner in my photography career… it would have saved me tons of time during sessions! I can’t tell you how many times in my early career that an image was gorgeous but looked so awkward because the posing was all wrong. And, trust me, no one wants to be in the middle of a photoshoot drawing a blank on how to pose your clients. Once I started studying different poses and prompts, my sessions started flowing so much better! Be sure you have TONS of poses in your back pocket to use throughout each session. You will never regret having a ton of poses to use! Okay, sorry, I’ll get off my posing soap box! Haha

A major obstacle that stood in the way of learning was time! When I first opened JustB Photography, I was a full-time Elementary School Librarian, a Mom of four (one of which was a newborn), and in the worship band at our church. To say that most of my learning was done in the middle of the night is NOT an exaggeration! I would work all day, play chauffeur for my kiddos in the afternoon, be Mom/Wife in the evenings and THEN work on my photography skills once everyone went to bed. It was possibly one of the most insane and exhausting things I’ve ever decided to do. However, it was also one of the most rewarding decisions I’ve ever made. And I LOVE looking back to that first year and seeing how far I’ve come and just how much it was all worth it!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Hi! I’m Charity with JustB Photography! I’m an extremely clumsy, incredibly corny, far too outgoing creative who simply adores getting to meet new people and capture their forever memories! To tell you a bit about myself: I’m a Wife and Mom of four kiddos, a part-time Elementary School Librarian, and a full-time photographer/business owner of JustB. I’m a Jesus-lovin’, coffee drinkin’, FRIENDS watchin’ southern gal who just really loves meeting new people and changing the narrative on them having pictures taken! ;)

8 years ago, I was pregnant with our third kiddo and really wanted a photographer for every single second of this pregnancy- newborn journey. Once my husband talked me down off of *that* unrealistic thought (poor guy), he offered purchasing me a “fancy” camera so that I could learn to capture all the little moments myself. I got my first DSLR camera during a Black Friday sale and began playing around. Once baby girl arrived, I started taking pictures of her, and they were…… horrible! Haha Horrible lighting, horrible posing, horrible images. This was unacceptable. You may also need to know that I am a VERY competitive human being. So, bad images were just NOT going to cut it. I became determined to learn the trade so that my baby girl’s images could be just as good as anyone else’s. The more I learned about photography, the more I wanted to know. I started taking pictures of all the kiddos as much as I could. The following November, one of my close friends asked if I would take family pictures for their Christmas card. I went out to their farmland, walked around with them for an hour snapping all the images and was instantly HOOKED! The next day, after much discussion with the hubs, I created a Facebook page for JustB Photography- and so it began!

I may or may not have already had a business name picked out. In fact, naming JustB was one of the easiest parts of starting this little passion job. It’s also one of my favorite stories to tell to clients who ask! ;) My Grandfather was always me and my sisters’ biggest supporter. His name was Kenneth B Summerville. I vividly remember us growing up asking him what the “B” stood for. To which he would reply, “nothing, just B. No name, no period, nothing. Just B.” It’s a phrase I can remember him saying: “just b”. So, when it came time to name this little passion, I wanted it to be a name that would be bigger than myself. Something that would challenge me to do my absolute best. Who better to honor than the one who always went above and beyond to be sure we had any/everything we needed to succeed? So, it was a no-brainer. JustB was born!
However, like I said before, I am very competitive. While I LOVED this new passion, and my clients always seemed pleased with their images, I knew there was a TON to learn. I decided that if this was going to turn into anything real, it was going to require alot of learning and growing. I began reading every article I could find on photography. I learned everything I could about my camera and it’s settings. I started following every photographer whose style I loved. And I practiced every chance I could. Every session brought on a new high for learning more before the next one. Every client inspired me to get better and better. Eventually, I found the style I loved and really found JustB’s brand: candid moments with bold and colorful edits.

I think one thing that sets me apart from other photographers is the entire experience of your session. I may be a bit too outgoing, which seems to really help when it comes to getting my clients to feel comfortable with me right off the bat. The more comfortable I can get them with me, the more I can capture those genuine moments! I like to pose my clients but then give them some sort of prompt to interact with each other. It may be something as simple as look at each and sway your dress – or an “action shot” as I call them, like running towards me like you’re Jackson and April running out of her first wedding. (And, if they get that Grey’s Anatomy reference, we instantly become friends!) I feel that candids help tell your story a bit more and show an authentic glimpse into the season you’re currently in. Having my clients do prompts also seems to help them have more fun! I cannot tell you how satisfying it is to have my clients tell me afterwards that they truly enjoyed their session. And it’s bonus points when the men admit to having fun! ;)

One thing I’m most of proud of would have to be how far this little passion has come. If you would have told me 8 years ago how large JustB would grow, how many clients-turned-friends it would bring into my life and how many adventures it would take me on…… I would’ve just been in disbelief. I feel like deep down I thought it *might* could happen…but to actually see it? It is so surreal sometimes! I could have never imagined everything God had in store for this little passion job! And, it just continues to get better!

Something I want my followers to know about me and the JustB Brand? I will never not be completely overjoyed, honored and amazed each time a client trusts me with capturing their forever memories. I do not take lightly the fact that you have asked me to come into your life – sometimes intimate moments of your life- and pause the moment for you to keep forever. I will always go above and beyond to continue to learn and grow to give you the absolute best. I will also do everything in my power to make it the most effortless and fun experience possible. JustB truly sets my soul on fire and I will always be so thankful and excited to share it with my clients!!

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I think my goal and my mission are two totally separate things.

My GOAL of JustB Photography: to be able to go full-time photographer while still providing a full income for my family. Since my part-time elementary school librarian job provides our insurance, going full-time photographer is a BIG goal to achieve. I feel like it’s not impossible. Like, maybe I’m on the brink of it? It’s such a funny place to be in because I feel like JustB can only grow so much while I’m still teaching part-time….but I also can’t go full-time until I feel like JustB has grown enough to support my family. A vicious little cycle. Haha But I’ll just keep giving it everything I’ve got to get there!

My MISSION of JustB Photography: to change the narrative of having your picture taken. So many times I hear my clients talking about having to *convince* their family or significant other to pictures. I hate that. I mean, I get it….. Mom of four over here to kiddos who aren’t always gung-ho to having their picture taken. So, that’s why I want to change the narrative.
That’s why I host mini sessions every year that have nothing to do with sitting still and having your picture taken! Haha My most popular mini sessions last summer were my paint minis where the kiddos literally wear white and throw paint on each other! Talk about some genuine smiles and laughter captured. This year, we are doing S’mores minis- bring your family to sit around a fire and make and eat s’mores. I mean, cmon. Who doesn’t LOVE making S’mores!?! And, before you know it, you not only have a new core memory of a fun experience with your family, but I also got to capture it for you as well!
This season of life is so brief….. we need to be capturing it! So, let’s change the narrative. Let’s make your photoshoot fun so that everyone wants to be there! I’m pretty much down for anything! Haha

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, there are two sides to this question… one of which can seem a bit selfish (but we’ll save that one for last).

First, I absolutely LOVE hearing/seeing my clients’ reaction to their images. This is especially true for 1. Mom’s of family sessions and 2. the ladies from my boudoir sessions.
1. Moms are always so so surprised and overjoyed at seeing their kiddos’ smiles and seeing themselves in the images. Trust me, no two sessions with kiddos are the same. Each one is unique- to say the least. I always reassure the parents at my session to just trust me and let us go with the kids’ flow. So, when the Mom gets her images back and sees that shot of her daughter running towards her, or the image of her son picking her a flower, it’s always so wonderful to see how much they love those special moments!
2. I cannot get enough of seeing my Boudoir Client’s reactions to their images!!! Boudoir may be one of my favorite sessions to do for so many reasons. But the main reason I love it so much is because for a brief moment, I get to force these gorgeous women to see themselves through my lens. This lens that shows them just how fierce, sexy, and gorgeous they truly are… no matter what season of life they may be in! The whole process of helping them feel more confident throughout the session and then seeing that confidence grow even more when they see the final images. It just literally DRIVES me!

Second, I don’t know if I love anything more than the relationships I get to build through this business. Whether that be with my clients who turn into friends or with other creatives! This little passion job has brought so many new people into my life. Some that I get to share their most exciting and intimate moments with. Some that I get to have brief moments with that make lasting impressions. And some that turn into lifelong clients/friends. So, it may be selfish.. but, yes, the most rewarding part of JustB Photography is everyone it brings into my life!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.justbphotography.biz
• Instagram: instagram.com/_justb_photography
• Facebook: facebook.com/jbplocal
• Other: https://www.facebook.com/groups/justboudoir/?ref=share_group_link www.instagram.com/justb_boudoir TikTok- @justb_photography

Image Credits
JustB Photography