Meet Christina Jackson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christina Jackson.

Hi Christina, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was gifted a camera for my birthday when I was 12. It was one of the new Polaroid I-Zone cameras, I just remember having so much fun with taking pictures. After that, I purchased my first film camera and literally started taking pictures of all the kids in the neighborhood, I even did my own “styled shoots” before I knew it was a thing. I just remember my mom in passing telling me how much she loved a black and white photo I had taken. That moment kind of stuck with me. However, as life usually does, I put my camera away and moved on in school and life. It wasn’t until after my having daughter and moving to Texas that I picked up a camera again. I wanted to capture EVERY waking moment of her little life. By now, film was a thing of the past and digital was making its way in. I felt so lost looking at this new digital camera and thinking “what in the world am I supposed to do with this?!” I remember feeling overwhelmed and I honestly let the camera sit back in the box for a few months before even looking at it again. I finally picked up the camera and started to search for classes or other photographers in the area that offered apprenticeships. I was excited to learn that our local college offered photography and photoshop classes. I immediately signed up and it was the best investment/decision I could have ever made for myself.

Once I made my way through school, I started my business part-time. I honestly wasn’t sure if anyone would even want to hire me. I remember mentioning it in passing to my hairdresser that I recently finished school and was trying to get my name out there. A few weeks later, she called and asked if I could do a boudoir shoot for her and some friends. I was so nervous I actually had my photography teacher accompany me on the shoot. From there, my business took off, my hairdresser was my biggest referral and my daughter was my number one model. In 2015 we had some life-changing events that brought my daughter and myself back home to Georgia. At that time, I had to put my camera down and I started working full time as an orthodontic assistant, which I love as much as photography. I remember when my husband and I started dating telling him of my love for photography and how my goal was to get back into it the way I had in Texas. He has been my biggest supporter, I dabbled from time to time with friends and family but really started getting back into it in 2021. Again I found myself baffled with how much photography had changed and how social media played a key role in your business. I emerged myself back into online classes. My husband helped me come up with a game plan to get my business off the ground and really challenged me to find my passion inside of photography. I narrowed down my niche to boudoir (seeing as how it started it all) and weddings. I always love a good love story and it’s even better when you can capture it and relive it time and time again.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There’s been some bumps here and there. Definitely some major learning curves when it comes to social media and marketing these days.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
CJP specializes in weddings, but we are best known for our boudoir. The number one aspect that sets us apart from others would definitely be our client experience. I treat every client as a close and personal friend. I want them to have access to me at any time and have them feel 100% comfortable with me as their photographer. (I mean we are getting close and personal with boudoir.) I always like to meet my clients in person at least once before our shoot just so that they can feel at ease the day of. When I first started my photography business, I wanted to make it affordable. Everyone deserves to have beautiful photos without breaking the bank. I work very hard to keep my costs affordable for all and always try to work within every budget. Being the photographer I am, the brand and face of my company, means I am always evolving and learning. I want to make sure I stay competitive but consistently bring new and fun content to every shoot. I work very close with other vendors so that each client whether wedding or boudoir has a package customized to their needs without all the stress.

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
So my brother and I are a good six years apart and we seldom got along, but this memory did make our sibling bond a little stronger and always a holiday favorite. When I was ten, we went on summer vacation in Florida and our mom took us to play putt putt. Well, our mom went to lean on the fence while my brother and I had our turns. Little did we know the fence was purely for esthetic purposes. The next thing we know our mom, who mind you is wearing this brightly colored extra loud outfit, starts rolling down the hill towards the pond. My brother and I were mortified!! Instead of being good children and running to check on our mom, my brother thought it best we pretend not to know her, grabbed my hand and said “keep your head down, don’t make eye contact and let’s go to the next hole”. Needless to say, there were so many nice strangers helping our mom and she did NOT role into the pond.

Contact Info:

• Email: chrisi.jacksonphotography@gmail.com
• Website: https://christinajacksonphotography.mypixieset.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christina_jackson_photography/
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/ChristinaJacksonphotography

Image Credits:
Headshot by: Kayla Martinez Behind the scenes: Kayla Martinez