Meet Justin White of J. White Photo Service in South Central LA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin White.

Justin, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Before I moved to Los Angeles, I lived in Western North Carolina. I was a youth pastor working under Billy Graham (A famous televangelist) and spent over a decade at his summer camp. Once I turned 17, I began to tour across Western North Carolina teaching youth sermons to children. I did all of this as a closeted gay man.

Once I came out, I was fired from my camp, ousted from my churches, and condemned by my friends. I had no more community. My family found out when I was 18 after I had auditioned for the North Carolina School of the arts. They stood behind me when no-one else would.

I was chosen along with 24 others to spend senior year at the aforementioned conservatory for acting, a boarding school. I started taking pictures when I was 11, before I was inundated in the church, and continued after I left the church. I graduated high school having won “Best Yearbook Photographer in the Nation” for being head photographer of my high school yearbook. I came to USC and decided that I was ready to start a business. J. White Photo service is an online company offering headshots, lifestyle photos, event photography and videography with the most competitive prices in LA. I have been commissioned by the USC Panhellenic Sorority council, the USC Rec Sports division, as part of a collaborative commercial (still in pre-production), and Jewelita Co. for their jewelry spread.

On top of this, I have taken more than 40 headshots of aspiring and on-the-rise actors, almost a dozen LinkedIn profile pictures, Sports magazine spreads, and countless performance art photos. My photography Instagram is @Jwhitephotoservice and my personal Instagram is @justinvwhite.

Blue Light Studios, a subdivision of J. White photo Service, is a small self-made production company, currently in pre-production for episode 3 of a 10 episode miniseries. The title of the production is “Where to Hide Your Shadow”: an episodic horror series that follows a family of artists, who, after the death of the youngest brother, must come together to try to fight the demon that took him. They learn along the way that the demon can only be trapped if its likeness is painted, so the family of artists must work together to paint the likeness of the demon before it takes them all. I’d love to send you episode 1 or episode 2!

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
My company’s mission is to give people a chance to see themselves the way that the world sees them, both inner and outer beauty. The proudest moment of my career happens every day, when a client sees their pictures for the first time and can take pride in their individuality, and through that, regain a sense of confidence that we as people so often deprive ourselves of.

Pricing:

• Headshot Package: $100 (Includes 2-3 outfits, no time limit, access to the master file (usually between 400-800 pictures), and 5 fully edited pics.)
• Lifestyle Package (Grad Photos): $150 (Includes 2-3 outfits, 2-3 locations, no time limit, access to the master file (usually between 500-900 pics), and 5 fully edited pics.)
• Event Package: $100/hr (Includes no limit on number of people, no time limit, access to the master file (usually between 800-1,000 pictures), and 5 fully edited pics.)
• Underwater Package: For Underwater Lifestyle or Event Images, I charge $200/hr (Same bundle as Lifestyle Package)

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Photography Instagram: @Jwhitephotoservice

Image Credit:
Instagram: @jwhitephotoservice; Online (other than Instagram): Justin White

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