Fueled by sunshine and chai, with 15 years of photographing from coast to coast, there's nothing I love more than telling the stories of beautiful humans. It's love for people, a heart for serving, and faith in my Savior Jesus Christ that spurs me to use my passions for good. I can't wait to meet you.
Hi, I'm Charity! a believer, photographer, mom, and lifelong creative
through ELEVATED imagery
my mission is to bring
joy to your home
with a heart for people and spreading God's love,
-Charity
Born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, I'm one of six children and was homeschooled all my life. After a stint in southern California, I'm now back near my parents, our childhood home, and my 13 nieces and nephews. If you haven't guessed yet - family is a huge part of my life!
I'm an enneagram 9, more commonly known as the peacemaker or empath. It's no surprise that my childhood love for serving others - whether it was pen-palling with the elderly at the nursing home or going on a mission trip as a teenager to the slums of Uganda - has bled into everything I do, including my creative and business work.
I'm also blessed to be a mother to a first grader, who is the brightest light and free spirit I know. She often comes with me on sessions and loves being apart of mommy's work. It is a joy to bring her into my world, and to have such incredible clients who treat her like family!
Meet Charity
serving families, couples, and seniors in the west chicago suburbs
The gift of parenthood is a dream I don't take for granted. It is such a purposeful job.
motherhood
Family and deep friendships give me life! I believe we were made for community.
Community
I can't imagine life without a relationship with Jesus. He is true life and hope.
Faith
what's important to me
With the sudden loss of jobs and more big life changes, I felt the doors suddenly opening for those long lost prayers to become a reality. I made some immense business shifts and relaunched in my new area. Gratitude is an understatement!
Launched new boutique client experience
2023
Life took a huge turn when I moved back to my hometown in Illinois with my 4-month old to start a new chapter near my family. My focus shifted to big adjustments, new motherhood, and the pandemic.
my daughter is born
2019
Photography ebbed and flowed as I worked full time in medical offices, but in the beautiful land of SoCal where I spent 5yrs, I honed in on portraiture - truly praying for a chance to be more than a side hustle.
the southern california years
2015-2019
I've always loved every form of art, but my teen years is where photography really began. At 18, I interned with the legendary Sarah Barlow, made my first website, and had my first paid senior session.
my photography journey begins
2010
From the very beginning she had so many great ideas and worked with me so well to figure out the looks that I was going for my senior photos. She was able to create the image that I wanted and was so fun to work and shoot with!
"ALL OF MY WORRIES DISAPPEARED AFTER WORKING WITH CHARITY."
Charity offers style guides, works to find the perfect location, does a photo reveal, and offers quality products for your prints that are hard to find elsewhere. On top of that, she’s such a joy to work with and is so much fun!
I felt extremely comfortable with her and loved that she suggested different poses for me. Loved my experience and the photos I received were insanely good! It was an 11/10 experience and would HIGHLY recommend!
Charity did a wonderful job photographing my headshots. Her ability to personalize and mingle with people is phenomenal! She is wonderful at what she does, and is very caring. If you are wondering if Charity is the photographer for you, YES!
Charity is so much fun to work with! She’s great at posing and catching gorgeous lighting. She helped me create one of a kind [photos] and I hope to continue working with her!
Charity provides such a custom experience from start to finish and did such a wonderful job. She met with us 1:1 to go through images and was able to produce beautiful prints that are now in our home. I highly recommend her!
