Check Out Justin Puryear’s Story

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

Justin, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I began acting school in 2012. I studied with a great teacher named William James in a small acting studio in East Hollywood, CA. While studying there, I volunteered to help out on small student projects and somehow ended up behind the camera on a few. I enjoyed being behind the camera so much that I purchased my own in 2016 and started practicing on whoever would let me shoot them while shooting anything outdoors in my free time. Since then, I’ve moved back home to Youngstown, and in the last couple years, I’ve made the move towards being a full-time photographer. I established my media company, InBalance Media LLC, in 2021. Since then, I’ve been mostly working on portraits and local film projects doing behind-the-scenes work or promo photos, though I still occasionally do a live party or food shoot. Most recently, my partner, La’Rayja Hill, and I donated our services recording a lovely gospel play at the Hopewell Theater in Youngstown. My main focus right now though is headshots and more culinary content that I’ll be producing in the near future with some talented chefs and local businesses. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There have definitely been tough times. I’ve moved around a lot, worked lots of different jobs, but I always knew I wanted to be a career creative. Los Angeles is very competitive in any media arena, and I had big doubts about my ability to make money from art. I had doubts I could even make art that would fulfill me. I’ve had mental health struggles from a young age and only was only recently diagnosed with bipolar 2. When I was at my lowest, I moved back to Ohio. Being around family and slowing the pace of life down allowed me to finally get the help I needed, and since then my art and my business have began to flourish! Economic tough times come and go, but my biggest struggles have been internal so I like to advocate whenever possible and tell people to talk about mental health and talk about YOUR mental health as often as you can to whoever you trust. I did, and now I’m shooting more, collaborating more, living better; and I even get interviewed by cool magazines that promote local and regional artists and entrepreneurs! 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I love shooting everything including landscapes, wildlife, street, architecture, but my main focus is portraits, especially headshots. I would say these are what I’m most proud of, my shots of other artists and musicians. If I’m known for anything, I would say it has to be shooting outdoors and with natural light as much as possible. Also, I’m a minimalist in editing. I’d rather take all day to get a good composition that doesn’t need much editing. I guess you could say my shooting style is “au naturale”. 

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Persistence. It’s a cliche for a reason. I’ve gotten so many NOs that the YESs are just starting to become more frequent, and that’s taken some time. I would just tell anyone having a hard time carrying on that the day you quit is always the day before you were going to succeed. 

Pricing:

• Single Portaits – Starting at $49
• Family Portraits – Starting at $99
• Live Events – Call for pricing
• Film/TV Services – Call for pricing

Contact Info:

• Website: www.justinpuryearphoto.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justin.p.photos/