Today we’d like to introduce you to Courtney Vaughan Johnson.
Hi Courtney, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I actually grew up around photography. My dad was a photographer for schools and weddings, so it was always part of my world from a young age. I used to love when we would develop prints in the dark room. I didn’t initially set out to follow that exact path though. I went to Savannah College of Art and Design to study filmmaking, with the dream of makig movies with Disney.
After I graduated, I started filming local weddings as a way to practice and build my skills, still hoping to move to California and make movies. What I didn’t expect was how quickly that would grow. My business really took off, and before long I was traveling for weddings internationally, visiting a different country every month, and I began capturing Disney Fairytale Weddings at Walt Disney World and aboard Disney Cruise Line!
When COVID hit, the wedding industry changed overnight. It forced me to pause and reevaluate everything. Cruises were cancelled for 513 days, and everyone was postponing and even canceling their weddings. During that season, I shifted my focus towards our family and became a mom, something that made my world even more magical!
That pivot is what ultimately led to what Catchlight CSRA is today. I took everything I loved about storytelling, emotion, and creating magical experiences, and poured it into school and youth photography. Now, I get to create those same meaningful, joy-filled moments for families in my own community… just in a different way, with my kids, their classmates, and kids from couples whose weddings I’ve captured! We still do weddings here and there, but mostly just the destination ones that turn into vacations for our family!
At the end of the day, it all comes back to capturing moments that matter before they’re gone. Now I get to create that kind of magic and those lasting memories not just for my own children, but for so many other families in our community too.
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?
It definitely hasn’t been a completely smooth road. Like most small business owners, I’ve learned a lot through trial and error. There have been seasons of rapid growth where I had to figure things out very quickly, and other seasons where I had to pivot and rethink what my business looked like.
One of the biggest challenges has been transitioning from wedding workflows to serving entire schools. With weddings, you’re focused on one couple at a time. Now, I’m working with hundreds of students and their families, sometimes 700+ at once. That shift required me to completely rethink how I operate, build strong systems, and learn how to manage things on a much larger scale.
That kind of growth wouldn’t be possible without the team around me. I have an incredible group of people who help bring everything together, and truly, we would be nothing without them.
Balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship has also been a learning curve. Building a business while raising 3 young children requires flexibility, late nights, and a lot of grace with myself. There’s always a pull between being present at home and showing up fully for my clients.
But through all of it, I’ve stayed loyal to the meaning of why I started Catchlight CSRA. Even in the harder seasons, I’ve always come back to creating something meaningful for families, and that’s what’s kept me moving forward.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a photographer and the owner of Catchlight CSRA, where I specialize in school, dance, and youth photography. As an artist and creative, my work has always been rooted in bright colors, sunshine, happy vibes, and the idea that this moment is never going to happen exactly this way again, so catch it while you can.
While I built my foundation in the wedding world, which often looked like soft palettes, whites, and pastels, I was always drawn to the moments that felt more exciting and alive. I’ve captured incredible themed weddings in some of the most epic locations, from 3AM call times for hair and makeup to photograph a sunrise wedding before the park even opened, to Bahamas weddings with waves crashing all around, to celebrations with iconic characters making surprise appearances. I’ve never been someone who can settle for something “boring,” and I’ve carried that with me into everything I do.
Today, that shows up in the schools, dance studios, daycares, and studio sessions we photograph. I’m known for creating images that are full of color, full of life, and genuinely fun. School photography isn’t typically seen as a highly creative space, but for me, that’s exactly where the opportunity is.
What really sets us apart is the experience we create. Instead of stiff poses and one standard image, we create a full experience. We use bold, modern backdrops, encourage funny faces and genuine smiles, and give kids the chance to really express themselves. Picture day becomes something they actually look forward to. They’re not just standing there for a yearbook photo, they’re stepping into the spotlight for a few minutes. We hype them up, celebrate who they are, and become their biggest cheerleaders in that moment.
Each child gets a full series of personality driven poses, so families aren’t choosing from just one image, they’re seeing a whole little story of who their child is in that moment!
What I’m most proud of is that we’ve been able to take something that can feel routine and turn it into something meaningful and memorable, not just for my own family, but for so many others in our community.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
My family, always. They’re the reason I care so much about what I do. Being a mom has made me realize how fast everything changes, and that’s why capturing these moments matters so much, not just for me, but for other parents who want to hold onto this season a little longer.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.catchlight-csra.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/catchlight.csra
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/catchlight.csra
