JOSHUA A. WALKER
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​Joshua A. Walker

Highly Creative and Enthusiastic Creative Director and Photo Editor with a Background in Journalism
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Kind Light Charleston is my portrait and storytelling studio, focused on capturing people who lead with heart and kindness in their work. I photograph individuals with an honest, editorial approach, and emphasize clean composition, refined styling, and emotional presence. Through an ongoing blog series, I profile people who embody different forms of kindness, pairing purposeful portraiture with written features that highlight character and human connection. The work reflects my background in journalism, photography, art direction, and styling.

​Site: kindlightcharleston.com
Instagram: @kindlightcharleston

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As a freelance photo editor and designer for Andrew Harper, a prestigious, membership-based luxury travel publisher renowned for its incognito hotel reviews and high-end travel content, I played a pivotal role in executing the visual narrative of their publications. My responsibilities encompassed the end-to-end management of imagery for both the Hideaway Report and the Andrew Harper Collection travel guides. This included sourcing compelling photography, commissioning shoots, and meticulously editing images to align with the brand's sophisticated aesthetic. In addition to photo editing, I designed hundreds of pages of editorial content and advertisements, maintaining a cohesive and visually engaging layout throughout the magazines and guides.
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As Art Director for The Scout Guide, I oversaw visual production for a national series of luxury city guides, published in more than 70 markets across the U.S. I led a team of designers, photographers, and videographers—both in-house and remote—to create elevated editorial content that celebrated local businesses through thoughtful design and intentional imagery. One of my core contributions was the development of a comprehensive brand onboarding course, which I personally taught to incoming creatives. This training emphasized photo direction, aesthetic consistency, and best practices for image selection and editing, helping photographers and designers fully embody the brand’s refined, editorial look. The result was a noticeable increase in visual cohesion across markets, which directly contributed to the franchise's growth from 59 to 74 cities during my tenure. In addition to team leadership, I remained deeply involved in the creative process—designing spreads, retouching photography, and shaping digital assets to ensure each guide reflected the authenticity and sophistication of its local community. My photo editing work focused on clean, consistent treatment of natural light portraits and environmental imagery, tailored to evoke warmth, trust, and a sense of place.
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As Creative Director at the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, I led the visual strategy and execution of the People First campaign—an initiative focused on humanizing four of the region’s most pressing challenges: attainable housing, affordable childcare, equitable education, and safe transportation. I developed a bold, approachable visual identity designed to elevate these issues through personal connection rather than policy abstraction. My role spanned the full creative process, including concept development, brand design, community sourcing, interviewing, and directing both photo and video content. I worked closely with individuals whose lived experiences shaped the campaign’s narrative, ensuring authenticity and dignity in how their stories were visually represented. I edited all imagery and collaborated with the Chamber’s marketing team to produce cohesive collateral across digital and print platforms, from large-scale signage to social media features. The campaign launched in April 2024 to an audience of hundreds—including elected officials, local media, and regional stakeholders—and received widespread attention online. Since its launch, People First has raised over $1 million toward its phase 1 goal of $1.5 million, helping shift the conversation around civic investment to one rooted in empathy and human connection.
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In fall 2023, I launched Birds of the Lowcountry, a fine art photography project rooted in my deep connection to the coastal ecosystems of Charleston—one of the most biodiverse and visually striking regions in the country. My goal was to create moments of calm through imagery, offering a visual counterpoint to the relentless pace of modern life. Each morning, I venture out at first light to photograph native birds in their natural habitats, often just steps from my home. The resulting work emphasizes patience, composition, and emotional atmosphere—qualities that resonate strongly with collectors and nature lovers alike. Since launching, Birds of the Lowcountry has grown into a recognized body of work, with prints sold online, in local galleries, and recently honored as a finalist in Charleston Magazine's 2024 Readers’ Choice photography contest. With over 1,100 followers on Instagram in under a year, the project continues to build an engaged and enthusiastic audience. Beyond the technical craft of wildlife photography, Birds of the Lowcountry reflects my ongoing commitment to storytelling through imagery—centered around place, presence, and quiet wonder.

​Site: birdsofthelowcountry.com
​Instagram: @birdsofthelowcounty

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Behind the Barn is a self-driven concept I developed for Athlextux, a top-end public relations company serving Olympic-level equestrian athletes and event organizers. Its goal is to shine a light on the personalities of the athletes, not only to give fans someone to root for, but also to humanize a very competitive sport. 2024 marked my fourth year directing, shooting, and editing the customary 12 pieces prior to the Kentucky Three-Day Event, which is the largest Three-Day Eventing competition in the United States each year, and broadcasted around the globe. I worked closely with competition executives and marketing teams to produce a series of 12 videos published throughout the five days of competition, which generated more than $30,000 in advertising and sponsorships, and garnered more than 120,000 views during the competition.
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In 2023, I served as the visual lead for the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce’s 250th anniversary—marking a major milestone for the nation’s oldest continually operating chamber. As Creative Director, I was tasked with shaping the visual narrative of a centuries-spanning story, bringing authenticity, diversity, and historical nuance to life through photo direction, design, and cross-disciplinary creative production. I collaborated closely with the Chamber’s board of directors, past and present CEOs, and dozens of local luminaries to ensure the photography and visual assets reflected not just institutional legacy, but the lived experiences and cultural milestones that shaped the region. My responsibilities included art directing and editing photography for a commemorative coffee table book, managing visual tone and image selections, and curating archival and original photos to tell a cohesive, emotionally resonant story. In addition to overseeing a robust multimedia campaign—including collectable merchandise, a feature video, and digital storytelling components—I led production for a large-scale celebratory event that transformed a historic Charleston bus depot into an immersive, living timeline. The culmination was a short film that moved the Chamber’s CEO to tears—underscoring the emotional impact of thoughtful, human-centered visual storytelling.
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As Art Director for The Chronicle of the Horse, a bi-weekly equestrian news journal with a legacy dating back to 1937, I led a visual redesign that modernized the brand while honoring its deep roots in the sport horse community. I worked closely with the editorial team to evolve the magazine’s visual tone—introducing a bolder, more candid aesthetic that reflected the voice of its readership without compromising its trusted, heritage-driven foundation. In addition to art direction, I edited and selected photography for both Chronicle and Untacked, its award-winning bi-monthly lifestyle spinoff. My role included executing cover shoots, developing flexible design templates, laying out multi-page editorial features, and maintaining a consistent, elevated visual identity across both publications. I collaborated daily with writers, editors, and the advertising team to ensure all artwork aligned with editorial priorities while appealing to a broader consumer audience. In 2016, I accepted multiple awards from American Horse Publications for outstanding cover design—recognition that reflected both the strength of the photography and the clarity of the visual storytelling under my direction.
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Chamber Ties was a marketing campaign I pitched and produced as the Creative Director at the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce. It was an effort to introduce more storytelling into our brand outreach strategies. I collaborated closely with the marketing team to identify and bring some of the organization's most active members together to share their stories about how small moments led to big impacts. From the series of five videos, I also produced print ads, radio spots, billboards, and television ads. I led all creative aspects from video to photography and design. The sales and membership teams have successfully used the campaign to help attract and onboard new members, and also introduce the Chamber brand as welcoming, approachable, and inclusive.
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EQ Media utilizes strategic marketing and communications to help both freshly-launched and established equestrian brands grow. Starting In 2023, I was contracted to produce a series of competition coverage videos and lifestyle features for an internationally recognized facility in Florida, as well as for the annual Intercollegiate Horse Show Association's National Championships. I worked closely with an on-site marketing team to capture first-hand perspectives from a variety of participants and athletes, from novice competitors to Olympians, to promote the unique experience offered by equestrian competition and its community.

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I began my tenure at the United States Eventing Association as a graphic designer and grew into the organization’s first Multimedia Producer, where I launched and led a fully integrated video content platform that garnered over 500,000 views annually. In this role, I shaped the visual language of the association’s storytelling—directing, producing, and editing video features that spotlighted athletes, events, and the culture of equestrian sport. In addition to multimedia production, I served as lead designer for the association’s award-winning monthly member magazine, ensuring consistent visual identity across print and digital platforms. I worked closely with the Director of Communications to develop integrated strategies that included visual campaigns, sponsorship placements, and branded content. My work consistently balanced editorial integrity with sponsor appeal, elevating the association’s brand while deepening its connection to the eventing community. This experience honed my ability to art direct and edit across mediums, collaborate with editorial and communications teams, and produce visually rich, story-driven content under tight deadlines.
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Hawkes Learning is an eLearning publication house that provides reliable course materials in print and online with exemplary service in the shared pursuit of student success. As Creatives Services Manager, I lead a team of 8 designers to collaborate with in-house and consulted subject matter experts to transform complex and precise lesson materials into aesthetically engaging print pieces with clear narratives. With thoughtful template design, informed and authentic art direction, and meticulous process management, I inspired my team to efficiently produce thousands of error free pages within deadline and under budget, and even enjoyed jumping in and designing pages myself on an almost daily basis. In addition to elevating design aesthetic and selecting top-end, one-of-a-kind photography and artwork to thoughtfully illustrate the subject matter, one of my major contributions during my time at Hawkes was building a bridge between my creative team and the development team. Working together, we streamline production processes, improved communication, cut labor hours, and elevated company culture through collaboration.
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