Itching to venture downtown, Jackson native Charles “Chuck” Washington Jr. packed his camera bag and grabbed his car keys off the table one Friday night in 2010, same as he had done for a while now. Double-checking his bag to make sure he has everything ahead of a long night of nightlife photography, he locked the door to his apartment, cranked his vehicle and prepared for his next stop: Club Paradise on Mill Street.
Since graduating from Jackson State a few months prior, Charles had taken to photographing Jackson’s nightlife. Unsure what to do with his four-year interdisciplinary studies degree, he didn’t fill out any job applications before graduating, instead taking up photography for local nightclubs to earn some cash.
Because the weather was poor that night, he cruised through town with the windows down for better visibility. As he pulled up to Club Paradise, the gray building with a full parking lot already buzzing with people lined up at the entrance, the budding photographer could already tell he would soon capture some great photos. Seeing the crowd and taking in the atmosphere reinforced why he loved photography. Beyond the money it puts into his pockets, he enjoys capturing the vibes and identity of his hometown.
Over time, Washington’s passion turned into a full-blown career, particularly around 2012 when he began taking solo, Easter and family portraits in addition to photographing the club scene and covering local events. The shift earned him more money, and he started his own website called Full of Flava, where he would post his work. Around this time, he also began vlogging for Point Blank DJs’s website while continuing to build his portfolio.
Flash-forward to today, Washington estimates that he has probably taken more than 110,000 photos. He describes his photographic style as “in the moment” with an emphasis on colors and vibrancy.
“Photography is really just stopping time,” Washington told the Mississippi Free Press. “I tell people all the time, ‘I just stopped the time. This is what was in front of me.’ A lot of these pictures came from me going out, doing real photoshoots and just seeing a moment.”
These snapshots in time can now be found hanging on the walls inside his new photo gallery, on Farish Street, aptly named The Gallery, which opened in Jackson on June 1, 2026. Johnny T’s Bistro and Blues owner John Tierre, who attended Jackson State University on a tennis scholarship and graduated with Washington, owns the building and opted to rent the space to the photographer so that he could turn it into a studio.
“ I just wanna bring some culture to the street,” Washington said.
‘We Kept Cameras’
Shortly after he was born in Jackson, Chuck Washington’s family moved to Galveston, Texas, where they lived for three years before a hurricane pushed the family to New Orleans. From there, the family made their way back to Jackson when Washington Jr. was in kindergarten and settled there.
Washington’s Jackson roots run deep. His great-grandmother taught at the Smith Robertson Elementary School on Bloom Street. His great-grandfather owned a barbershop supply store on Farish Street. His paternal grandmother retired from the funeral home that used to operate on Farish while his grandfather, Ray Harris, and his father, Charles Washington, were both photographers themselves.
“We kept cameras. So, like, this photo right here, my grandad took that picture,” Washington Jr. said, pointing to a photo hanging inside the gallery. “I think he (Redd Foxx) said it was a parade they used to have in the ’80s. He shot with film photography, so when he passed away, he gave me all his pictures. … I actually named it after my granddaddy. I like restoring photos, too. I just kept that one natural.”
In his own career, Chuck Washington paid for his first studio space using money he earned by taking photos of the local club scene each week, Thursday through Sunday. During its first year of business, Washington would take photos for M Bar every Friday. “I got so much nightlife stuff, it’s crazy,” he said, recalling his early days. “… I got all these pictures. (M Bar) looked so much different than what it looks like now.”
‘The Whole Spectrum’
Every photo inside The Gallery is framed and positioned evenly along its white walls. On one side hangs a close-up shot of an elephant ear that Washington took with a special lens at the zoo. On the other side, a silver framed photo of a Jackson State University Sonic Boom of the South drum major hangs high on the wall. Three small square photos make a vertical line by the entrance of The Gallery.
A record player sits under the television mounted on the left wall while a QR code with details for every photo in the space stands on the right. A wooden settee anchors the middle of the room, while a wooden wall stencil reads “The Gallery on Farish Street.” It’s a small space, but what it lacks in size, it makes up for in personality.
“I know it’s a couple more galleries around. I just wanted mine to feel like a gallery. I ain’t want it to feel like just an event space,” he said.
So far, Washington has been able to host some art reveals and art auctions inside The Gallery. He allows guest artists to come in for three hours and host exhibitions where they can sell their work. Ryen, an artist from Simpson County, was able to sell all four of his pieces at an event. These vendors supply the art, and Washington supplies the space, the easels and the wine.
“I plan on doing some kind of classes. I’m just figuring out how I’m gonna do them or how I’m gonna go about setting it up for people cause it ain’t a big space,” the gallery owner said. “I can’t do it for a lot of kids, but at least I can have them write something first to choose the ones that I know are serious about it or want to actually learn.”
Washington stays in Jackson because the people and the energy are aligned with who he is, he said. Just like the city, he describes himself as slower, rough around the edges, but also smart and beautiful, too. As an adult, he lived in Austin for four years, but while it was fun, it wasn’t home.
“(Jackson) is still a beautiful place. I have always taken pride in showing people in a good light for my photography,” Washington said. “… Some people don’t know about Jack and Jill balls and all these Black things that’s beautiful here. They don’t know it’s an upper class of Black people that do stuff. We only see certain elements, so I try to make sure I show the whole spectrum. I think we got the best variety of Black people anywhere.”
‘A Risk I’m Willing To Take’
The Gallery is one of many efforts Jacksonians have taken to reclaim and revitalize the Farish Street Historic District. Omaha, Nebraska, native and Jackson restaurateur John Tierre, who owns The Gallery’s building and other properties in the district, plans to revitalize the neighborhood through his nonprofit organization, JoySpreaders Inc.
“It’s a park back here now, the basketball court. That’s all from JoySpreaders,” Washington said of the nonprofit’s community efforts. “They are pretty much invested in bringing the area back. (Tierre) is putting a SnoBiz right on the corner. It’s gonna be lofts right there, and the back of this is gonna be the parking lot of the lofts. He bought this building and redid it.”
Because the area is still under construction, activity during the daytime has been limited, which has made attracting people to the gallery a challenge for Washington. Presently, the neighborhood most notably comes to life at night when Johnny T’s and other businesses open. Since the gallery opened in June, Washington hasn’t had too much activity outside of family, friends and art events.
“It’s not a street where a lot of traffic comes on. That’s why I think I’m gonna do my sale at night because stuff is open and people drive through more,” he said.
Nevertheless, Washington is determined to make locals feel like they’re at home when they see his photos. Jacksonians can sometimes take the city for granted, he said, so he hopes that seeing his works will give residents a new appreciation for the place they call home. For example, the photographer eagerly wants to add a photo of the fireworks exploding behind the King Edwards hotel during the Juneteenth parade next year. He doesn’t know how he’ll get the shot; it’s only a matter of when—the right moment.
Every few months, Washington plans to change the layout of The Gallery so that he can eventually showcase all of his work. He has some car photos that he wants to display and more photos featuring Jackson State University that he wants to release ahead of the school’s homecoming this fall.
“I don’t even know if it’s gonna be one of the profitable things that I do. It might be, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take,” Washington said.
The Gallery (752 N. Farish Street, Suite B, Jackson) is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. To see more of Washington’s work, visit fulloflava.com.
Follow the Mississippi Free Press’ coverage of Mississippi-based art galleries and read past stories here.
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