Hello Everyone, Well it’s a new year which means new pictures to take. Hopefully you left all of your problems and worries in the past. Well except for bills, because lets be honest, bills never go away. Unless….. we all unite and get the whole fight club reenactment thing going hmmmm…. Anyways that’s off topic and a discussion for another day.
Lets stay on topic and discuss a question that I have been asked about by several photographers. That’s right you guessed, “WHERE ARE THE BEST PLACES IN CHARLOTTE TAKE PORTRAIT SHOTS”. Well im so glad you asked my friend. Unfortunately, the answer varies based on your preferences and the time of year. But instead of getting into all of those details I will discuss my new favorite portrait location in Charlotte NC.
But before I name my new favorite location, let me mention a few of my other locations. Several of the images on my site were taken at two of my favorite locations in Charlotte. These are Freedom Park and Ballantyne Corporate Park. I have used these locations on numerous occasions and had great results with the images produced. On occasion I have also used Reedy Creek Park but this is not my usual shooting location. To check out some images from My Reedy Creek Park shoot see this link (How to Nature Portraits).
Charlotte Midtown Park
THIS SHOOT was carried out at none other than the Charlotte Midtown Park. As an added bonus, I also was able to use the Interfit S1 TTL mono light system. This park is very different from Freedom Park and Ballantyne Corporate park. Specifically, this park is more of an elongated jogging trail than a traditional park. Most parks have designated parking areas along with specific playgrounds, soccer fields and basketball courts.
Charlottes Midtown Park does not have any of these features. Instead it offers some amazing sites of Charlottes Skyline along with some gorgeous artwork and a large gazebo like structure. You may be asking why I decided to venture away from the familiar and look into the unknown. Well, the answer is simple, BECAUSE I FELT LIKE IT J. Just kidding, the real reason is because I wanted to combine my love for nature portraits with a more urban feel.
Nature and City Mix
Several of the images shown were taken in the dead center of the jogging trail. Fortunately it was a work day and there were not many people using the park. In general I try to avoid capturing people in my backgrounds as it takes attention away from the subject. This particular image was captured in a tunnel beneath the bridge at the park. The Interfit S1 System performed extremely well and the tunnels walls bounced the lights in a way that perfectly illuminated the subject.
Stretching Room
The second reason I chose this location instead of my usual spot is due to the fact that this park is nowhere near as populated with photographers as Freedom and Ballantyne corporate park. Both of these parks almost always have 2 or 3 other photographers attempting to take pictures in all of my favorite spots. Constantly competing with other photographers becomes very frustrating when you are on a strict time schedule.
By shooting in a less populated area I was not forced to adapt my style nor my angle to account for other individuals. This was a very nice bonus and pleasant surprise that I will certainly capitalize on again. The parks assortment of fountains, flowers and art provide some great elements which naturally enhance your shots artistic illustration. Overall I was extremely pleased with the results of this shoot and cant wait to take pictures here again.
Conclusion
I hope you all enjoyed this little insight into my top photography shooting locations in Charlotte. I would like to thank Brieanna over at Letsbcarey.com. She was an amazing model and had no trouble stepping up to model for this shoot. Make sure you check out her travel blog for some amazing tips for your next vacation. If you enjoyed the images feel free to leave a message below, I would love to hear your thoughts or questions. That will do it for today, until next time, STAY BOUNDLESS!
PS: All of the images from the shoot can be found in the Galleries Below.
