Places I Love! | My Top 5 Portrait Session Locations

Charlotte, NC and surrounding areas are full of beautiful locations to have a portrait session. From rural farming land to the urban Uptown region, there are so many places in this town to really have a great portrait session. I love on location shoots for various reasons but mostly because my clients and I can determine which location really works well with their personality, chosen attire and the overall look they want to achieve in their portrait session.

So here are 5 of my favorite locations in and around the Charlotte, NC  area for on location portrait sessions.

Kingsley Town Center in Fort Mill, SC -

The Kingsley Town Center is a new construction shopping area in South Carolina that resembles a historic mill town - featuring cool architectural pieces like a water tower, a beautiful retaining pond and a ton of eateries. This chic urban area is perfect for family portraits and teen portraits alike and is one of my favorite shooting locations within close proximity to my home and many of my Fort Mill clients.

Uptown Charlotte Rooftops -

Uptown is a photographer’s Wonderland - an edgy urban landscape both on the street level as well as high atop rooftops with the skyline in the background. I’ve recently fallen in love with a couple of parking decks that have just the right ambience and backdrop for incredible portraits.

First Ward Park in Uptown Charlotte -

With the tall beautiful buildings of Uptown Charlotte in view this is a perfect place to capture the beauty of the park environment and still incorporate an urban feel.

Parks in Fort Mill, SC -

There are two parks within a few miles of each other - one well known and sprawling, a frequented spot for families looking for a place to hang out; the other somewhat secluded and unassuming but nonetheless beautiful for its background.

Walter Elisha Park is an official public park in the city of Fort Mill, SC that features a walking trail, playground facilities, and a large green space that is home to the Town's annual "The South Carolina Strawberry Festival".

The other park doesn’t quite have an official name….I just call it, “The Park on Bass Street”. It’s actually just a parking area for people to launch out for a walk through Fort Mill. It does have a beautiful open field with foliage.

Both have been solid locations for many of my portrait sessions.

Your Own Backyard…Or My Backyard! -

I have so much fun surprising people with wonderful portrait locations in and around their own homes. You’d be surprised how the right composition and lighting can deliver amazing images in the most unlikely of locations.