Best Charlotte Photoshoot Locations for Lifestyle and Portrait Photography

Whether you’re a long-time Charlotte, North Carolina, resident looking for lesser-known locations to utilize in your next photoshoot, or just visiting the area briefly and aren’t quite sure where to even begin to look, I thought I would take some time to put together a comprehensive list of some of my favorite locations to use when photographing my lifestyle and apparel projects.

Although you can see my initial Instagram post about it here, I wanted to write a more in-depth explanation of why I chose to highlight these locations and how I’ve used each in my own work over the past 8 years I’ve been photographing.

Discovery Place Parking Deck

Unless you already have private access to an area with a good vantage point, or you use drones in many of your photos, finding locations in Charlotte that offer a clean, direct view of the skyline can be pretty challenging.

Thankfully, Discovery Place’s parking deck is both easy to access and affordable.

In the several years I’ve used this location, I've never been asked to leave or kicked out by security.

Although this could be my lucky anecdotal experience, I still feel safe recommending this location to any portrait and lifestyle photographers looking to showcase Charlotte’s majestic, sleek skyline in a front-and-center way without paying the high costs of accessing a private venue.

First Ward Park

I have a lot of nostalgia and fond memories for this park, as it was one of the first I came across when I started my photography journey in 2017.

There’s a lot of environmental and architectural diversity here, with everything ranging from wide spaces of greenery, a large water fountain, and multiple playground structures to play around with in your framing.

Although I rarely shoot there myself, I consider this a prime location for couple and family portrait sessions, as it’s free to access and frequently visited by other Charlotte individuals and families, making it a relatively safe and predictable place to use during the day.

7th Street Market Light Rail

Not far from First Ward Park is the 7th Street Market, containing a few great local eats and vendors.

Although the market itself is fun to visit on occasion, the specific area I enjoy photographing is the Light Rail directly outside the main entrance.

Compared to other station areas next to the Light Rail, which can sometimes be both relatively unsafe and not aesthetically ideal for utilizing in a photoshoot, I consider this spot to be both safe to work with, as there is typically plenty of security nearby, as well as very aesthetic to shoot, with plenty of benches and open areas that can give you a lot of diversity in your framing and storytelling.

Mint Museum Uptown

The museum's interior and its many art displays are excellent to visit whenever you have the time.

However, the aspect of this location I wanted to draw the most attention to is the stairwell outside the main entrance, as well as the 2nd-story balcony attached to the restaurant, which faces the street below.

Stairwells in Charlotte aren’t hard to come by, but this location has one large enough to use for a variety of photo shoot concepts, with a personal preference leaning towards couple portraits, as the Mint Museum also regularly serves as a wedding venue.

Romare Beardon Park

Although this location can get a little sketchy on weekends and late evenings, during the day it’s beautiful and frequently visited, with lots of environmental diversity.

Compared to First Ward, this park is significantly closer to the city skyline and other surrounding architecture, giving you both urban and natural environments to use in your framing as you see fit, without having to travel to different locations to experience either.

The green field in the center itself is massive, and you’ll frequently see family, graduation, and group photoshoots taken here.

I personally recommend visiting earlier in the day, as this will not only give you optimal lighting but also a much quieter, safer environment where you can feel more at ease bringing your clients around.

Fourth Ward Park

The last park on this list, Fourth Ward, is, to my knowledge, the least trafficked and one of the most underappreciated nature locations.

Aside from the gorgeous fountain in the middle, plenty of shade from nearby trees and clean pathways definitely lend this location a more intimate, private feel compared to other parks in the city.

Although I have yet to use this location for any of my own client shoots at the time of writing, my instinct is to picture it as an optimal location for couples and engagement sessions above all else.

Bechtler Museum

Directly across from the Mint Museum in Uptown is the Bechtler Museum, a location with architectural designs and colors so unique and striking that it’s almost impossible to miss.

As someone who specializes in apparel and fashion portraiture, having such a unique environment to use as a backdrop and storytelling element can be key to turning an otherwise average concept into a great one.

I personally recommend using this location for creative solo portraits, specifically because it is somewhat spacious but not so much that you can comfortably use it for larger group concepts.

Fountain (S College St/W 3rd St)

Probably both the most underrated and underutilized location on this list, this secluded fountain in the center of Uptown has a lot of potential for a variety of uses.

Admittedly, not the safest area, and probably not one I would use with clients I didn’t already have a strong relationship with, this is still a fantastic location with a lot of creative potential, especially if you’re looking for places with a different feel than many others in the area.

I hope that, after reading through each of my suggestions, you either found new photoshoot locations to use or are at least walking away with a fresh perspective on a location or two you might have overlooked in the past.

If you’re looking to work with an apparel and lifestyle photographer who knows the area well, don’t hesitate to reach out for a quick discussion on how we can best work together!