Christmas Magic Styled Shoot

On a mid-December afternoon under bright, clear skies, I met with Kaela Coopwood, professional model, and Sarah, owner of Vue by SEK jewelry company, in Downtown Matthews to shoot my styled shoot concept, Christmas Magic.

A styled shoot is a collective effort by a team of creatives to create a conceptual photoshoot -in this case, a magical home-for-the-holidays concept. Styled shoots like Christmas Magic are a fantastic way to connect with other industry professionals and create beautiful, valuable marketing material for every brand involved.

My original plan, formed about a year ago, was to create a shoot based on available holiday decor and art installs around Charlotte. I pulled together styling details months before the shoot date. However, I couldn’t finalize the concept or location until the week before the photoshoot date as I waited for decorations to be put up!

I scouted several areas around Charlotte until I found decor that paired well with the previously-established chic styling. I chose downtown Matthews with its traditional decor. Matched with modern wardrobe, we had a distinctly Hallmark vibe (i.e. big city career lady comes home for a small town Christmas and falls in love).

We started the shoot near the Matthews Library. We shot around the enormous, decked-out Christmas tree, a small arbor, and the Chamber of Commerce.

The Christmas Tree

Christmas Magic styled shoot by Elizabeth A Images

The Arbor

The Chamber of Commerce

After a driving break of a few minutes, we resumed the shoot by Mad Jack’s Record Store. I had previously gotten permission to shoot on their patio!

I experimented with direct sun work at this location. Direct sun is more difficult to shoot in, but can result in gorgeous images with practice and intentional posing.

Our last location for Christmas Magic was in front of the historical Reid House. The front of the house, tastefully decorated, completed our styled shoot concept storyline beautifully!