ABOUT CLT SHOOTERS
OUR STORY
CLT Shooters was founded in May 2017, just one month after Lucas Ayres dropped out of college due to financial constraints. Recognizing that attending film school was likely out of reach, Lucas sought another path: to connect with people already in the photo and video industry, learn from them, and explore his passion for visual storytelling. At the time, Instagram feature accounts were beginning to emerge and starting one for Charlotte seemed like a good way to find local creatives, and so CLT Shooters was born.
About a year and a half later, the hashtag #cltshooters reached 1,000 uses. Seeing this momentum, Lucas hosted the first in-person meetup on October 24, 2018, in a small studio with 35 attendees. From there, CLT Shooters began hosting at least one meetup a month — sometimes two or three — steadily growing the local creative community until March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced events to pause temporarily.
Despite challenges, the team pressed forward. On October 8, 2020, CLT Shooters moved into its first office at Hygge Co-Working Space in Camp North End, converting the space into a rentable photo studio part-time. With in-person gatherings limited, the company launched its first magazine on January 1, 2021, featuring over 100 local creatives. Lucas temporarily put CLT Shooters on hold at the end of March 2021 and shifted focus to his Landscape Design and Installation Company to financially navigate the pandemic as it was deemed an 'essential business' and CLT Shooters was not.
Photo By: David Andrews (www.hdandrewsphotography.com), In Frame: Lucas Ayres (@shotsbycla) CLT Shooters Meetup, Romare Bearden Park, July 12th, 2025
As of July 2025, CLT Shooters has returned stronger than ever. No longer just a “Charlotte Photography Meetup Group,” it now functions as a media company, production studio, events company, marketing agency, and creative collective. Our mission is to bridge the gap between Charlotte’s creative community and the city at large, to build an ecosystem where creatives can thrive, find meaningful work, and collaborate on projects that elevate the city’s profile. CLT Shooters is here to tell Charlotte’s stories, lead community projects, and prove that this city is more than a financial hub - it is a creative hub ready to show the world what it can build, create, and achieve!
CLT Shooters Meetup, Fourth Ward Park, June 23rd, 2019
OUR MISSION
Our mission is to build Charlotte into a thriving Creative City where Artists, Storytellers, and Innovators can connect, collaborate, and grow. A Creative City that can compete with our cities that currently lead creative industry. We create opportunities, support local talent, and produce original content that showcases the city’s creativity to the world. CLT Shooters exists to elevate Charlotte’s creative ecosystem and make it a place where creativity isn’t just encouraged — it’s a way of life.
To see our roadmap moving into 2026 and beyond, click the button below!
OUR IMPACT
Since our founding, CLT Shooters has connected hundreds of local creatives across Charlotte, giving them the tools, opportunities, and community to grow their skills and careers. Through meetups, workshops, styled shoots, events, and our members-only resources, we’ve helped countless artists turn their passion into a source of income.
By fostering collaboration, mentorship, and exposure, we’ve strengthened Charlotte’s creative ecosystem — creating pathways for photographers, videographers, designers, and other creatives to thrive. Every connection, project, and event contributes to a city where creativity is valued, celebrated, and sustainable.
