Creator Mathilda leverages her experience in the movie industry to forge her own creative brand

Based in Florida, Mathilda Christoffersen's journey in the creative industry has been quite remarkable. She's come a long way from her time working with Warner Brothers to establishing her own successful photography brand - Creative Edge Photo Studio.

Mathilda's extensive career experience has been instrumental in the success of her studio. She specialises in producing captivating imagery and videos, which are tailored for e-commerce, advertising, and social media campaigns for a diverse range of brands.

What makes her work unique is her distinct creative style, influenced by her Nordic heritage. Her art is marked by a minimalist approach. She incorporates beautiful colour play with elements like foliage, wood, and concrete to create a look that aligns seamlessly with a brand’s identity.

Beyond her own studio, Mathilda collaborates with Creatively Squared and provides her with the freedom to express her creativity to the fullest. It's here that she can fully showcase her passion for visual storytelling and studio quality product photography. It is here where Mathilda truly shines consistently producing polished visual assets for colourful campaigns for customers like Nexxus, Suave and Love, Beauty and Planet. Not limited to studio work, Mathilda has also worked on lifestyle briefs ranging from stationery to wine styling and everything in between proving her creative versatility and adaptability.

Let's take a closer look at Mathilda's journey from prop stylist to successful photographer in her own right and be inspired by her stunning creative style.

Let’s meet Mathilda

Hi everyone, I’m Mathilda Christoffersen! I am originally from Denmark, and I moved to the US when I was 20 years old. I started out in Los Angeles working for Warner Bros. Pictures in Feature Post Production and after about 8 years in the movie industry, I went to work in still photography and set design as a prop stylist.

I had an amazing agent that got me some incredible jobs, working with the top photographers in the industry, and celebrities on some major ad campaigns. When I became pregnant I took a break from it all and in the process, I relocated to Florida.

When I was ready to get back to work I realized that Florida didn’t have the same industry as Los Angeles or New York and if I wanted to still work in advertising photography I would need to pick up a camera and learn to take the pictures myself. So I did and I merged photography with prop styling and then I was able to get the kinda of work I love to do, right here in Florida!

Fast forward to today, where I run a successful product photography studio called Creative Edge Photo Studio. We shoot a lot of beauty products but there is no boundary to the kind of products we shoot. Some of my more peculiar shoots were a recent shoot for a CBD company. I had to shoot the cannabis buds up close. Now that was a stinky job. The smell lingered for days in the studio! That same week I also shot a line of gun holsters and I had to have a few guns as props for them. It was an unusual week for sure! I think my young son may have been doubting the legitimacy of my business there! I have shot everything from rugs, fitted bedsheets, plant sticks to adult toys! I really shoot everything as long as it is related to selling a product.

My personal style is rooted in my Scandinavian heritage. It is clean and minimalistic in neutral colours with raw materials. Both my parents were architects and that definitely has laid my foundation, as I always look for the golden ratio when building my sets and framing my images.

While my personal style is minimalistic with winter colours of white, grey and black, with foliage, wood and concrete elements all stemming from my Nordic roots, I do not hesitate to use colour or apply a multitude of elements in my work. It is never my personal style that guides the creative direction, it is always the brand.

Journey with Creatively Squared

I was browsing the internet one evening and I cannot recall how I stumbled upon the site but I was looking to become more involved in social media and in a social community online. I joined and made a post and it rolled from there on out. I am so glad I did join because I have truly gotten some fun jobs out of working with Creatively Squared.

I must say all the Nexxus projects I have thoroughly enjoyed, probably because I could play with architectural lines as no props were ever allowed. It was all about lines, walls, and shadows and making that visually interesting.

Tools of the Trade

I have two Canon EOS 5D Mark IV cameras that I shoot with and then I have a variety of lenses. I use my macro lens a lot for the shoots I have done for Creatively Squared. I always tether to Capture One and I do all my edits in Photoshop. For Stop Motions, I use Dragonframe.

I shoot with both strobes and constant light, it all depends on what I am shooting and sometimes the mood I am in!

As for props, I have an extensive inventory of odds and ends I have collected over the last 20 years. I love to go thrift shopping; I look for items with lines, shape or colour that I like. I add it to my prop inventory and one day they are in my shoot. In fact, my favourite prop to shoot with is paper. You can fold and bend paper in so many ways and when you apply light there are endless possibilities.

I have a photo studio with two different areas / setups to shoot. That’s where I do the bulk of my work, however, sometimes I shoot on location in a house or outdoors or whichever is required by the product.

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Mathilda’s creative process

I am a visual person and I build and change my sets as I go along. I will keep changing it around till I see what I like. I will keep changing it around till I see what I like. While I do have a vision in my head prior to shooting I do not sketch it down before-hand and mostly the end result is developed and built upon my initial idea.

During a photoshoot, I have an assistant working for me. She is not always present on the sets though as she does a multitude of things for me.

If I have a ‘creative block’ I take a break. I take my Golden Retriever Mochi for a walk and engulf myself in nature. That usually clears up any creative blockage!

Finding inspiration

I've always admired @nikki_astwood and I also follow @hvilshoj_photography who is a very talented commercial photographer from Denmark.

What’s next for you?

My social media presence! I tend to get too occupied with my shoots and I neglect shooting 'behind the scenes'. This is something that is my top priority for this coming year.

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Thank you Mathilda for sharing your amazing creative life and journey with us as a valuable member of our creator community. We are looking forward to more future collaborations and seeing more from behind your studio doors.

Follow Mathilda’s journey on her Instagram Creative Edge Photo Studio and sign up to our creator platform if you are inspired to follow in Mathilda’s footsteps too!

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