What Actually Happens on a Family Photography Session in London (Honest Version)
Andrea Whelan is a London family photographer based in Greenwich, South East London. She photographs families, newborns, maternity, and visiting families across London and beyond.
That photo you’ve been saving on Pinterest – the one with the golden light, everyone laughing at exactly the same moment, nobody with a biscuit in their hand or a scowl on their face? it’s possible that photo took about forty minutes of actual session time to get. Before it, there was a four-year-old who refused to leave the car. During it, someone cried. After it, the parents had a mild disagreement about which direction to walk.
And it’s still a beautiful photo. Because that’s kind of the whole point.
As a London Photographer I’ve been photographing London families since 2011 – in their homes, in their parks, in their kitchens at 8am when nobody is quite ready, and in some of the most beautiful corners of this city that most people walk past without stopping. Newborns who slept through everything and newborns who absolutely did not. Maternity sessions where the bump arrived and the confidence didn’t, and sessions where a woman walked in already glowing like she’d been lit by the universe. I’ve photographed families who were convinced they were “not photogenic” and left with images they cried over.
So here’s what actually happens – and what to expect if you’re thinking about booking a session with me.
First, let’s talk about who this is for
This is for locals and visitors. My clients tend to be people who have a fairly strong sense of themselves. They know what they like. They’re not looking for something traditional and they don’t make their children smile at the camera. They want images that look like them – a bit stylish, a bit real, genuinely warm. They might have a slight knot in their stomach about being photographed (most people do) but underneath that there’s a quiet confidence. They’re not trying to be something they’re not. They just want someone to catch them at their best, without having to perform for it.
If that sounds like you, we’ll get on brilliantly.
Before the session
It starts with a message. Use the contact form, send an email, slide into my DMs if that’s more your thing – I genuinely don’t mind. What I do mind, gently, is doing the whole thing over text. I’m not a phone person by nature, but a quick call makes an enormous difference. Ten minutes on the phone and I can already picture your family (and you can already get a feel for me). From the call I’ll know whether your youngest is going through something, whether you want something relaxed at home, outdoors or both, whether you’ve been thinking about this for six months or your partner booked it as a surprise (it happens more than you’d think, and it always works out fine).
From there we’ll find a date that works – I’d suggest booking four to six weeks ahead if you can, longer for weekend slots which go quickly, and sooner if you’re visiting London and working around a trip. Once the date is confirmed, I’ll send you a short booking form. It’s not a questionnaire the length of a mortgage application. It’s just enough for me to understand who you are and what matters to you.
Then comes the part my clients either love or mildly stress about: deciding what to wear and what kind of session you want. Indoors, outdoors, a bit of both. A particular corner of London, or your own front room. A Sunday morning in your pyjamas, or golden hour in a Regents Park. There’s no wrong answer – but it’s worth having a think, because the session you picture in your head is usually a good starting point for the one we’ll actually create together.
Indoors vs outdoors — does it matter?
Both are great. Both are different.
Indoor sessions, at home, usually, give you intimacy. The stuff that only exists inside your four walls: the pile of books by the bed, the morning light in your kitchen, the corner of the sofa where everyone ends up. Some of the most quietly beautiful images I’ve ever taken have been in ordinary London flats with nothing but window light and a family who let me stay long enough to see them properly.
Outdoor sessions give you movement, natural light, open spaces, your local area as your backdrop. They work particularly well for families with energetic kids who need to run, or for visitors who want London woven into their images – which, if you’re coming from abroad specifically for a shoot, is the whole point. If you’re a local there’s something about photographing you in the place you actually live that adds a layer of meaning you can’t manufacture.
I’ll talk you through locations. Depending on where you are, I might suggest:
Greenwich or Blackheath
My home turf, and I genuinely never get tired of it. Greenwich Park is spectacular in almost any light, the historic town has a village feel. Blackheath gives you that wide, cinematic openness with some of the best streets in London, not that I’m biased!
Chelsea
King’s Road energy, but duck one street back and you’re suddenly in some of the quietest, most beautiful residential streets in London. Painted townhouses, wisteria in spring, the kind of light that comes off white stucco in the afternoon and makes everything look expensive. Families who book Chelsea sessions tend to want something that feels polished but not stiff – and that’s exactly what you get.
Kensington
Holland Park, the palace gardens, wide tree-lined avenues that look almost impossibly photogenic in every season. There’s a grandeur to Kensington that doesn’t overwhelm – it just gives the images a quiet elegance that’s hard to manufacture anywhere else. Great for families who want something a little timeless.
Mayfair
They call it my office. This is probably my favourite part of London to work in, and I never quite get over it. The beautiful streets, the Georgian squares and historical pubic house facades, the way the whole neighbourhood just feels like it has its own quiet confidence. It suits families who have a similar quality – people who aren’t trying too hard, but look effortlessly good regardless. If you want editorial, Mayfair delivers it without even trying.
Marylebone
For that editorial, slightly elevated feel. Beautiful Georgian architecture, quiet mews streets, the kind of backdrop that makes a family look like they’ve wandered out of a very good novel. Great for families who want something that feels a little more considered.
If you’re a bit on the fence, the honest answer is: a combination of both tends to be the sweet spot.
Newborns and maternity — a gentle note
These sessions are different, and I approach them differently.
With newborns, I follow the baby. Full stop. We don’t rush, we don’t force, we don’t wake them when they’ve finally gone to sleep after forty-five minutes. I’ve sat on many floors, drunk many cups of tea, and waited out many feeds, and I’d do it all again because the images we get when everyone is genuinely relaxed are in a completely different category from the ones taken when everyone is stressed.
Maternity sessions are something I feel quite strongly about. Your body is doing something extraordinary and I want to photograph it like it is – with beauty and honesty and zero lying-in-a-field-of-flowers energy unless that’s specifically what you want, in which case, let’s find a field. The women I photograph during pregnancy tend to be the ones who come in a little unsure and leave feeling, if I’ve done my job properly, seen.
What the photos look like
My style is editorial meets lifestyle rather than documentary. This means it’s not posed in the traditional sense, but it’s not entirely hands-off either. I’m watching for the moments, but I’m also gently shaping the conditions that allow them to happen. Think of it less like reportage and more like a very relaxed film set where nobody has a script.
The images tend to be real but not raw. I edit by hand, every single one, and I don’t hand over a gallery that I wouldn’t be proud of.
You’ll usually have your gallery within two to three weeks. When it arrives, I’d strongly suggest sitting somewhere quiet, putting on something you like, and not looking at it for the first time on your phone in a supermarket. (People do this. I understand why. It still makes me cry slightly)
The question I get asked most
“What if my children don’t cooperate?”
They won’t, entirely, and that’s fine. Some of my favourite images ever taken have involved a tantrum, a chase, a child who refused to look at the camera for literally the entire session and a parent who eventually dissolved into genuine laughter about it. That laugh, by the way, is usually the best photo of the whole day.
Children are honest. That’s what makes photographing them so good.
Ready to find out if we’re a good fit?
If you’re somewhere in London – Dulwich, Peckham, Marylebone, Greenwich, Blackheath, Mayfair, St John’s Wood, or frankly anywhere and you’re thinking about getting proper family photographs done, I’d love to hear from you.
I genuinely think you’ll look back at these photographs in twenty years and be glad you did it.
Get in touch here →
Andrea Whelan is a London family photographer based in Greenwich, South East London. She photographs families, newborns, maternity, and visiting families across London and beyond.
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