Maternity Photo Session in Marylebone, London
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.
Marylebone Maternity Photo Session
G booked a maternity shoot a few weeks before baby number two was due. It her, her husband and also their daughter. Who arrived in her pigtails and honestly took a while to warm up, and rightly so! They didn’t want a studio. They didn’t want a meadow. They wanted a normal afternoon around the bit of London they actually go to when visiting the city.
So that’s what we did.
We started in Marylebone because they wanted to combine real London with iconic London. Mum was in a long brown ribbed knit dress, which I’m now of the firm view every pregnant woman should own. After the initial hello’s, I started shooting before anyone had decided we were “starting.”
If you’ve been Googling “London maternity photographer” and wondering what one of these actually feels like, this is it. A walk. A coffee. A few minutes where nobody is paying attention to the camera and that’s exactly when I’m working.
What we did on the shoot
A slow loop around Marylebone, a bit of walking, holding hands and lot’s of laugher.
That was it. About 90 minutes. No outfit changes. Gentle guidance and then we hopped in a cab to Big Ben.
Easy.
Why Marylebone works for maternity sessions
Marylebone gives you warm brick, painted shopfronts, narrow streets that catch the light, and proper coffee within fifty metres of wherever you parked. For a maternity shoot it’s plenty. You don’t need a sweeping landscape. You need a few good walls, decent light, and somewhere to sit down when you need to.
Big Ben is a different conversation. Most of a maternity session I want to keep small and close, you and your bump and the people who already love it. But if you live in or near London, one or two frames with the city properly in shot are worth the ten-minute cab ride over. Their kids are going to grow up here. Sometimes it belongs in the photos.
What to wear
Long dress, shape-skimming, not swamping. Warm tones if you want the photos to look like this set, browns, rust, cream, soft black. A coat you can take on and off. Trainers, because we walk. Don’t dress your older child up, dress them as them. The clothes did just as much work as my lens choices.
On bringing an older sibling
Bring them. The whole point of a maternity session before number two is that there’s still a number one to photograph next to the bump. They don’t have to perform. They mostly won’t. Some of the best frames from this session are when older sister is not looking at anyone, just being three and a half years old, while her parents watched her and quietly clocked that their family is about to look different.
When to book
30–36 weeks for the shoot itself. Message me four to six weeks before that if you want a weekend. Earlier if you’ve got a specific date in mind.
What you get
A gallery of around 60 to 80 edited images, delivered online within two to three weeks. High-resolution, print-ready, yours. Optional prints, frames and a fine-art album if you want them, and if you don’t want them, no pressure. I’m a photographer, not a salesperson; nothing ruins a relaxed session like the suspicion that the photographer is going to upsell you a frame at the end. I have a shop in my gallery and it couldn’t be easier to order what you need.
Frequently asked questions
How long is a session?
Around two hours, give or take a meltdown. We can stretch to three for bigger families or extended-family shoots.
Do you do sessions at home?
Yes — at-home and lifestyle sessions in Blackheath, Greenwich, Lewisham and Lee work beautifully, especially with newborns and very small babies. Just light a few lamps and put the kettle on.
What if my toddler is in a mood?
I’ve never met a child who couldn’t be charmed by twenty minutes of being ignored. Worst case, we get ice-cream or snacks.
Do you photograph just the parents, too?
Always. Five minutes of couple photos, while the children are distracted, is one of my favourite parts of the night. You’ll thank me.
Can we do the pub bit even if we don’t drink?
Of course. The pub is a vibe, not a prescription. We can start in a café, a kitchen, a back garden, a bookshop, anywhere you feel like yourselves.
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