Family photography at Kew Gardens with a five-month-old and a four-year-old – spring session among the Henry Moore sculptures and the Hive, TW9
Helen Bartlett is a London-based family photographer with over 20 years’ experience, a Canon Ambassador, and multi-award-winning photographer. This post covers a fourth annual family photography session at Kew Gardens, TW9, in South West London with two sisters, a five-month-old baby and a four-year-old, on a beautiful hot day in May 2026.
A fourth annual session at Kew Gardens with this lovely family – and a joy from start to finish.
It was a beautiful hot day in May for our fourth annual photo shoot and I was so thrilled to see this family again. We first met four years ago on a rainy March morning for a newborn photography session – one that has remained a favourite of mine, not least because we clicked instantly. Avid photographers themselves, we had so much to talk about, and a friendship was born that day that I’m sure will continue for many years to come.
Fast forward four years, an intercontinental move, and a newest addition to the family, and they were back -visiting family and friends in Europe and updating their family photographs. It was a total joy to see them, to catch up, and to add to the beautiful visual document we are building together for the little ones to treasure.
Kew Gardens for family photography
Kew Gardens is this family’s happy place – they have retained their membership even from the other side of the globe, supporting the important conservation work done there. I love Kew Gardens for photography: it is beautiful, full of secluded corners and patches of shade where children can relax, play, and be themselves while I work around them.
Henry Moore at Kew
This year we were particularly lucky as there is a major exhibition of Henry Moore’s sculptures at Kew over the summer, thirty works displayed across the gardens. I love his monumental pieces, and watching children weave their way between the forms, marvelling at the shapes and shadows (without touching of course), is a gift for a photographer and a wonderful way for children to be introduced to art. The Hive is another remarkable structure at Kew that I never tire of finding new ways to photograph – its spiky exterior a mass of shadows on a sunny day.
Photographing a five-month-old and a four-year-old together
Siblings at different ages always bring different games and different dynamics, and these two sisters were clearly besotted with each other. The closeness between them was a joy to see – sitting together, playing together, simply being together, this is what being a sibling is all about. Finding patches of shade on a hot day, we were able to relax and let the action unfold as I took pictures.
Action, games, and activities
Of course, with young children there is never much sitting still for long. Hide and seek, tree climbing, being thrown in the air – by the time we reached the end of the session, it wasn’t only the little ones who were ready to lie on the grass and close their eyes. Luckily there was ice cream to fuel us for the journey home.
A story through time
While I don’t work from a shot list or plan specific poses in advance, preferring always to react to what happens in front of me and create natural images of the children, sometimes a picture becomes part of the tradition by chance. That is the case here: an echo from the first session to the second, now carried forward as a thread through the years. When pictures like these are placed alongside each other they become far more than the sum of their parts. What will next year’s hold?
It was a wonderful day from start to finish and I can’t wait to see everyone again in 2027. To see our earlier sessions on the blog and get a sense of the joy of regular sessions, look back at our family photo shoot in Kew and Chiswick House in 2026, Our baby portrait shoot in Kew in 2025 and our Chiswick newborn photography session in 2024
This is a sneak preview from a family photography session at Kew Gardens, TW9, with a five month old baby and a four year old. If you would like to book your own family photo shoot at Kew Gardens or anywhere across London and the UK, do get in touch via the contact form or call on 0345 603 1373.
About Helen Bartlett
- Professional family photographer since 2003. Over twenty years experience.
- Canon Ambassador since 2017, the only family photographer in the EMEA region to hold this title
- Over 20 years’ experience photographing families across London and the UK, exclusively in black and white
- Winner of LuxLife Best Family Photographer UK 2025, and multi-award-winning across 20+ years
- Work published nationally and internationally
- Over 400 blog posts demonstrating the quality and consistency of the work across more than two decades
- Countless reviews from happy clients over two decades.
