London Baby Photography – A Guide
Helen Bartlett is an award winning, London-based, baby and family photographer and Canon Ambassador with over 20 years’ experience, specialising in natural black and white baby photography in clients’ homes and at local parks across London.
A no-nonsense guide to the world of London baby photography, designed to help you choose the perfect baby photographer for you.
Finding the right London Baby Photographer for you
This London baby photography guide will steer you through the process and ensure you end up with the very best pictures possible.
Google ‘London baby photography’ and you’ll more than likely feel a little bamboozled. Photography is an unregulated industry, so you’ll find different skill levels varying from highly experienced professionals to those just starting out. You’ll also find a wide difference in price.
The answer is style. The photographer’s particular style is the very first thing to look at. The main distinction here is whether they work in clients’ homes, like I do, or in a studio. The style and variety of images you can expect are very different between the two and it’s a matter of personal choice which you prefer. So explore photographers’ websites, their blogs and Instagram posts.
Make sure you see a wide variety of pictures from photo shoots so you know they’re experienced working in your ideal style.
Choosing Your Style
For example, I photograph in a very natural style and entirely using black and white. I’m looking to create a wide variety of images for you: full family groups, individual portraits of your baby and plenty of pictures as you all play and interact together.
Style decided upon, you can switch your focus to skills and experience. Well-established baby photographers will have a wide range of different images on their websites.
London Baby Photography Trends
Over the years, trends have altered. When I started out as a photographer back in 2003 the main fashion for London baby photography was to take pictures at about eight months old. Baby is sitting up, smiling, interacting with the world and maybe beginning to crawl. Now the trend has moved towards newborn photography that records those magical first days when your little one is so tiny. Both options are fantastic, and both give very different results.
If you’re finding it hard to decide, here’s some helpful guidance to ensure you get images you’ll treasure forever.
Newborn Photography
Photographing babies when they are newborn is an increasingly popular way to welcome your little one into the world. It’s a truly unique time to create beautiful and timeless images of those wonderful first few days that go by in the blink of an eye.
During those whirlwind weeks, a newborn photography shoot gives you an opportunity to record how tiny your baby is and the powerful emotions and bonds that fill the room — the looks of wonder between parent and child, the glances of joy and pride between parents, the moments when love is so intense you have to pull them in close.
Black and White Baby Photography
One of the decisions you’ll need to make when choosing a London baby photographer is whether you want images in colour or black and white. I’m a great believer in the power of black and white baby photography.
Over the years I’ve seen so many trends in colour photography come and go and pictures that seemed so contemporary now look dated. Black and white is timeless. Images we take now will look good when your children look at them in their teenage years and when they share stories with their own families as adults.
I know this is true as I’m lucky enough to have black and white images from my own childhood. They hang on my wall alongside pictures I’m taking now and ones of my parents when they were children. All black and white, they fit together perfectly.
Black and white photography also allows us to really hone in on the essence of what’s important in the pictures.
Preparing for Your Baby Photography Session
If your baby can sit up then we may take pictures in your sitting room or family room. Like many London baby photographers, I’ll be working down on the floor with your child so, if you have a moment do a quick sweep under the sofas. Those runaway socks or DVD cases can spoil a great picture.
Most importantly, relax before the shoot as well as during it. I’ll be keeping an eye out on the day so if there’s something distracting in a forgotten corner, we can easily move it.
Simple, plain-coloured clothes tend to work best for everyone, as do those with a subtle pattern. It’s best to avoid bold stripes and checks. Also, dressing in a mixture of black and white can create a distracting contrast. If it’s wet underfoot, please avoid dressing a toddler in white or light-coloured tights as the chances of falling over and getting muddy knees is high.
About Helen Bartlett
I’m Helen Bartlett, and I’ve been photographing babies in London since 2003 — over 20 years of sessions in living rooms, nurseries, gardens, and parks across every part of the city. In 2017 I was appointed a Canon Ambassador — the only family photographer in Europe to hold this role — and my work has been recognised with multiple industry awards and in the photography press all over the world. I work in a fully natural, documentary style, entirely in black and white, and I would love to photograph your baby.
London Baby Photography and Beyond
The majority of my family and baby photography work is in London but I travel all over the world to take pictures. This year alone has seen me working in France, Switzerland and Abu Dhabi as well as Dorset, Yorkshire and Cornwall in the UK. Additional charges do apply outside the M25 so please contact me directly for a quote.
Book Your London Baby Photography Session
If you’ve decided you’d like to book a session with a London baby photographer and would love natural black and white images, do get in touch. We can compare availability and get your session in the diary and I can, of course, answer any questions you might have.
My aim as a photographer is to create the most fabulous set of pictures, each one a work of art in its own right and each one a compelling addition to your family story.
You can contact me via the form on the website, via email at [email protected] or give me a call on 0345 603 1373 if you would like to have a chat on the phone.
Frequently asked questions about London baby photography
Sessions tend to last a morning, usually starting at 8am to get some pictures when your little one is wide awake after their breakfast. We have a good slot before their mid-morning nap and then – keeping to their normal routine – they sleep as usual. After they wake, we have the second slot. This way we can either do two locations (half the session at home and half at a local park is very popular), or spend the whole morning at home but have time for very different activities. Having the whole morning and doing more pictures after your baby’s nap works so well, as they are used to me by then – and there is something so joyful about seeing them wake up and give me a huge smile, recognising their friend from before they went to sleep.
I photograph babies of every age from teeny tiny newborns in their first week to cheeky one-year-olds excited about their first birthday. Each age is wonderful and each gives slightly different types of images, from the glorious intimacy of a tiny newborn to the bright smiles of a three-month-old, and then a sitting baby at six to eight months, smiling and happy and clapping their hands with glee. I have a long blog post on ‘What’s the Best Age to Photograph Your Baby?’ which you might find helpful – and if you’d like to chat through the different stages, do give me a call and I’ll run you through it.
Baby sessions take place in your home, or a combination of your home and a favourite local park, as you prefer. It’s lovely to have images taken in your home as these will be full of memories as your little one grows up – pictures that show their nursery, or how they used to snuggle on your bed, will be wonderful to look back on. At home you have everything to hand, and your little one will be calm and relaxed in their familiar surroundings.
It’s lovely to do both indoor and outdoor images if the weather is kind, as this adds a wonderful variety to your set of photographs – outdoor pictures and indoor images have such a different feel, and record different parts of your lives in their own artistic and creative ways. If the weather is less kind we can stay indoors, and some of my favourite sessions have been entirely at home, with beautiful light from a big window being all we need.
This London baby photography guide is for parents who are thinking about having baby photographs taken – whether your baby is a brand-new newborn just home from hospital, a smiley three-month-old, or a sitting, clapping, nearly-crawling eight-month-old. If you are looking for a natural, documentary-style photographer who works without props or poses, photographs entirely in black and white, and works around your baby’s routine rather than the other way around, I would love to hear from you. I am based in North London and photograph babies and families across all of London and the surrounding home counties, and I travel further afield by arrangement. Do get in touch – I’d be delighted to chat.
Updated May 2026
