Family Photo Shoot in Hyde Park with Six Children
Post last updated: August 2026. This family was first photographed in Hyde Park back in 2017.
Helen Bartlett is an award winning, London-based family photographer with over 20 years’ experience and a Canon Ambassador since 2017, specialising in natural, black and white family photography across London and the UK. This post shares a sneak preview from a summer family photo shoot in Hyde Park with a returning family of six children, aged from six months to eighteen years, first photographed back in 2017.
A returning family reunited in Hyde Park nine years after their first session, with six children from six months to eighteen years photographed among the park’s fallen trees, quiet corners, and a temporary public art installation.
Session at a Glance
Outdoor family photography, with some indoor portraits of the baby at the end
Six, aged six months to eighteen years
Group and individual portraits, candid family moments, a temporary public art installation
Natural, black and white, documentary
Helen Bartlett, Award Winning, Canon Ambassador, 20+ years’ experience
A returning family in Hyde Park
There is always a wonderful joy in seeing people again for a photo shoot after a gap of years.
I first photographed this lovely family back in 2017, when we spent a wonderful morning in Hyde Park. We met again when they were living in Guildford, in a stunning house in the beautiful Tillingbourne Valley.
Fast forward nine years, and the family had moved across the globe. They were back in London for the summer, which was the perfect opportunity to get together, update their photos, and celebrate the arrival of the youngest member of the family: a joyful six-month-old baby boy. What a treat it was to see them again and to meet the new arrival.
Today I’m sharing a sneak preview of the session, so you can see the joy of this natural, relaxed family photography in Hyde Park with six children ranging from six months to eighteen years old
A family session in Hyde Park
We chose to meet in Hyde Park, as it was just around the corner from where the family were staying, and it is a wonderful location for family photos. Add to that, it had such lovely resonance being the location of our first family photo shoot back in 2017.
It was nice to find some quiet, shady corners off the beaten track for portraits. Shade gives lovely soft light, which is really flattering, and it was a pleasure to take individual shots as well as group pictures making use of the many fallen trees spaced throughout the park.
These fallen trees are a relatively new feature. Take us back ten years and there was nothing to climb on in Hyde Park. Now, while there is still a lack of proper climbing trees, the fallen trunks give wonderful opportunities for balancing, jumping, and beautiful family photos.
Public art at the Serpentine
As we were out early, we made use of Pénétrable BBL Jaune, a temporary outdoor art installation made up of 4,000 suspended yellow PVC strands by the Venezuelan kinetic artist Jesús Rafael Soto, for a couple of pictures. This was certainly a challenge to focus through for a portrait, but I love the slightly abstract effect it gives. Pictures like this are the sort of thing you could never recreate: the installation is only on display until October 2026, and once it comes down, so does the opportunity for a photograph with it. Interacting with public art is such good fun and makes for wonderfully playful photographs.
The pillars at the back of the Serpentine Gallery also made for a lovely location for some stylish group shots.
Interactions and exploration in the park
I love the little moments that can be photographed in between the group shots on sessions like this. When there are so many people, older children included, there needs to be some direction and interaction, or everyone would be on their phones within minutes. But there are still candid moments to be found. It was lovely seeing how everyone walked and chatted together as we moved from place to place, and the boys were delighted to discover bramble bushes covered in blackberries, although we did need to remember that in a town it is best to only pick fruit from the higher branches.
Hyde Park is such a beautiful location, with so many opportunities for static group photos, photos incorporating movement, and candid family photos. We had such a great time.
Baby portraits at home
At the end of the morning, we headed back to the family’s apartment, where, after the little one had had a nap, I took a few shots of the baby on his own. With little ones under one, it is lovely to do some indoor images, as they have a very different feel to the outdoor pictures. Indoors, the little one could roll around on the bed and play with his toys, which gave opportunities for some really beautiful portraits. With 20 years’ experience photographing families across London and the UK, moments like this, quiet, unposed, and completely natural, are often my favourite of a whole session.
Family Photo Shoot in Hyde Park: FAQs
A typical session includes a mix of group portraits, individual portraits, and candid moments as we walk and explore the park together. I look for quiet corners away from the crowds, make use of natural features like fallen trees, and always keep an eye out for anything unexpected, like a piece of public art, that can add something unique to your photographs.
Yes, absolutely. This session included six children from six months to eighteen years, and sessions like this are some of my favourites. With larger families, I always allow plenty of time so that everyone, from the youngest to the oldest, has a chance to be photographed individually as well as together.
I typically spend a full morning with families, usually around four hours, so there is no sense of rush. This gives us time to explore different parts of the park, include quiet portraits and lively group shots, and find the natural moments that make the best photographs.
Meeting early means we usually have the park’s quieter corners entirely to ourselves. The light is soft and flattering, there are far fewer passers-by, and the children are at their brightest and most relaxed before the day gets going.
I do, and sessions with returning families are some of the most special in my diary. I first photographed this family back in 2017, and it was a real joy to see how much the children had grown while their characteristic expressions stayed exactly the same.
Book a Family Photo Shoot in Hyde Park
This was a wonderful session from start to finish, and I am so thrilled with the photographs from our family photo shoot in Hyde Park with six children ranging from six months to eighteen years old.
If you have enjoyed what you have seen on the blog today and would like to book your own family photo shoot this summer, then do drop me a line and we can plan the perfect session for you and your children.
This kind of session will particularly suit larger families, or any family with children of very different ages, who want photographs that capture everyone together as well as each child individually. I photograph families across London, the UK, and Europe, and as a Canon Ambassador with over 20 years’ experience, I would love to hear from you.
