Family Photography in Wimbledon SW19 and SW20
Helen Bartlett is a London-based family photographer with over 20 years’ experience, a Canon Ambassador since 2017, and the only family photographer in the EMEA region to hold that title. She has been photographing children and families in Wimbledon, Wimbledon Common, and across South West London since 2003. This page covers family photography sessions in Wimbledon SW19 and SW20, at home and on Wimbledon Common, one of the largest areas of wild open land in London.
Natural, documentary family photography in Wimbledon SW19 and SW20: at home and on the wild woodland and open heathland of Wimbledon Common, by a photographer who has been working here for over 20 years.
Session at a glance
Wimbledon SW19, SW20 and surrounding South West London including Raynes Park, Merton, and Colliers Wood
Family photography, at home and outdoors; all ages from newborns to teenagers
Wimbledon Common, including the woodland, the open heathland, Queensmere Pond, and the windmill area. Cannizaro Park
Wimbledon Common is private land; a photography permit is required and Helen arranges this for every session
Natural, documentary, lifestyle, black and white. Relaxed and fun throughout
A full morning, typically four to five hours with plenty of time for pictures at home and outdoors
Helen Bartlett, Canon Ambassador, 20+ years’ experience photographing families in South West London
Family photography in Wimbledon and on the Common
I love taking family and children portrait photographs in Wimbledon as the Common is such a great location for relaxed, natural, black and white family photographs. There is genuine wild woodland here, open heathland, ponds, and the kind of ancient trees that children find irresistible. This amazing setting gives us lots of fun activities for children to do during a photo shoot; from climbing trees and building dens to running around and walking the dog. They say never work with children or animals, I love working with both and Wimbledon Common is the perfect place to do so.
From my first visit to Wimbledon Common as a child I’ve been hooked even though I’ve never met the Wombles (as a child my cousin always assured me that she had). Having such wild woodland so easily accessible in London is wonderful and the stunning parkland provides a perfect location for family portraits with children of every age.
Babies enjoy looking at the foliage and being lifted high in the sky as well as crawling happily on the grass. Older children love climbing the trees and exploring the woodland, it’s also a wonderful spot for photographing teenagers as there are so many things to jump over and practice acrobatics as well as beautiful backdrops for more formal portraits. I also love Cannizaro Park as a location for family photography in Wimbledon.
One practical note: Wimbledon Common is private land and a photography permit is required for professional sessions. I arrange the permit for every session I photograph there, so there is nothing for you to do, and the additional cost is absolutely worth it for access to such an extraordinary location. Permit charges are passed on at cost, contact me for the up-to-date pricing.
Your family photographer in Wimbledon
I have been a professional family photographer in Wimbledon since 2003. Over more than 20 years photographing children and families here, I have developed an approach that is genuinely relaxed and unhurried, built around the way your family actually behaves on a fun morning together rather than a series of poses. I photograph one family per day, which means there is never any pressure to hurry a shy child or cut short a feed.
I have worked with large families and small, with newborns only a few days old and with teenagers heading off to university. I take particular pride in producing photographs that will be loved at every stage: pictures that a self-conscious teenager will still want to look at, and that the same person will treasure decades later when looking back on their childhood. That long view is always in my mind when I am photographing a family.
Helen has a gift for catching the real character of a child in her photos – cheeky, dreamlike, delighted by turn. Our girls have so much fun with her, they don’t even notice the camera and are keen to see her again to talk books and play games. We will treasure Helen’s pictures of our family always.
Why black and white works so beautifully on Wimbledon Common
I have worked exclusively in black and white throughout my career, and Wimbledon Common is one of the locations where I find that choice works particularly well. The Common’s ancient woodland is full of extraordinary light: shafts of sunlight through the tree canopy, deep pools of shade under the oldest oaks, the bright reflected light of an open heathland clearing. In black and white, these contrasts are not just preserved but amplified, giving the pictures a graphic quality that colour photography tends to flatten.
Colour can be a distraction in a naturalistic setting. The overwhelming amount of green on a given day which reflects back and alters skin tones, the colour of the children’s clothes against the trees, the weather and colour in the sky: in a colour photograph, the eye moves between all of these – circling a picture rather than settling on the subject. In black and white, all of that falls away and what remains is the light, the shapes, and the people. A child disappearing into the woodland becomes a picture about childhood and freedom rather than a record of what they were wearing that morning.
There is also something particularly right about photographing the Common in black and white. The place has a timeless quality: the same ancient trees, the same open heathland, the same ponds and paths that generations of London families have walked and played on. Black and white photography honours that timelessness. The pictures will look as natural and as beautiful when your children are adults as they do today, which is exactly what I am always working towards.
I work exclusively in black and white because I believe it is the medium that best serves family photography over the longest time. If you are weighing up whether to book with a photographer who works only in monochrome or one who offers colour, I am always happy to talk it through before you make any decisions.
Your photographs after the session
I offer the full service from start to finish. Working with some of the finest labs and printers in the country, your finished prints are produced on fine art papers, and my framed prints are handmade to the same exceptional standard. My leather-bound albums are a genuine heirloom: something that can be handed down for generations and that tells the story of your family at this particular time (other album options available if you prefer not to use animal products).
Digital files are also available for those who value the security of having their images for the future, for sharing with family and friends, or for making their own prints. You can find all the pricing details on the Prices page, along with ideas for different ways to display your images at home.
Experience and credentials
- 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 decade.
- Countless reviews from happy clients over two decades.
- Arranges a Wimbledon Common photography permit for every session – clients charged at cost.
Last reviewed: June 2026. Bookings are now open for 2026 sessions across Wimbledon SW19, SW20, and surrounding South West London.
Family Photography in Wimbledon – Frequently Asked Questions
I photograph families across Wimbledon SW19, SW20, Raynes Park SW20, Merton SW19, Colliers Wood SW19, and the wider South West London area. Wimbledon Common and Cannizaro Park are the outdoor locations I use most frequently in this part of London, though I also photograph at home throughout the area and in Wimbledon Park itself. If you are based anywhere in the SW19 or SW20 postcodes, you are well within the area I cover regularly.
Yes, Wimbledon Common is private land managed by the Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators, and a photography permit is required for professional sessions. I arrange the permit for every session I photograph there, so there is nothing for you to organise. The permit involves a small additional cost, which is passed on at cost, and it is absolutely worth it for access to one of the most extraordinary outdoor photography locations in London.
Wimbledon Common offers something that almost no other London location can: genuinely wild, ancient woodland combined with open heathland, ponds, and miles of space to roam. There are extraordinary old oak and birch trees, the beautiful Queensmere Pond, open heathland clearings, and the famous windmill. For children of all ages, it is a place full of things to do and explore, which is exactly what makes for the most natural and memorable family photographs. It is also large enough that we can almost always find our own quiet corner, even on a busy morning.
Yes, and I always suggest considering at least part of the session at home. Wimbledon has some beautiful homes and the combination of indoor and outdoor pictures almost always gives the richest and most personal final gallery. We usually head out first thing for the best light and to beat the crowds then come home for a snack and some indoor pictures towards the end of the morning. That said, some families prefer to spend the whole morning on the Common, and that works very well too. We can plan the morning however suits your family best.
I have worked exclusively in black and white throughout my career because I believe it is the medium that best serves family photography over the long term. It is more timeless, more emotionally direct, and more likely to be treasured by your children when they are adults than colour photographs taken in the same moment which are more likely to date. On Wimbledon Common in particular, the graphic quality of the light through the ancient trees and the contrast between woodland shade and open heathland makes for pictures that are genuinely more powerful in black and white than they would be in colour. If you are unsure whether monochrome is right for you, I am always happy to talk it through.
Absolutely, and I photograph families with children of every age. Wimbledon Common suits all ages particularly well: babies love the light and the open air, toddlers and young children take to the woodland immediately and need very little encouragement to start exploring, and teenagers, who can sometimes feel awkward in front of a camera, find that having somewhere to roam and something to do makes the whole experience far more natural. I have been photographing some Wimbledon families since their teenagers were newborns.
Please get in touch via the contact form and I will be delighted to hear from you. Weekend sessions, and particularly autumn weekend sessions on the Common when the light and foliage are at their most beautiful, tend to book up several months in advance. I would suggest getting in touch sooner rather than later if you have a particular time of year in mind. I am always happy to have a conversation before you commit to anything.
Who is Wimbledon family photography right for?
This page will resonate with families based in Wimbledon SW19 and SW20, Raynes Park, Merton, and the surrounding South West London area who are looking for natural, unposed family photographs that feel personal and genuinely timeless. Whether you have babies, young children, teenagers, or a mix of all ages, whether you want your session at home, on the Common, or a combination of both, I would love to hear from you. As a Canon Ambassador with over 20 years’ experience photographing families in Wimbledon, working exclusively in black and white, I can offer you images that your family will treasure for the rest of their lives. Do get in touch to talk about your session and check availability.
Find out more and book your Wimbledon family photography session
The galleries and the blog give you the best possible sense of what to expect from a session with me. The blog has over 400 posts spanning more than two decades of work, and a good number of them are from sessions in Wimbledon and on the Common, giving you a strong feel for the variety and quality of the pictures we produce here across different seasons and times of year – here are a couple to get you started – a family photo shoot with teenagers in Wimbledon and a photo shoot with a young family and a baby on Wimbledon Common. There are plenty more on my family photography blog.
I also have a selection of the galleries following individual families over time, so you can see how the work fits together year on year as children grow. I do hope you like what you see and will get in touch to book your Wimbledon family photography session. I would love to meet you and explore the Common together.
