The Green Park meadows
No flower beds, just mature trees, grassland and wildflower meadows. A Royal Parks permit covers up to ten people for one hour.
Maternity Photoshoots in Central London
Bump portraits between about 28 and 34 weeks, photographed in your home, in a garden on the Embankment or beside the canal at Little Venice, or in one of Westminster's Royal Parks.
The short answer
Where can I have a maternity photoshoot in Central London?
Kaushik Bathia photographs maternity sessions at your home in Westminster or the City of London, or outdoors in places such as Victoria Embankment Gardens, Rembrandt Gardens in Little Venice or The Green Park, where a Royal Parks permit is needed. The best time is about 28 to 34 weeks. He travels about 14 miles from Northwood, and the travel is itemised in your written quote. For session prices, call or WhatsApp us.
Kaushik has photographed my wife and me for the bump to baby photo shoot. We really enjoyed it. He knows how to make us smile and look happy and relaxed. We really appreciate his work and we look forward to meet him on our next appointment for the newborn photo shoot! Thank you again Kaushik!
I was nervous about my newborn’s photoshoot but Kaushik made the experience very unforgettable. He knew how to handle my two week old baby with care. The pictures came out very beautiful and were forever grateful. He’s honestly the best. Very experienced, patient and professional. I’ll definitely use him again.
I would HIGHLY recommend Northwood Hills Studios to anyone who wants to do family photos or special occasion photos.
Timing
Choosing your week, and your season in the city
Plan the session for about 28 to 34 weeks, when the bump is clearly rounded and a garden path is still comfortable underfoot. With twins, aim for the early end of that range. The central London planning point is paperwork: a Royal Parks permit or a City garden licence has to be in place before the date, so get in touch a few weeks early and let the permit and your chosen week line up.
Then look at the calendar. A due date in early autumn puts the session in summer, when Victoria Embankment Gardens has its summer bandstand and formal floral displays, including the Tropical Border. A spring baby means a winter bump, which points towards a session at home with soft window light and no cold wind to fight.
Outdoors
Embankment flowers, canal-side gardens and the meadows of The Green Park
Victoria Embankment Gardens on Villiers Street belongs to Sir Joseph Bazalgette's chain of Embankment open spaces, opened in 1865, and its formal displays give colour behind a flowing dress. For a greener, more enclosed feel, Rembrandt Gardens are sunken gardens beside the canal at Little Venice, laid out in the early 1950s and renamed in 1975 when Westminster was linked with Amsterdam.
The Green Park has no formal flower beds at all, only mature trees, grassland and wildflower meadows, which makes a soft, natural backdrop without any bedding-plant colour. It is one of the Royal Parks, so a wedding and lifestyle photography permit is needed from the park office. Each covers up to ten people for one hour, which is plenty for a bump session with a partner and children.
In the City, Barber-Surgeons' Gardens, between London Wall and the Barbican lakes, is a physic garden of more than 40 herb species, small and green against the Barbican's brutalist terraces. Organised shoots in City of London gardens need a licence or permit from the Corporation, so name the garden early.
At home
Your own front room in Pimlico, Marylebone or the Square Mile
Home is the most private option and the one that suits the later weeks, when a long walk through a park has less appeal. We look for the room with the best daylight, clear a little space by the window and work from there. Fitted and flowing outfits both photograph well against a plain wall, and you can sit down between set-ups whenever you need to.
Partners and older children make some of the warmest pictures of the set. A child's hand on the bump, or a partner behind you at the window, tells the story better than any prop. If there is a nursery in progress, leave it as it is: a half-built cot in the background says more about the moment than a tidy room.
Kaushik travels to you from Northwood, about 14 to 15 miles, and that travel is set out in your written quote before anything is booked. Ask for the maternity session price on 07956 505383, by call or WhatsApp.
Wardrobe
What to wear for bump photos against central London backdrops
Dress to show the bump off rather than cover it. Bring something fitted and something flowing: a bump-hugging dress for shape and a long dress or gown for movement. Solid colours photograph cleanly, which matters here, where a garden may sit against stone buildings or the river. Soft neutrals look calm in the meadows of The Green Park, while a stronger colour stands out against the greenery of Rembrandt Gardens.
Wear flat shoes for walking between spots and change at the last moment. If you are planning an outdoor session in a Royal Park, remember the one-hour limit on each permit and keep to two outfits. At home there is no clock, so a third look is fine if you have the energy for it.
Bump to baby
Following the bump with a newborn session at home
A maternity session and a newborn session can be combined into one package. The newborn shoot then takes place at your home in the first 5 to 14 days after the birth, and the two sets sit together naturally on the wall. Our newborn photography in Central London page explains how that works in a flat, and the maternity photoshoot page covers sessions at the Northwood studio.
Later in the year, a family session in Central London brings the new arrival into a picture with everyone else. If you live in Westminster, our Westminster page lists everything else we photograph close to home.
Planning
Planning around Central London
Rembrandt Gardens, Little Venice
Sunken canal-side gardens overlooking Little Venice. Dogs are not welcome there, so the family dog sits this one out.
Embankment in summer
Victoria Embankment Gardens has formal floral displays and a summer bandstand, giving colour behind a flowing dress in the warmer months.
At home after 34 weeks
If the session slips later, home is the comfortable choice: no walking, a seat between set-ups and your own bathroom down the hall.
Outdoor settings for a maternity shoot in Central London
The gardens and parks below are the outdoor options described on this page, with the permit or access rules that come with each.
- Hyde Park: Henry VIII acquired Hyde Park from the monks of Westminster Abbey in 1536, Charles I opened it to the public in 1637, and Queen Caroline added the Serpentine lake in the 1730s. 1
- St James's Park: St James's Park, the Royal Park bordered by three royal palaces, looks along The Mall to Buckingham Palace and has kept pelicans by its lake since 1664, when a Russian ambassador gave them to Charles II. 2
- Dogs in The Green Park: The Royal Parks says dogs in The Green Park generally need not be on a lead but must be under their owner's control, the exception being the Memorial Gardens in front of Buckingham Palace. 3
Sources, facts checked October 2026
Town by town
Maternity sessions across Central London
Maternity sessions come to your home or a garden in Westminster and the City of London. Each area below has its own page and its distance from Northwood.
- London (14 miles from the studio)
- Westminster (14 miles from the studio)
- City of London (15 miles from the studio)
Good to know
Maternity photoshoots in Central London: questions answered
Between about 28 and 34 weeks. Earlier weeks suit styled outdoor sessions in places like Victoria Embankment Gardens while energy is good, and later weeks show the bump at its largest, when a session at home is usually more comfortable. Twins usually mean aiming for around week 28.
Yes. The Royal Parks require a wedding and lifestyle photography permit from the park office for sessions like this, each covering up to ten people for one hour. In Hyde Park, anything beyond personal use on a phone or action camera needs a permit. City of London gardens have their own licence scheme run by the Corporation.
Yes. Partners and older children are welcome and often bring the warmest moments. Children do best early in the session, so we photograph them first and then let them play while we finish the solo portraits. A dog can join at home, but Rembrandt Gardens does not welcome dogs, so choose the place with that in mind.
One fitted outfit and one flowing dress or gown, both in solid colours. Busy prints compete with the buildings and traffic behind you in central London. Bring flat shoes for walking between spots, and keep to two outfits outdoors so the one-hour permit window in a Royal Park is not spent changing.
Yes. A home in the Square Mile, the Barbican or anywhere in Westminster works well with one good window and a little clear floor space. Kaushik travels to you from Northwood, about 15 miles to the City, and the travel is set out in writing before you book.
Call or WhatsApp 07956 505383 for a price; it depends on the session and the prints or albums you choose. A maternity session can be combined with a newborn session in one package, which is worth asking about if you would like both.
An outdoor date can move, or the session can switch to your home with window light. In winter, home is often the more comfortable plan from the start. Tell us your preference when you book so there is a fallback ready if the weather turns.
Bump portraits in Central London
Plan your maternity session
Tell us your due date, whether you picture home or a garden, and who you would like in the pictures.
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