Deer at Clissold Park
The fallow deer in Clissold Park hold a toddler's attention, which gives natural, unposed faces. Dogs are not allowed in the park's play area or sports facilities.
Family Photographer in East London
Kaushik travels from Northwood to East London homes and parks, from Stoke Newington down to the riverside at Island Gardens and out to Ilford and Chingford. The session follows your children rather than a shot list.
The short answer
Is there a family photographer who comes to you in East London?
Yes. Kaushik Bathia travels from the Northwood studio to families in Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Newham and Redbridge, which sit about 16 to 20 miles away. Sessions take place at home, in your garden or in a park near you, such as Victoria Park, Lloyd Park in Walthamstow or Valentines Park in Ilford. The drive from Northwood to your East London park or home is quoted in writing before you book, and the session price is given by phone or WhatsApp on 07956 505383.
Highly professional and took very nice pictures of our family, most impressed. Will surely be coming back in the future. Thank you
We had a family photo shoot, 11 people in toto. Great experience, lots of fun and laughter had during the session, resulting in some great pictures 😀
We’ve been having pictures taken by Kaushik over 15 years. Very professional and brilliant pictures
Five boroughs
How a family session reaches East London from Northwood
East London on this page means Hackney, about 16 miles from Northwood, then Waltham Forest, Walthamstow and Tower Hamlets at about 17, with Forest Gate, Newham and Redbridge between 19 and 20. None of that is a walk-in distance, so Kaushik comes to you. A family photoshoot here starts at your front door or at a park you already use, and it ends when the children have had enough, which is usually somewhere around the hour mark.
The drive from Northwood appears in your written quote beside the session price, so both are clear before you book. Choose a time that suits the youngest person in the family rather than the adults: a toddler who naps after lunch is at their happiest mid-morning, while school-age children often photograph better on a relaxed weekend afternoon. Every borough also has its own page, such as family photos in Hackney and Waltham Forest.
Hackney and Tower Hamlets
Victoria Park, Clissold Park and the Hackney greens
Victoria Park opened in 1845 as 'The People's Park', and Tower Hamlets Council describes it as London's oldest public park. At 86 hectares it is the borough's largest, with Green Flag and Green Heritage awards, so there is room for a long walking session with older children and a quieter patch of grass for a group picture with grandparents. Dogs are kept out of its children's play areas, which matters if the family dog is joining in.
Further north, Clissold Park in Stoke Newington opened in 1889 and is home to a small herd of fallow deer, which a toddler will happily watch while Kaushik photographs the faces doing the watching. Well Street Common, lined with London plane and chestnut trees and with a community orchard, gives leafy frames close to Hackney homes. London Fields adds a wildflower meadow beside its lido, and Stepney Green Park has separate play areas for under-fives and older children. See family photography in Tower Hamlets for that borough on its own.
Waltham Forest
Lloyd Park's moat, Leyton Jubilee Park and Chingford's miniature railway
Lloyd Park on Forest Road in Walthamstow was renovated in 2012 and keeps its original terraced gardens and a moat with an island, around the William Morris Gallery. The terraces give natural steps for arranging a family of six or seven at different heights. In Leyton, Leyton Jubilee Park, the borough's biggest, was created in 2012 for the Diamond Jubilee, and its central avenue of London plane trees over 100 years old makes a long, shaded line to walk children along.
Ridgeway Park in Chingford runs a summer miniature railway that Walt Disney visited in 1954, and dogs there must be on a lead. Memorial Park at Chingford Mount has play areas for under-7s and under-12s and an ornamental pond. Walthamstow Wetlands is a 160-hectare working reservoir site and nature reserve with wide skies, but only assistance dogs are allowed on site, so the family dog stays at home if you pick it.
Newham and Redbridge
Farm animals, treehouse playgrounds and lakes further east
For children who need something to do, Mudchute Park and Farm is a community charity with more than 100 animals in 32 acres. Tumbling Bay Playground in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, next to the Timber Lodge Café, has treehouse-style structures, rock pools, rope bridges and sand pits, so a few frames of play can open a session before the calmer portraits. Beckton District Park and Forest Lane Park in Forest Gate both have a lake and woodland for a gentler walk.
West Ham Park on Upton Lane is Newham's largest park at 77 acres, run by the City of London Corporation since 1874, with Ornamental Gardens, a paddling pool and a bandstand, but no car park, so plan to arrive on foot or by train. In Redbridge, Valentines Park in Ilford surrounds the Grade II* listed Valentines Mansion and its historic gardens, and Loxford Park has a play area with a huge tunnel and a 30-tree edible tree trail planted in 2015. Read Newham and Redbridge for more.
Permissions and home
Wanstead Flats, licences and the at-home alternative
Wanstead Flats is the southernmost part of Epping Forest, right beside Forest Gate. The City of London Corporation requires a licence for any commercial photography in Epping Forest, and that includes the Flats, so if you would like them as your backdrop, mention it early and we work out what is needed before a date is fixed. West Ham Park or Forest Lane Park are simpler choices close by.
Home is the other strong option, and in winter it is often the better one. A session in your living room or garden is calmer for babies and keeps toddlers near their own toys, while older children can show off a bedroom or a den. Grandparents who would struggle with a long park walk can sit comfortably and still be in the middle of the picture. Outdoors, late spring to autumn gives the best light and colour, and the national family photography page compares the session types in more detail.
Planning
Planning around East London
No car park at West Ham Park
West Ham Park has seven wheelchair-accessible entrances but no car park. Forest Gate station, with lifts to every platform, is a straightforward way to arrive with a buggy.
A licence for Wanstead Flats
Commercial photography anywhere in Epping Forest, Wanstead Flats included, needs a City of London Corporation licence. Say early if the Flats are your first choice.
Assistance dogs only at the Wetlands
Walthamstow Wetlands admits only assistance dogs. If the dog is part of the family photo, Lloyd Park has a designated off-lead area instead.
Parks and open spaces for a family shoot in East London
These East London parks and open spaces are the ones this page refers to, each linked to the council or park source.
- Lloyd Park: Lloyd Park on Forest Road (E17 4PP) is a Green Flag park, renovated in 2012, with original terraced gardens, a moat with an island and open fields around the William Morris Gallery. 1
- Victoria Park: Victoria Park, opened in 1845 as 'The People's Park', is described by Tower Hamlets Council as London's oldest public park and at 86 hectares is the borough's largest, holding Green Flag and Green Heritage awards. 2
- Wanstead Flats: Forest Gate takes its name from its position next to Wanstead Flats, the southernmost part of Epping Forest, which has many football pitches and areas set aside for wildlife and walking. 3
- West Ham Park: West Ham Park, run by the City of London Corporation in Newham, has Ornamental Gardens, a playground and paddling pool, football, cricket and tennis facilities, a bandstand for hire and seven wheelchair-accessible entrances, but no car park. 4
- Valentines Park: Valentines Park in Ilford holds a Green Flag Award for 2026, has two cafés and one of London's biggest outdoor gyms, and surrounds the Grade II* listed Valentines Mansion and its historic gardens. 5
Sources, facts checked October 2026
Town by town
Family photography around East London
Each East London borough below shows its distance from Northwood, with a link to its own family page where there is one.
- Hackney (16 miles from the studio)
- Walthamstow (17 miles from the studio)
- Waltham Forest (17 miles from the studio)
- Tower Hamlets (17 miles from the studio)
- Forest Gate (19 miles from the studio)
- Newham (20 miles from the studio)
- Redbridge (20 miles from the studio)
Good to know
Family photography in East London: questions answered
Pick one with something to watch or climb. The deer in Clissold Park, the animals at Mudchute Park and Farm, the rope bridges at Tumbling Bay Playground and the tyre swings and wobble dishes at Barkingside Recreation Ground all keep small children busy. A park close to home matters too, because a short journey means a happier toddler.
No. Only assistance dogs are allowed at Walthamstow Wetlands. Under Waltham Forest's dog control orders a designated area of Lloyd Park is off-lead, and Higham Hill Recreation Ground has an off-lead exercise area, so either works well if the dog is in the photographs.
The City of London Corporation requires a licence for commercial photography in Epping Forest, which includes Wanstead Flats. Tell us early if you would like the Flats, so the licence question is settled before the date. West Ham Park, on Forest Gate's southern side, is a nearby alternative.
Hackney is about 16 miles from Northwood, Walthamstow and Tower Hamlets about 17, Forest Gate about 19, and Newham and Redbridge just under 20. Travel from Northwood is quoted up front and shown in your written quote before you book, alongside the session price.
Allow about an hour. Victoria Park covers 86 hectares, so we choose one or two areas near your entrance rather than trying to walk the whole park, and the children set the pace. With a baby, leave time for a feed in the middle.
Coordinated colours that sit well together without matching exactly, in solid tones rather than busy patterns or big logos. Comfortable shoes help on gravel paths and grass, and a spare top for a toddler saves the day after the first puddle.
An East London family session is priced on request: call or WhatsApp 07956 505383. The price depends on the session and on the prints or album you would like afterwards, and the travel from Northwood sits on the same written quote.
Family photos in East London
Tell us your park or your postcode
Send the borough, the ages of the children and two or three possible dates. Kaushik replies with the session price and the travel from Northwood in writing.
More in East London
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Other counties
- Family photography in Hertfordshire
- Family photography in Buckinghamshire
- Family photography in Berkshire
- Family photography in Surrey
- Family photography in Essex
- Family photography in Bedfordshire
- Family photography in Kent
- Family photography in Oxfordshire
- Family photography in North West London
- Family photography in West London
- Family photography in North London
- Family photography in South London
- Family photography in Central London