Kaushik BathiaPhotography
Family of four stacked playfully on the studio floor

Family Photographer in Hertfordshire

Relaxed family photoshoots at your home, in your garden or in a Hertfordshire park. Kaushik comes to you, and the south-west of the county is only a few miles from the Northwood Hills studio.

★★★★★ Rated 4.8 from 580+ reviews

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The short answer

Where can we have a family photoshoot in Hertfordshire?

A family photoshoot in Hertfordshire can happen at your home, in your garden or in a local park. Popular choices include Cassiobury Park in Watford, the Rickmansworth Aquadrome, Chorleywood House Estate, Verulamium Park in St Albans and Harpenden Common. Kaushik Bathia comes to you from Northwood Hills, 3.8 miles from Watford, or you can visit the studio. Session prices are given on request, and travel from Northwood is set out in writing.

Our usual session area is within about 20 miles of the studio. Further out in Hertfordshire, sessions are by arrangement, with travel quoted in writing before you book.

Google reviews

What families say

4.8 from 580+ Google reviews

Having had Mr Bathia to do our family studio photos with our first child, we again went for him second time round with our second child 5 years later. He is extremely good in getting our girls attention to capture lovely photos. He is a great photographer and would definitely recommend him.

Rajen S., Google review, 2019

We recently did a family photoshoot with our 8 months old daughter, and it was such a lovely experience. Kaushik was brilliant with her, so patient and playful, and he managed to get so many genuine smiles from her, which made a huge difference. He made us feel really comfortable throughout the shoot and never rushed us.

Jekil P., Google review, 2026

I booked the family portrait for my family and it was a wonderful experience. Kaushik is such a great photographer, able to coax a smile from any reluctant person. Making the decision of which pictures to chose is particularly difficult as they are all good.

Jay M., Google review, 2025

Read all the reviews on Google

Close to home

Family sessions in south-west Hertfordshire's parks

The parks closest to the studio are some of the best in the county for a family session. Cassiobury Park, Watford's main park, runs from the A412 to the Grand Union Canal with the River Gade flowing through it, and has paddling pools from the 1930s, a bandstand and a miniature railway. Oxhey Park, 14 hectares of wooded dell and grassy slopes along the River Colne, has a play area for children up to 12. Both are under four miles from Northwood.

Around Rickmansworth, the Aquadrome has two large lakes ringed by woodland and grassland, with accessible paths and free parking. Chorleywood House Estate combines formal parkland, meadows and woodland running down to the River Chess, with a Sunken Garden and a Victorian wisteria circle. In Bushey, the Grade II registered Rose Garden has a pergola, cloisters and a sunken garden, and Hertsmere Borough Council allows a small area of the lawn to be used for group photographs by prior agreement.

Little girl in a pink floral top smiling on a studio stool

Further out

St Albans, Harpenden and the Chilterns edge

In the middle of the county, Verulamium Park in St Albans covers 175 acres close to the city centre, with the walls of the Roman city still visible. Harpenden Common stretches almost two miles south from the town centre, and Rothamsted Park has a main avenue of mature limes and a rose garden. Shenley Park, run by an independent trust, has an orchard, a meadow and a walled garden with an amphitheatre, where professional photographers may take family photographs for a fee paid to the trust in advance.

Towards the west, the National Trust's Ashridge Estate near Berkhamsted has over 80 miles of paths through woodland and chalk downland, and Tring Park combines broadleaf woodland with chalk grassland. In the north and east there are Fairlands Valley Park in Stevenage with its four lakes, Howard Park and Gardens in Letchworth, Hartham Common in Hertford and Therfield Heath above Royston. Travel to these is longer from Northwood, and it is set out in your written quote before you book.

At home

How an at-home family session works in Hertfordshire

Plenty of families would rather stay home, especially with toddlers or a new baby. Kaushik arrives, takes a few minutes to look at your rooms and garden, then works around whatever is happening. Children play, siblings tease each other, and the photographs come out of that rather than a long run of poses.

A home session suits every part of Hertfordshire, from a flat in Watford to a farmhouse outside Hitchin. Natural light from a large window or patio door is ideal, so a daytime slot usually works best. Tidy one room rather than the whole house, and have a favourite toy or snack ready for the youngest. If the weather allows, we can step out to the garden or a nearby green for a few frames at the end.

Little girl in a white party dress seated in the studio

Timing

The best seasons for a family photoshoot in Hertfordshire

Late April and early May bring bluebells to Whippendell Wood beside Cassiobury Park and to Carpenters Wood in Chorleywood. The wisteria at Chorleywood House Estate flowers between April and June, and its Chestnut Avenue carpets the path with pink blossom in late spring. Summer gives long evenings and green parks, and the softer light after about six o'clock is kinder to faces than midday sun.

Autumn colour comes to the beech and oak woods across the county, from Bishop's Wood near Rickmansworth to Sherrardspark Wood in Welwyn Garden City. Winter sessions work best indoors or in a short window around midday. One thing worth knowing: from 1 June to 30 September, Three Rivers excludes dogs from the grazed meadows at Chorleywood House, so if the family dog is coming, choose a different part of the estate or another park.

Ages and stages

Planning for babies, toddlers, teenagers and grandparents

Each age needs a slightly different approach. Babies and toddlers do best in the morning or after a nap, and short bursts of photographs with breaks in between keep everyone happy. School-age children like having a job, such as leading the way along a path in Oxhey Woods or racing to the next tree. Teenagers tend to relax once they see the session is not a long formal sitting.

Three generations can be photographed together at home or in a park with benches and flat paths, such as the Aquadrome or Verulamium Park. For clothes, pick two or three colours that sit well together and avoid big logos or busy patterns. Layers help in a Hertfordshire spring, when a sunny morning can turn chilly by the afternoon.

If your family is spread across the county, the Northwood studio is another option, with the Metropolitan line stopping two minutes away at Northwood Hills. It suits a winter session, a very young baby or a group of grandparents who would rather sit down, and it means nobody is watching the clouds on the morning of the shoot.

Parents and their young son lying together on the studio floor

Your town

Family photographer pages for Hertfordshire towns

Several Hertfordshire towns have their own family photography page with local parks, play areas and practical details for a session there. Start with Watford, Bushey, Rickmansworth, Chorleywood, Radlett or St Albans. For how sessions work in general, see our family photography page, and for a new arrival, newborn photography in Hertfordshire.

Planning

Planning around Hertfordshire

01

Check the park's rules

Watford's councils require permission for any event in their parks and do not allow gazebos, and Shenley Park charges photographers a fee in advance. Kaushik checks the rules for your chosen spot.

02

Mind the dog rules

Three Rivers limits one person to four dogs and keeps dogs out of play areas. Some parks have dog-free zones, so tell us if the dog is joining.

03

Choose bluebell weeks

For bluebells in Whippendell Wood or Carpenters Wood, aim for late April or early May and book ahead, as those weekends fill quickly.

04

Think about parking

Oxhey Woods, the Aquadrome and Bricket Wood Common have free car parks, which makes arriving with buggies and grandparents much easier.

Parks and open spaces for a family shoot in Hertfordshire

Parks, woods and open spaces across Hertfordshire that suit a family session, each with the source for the detail.

  • Oxhey Park: Oxhey Park, named by Watford Borough Council in 1924, is about 14 hectares of parkland with a wooded dell and rolling grassy slopes through which the River Colne runs, and ParksHerts lists it as dog-friendly with a dog-free area. 1
  • Oxhey Woods sculpture trail: A one-kilometre, easy-access circular sculpture trail in Oxhey Woods features works made from natural and local materials, including an oak archway, a stag beetle and a 'xylofence' made from harvested sweet chestnut. 2
  • King George Recreation Ground: King George Recreation Ground opened in 1912 to mark the coronation of King George V, grew to 22 acres in the early 1920s, and has a splash pad, play areas, tennis courts and a café, with dogs welcome in some parts and a dog-free area in others. 3
  • Rickmansworth Aquadrome: The Rickmansworth Aquadrome is a 41-hectare Local Nature Reserve around Batchworth and Bury Lakes, flooded gravel pits whose gravel is said to have been used to build the original Wembley Stadium, and has held a Green Flag every year since 2009. 4
  • Croxley Common Moor: Croxley Common Moor, about 100 yards from Croxley station, is 41.9 hectares of historic grassland on the River Gade flood plain, a Site of Special Scientific Interest and Local Nature Reserve with over 250 plant species and cattle grazing from around April. 5

Sources, facts checked October 2026

  1. Oxhey Park | ParksHerts
  2. Oxhey Woods Local Nature Reserve | ParksHerts
  3. King George Recreation Ground, Bushey | ParksHerts
  4. Rickmansworth Aquadrome Local Nature Reserve | ParksHerts
  5. Croxley Common Moor - Three Rivers District Council

Town by town

Family photography around Hertfordshire

The Hertfordshire towns we cover for family sessions, nearest to the Northwood studio first, with links to each town's page.

Good to know

Family photography in Hertfordshire: questions answered

Family session prices for Hertfordshire are given on request by phone or WhatsApp on 07956 505383. The quote depends on the length of the session, the number of people and the location, and any travel from Northwood is set out in writing before you book.

Yes. Kaushik comes to your home anywhere in Hertfordshire, so the session fits around naps, school runs, work and the rest of family life. You can also choose your garden, a local park or the Northwood studio.

Close to the studio, Cassiobury Park, Oxhey Park, the Rickmansworth Aquadrome and Chorleywood House Estate all work well. Further out, Verulamium Park in St Albans, Harpenden Common, Rothamsted Park and the Ashridge Estate near Berkhamsted are good choices.

For a short family session, parks are generally open to the public, but some sites set rules. Watford's parks need council permission for any event and do not allow gazebos, and Shenley Park asks photographers to pay a fee in advance. Kaushik checks before the day.

All of it. The south-west is under four miles from the studio, St Albans 10.9 miles and Stevenage 22.6, while Royston is the furthest at 34.9. Travel from Northwood is quoted up front for any town.

Yes. Many Hertfordshire parks welcome dogs, with dog-free areas in places such as Cassiobury and Oxhey Park. Some meadows are closed to dogs in summer while cattle graze, so we choose the spot with that in mind.

Choose two or three colours that go together, avoid large logos and bold patterns, and dress for the weather with layers. Comfortable shoes help if we walk through woods or across a common, and a spare top for little ones is always useful.

Family sessions in Hertfordshire

Plan your Hertfordshire family session

Tell us who is in the family, where you live and whether you would prefer home, a park or the studio. Kaushik will come back with dates, the price and any travel from Northwood in writing.

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