Kaushik BathiaPhotography
Mother-to-be in a red dress looking down at her bump, studio maternity portrait

Maternity Photographer in Hertfordshire

Kaushik photographs pregnancy sessions in your Hertfordshire home, in a park near you, or at the studio in Northwood Hills, 1.8 miles from Oxhey. Sessions are usually planned for between 28 and 34 weeks.

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The short answer

When should I book a maternity photoshoot in Hertfordshire?

Most maternity sessions happen between 28 and 34 weeks, when the bump is clearly showing and moving about is still comfortable. Get in touch at around 20 weeks so we can hold a date and choose the setting: your home, a park such as Cassiobury in Watford or Verulamium in St Albans, or the Northwood studio. The session price is given on request by phone or WhatsApp, and travel from Northwood is set out in your written quote.

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 new parents say

4.8 from 580+ Google reviews

Great service! Kaushik was able to capture some beautiful shots for my maternity baby and bump shoot. He was very helpful and guided me with the poses throughout the shoot. I love the pictures & I’m looking forward to having the final edits!

Özlem, Google review, 2026

We’re so glad we chose Kaushik as our photographer for maternity shoot —he was absolutely fantastic. On the day, he made us feel completely at ease, and the photos turned out superb. He was incredibly accommodating with all our requests and his attentiveness and personable nature were exactly what we hoped for in a photographer. Thank you, Kaushik!

Bhushan G., Google review, 2025

He was very professional, made us relaxed and got everyone to smile. The photos were beautiful especially the family portrait.

Oseojie U., Google review, 2022

Read all the reviews on Google

Timing

Planning a Hertfordshire maternity session around 28 to 34 weeks

Between about 28 and 34 weeks the shape of the bump is clear, yet most mothers can still walk a short path, kneel on a rug or stand for a few minutes without discomfort. Later sessions can still go ahead, but we keep them shorter and closer to home. Twins, a planned early delivery or a tiring pregnancy all pull the window earlier, so tell us your due date and anything your midwife has said, and we will plan around it.

In Hertfordshire the date also decides what the parks look like. A spring due date can bring the bluebells of late April and early May into a session in Whippendell Wood beside Cassiobury Park, or in Croxleyhall Woods at Croxley Green. Late spring is when the Chestnut Avenue at Chorleywood House Estate drops its pink blossom on the path. A midwinter due date usually points to a session at home or at the studio, where warmth and light are easier to control.

Mother-to-be in a blush gown holding a pink gladiolus, studio maternity portrait

Outdoors

Level paths and lakesides: Hertfordshire parks for a bump shoot

Choose somewhere with short, even paths and a bench within reach. Cassiobury Park in Watford covers over 190 acres between the A412 and the Grand Union Canal, with the River Gade running through it, so a session can stay near the water without a long walk. The Rickmansworth Aquadrome, 41 hectares around Batchworth and Bury Lakes, has held a Green Flag every year since 2009, and its lakeside paths suit a slow pace.

Further into the county, Verulamium Park gives St Albans 175 acres beside the city centre, with the Roman walls behind you. Rothamsted Park in Harpenden has a main avenue lined with mature limes and a rose garden. In the east, Hartham Common in Hertford lies within five minutes' walk of the town centre, and Stanborough Park in Welwyn Garden City has two lakes across 126 acres.

Woodland gives soft, even light under the trees, though the ground can be uneven. Oxhey Woods has a one-kilometre easy-access circular trail with sculptures made from local materials, and Sherrardspark Wood in Welwyn Garden City has way-marked paths and a small car park off Rectory Road. We walk at your pace, stop often and keep the car close in case the weather turns.

At home

A maternity session in your own Hertfordshire home

Staying in is often easier, especially later in pregnancy or in the colder months. Kaushik brings lighting and a backdrop and works beside your largest window, whether that is a flat near Watford Junction or a cottage on the edge of Royston. Your partner and older children can join for part of the session, and you can change outfits in your own room without packing a bag.

Home also means the nursery, if you have started it. A photograph of the cot, a folded first outfit or an older sibling's hand resting on the bump often means more than any park view. We keep the pace slow, with time to sit down between set-ups, and nothing is posed that you would not feel comfortable doing.

Expectant couple seated together on the studio floor, maternity portrait

The studio

Coming to Northwood Hills from south-west Hertfordshire

The studio at 21 Joel Street sits close to the county boundary. It is 2.3 miles from Carpenders Park, 3.6 from Bushey and Rickmansworth and 3.8 from Watford, and Northwood Hills station on the Metropolitan line is two minutes' walk away. For mothers in Three Rivers, Chorleywood and Rickmansworth stations are on the same line.

The studio suits flowing gowns, a plain backdrop and shaped light that follows the curve of the bump. It also takes the weather out of the plan, which matters when your window is only a few weeks long. Partners are welcome, and the same room can host your newborn session a few weeks after the birth.

Distance

From Oxhey to Royston: what the journey means for your shoot

Hertfordshire stretches a long way north and east of the studio. The south-west, from Oxhey out to Kings Langley at 7.9 miles, is close. Hemel Hempstead (10.6 miles), St Albans (10.9) and Hatfield (13.7) sit in the middle, while Hitchin is 24.6 miles away, Bishop's Stortford 30.7 and Royston 34.9. Kaushik comes to you anywhere in the county.

Travel from Northwood is quoted up front and set out in writing before you book, so you know the whole figure whatever your postcode. If you live in the far north or east, a home session can be kinder than a park, because it saves you a car journey late in pregnancy. For a Hertfordshire maternity session, ring or WhatsApp 07956 505383 and the price comes back with your quote.

Mother-to-be in a cream dress cradling her bump, studio maternity portrait

After the bump

Maternity first, then newborn and family sessions in the county

You can book the Hertfordshire newborn session at the same time as the maternity shoot, which keeps a place in the diary for the first fortnight after the birth. Newborn sessions run at home or at the studio, as explained on our baby photography page. Later in the first year, an outdoor family session rounds things off, and the Hertfordshire family photography guide lists parks across the county.

If you live near Watford or St Albans, the Watford and St Albans family pages describe local parks in more detail. For outfits and how a pregnancy shoot is put together, see the main maternity photoshoot page, and the Hertfordshire photographer hub covers every other service in the county.

Planning

Planning around Hertfordshire

01

Pick a window, not a day

Hold a date at around 30 weeks and keep a reserve date nearby, so one wet weekend in a Hertfordshire spring does not leave you short of time before the birth.

02

Check the path first

Cassiobury, Verulamium and the Aquadrome have long, level routes, while ancient woods such as Bishop's Wood near Rickmansworth are softer underfoot and slower going after rain.

03

Mind the grazing meadows

Cattle graze Chorleywood House Estate and Croxley Common Moor in the warmer months, so we plan a route that keeps the herd behind a fence rather than beside you.

04

Bring a warm layer

A cardigan or long coat to wear between set-ups keeps you comfortable on an open common, and it comes off just before each photograph.

05

Keep the studio in reserve

If the forecast turns, a park session can move indoors to Northwood, a short drive from Bushey and Watford, so the weeks before the birth are not lost.

Outdoor settings for a maternity shoot in Hertfordshire

These parks and open spaces come from council, trust and charity sources, with the details that count when you are pregnant: paths, size and setting.

  • Aberford Park: Aberford Park in Borehamwood has held a Green Flag Award for 17 years, and Hertsmere credits volunteers including the Borehamwood Four Parks Friends Group for helping maintain its award-winning parks. 1
  • Aldenham Country Park: Aldenham Country Park on Aldenham Road, Elstree (WD6 3BA), south of Radlett, has a farm trail, 100 Acre Wood and play areas, and asks that dogs stay on leads and keep out of play areas and signposted parts of the farm. 2
  • Leavesden Country Park: Leavesden Country Park, off College Road in Abbots Langley, covers more than 27 hectares with walking and cycling paths, wildlife areas, tennis courts, a children's play area and an outdoor gym, and dogs are welcome. 3
  • The Village Garden: The Village Garden, a public garden at the corner of Watford Road and Church Lane with iron entrance gates beside the churchyard, was saved from becoming a petrol station by public donations and passed to the Parish Council in 1961. 4
  • Shenley Park Trust: Shenley Park Trust was set up in 1992 as an independent charity to run a 45-acre rural park, and its walled garden, restored by the trust, once supplied most of the fruit and vegetables for the Shenley Hospital kitchens. 5

Sources, facts checked October 2026

  1. Green Flag Awards | Hertsmere Borough Council
  2. Plan your visit | Aldenham Country Park
  3. Leavesden Country Park | ParksHerts
  4. The Village Garden - Kings Langley Parish Council
  5. History - Shenley Park

Town by town

Maternity sessions across Hertfordshire

Each Hertfordshire town below is within reach for a maternity session at home or in a nearby park; the mileage is measured from the Northwood studio.

Good to know

Maternity photoshoots in Hertfordshire: questions answered

Yes. Kaushik travels from Northwood to homes across the county, from Carpenders Park at 2.3 miles to Baldock at 28.4. He brings lighting and a backdrop and uses the room with the most generous window. Travel appears in your written quote before you book, and the session price is given on request.

Look for flat paths and somewhere to sit. Cassiobury Park in Watford, the Rickmansworth Aquadrome, Verulamium Park in St Albans and Rothamsted Park in Harpenden all have long level routes. Barclay Park in Hoddesdon sits on a gentle hillside around an ornamental lake, and Fairlands Valley Park in Stevenage has four lakes across 120 acres.

Not necessarily, but a later session should be short and close to home, often indoors. If you are past 34 weeks, or your midwife has advised rest, a session in your living room or at the studio is gentler than a walk across a common. Tell us how you are feeling and we will shape the plan around it.

Of course. Most sessions include a few frames of you alone, a few with your partner, and some with older children if you have them. Children tend to enjoy the first part most, so we photograph them early and let them play while we finish the quieter portraits.

A fitted dress or top that shows the shape of the bump, plus one relaxed outfit, is plenty. Solid colours photograph better than busy prints. Outdoors in Hertfordshire, comfortable flat shoes for the walk between spots are sensible, and you can switch shoes for the photograph itself.

Session prices are given on request by phone or WhatsApp on 07956 505383, because the setting and the distance vary from one booking to the next. Your written quote lists the session and the travel from Northwood separately, so the full amount is clear before anything is booked.

Yes, and it helps. Booking both at once reserves a newborn slot for the first two weeks after the birth, and you only need to message us with the baby's arrival date to confirm it. Both sessions can be at home, at the studio, or one of each.

Behind the camera is Kaushik Bathia, established in Northwood since 2001, FBIPP and FMPA, with five European Kodak Gold Awards.

Maternity sessions

Ask about a Hertfordshire maternity date

Tell us your due date, your town and whether you would like a home, park or studio session. Kaushik will reply with dates and a written quote showing travel from Northwood.

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