Royal Parks permit
Richmond, Bushy and Greenwich Parks need a lifestyle photography permit for family portraits, each covering up to ten people for one hour. Larger family groups may suit a council park instead.
Family Photographer in South London
Relaxed family sessions on the commons, in the parks and at home, from Richmond and Kingston in the south-west to Greenwich and Lewisham in the south-east. Kaushik comes to you.
The short answer
Is there a family photographer who covers South London?
Yes. Kaushik Bathia photographs families across South London at home, in the garden or in a park near you, from Richmond upon Thames about 12 miles from Northwood to Lewisham at about 19.8. A family session usually lasts about an hour and is led by the children's mood. Prices are given on request by phone or WhatsApp on 07956 505383, and travel from Northwood is set out in your written quote before you book.
We have been to Kaushik’s studio over many years for photos for passport renewals. He is very professional and has always taken the best pictures. We booked a family session recently and he did an amazing job and put us at ease for the portrait shots. Beautiful and artistic photos. We are very pleased with them. We would highly recommend his services.
Had a wonderful experience at Kaushik Bathia photography. He was really patient with my kids , encouraging them to smile while always looking for the best angle to make the photos great.
Kaushik is an amazing guy, and took lovely family photos when requested. I would definitely recommend him!
Open ground
Tooting, Clapham and Wandsworth commons for a family shoot
South London has something the suburbs north of the river mostly lack: big medieval commons with extra legal protection. The Tooting Commons are two of them, Tooting Bec Common at nearly 152 acres and Tooting Graveney Common at 66, lying between Balham, Streatham and Tooting. Wandsworth Council describes them as notable for their many large oak trees and historic avenues, and an avenue is one of the easiest places to walk a family towards the camera.
Clapham Common is a Metropolitan Common of more than 85 hectares, recorded in the Domesday Book, with two playgrounds, a paddling pool, a skatepark, three ponds and a Victorian bandstand. Wandsworth Common adds woods, lakes and heath. On ground this size we pick a corner before the day, so the session starts with the children playing rather than everyone hunting for a spot. Read more on the Wandsworth family page and the Lambeth family page.
Royal Parks
Richmond Park, Bushy Park and Greenwich Park: book the permit first
Three of the best-known green spaces in South London are Royal Parks, and they have their own rule for photographers. Family portraits and other lifestyle photography in Richmond, Bushy and Greenwich Parks need a permit from the park office, and each permit covers up to ten people for one hour. If grandparents, aunts and cousins are coming, count heads early, because a big group may need a different plan.
The reward is worth the paperwork. Richmond Park covers more than 5,000 acres, its red and fallow deer have roamed there since 1637, and the Royal Parks asks for dogs on short leads there all year. Bushy Park, beside Hampton Court Palace, has Wren's Diana Fountain and a playground with a sandpit and climbing boulders. Greenwich Park was laid out with tree avenues to André Le Nôtre's plan in the 1660s and looks out over the London skyline.
Ages and stages
Playgrounds and paddling for toddlers from Garratt Park to Maryon Wilson
A two-year-old gives you about ten good minutes before needing something to do, so the park matters as much as the light. Garratt Park beside the River Wandle has a playground with its own shrub maze. Ladywell Fields in Lewisham has a diverted river in its northern field where paddling is popular in summer. Maryon Wilson Park in Charlton has an animal park with goats, pigs and a deer enclosure, which buys real attention from a toddler.
Older children are easier on bigger ground, where they can race, climb and show off. Teenagers usually relax once the session stops looking like a school photo, so we walk and talk first. Grandparents get a bench and the first group picture, done before anyone tires. The aim at every age is the same: pictures that look like your family on a good afternoon, which is the whole idea of our family photography.
At your door
A family session at home in Sutton, Merton or Sydenham
Plenty of families would rather not move a baby, a toddler and a grandparent across town for an hour of pictures. A session at home works well: breakfast at the kitchen table, a pile-on on the bed, the garden if the weather holds. Homes in Sutton and Carshalton, around 19 miles from Northwood, are as straightforward as a flat in Battersea, about 14 miles out. Kaushik brings the camera to you.
Every South London address here sits between about 12 and 20 miles from Northwood, so travel from Northwood is quoted up front and set out in writing before you book. If you would rather make a day of it, the Northwood studio on Joel Street is an option too, two minutes from Northwood Hills station. For a session that mixes home and park, Beddington Park in Wallington and Morden Hall Park in Merton are good second stops. See the Sutton and Merton pages.
The year
Cannizaro azaleas, Brockwell's walled garden and an autumn on the oaks
Spring in South London gives you flowering shrubs: Cannizaro Park on the edge of Wimbledon Common is planted with rhododendron, azalea and camellia around Cannizaro House. Brockwell Park has a walled Old English flower garden, meadows and ancient oaks, so it carries a family session from late spring into autumn. Summer evenings suit the riverside, and Canbury Gardens in Kingston has a bandstand and playground beside the Thames.
Autumn suits family photographs for the colour, and for anyone planning Christmas cards. The oaks on Tooting Common and the woodland at Beckenham Place Park, Lewisham's largest green space at 98 hectares, turn well. For clothes, pick two or three colours that sit together and avoid big logos. Layers matter more than outfits with small children in October.
Planning
Planning around South London
Commons with avenues
Tooting Bec Common's oaks and historic avenues give a natural line to walk a family down, with playgrounds nearby for the break in the middle.
Something for toddlers
Maryon Wilson Park's animals, Garratt Park's shrub maze and the Bushy Park sandpit keep a two-year-old busy between pictures.
Home first, park second
Start indoors while everyone is fresh, then walk to the nearest park for running and climbing. One session, two very different sets of pictures.
Travel in writing
From Richmond at 12 miles to Lewisham at about 19.8, travel from Northwood is set out in your written quote before you book.
Parks and open spaces for a family shoot in South London
Parks, commons and open spaces across South London that suit a family session, each with a source you can check before you choose.
- Richmond Park: Richmond Park covers more than 5,000 acres, has 600-strong herds of red and fallow deer that have roamed there since 1637, is a National Nature Reserve, and has a view to St Paul's Cathedral from King Henry's Mound. 1
- Battersea Park: Battersea Park is a 200-acre Victorian park, built between 1854 and 1870, with a riverside promenade, a large lake and many notable trees. 2
- Canbury Gardens: Canbury Gardens on Lower Ham Road (KT2 5AU) is a Green Flag award-winning park with a bandstand, tennis courts, a playground and a community pavilion with a café. 3
- Brockwell Park: Brockwell Park is a hilly park with ponds, ancient oaks, a walled Old English flower garden, meadows and the historic Brockwell Hall, and it opened to the public in 1892. 4
- Potters Fields Park: Potters Fields Park lies on the south bank of the Thames between City Hall and Tower Bridge, and it reopened in April 2007 after a major refurbishment. 5
Sources, facts checked October 2026
Town by town
Family photography around South London
These are the South London towns and boroughs on our list, each with its distance from Northwood and a link to its own family page where there is one.
- Richmond upon Thames (12 miles from the studio)
- Wandsworth (14 miles from the studio)
- Kingston upon Thames (14 miles from the studio)
- Lambeth (15 miles from the studio)
- Southwark (15 miles from the studio)
- New Malden (15 miles from the studio)
- Tooting (16 miles from the studio)
- Merton (16 miles from the studio)
- Sutton (19 miles from the studio)
- Greenwich (19 miles from the studio)
- Lewisham (20 miles from the studio)
Good to know
Family photography in South London: questions answered
Yes. Family portraits and other lifestyle photography in the Royal Parks, which include Richmond, Bushy and Greenwich Parks, need a permit from the park office, and a single permit stretches to ten people for an hour. Council parks such as Brockwell Park or Morden Hall Park are an alternative for larger groups, and we can talk through the options when we plan.
Look for a playground or something to watch. Garratt Park by the Wandle has a shrub maze, Ladywell Fields has river paddling in summer, Maryon Wilson Park in Charlton has an animal park, and the Bushy Park playground near the Diana Fountain has a large sandpit and a dry river feature for children up to 12.
Yes. Kaushik comes to your home, and the session moves round the house and garden at the children's pace. It can finish with a short walk to a nearby open space, such as Wimbledon Common, Wimbledon Park or one of the Tooting Commons, if everyone is still up for it.
The towns covered here run from about 12 miles (Richmond upon Thames) to about 19.8 miles (Lewisham). Wandsworth is about 13.7, Kingston 14, Lambeth 14.7, Merton 16.1 and Sutton 19.1. Whichever of them you live in, the travel cost is quoted up front in writing before you book a family session.
Usually about an hour. That leaves time to warm up, play and get the group pictures done before small children run out of patience. A larger group with grandparents and cousins can take a little longer, mainly because the groupings need organising.
Ring or WhatsApp 07956 505383 for family session prices. They depend on the session, the location and the prints or album you choose, and the travel element is shown separately in your written quote.
Yes, the dog is welcome in the frame. Wandsworth Common has separate dog control maps for its SW11 and SW18 sides, so check the map for the part you plan to use. In Richmond Park the Royal Parks asks for dogs on short leads all year to protect the wildlife.
Family sessions in South London
Plan a family photoshoot on your common, in your park or at home
Tell us who is in the picture, the ages of the children and where you live, from Kingston to Greenwich. Kaushik will suggest a place and a time of day that suits them, and the quote sets out travel from Northwood in writing.
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Other counties
- Family photography in Hertfordshire
- Family photography in Buckinghamshire
- Family photography in Berkshire
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- Family photography in Essex
- Family photography in Bedfordshire
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