South Park Gardens, Wimbledon
A 2.4-hectare triangular Victorian garden in a Beaux-Arts style just off Wimbledon Broadway, listed Grade II. Its formal paths give a portrait structure within a short walk of the station.
Portrait Photographer in South London
Individual portraits, personal-branding sessions and graduate portraits set against the old bridges, gardens and streets south of the Thames. Kaushik meets you at the place you choose and guides every frame.
The short answer
Where can I have a portrait session in South London?
Kaushik Bathia photographs portraits on location across South London, about 12 to 20 miles from Northwood. Settings range from Terrace Gardens on Richmond Hill and Kingston's Clattern Bridge to Red Cross Garden in Borough, Windrush Square in Brixton and Cutty Sark Gardens in Greenwich. Sessions in the Royal Parks may need a permit from the park office. Travel from Northwood is set out in your written quote, and session prices are given on request by phone or WhatsApp.
Had such an amazing experience with Kaushik Bathia Photography 📸 The whole shoot felt super fun and comfortable, and the pictures turned out better than I could have imagined! Highly recommend if you want natural vibes and stunning shots.
An amazing experience from start to finish. The photographer was professional, friendly, and made us feel completely at ease. The photos perfectly captured genuine moments between us and turned out even better than we expected. Highly recommend for couples looking for high-quality photography.
I required some portrait shots to be taken. Mr Bhatia, did an amazing job, Very friendly and extremely professional and knowledgeable.I would highly recommend.
The protected view
Richmond Hill, Terrace Gardens and Marble Hill
The view from Richmond Hill is the only view in England protected by an Act of Parliament, the Richmond, Petersham and Ham Open Spaces Act of 1902, and Turner and Reynolds both painted it. For a portrait it gives a long, soft background of river and trees with the sitter close to the camera. Below it, Terrace Gardens is a formal garden with a rose garden, rockery, a thatched summer house and a modern Aphrodite statue, all of which make quieter backdrops if the hilltop is busy.
Across the river in Twickenham, Marble Hill is a Palladian villa built for Henrietta Howard in more than 60 acres of riverside parkland. Its pale facade and restored gardens suit a classical, unhurried look. Pembroke Lodge, the Georgian mansion inside Richmond Park, looks out over the Thames Valley; note that portraits in the Royal Parks, including Richmond and Bushy Parks, need a permit from the park office covering up to ten people for one hour. The Richmond upon Thames portrait page goes further into the borough.
Medieval Kingston
Kingston's Old Town, two bridges and a row of red phone boxes
Kingston keeps the best-preserved medieval street pattern in outer London, inside an Old Town Conservation Area of 13.4 hectares around All Saints Church and the Market Place. The Clattern Bridge over the Hogsmill, built around 1175, is one of the oldest intact bridges in England and still carries traffic. Kingston Bridge, Edward Lapidge's five-arch Portland stone bridge of 1828, links the town to Hampton Wick and Bushy Park.
For a portrait with more humour, Out of Order is David Mach's 1988 sculpture of twelve disused red telephone boxes tipped against each other like dominoes. Along the river, the Riverside North Conservation Area runs past Canbury Gardens and the 1893 Albany Boathouse. A personal-branding session can move from the boxes to the water in a few minutes on foot, giving a founder two quite different sets for a website. More is on the Kingston portrait page.
Borough and Bankside
Octavia Hill's garden, a rose window and a galleried inn
Southwark is the oldest part of South London, and Borough's small streets show it. Red Cross Garden was built with its neighbouring cottages in 1886 to designs by Octavia Hill and reopened by the Princess Royal in 2006 after its Victorian layout was restored. On Clink Street, the ruined wall of Winchester Palace's Great Hall keeps a rose window in its west gable and can be seen from the pavement.
The George Inn on Borough High Street is a Grade I listed coaching inn with two tiers of timber galleries, and St George the Martyr nearby has an 1897 ceiling of cherubs breaking through a clouded sky. These are busy public streets, so a weekday morning portrait in Borough is calmer than a Saturday afternoon. Southwark Cathedral, Grade I listed, sits at the end of the same walk; ask the cathedral about photography before planning frames inside.
Brixton, Stockwell and Streatham
Windrush Square, Van Gogh Walk and The Rookery
Lambeth offers settings with a strong local story. Windrush Square in central Brixton holds the African and Caribbean War Memorial and the Cherry Groce Memorial Pavilion by Sir David Adjaye, beside the Black Cultural Archives. In Stockwell, Van Gogh Walk is a resident-led street turned community space, with planting inspired by the painter and quotes from his letters carved into the planters.
Further south, The Rookery beside Streatham Common is a Grade II listed garden with a cascade of ornamental ponds, an Old English Garden and a White Garden. At Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, the Kennington Lane entrance is framed by two monumental columns topped by figures in 17th-century dress. Each of these gives a portrait a sense of place that a plain backdrop cannot, which matters most for personal-branding images that need to say where you work. See the Lambeth portrait page for more.
The south-east edge
Greenwich foot tunnel, Maryon Park and Sydenham Wells
Greenwich and Lewisham sit at about 19 to 20 miles from Northwood, the far end of the area. In Greenwich, the Grade II listed foot tunnel of 1902 runs 370 metres under the Thames from beside the Cutty Sark, and Cutty Sark Gardens on the Thames Path includes Greenwich Pier, where riverboats leave for Westminster. Maryon Park in Charlton, a hilly woodland over the river, was a filming location for Antonioni's Blow-Up in 1966.
In Lewisham, Sydenham Wells Park has water features, formal gardens, mature trees and a sensory garden, and Forster Memorial Park has a central grassland ringed by ancient woodland. Deptford High Street's conservation area holds 18th-century buildings including the Grade I St Paul's church. Travel from Northwood to the south-east is quoted up front and set out in writing before you book. The Greenwich and Lewisham portrait pages have more local detail.
The sitting
How a location portrait session runs
Every session starts with a short talk about what the pictures are for: a website, a book jacket, a birthday, a graduation, or simply a portrait you have never had. Kaushik guides posing and expression throughout, allows time for a change of outfit and more than one set-up, and keeps the pace relaxed. Afterwards you choose favourites from a private online gallery, and each chosen portrait gets a natural retouch for web and print.
If the weather or the brief points indoors, the session can run at the Northwood studio instead, with controlled light and proper backdrops. Prints, frames, canvases and albums can be ordered afterwards and are priced separately. The national portrait page sets out the session types, and graduates can read the South London graduation page.
Planning
Planning around South London
Holland Garden, West Wimbledon
Ornamental gardens and woodland given to the people of Merton by Lady Holland in 1928. The mix of open beds and trees allows both bright and shaded frames in one visit.
Surbiton station
Rebuilt in Art Deco style in 1937 by James Robb Scott and listed Grade II. Its clean lines suit a commuter-themed branding portrait for someone who works in town.
Sutton High Street
Pedestrianised for most of its length, with a conservation area from the station to Trinity Square, and London's first Heritage Action Zone in 2017. Early mornings are quietest.
Christchurch Gardens, Battersea
Laid out in 1885 as an outdoors drawing room, this memorial rose garden has a war memorial shelter listed Grade II in 2015. Roses peak in early summer.
Portrait backdrops in South London
Landmarks and shoot locations south of the river, each with its source, that work well as portrait settings.
- Greenwich Market and Croom's Hill: The Grade II listed buildings around Greenwich Market date from 1827 to 1833, and up the hill Croom's Hill is lined with houses built from the 17th century onwards, many of them Grade II listed. 1
- Forster Memorial Park: Forster Memorial Park off Whitefoot Lane has a central grassland ringed by ancient woodland and was given in 1919 by Lord Forster as a memorial to his two sons killed in the First World War. 2
- Marble Hill: Marble Hill in Twickenham is a Palladian villa built for Henrietta Howard, set in more than 60 acres of riverside parkland with restored gardens, and dogs are welcome in the grounds. 3
- Maryon Park: Maryon Park in Charlton, a former quarry on the Maryon Wilson estate, is a hilly Green Flag woodland overlooking the Thames and was a filming location for Michelangelo Antonioni's 1966 film Blow-Up. 4
- Photography permits in the Royal Parks: Wedding, civil partnership and lifestyle photography such as family portraits in the Royal Parks, including Richmond and Bushy Parks, needs a permit from the park office, each covering up to ten people for one hour. 5
Sources, facts checked October 2026
Town by town
Portrait sessions across South London
South London boroughs with their own portrait pages, and how far each is from Northwood; open one for its gardens, streets and landmarks.
- 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
Portraits in South London: questions answered
Lifestyle photography such as portraits in the Royal Parks, including Richmond, Bushy and Greenwich Parks, needs a permit from the park office, each covering up to ten people for one hour. Check the current terms with the park before fixing a date, or choose a council garden such as Terrace Gardens or Holland Garden instead.
Yes, the view from the hill is public. Because the view is protected by an Act of 1902 and is popular with visitors, an early morning session is quieter, and Terrace Gardens just below gives a second setting if the hilltop is crowded.
It packs a lot into a short walk: the Clattern Bridge of about 1175, the Old Town around All Saints Church, the Out of Order phone boxes and the riverside at Canbury Gardens. That gives a founder several looks for a website in one session.
That depends on each church. Ask the cathedral or the parish office about photography inside, and when, before you plan the session. The streets and gardens around both, such as Clink Street and St Alfege Park, are public and need no special arrangement.
The area runs from Richmond upon Thames at about 12 miles from Northwood to Lewisham at about 20. Every borough in this guide is within about 20 miles. Travel is quoted in writing before you book, and the session price is given on request by phone or WhatsApp.
Pick colours that stand apart from brick and stone: deep blues, greens, cream or rust work well against the George Inn's timber or the brick around Windrush Square. Avoid large logos. Bring a second layer, since the riverside at Bankside can be breezy.
Yes. Cutty Sark Gardens, the riverside at Greenwich Pier and St Alfege Church outside are all public settings. Bring the gown if you still have it. The national graduation page explains how the session works.
Plan a portrait
Want a portrait somewhere that means something?
Tell us the setting you have in mind in South London, what the pictures are for, and roughly when; we will reply with dates and a written quote that includes travel. The South London hub lists every service here.
More in South London
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- Family photography in South London
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- Christening photography in South London
- Graduation photography in South London
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