Ask the church in writing
Email your vicar or priest about photography during the service and forward the reply, so the plan for the font and the aisle is settled well before the day.
Christening Photographer in Surrey
Christenings, baptisms, first communions and naming ceremonies in Surrey, photographed quietly in the church or at home, with the family groups and the meal that follows.
The short answer
Is there a christening photographer who covers Surrey?
Yes, for much of the north of the county. Staines-upon-Thames, Egham, Weybridge, Esher and Cobham sit inside the usual christening range of about 20 miles from Northwood. Guildford, Dorking, Reigate and Redhill, at 25 to 27 miles, are beyond it, so each date there is checked first by phone or WhatsApp. The service is photographed within the church's own guidance, followed by the family groups and the meal, and travel is set out in writing before you book.
Our usual session area is within about 20 miles of the studio. Further out in Surrey, sessions are by arrangement, with travel quoted in writing before you book.
We used Kaushik for my wife’s 50th and the service and quality of work was amazing. Really happy to recommend him.
…He took many photos of my daughter’s engagement party in a quite dimly lit pub attended by quite a large crowd. He made sure that he kept himself unobtrusively and made sure he included everyone who attended in the photos. All the photos were well focussed and both the formal groups and informal pictures were so natural looking and excellent quality. We had a hard time trying to choose from all of them.
I would HIGHLY recommend Northwood Hills Studios to anyone who wants to do family photos or special occasion photos.
Before the day
Ask your vicar or priest about photography first
Every church sets its own rules for photography during a service, and the person to ask is the vicar, priest or minister taking the christening. Some are happy for quiet pictures throughout, some prefer a fixed position at the back, and some ask for no photographs during the baptism itself, with time at the font afterwards instead. Ask early, pass the answer on, and the christening photography is planned within it.
Find out too whether your christening is a service of its own or part of the regular Sunday service. A christening inside the main service means a full church and a congregation who did not come for your family, so the photographs during it stay discreet and the family pictures happen once the church has emptied.
Surrey churches
From a cathedral on Stag Hill to a windmill on Reigate Heath
Surrey's churches vary more than people expect. Guildford Cathedral stands on Stag Hill, designed by Edward Maufe, built between 1936 and 1961 and listed Grade II* in 1981, a large and bright interior where distance from the font matters. St John's Church in Redhill was built in 1843 and has work by John Loughborough Pearson, a more intimate setting for a family gathered close around the baby.
On Reigate Heath, a post mill built around 1765 became a chapel of ease in 1880 and is thought to be the only windmill in England used as a church. In Leatherhead, Park Gardens are ornamental gardens in front of the parish church with wide views to the Fetcham Downs and Norbury Park, which gives you somewhere green for the groups straight after the service.
Whatever the building, the questions are the same: where the family will stand, where the godparents sit, and whether there is space outside for a group on a dry day. Every church named above is beyond the usual 20-mile christening range, so for Guildford, Redhill, Reigate or Leatherhead, check your date by phone or WhatsApp before anything else.
Other traditions
Baptisms, first communions, naming ceremonies and family blessings
Not every family marks a new baby with a christening. Adult and child baptisms, first communions and non-religious naming days are all photographed in the same quiet way, and so are blessings from other faiths. A Hindu naming ceremony at home, with the baby's name spoken for the first time in front of the family, or an aqiqah gathering for a new arrival, is photographed with the same care for what the family and any officiant are comfortable with.
For any ceremony at home, tell us which room it happens in and who leads it, and whether there are moments when the camera should rest. If it takes place at a temple or mosque, ask the people who run it what they allow, and the coverage follows their guidance.
Afterwards
Family groups and the meal after a Surrey christening
Once the service ends, the formal groups come first while everyone is still smart and the baby is still calm: parents, godparents, both sets of grandparents and the wider family. Send a short list of the groups you want beforehand, and choose one relative who knows everyone to gather people, so nobody waits long on the church path.
Then the party moves on, whether to a family home in Cobham, a restaurant in Esher or a hall near Woking. At the meal the photographs change pace: the cake, the speeches if there are any, great-grandparents holding the baby, cousins under the table. If the meal is a drive from the church, say so when you enquire so the coverage hours and travel can be planned around both places.
Paperwork and alternatives
Registering the birth, and a studio portrait instead of the service
A christening is separate from registering the birth, which happens first. In Surrey, birth appointments are taken at registration offices including the Staines office in the Library Hub in the Elmsleigh Centre, the Epsom Library Hub and the Reigate office, none of which hold ceremonies. Ask your vicar whether they need to see anything from that registration before the service.
If you would rather not have a photographer in church at all, a family portrait at the Northwood studio, with the baby in the christening outfit, is a calm alternative. The studio is warm, the session moves at the baby's pace and there is time for feeds. From north Surrey towns such as Egham or Weybridge, the studio is about 13 to 16 miles away.
Planning
Planning around Surrey
A list of family groups
Parents, godparents, grandparents, cousins: a short written list, and one relative to gather people, keeps the groups outside a Surrey church brisk.
Church to meal to home
A service in Guildford and a meal in Dorking or Reigate are both past the usual 20-mile christening range, so check the date first by phone or WhatsApp.
Leatherhead's Park Gardens
The ornamental gardens in front of Leatherhead parish church look out to the Fetcham Downs and Norbury Park, a handy green setting for groups.
Christening outfits in the studio
A studio portrait in the christening gown, at Northwood, is a gentle alternative for families who would rather keep the service camera-free.
Churches, landmarks and gathering places in Surrey
Surrey churches, gardens and landmarks that can shape a christening day, from the service to the family groups outside.
- Shah Jahan Mosque: The Shah Jahan Mosque on Oriental Road, built in 1889, is the first purpose-built mosque in the United Kingdom and a Grade I listed building. 1
- Camberley Obelisk: The Camberley Obelisk, on a hilltop in Camberley, is a Grade II listed square brick tower built by John Norris around 1765 to 1770, once about 100 feet tall but cut to about 30 feet after a fire in the early 1880s. 2
- Staines Bridge: Staines Bridge is a Grade II listed granite bridge by George Rennie, modelled on Waterloo Bridge, which William IV opened in April 1832 and which now carries the A308 and the Thames Path. 3
Sources, facts checked October 2026
Town by town
Christenings across Surrey, town by town
Surrey towns with their distance from the Northwood studio: those within about 20 miles sit in the usual christening range, and for the rest each date is checked first.
- Staines-upon-Thames (12 miles from the studio)
- Egham (13 miles from the studio)
- Weybridge (16 miles from the studio)
- Esher (16 miles from the studio)
- Cobham (19 miles from the studio)
- Epsom (20 miles from the studio)
- Woking (20 miles from the studio)
- Leatherhead (21 miles from the studio)
- Camberley (23 miles from the studio)
- Guildford (25 miles from the studio)
- Dorking (26 miles from the studio)
- Reigate (27 miles from the studio)
- Redhill (27 miles from the studio)
Good to know
Christening photography in Surrey: questions answered
Where the church allows it. The vicar, priest or minister sets the rules, so ask them first. Kaushik works quietly within whatever they permit, and if photography during the baptism is not allowed, time at the font afterwards can give the same pictures.
Guildford is about 25 miles from Northwood, beyond the usual 20-mile christening range, so a cathedral christening is checked first by phone or WhatsApp. If the date works, the coverage follows the cathedral's own guidance on photography during services, so ask the clergy there what is allowed.
Yes. Non-religious naming days, first communions, Hindu naming ceremonies and aqiqah gatherings are all photographed. Tell us where it takes place, who leads it and any moments when photography should pause.
Yes, if you book coverage that runs on to it. Whether the party moves from church to a home, a restaurant or a hall, the groups, the cake and the relaxed moments at the table are part of the gallery.
Churches within about 20 miles of Northwood, which takes in Staines-upon-Thames, Egham, Weybridge, Esher, Cobham and Epsom, are the usual area. Leatherhead, Guildford, Dorking, Reigate and Redhill lie beyond it, so each date there is checked first by phone or WhatsApp. Wherever the church is, travel from Northwood is written into the quote you see before you book.
Ring or WhatsApp 07956 505383 for a christening price. It depends on the length of coverage and what you would like to take home, and travel is shown separately in the written quote.
Yes. A family portrait at the Northwood studio, with the baby in the christening outfit, is a calm alternative to a photographer in church, and it can be booked for a day before or after the service.
Behind the camera is Kaushik Bathia, established in Northwood since 2001, FBIPP and FMPA, with five European Kodak Gold Awards.
Christenings in Surrey
Planning a christening or naming day?
Tell us the date, the church or venue in Surrey, where the meal will be and roughly how many guests, and we will reply with a written quote that includes travel from Northwood.
More in Surrey
- Photography across Surrey
- Weddings in Surrey
- Asian weddings in Surrey
- Hindu weddings in Surrey
- Sikh weddings in Surrey
- Muslim weddings in Surrey
- Family photography in Surrey
- Newborn photography in Surrey
- Maternity photoshoots in Surrey
- Engagement and couples shoots in Surrey
- Headshots in Surrey
- Portraits in Surrey
- Event photography in Surrey
- Pet photography in Surrey
- Commercial photography in Surrey
- Christmas photoshoots in Surrey
- Cake smash photoshoots in Surrey
- Graduation photography in Surrey
- Christening Photography
Other counties
- Christening photography in Hertfordshire
- Christening photography in Buckinghamshire
- Christening photography in Berkshire
- Christening photography in Essex
- Christening photography in Bedfordshire
- Christening photography in Kent
- Christening photography in Oxfordshire
- Christening photography in North West London
- Christening photography in West London
- Christening photography in North London
- Christening photography in East London
- Christening photography in South London
- Christening photography in Central London