Graduation days are busy
If you want a portrait near Royal Holloway's Founder's Building, check the university's rules first; a session in the surrounding parkland is a calm fallback.
Portrait Photographer in Surrey
Portraits for individuals, graduates, creatives and business owners, photographed against a Surrey landmark, in a park, at home or in the Northwood studio. Kaushik Bathia has been making portraits since 2001.
The short answer
Where can I have a portrait photoshoot in Surrey?
A portrait session can be at a Surrey landmark, in a park, at your home or at the Northwood studio. Good settings include Staines Bridge, the gardens around Guildford Castle, Reigate Castle's grounds, the Epsom Clock Tower and the canal at Brookwood Country Park near Woking. Kaushik will suggest a place that suits the purpose of the pictures. Portrait sessions are priced on request, and travel to your chosen Surrey setting is shown in a written quote.
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 were a little nervous as it was our first photo shoot but Kaushik was very friendly and quickly had our nerves calmed with his charming personality. A great all round experience and we have some fab professional photos that we are very happy with. Highly recommended, 5 Stars :)
Kaushik was a great help and took some great photos for my partner and I. I would highly recommend for all your photography needs.
My daughter and her fiancé went to Kaushik for their photos, and we had a wonderful experience. He is incredibly friendly, patient, and helpful. He really took his time with them and captured beautiful, professional-quality photos. We highly recommend Kaushik Photography!
What a portrait is for
Starting with how the pictures will be used
A portrait session begins with a question: where will the pictures live? A personal-branding set for a website needs space for text and a few different crops; a graduation portrait wants a sense of place; a portrait for a family wall can be quieter and closer. Tell Kaushik the purpose, and the location, clothing and lighting follow from it.
Sessions are usually an hour, enough for two or three settings and a change of top. You see frames on the camera as you go, which helps if you are not used to being photographed.
Town landmarks
Castles, clock towers and old town halls across Surrey
Surrey's towns have strong architectural backdrops within a short walk of their centres. Guildford Castle is thought to have been built soon after 1066, and its grounds have been public gardens since 1888, with floral displays and a life-size statue of Alice Through the Looking Glass. Reigate Castle, most likely built by William de Warenne, has a gatehouse folly added around 1777.
In Epsom, the clock tower built in 1847 to 1848 dominates the High Street. Esher has a fountain given by Queen Victoria and a Diamond Jubilee column topped by a statue of Britannia. In Redhill, St John's Church dates from 1843 and has work by John Loughborough Pearson. Each gives a different mood, from formal to playful.
Graduates and personal branding
Portraits for graduates, founders and freelancers
Royal Holloway's Grade I listed Victorian Founder's Building, with its quadrangles, stands in 135 acres of parkland in Egham, and it is a natural place for graduates of the university to want a picture. Campus access is the university's to set, so check what is allowed on your graduation day before planning a shoot there; the parkland around the town is an easy alternative.
For personal branding, Surrey's settings range from Guildford's granite-paved High Street to Woking's town centre, where a 7-metre Martian tripod sculpture by Michael Condron has stood in Crown Square since 1998, a nod to H. G. Wells. A coach, author or consultant might combine a street setting with a few frames at home or in a café to show how they work.
Open air
Heath, canal and riverside for a natural portrait
For a softer look, open space works well. Horsell Common near Woking is 355 hectares, owned and managed by the Horsell Common Preservation Society, and holds the sandpit where H. G. Wells set the first Martian landing. Brookwood Country Park, south of Knaphill, sits on the north bank of the Basingstoke Canal and is managed by Woking Borough Council.
Closer to the Thames, the Lammas Recreation Ground at Staines has river frontage and a large open field. In the south, Reigate Heath and Priory Park both lie a short walk from Reigate town centre, so a portrait there can move from heather to formal garden in one session.
Studio and travel
Choosing between a Surrey location and the Northwood studio
The Northwood studio at 21 Joel Street gives controlled light, a plain backdrop and no weather to worry about. It suits headshot-style portraits, older relatives who would rather sit than walk, and anyone who wants a classic, clean look.
For a Surrey location, Kaushik travels from Northwood: about 12 miles to Staines-upon-Thames, 20 to Woking, 25 to Guildford and 27 to Reigate. The travel for a portrait on location is quoted and written down before anything is booked. For business-focused portraits, see also headshots in Surrey.
Planning
Planning around Surrey
Two settings per hour
Pick two nearby spots, such as Guildford Castle's gardens and the High Street, rather than trying to cover the whole county in one session.
Bring a change
A second top or jacket doubles the use of the pictures, especially for personal-branding sets that need variety.
Early morning in towns
Town centres like Epsom and Guildford are quieter early on, so the background stays clear of shoppers and traffic.
Portrait backdrops in Surrey
These Surrey landmarks and open spaces make strong portrait backdrops. Check access and any rules for each one before you choose.
- Frimley Lodge Park: Surrey Heath Borough Council's Frimley Lodge Park is a 24-hectare park beside the Basingstoke Canal with a miniature railway, a community garden, play areas and a café. 1
- Guildford Castle gardens: The grounds of Guildford Castle, sold to the town in 1885, opened as public gardens in 1888 for Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee and are known for floral displays around the 11th-century keep, along with a life-size statue of Alice Through the Looking Glass. 2
- Box Hill and the Salomons Memorial: Box Hill's most popular viewpoint is the Salomons Memorial, 172 m up and overlooking Dorking, and about half of the hill's 11 square kilometres belongs to the National Trust. 3
- Reigate Heath: Reigate Heath is a Site of Special Scientific Interest with heather and acid grassland and Bronze Age burial mounds that are Scheduled Ancient Monuments. 4
- Earlswood Common: Earlswood Common, a Local Nature Reserve between Redhill and Reigate, has two large lakes, the Lower Lake dating from at least 1363, with dogs kept on leads around the lakes and in the car park but allowed off the lead elsewhere. 5
Sources, facts checked October 2026
Town by town
Portrait sessions across Surrey
The table below shows how far each Surrey town is from the Northwood studio, so you can see where your portrait session would be.
- 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
Portraits in Surrey: questions answered
Individual portraits, graduation portraits, personal-branding sets for websites and social media, portraits for creatives and performers, and portraits of older relatives. Each session is planned around how the pictures will be used.
Usually about an hour, which allows for two or three settings and a change of clothes. Longer sessions can be arranged for personal-branding work that needs more variety.
Yes. A home session works well for relaxed portraits, especially for older relatives or anyone who feels more comfortable in familiar surroundings. Kaushik brings lights if the rooms are dark.
Public streets and parks are generally fine for a small portrait session, but some places have their own rules. Painshill at Cobham, for example, asks for a licence at least 7 days ahead. Kaushik will flag any rules for the place you choose.
Plain, solid colours that you feel good in. Avoid busy patterns and big logos. For personal branding, wear what you would wear to meet a client, and bring one alternative.
Ask for a portrait price by phone or WhatsApp on 07956 505383. The written quote includes the session and the travel from Northwood to your Surrey location.
Portraits in Surrey
Plan your portrait session
Tell us what the portraits are for and where you are in Surrey, and Kaushik will suggest a setting, a time of day and a written quote with travel.
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
- Event photography in Surrey
- Pet photography in Surrey
- Commercial photography in Surrey
- Christmas photoshoots in Surrey
- Cake smash photoshoots in Surrey
- Christening photography in Surrey
- Graduation photography in Surrey
- Portraits
Other counties
- Portraits in Hertfordshire
- Portraits in Buckinghamshire
- Portraits in Berkshire
- Portraits in Essex
- Portraits in Bedfordshire
- Portraits in Kent
- Portraits in Oxfordshire
- Portraits in North West London
- Portraits in West London
- Portraits in North London
- Portraits in East London
- Portraits in South London
- Portraits in Central London