Yana Skakun
Yana Skakun
Journal
Tips, guides, venue spotlights and behind-the-scenes stories from my photography sessions across England.

London's parks offer exceptional outdoor wedding settings, from Richmond to Regent's Park. This guide covers permissions, logistics, photography and what to expect.
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Loch Lomond is Scotland's most accessible Highland landscape — 30 minutes north of Glasgow by train, yet surrounded by rolling hills, wooded islands, and the reflective silver water of Scotland's largest loch.
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A retirement portrait is one of the most meaningful photographs a person can have made. This guide covers formal solo portraits, couple images, retirement party photography, and how to look elegant at any age.
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Gretna Green is the most famous elopement destination in the world. For over 250 years, couples have crossed the Scottish border to marry at Gretna — the traditions from 1753 continues with thousands of weddings per year.
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Beyond Ibiza's nightlife reputation lies a very different island: whitewashed finca farmhouses, a UNESCO-listed medieval citadel, ancient Phoenician salt pans, and some of the most dramatic cliff sunsets in the Mediterranean.
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Coordinating clothing for a family reunion photograph means managing 15–50 people across multiple generations. The secret is a palette, not a colour — a short brief, not matching outfits.
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Barcelona is one of Europe's most architecturally rich cities for wedding and engagement photography — Gaudí's extraordinary Modernisme buildings alongside Gothic Quarter stone alleyways and the open Mediterranean waterfront.
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A photo book is one of the best things you can do with your family photographs — and one of the most procrastinated. Here's how to actually get it done, beautifully.
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Split is one of the most extraordinary city photography locations in Europe — a living city built inside a Roman emperor's retirement palace. Diocletian's Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is not a museum but a living neighbourhood.
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Teenage portrait sessions have a unique challenge: clothing must be genuinely the teenager's own or the camera records every moment of discomfort. A guide for parents and teenagers alike.
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A shot list is the difference between a session that covers everything you need and one that finishes with half your content missing. Here's how to build one properly.
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Hvar is Croatia's most glamorous island — lavender fields, Renaissance architecture, dramatic hill fortresses, and some of the clearest turquoise water in the Adriatic.
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Welcome to the photography blog by Yana Skakun — a professional photographer based in Cambridge, England. This journal covers everything from practical wedding planning guides and engagement session advice to family photoshoot tips, newborn photography guides, portrait session prep, and venue spotlights across Cambridgeshire, London, and East England.
Whether you're a couple planning your wedding, a family getting ready for a seasonal portrait session, or a professional preparing for a headshot shoot — you'll find honest, experience-based advice here. Every article is written from real sessions and years of capturing life's most meaningful moments across England.