Yana Skakun
Yana Skakun
Cumbria & the Lake District
Natural, documentary family photography in Cumbria — the Lake District's lake shores and fell margins, Ullswater, Wastwater, Coniston, and the quiet valleys of the North Pennines and the Solway Coast.
Cumbria — the Lake District National Park at its heart, the North Pennines AONB to the east, the Solway Coast's mud flats and salt marshes in the north, and the limestone country of the Arnside and Silverdale AONB at its southern edge — provides the most varied landscape backdrop for family photography in the north of England.
I photograph Cumbrian family sessions in a natural and documentary style — the priority is authentic images of your family in a landscape that means something to them, not posed group shots. The Lake District in particular rewards a candid approach: children running along lake shores, families exploring the shallows of Windermere, and the golden light over the fells at the end of the day produce images of genuine emotional quality.
I cover all of Cumbria — Windermere, Ambleside, Grasmere, Coniston, Ullswater, Keswick, Wasdale, Eskdale, Cartmel, Penrith, Carlisle, and the Solway Coast.
Windermere — England's largest natural lake at 10.5 miles — has the most accessible shores in the Lake District. The wooded eastern shore from Bowness to Ferry House, the Claife Heights viewpoint across the lake, the Ambleside stepping stones at Rydal, and the long shore at Wray Castle (National Trust) all provide outstanding family portrait settings with water and fell backdrop in one frame.
Ullswater — the 'most beautiful lake in England' according to Wordsworth — has a quieter, less-visited character than Windermere paired with arguably finer scenery: the serpentine lake, the Helvellyn range, and Place Fell rising directly above the eastern shore. The steamer pier at Glenridding, the shore at Howtown, the Aira Force waterfall (where the daffodil inspiration is said to have come for Wordsworth), and the quiet meadows at Patterdale are the key family locations.
Coniston Water — the quiet south-western lake, narrower and more intimate than Windermere, and setting of Swallows and Amazons — is one of Cumbria's finest lake shores for families with children. The beach and jetty at the Coniston Boating Centre, the woods at Brantwood (John Ruskin's house), and the open southern shore looking north to the Old Man of Coniston provide varied family portrait conditions.
Derwentwater — Keswick's lake, ringed by Catbells, Maiden Moor, and the northern fells — provides one of the Lake District's most iconic views. The lakeside path at Friar's Crag (National Trust, one of Ruskin's 'first things remembered'), the wooded Brandlehow shore, and the launch jetty views with the lake islands provide family portrait settings specific to northern Lakeland.
Wastwater — the deepest lake in England, backed by the Wasdale screes that plunge directly into the water — provides the most dramatic backdrop in the Lake District. The remoteness and scale of the western valleys (Eskdale, Dunnerdale, Wasdale) suit families wanting a genuinely wild and unpopulated landscape for their session.
The southern edge of Cumbria — the Cartmel Peninsula with its Cistercian priory and Food Hawker food festival circuit, the limestone pavement of the Arnside and Silverdale AONB, and the Leven and Kent estuaries — provides a less-visited and more intimate landscape for Cumbrian family photography accessible from the M6 and south Lancashire.
£275
45 min
£445
90 min
£645
Half day
Travel to Lake District locations included. Far North Cumbria (Carlisle, Solway) may carry a small travel supplement.
The Lake District rewards photography across the whole year but the most popular periods are late spring (April–June) when the valley floors are green and the bluebells are out in the lakeside woods, and autumn (September–October) for the turning colour. Golden hour in summer (9pm in Cumbria in June) produces extraordinary fell light. Winter sessions in snow on the lower fell approaches have a magic of their own.
Yes — many Lake District family sessions are tied to holiday cottage or farmhouse accommodation. I can base the session from your accommodation, using the local landscape and whatever the property's own grounds or surroundings offer. Send me your address and I'll suggest the best nearby locations.
Moody Lake District weather — low cloud on the fells, washed light after rain, mist on the lakes — produces some of the most atmospheric family portraits. I don't reschedule for cloud or overcast. I reschedule only for sustained heavy rain, and will hold a flexible reserve date for all Cumbria bookings.
Complete the form below with your preferred dates, the number of family members, and your preferred area of the Lake District. I'll confirm availability and send a brief planning questionnaire.
Tell me about your family and preferred location in Cumbria or the Lake District.
Get in Touch
Tell me about your vision and I'll be in touch within 24 hours.