Yana Skakun
Yana Skakun
Lancashire
Natural family portraits across Lancashire — the Forest of Bowland's fells and river valleys, Pendle Hill's ancient ridge, and the Ribble Valley's pastoral meadows.
Lancashire is an underrated landscape county — the Forest of Bowland (an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty often described as England's best-kept secret), the Ribble Valley villages of Clitheroe and Whalley, the wild moorland of Pendle Hill, and the long Lancashire coast from Lytham to Silverdale. For family photography, the county's variety is exceptional: meadow, fell, coast, river valley, and ancient woodland — all within 30–40 minutes of the principal towns.
I photograph families naturally — sessions that feel like walks, where the photography is present but not the focus. Children lead, parents follow, and I work with what happens rather than directing from a list of poses.
I cover all of Lancashire including Preston, Blackburn, Burnley, Clitheroe, Lancaster, Lytham St Annes, Garstang, and the Forest of Bowland.
The Forest of Bowland is one of England's least-known and most beautiful upland landscapes — 800 square kilometres of moorland, fell, river valley, and ancient woodland designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Trough of Bowland (a dramatic river valley pass through the fell moorland), the Dunsop Bridge valley, and the hay meadow villages of the Hodder Valley provide family portrait settings of great natural beauty and near-complete absence of visitors.
The Ribble Valley — centred on the market town of Clitheroe with its Norman castle on a limestone crag — is one of Lancashire's finest pastoral landscapes. The valley meadows along the Ribble and Hodder rivers, the ancient walled fields of the upland townships, and the ruins of Whalley Abbey in the valley flood plain provide varied portrait settings within a compact area.
Pendle Hill — the 557-metre moorland ridge between Clitheroe and Burnley, famous for the 1612 witch trials — provides one of Lancashire's most atmospheric upland portrait settings. The summit ridge has long views in all directions: the Yorkshire Dales to the north-east, the Forest of Bowland to the north-west, the Welsh hills on the horizon to the south on clear days. The approach through the village of Barley — with its reservoir, clough woodland, and open sheep pasture — provides portrait settings at varying altitudes.
The Silverdale and Arnside Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty — the limestone coast where Lancashire meets Cumbria on Morecambe Bay — is one of England's rarest mosaic landscapes: limestone pavement, ancient ash woodland, coastal saltmarsh, and the wide sand and mudflat estuary of the Bay. Leighton Moss RSPB reserve (one of England's best birdwatching sites), the shore at Silverdale, and the limestone woodland of Eaves Wood provide portrait settings of unusual ecological richness.
Lancaster's medieval castle (one of England's best-preserved Norman castles, still in active use as a prison until 2011), the Georgian townscape of the Customs House quay, and the Lune estuary meadows provide urban and riverside portrait settings. The Lune Valley upstream from Lancaster — the Devil's Bridge at Kirkby Lonsdale, the river meadows past Hornby — is one of northern England's finest pastoral river valleys.
Lytham St Annes provides coastal portrait settings on the southern Lancashire coast — the dune and beach system of the Fylde coast, the Victorian promenade at St Annes, and the windmill and green at Lytham itself. The sand dunes at Lytham provide natural, sheltered portrait settings with open western light from the Irish Sea. Sunset at Lytham faces south-west: good autumn evening light conditions.
£195
45 minutes
£345
90 minutes
£545
2 hours
Travel throughout Lancashire included. Best times are late afternoon and evening.
For most families, the Ribble Valley around Clitheroe or the Dunsop Bridge area of Bowland are my top recommendations — both have enough variety and natural beauty to make the session feel like an adventure. Pendle Hill is excellent for older children and adventurous families who enjoy walking. For young children, the Lytham coast provides flat, easy walking with open light.
The Forest of Bowland hay meadows are at their peak in June–July. Autumn (October–November) brings excellent colour to the Ribble Valley and Bowland woodland. Spring (April–May) brings bluebells to the clough woodlands and the first bright greens to the fell pastures. Winter at Pendle — frost on the moorland grass and long low light — is atmospheric and underused.
Travel throughout Lancashire is included in all packages. Locations in the Forest of Bowland, the Ribble Valley, and as far as the Trough of Bowland are all included without surcharge. For sessions in Cumbria or North Yorkshire, a small mileage surcharge applies.
Yes — I take weekend bookings throughout the year. Peak times (September–October, May–June) book quickly, typically 6–8 weeks in advance. Weekday evening sessions are usually available with 2–3 weeks' notice.
Tell me about your family and preferred location — I'll suggest the best time and setting.
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