Yana Skakun
Cherry Hinton · CB1 · Cambridge
Photographer
Cherry Hinton
Family, portrait, and couples photography at the Chalk Pits, Cherry Hinton Hall, and Coldham's Common.
Cherry Hinton Photography
Portrait Photography in Cherry Hinton, Cambridge
Cherry Hinton is one of Cambridge's most characterful eastern suburbs — with green spaces and natural environments that are significantly more diverse and interesting than their modest scale might suggest. The Chalk Pits Local Nature Reserve, Cherry Hinton Hall park, and Coldham's Common give a range of portrait settings within minutes of each other and within walking distance of much of CB1 and CB2.
As a Cambridge-based photographer, I work in Cherry Hinton regularly — bringing families and couples a professional portrait session on their doorstep without the need to travel into the city centre or drive to more distant locations. Cherry Hinton's green spaces produce beautiful, authentic images that are genuinely specific to this part of Cambridge.
Why Choose Local
Portrait Photography on Your Doorstep
Local and convenient in CB1
Cherry Hinton is a well-established Cambridge suburb with its own distinctive green spaces — Coldham's Common, Cherry Hinton Hall park, and the remarkable Chalk Pits nature reserve. Sessions here avoid the city centre logistics entirely; I come to your local area, reducing travel and stress, particularly for families with young children.
Cherry Hinton Chalk Pits — a genuinely unique setting
The Cherry Hinton Chalk Pits Local Nature Reserve is one of the most visually distinctive small reserves in Cambridgeshire — the exposed chalk faces, the chalk grassland and scrub, the wildflower areas, and the contrast of the chalk-white ground against the green vegetation create portrait backgrounds genuinely unlike any other Cambridge location.
Cherry Hinton Hall park — mature Victorian parkland
Cherry Hinton Hall park is a 16-acre Victorian pleasure ground with large ornamental trees, open lawns, and the stream through the grounds. The mature canopy trees provide exceptional dappled-light portrait conditions through spring and summer, and the park is quiet year-round outside the Cambridge Folk Festival weeks in July.
Family-friendly and relaxed approach
My approach is documentary-led — working with children and families in the places they actually know and use, producing authentic portraits rather than formal posed images. Cherry Hinton's green spaces provide exactly the kind of comfortable, familiar environment where families relax and children behave naturally in front of the camera.
Session Details
1–1.5 hours
Session Length
From £275
Price
40–60 edited
Images Delivered
2–3 weeks
Turnaround
Local CB1 parks
Locations
Deposit to secure
Booking
Cherry Hinton Locations
Portrait Locations in Cherry Hinton
Cherry Hinton Chalk Pits LNR
The Chalk Pits Local Nature Reserve on Limekiln Road — the exposed chalk faces, the chalk downland grassland species, the scrub, and the wildflower areas — provides a portrait backdrop genuinely unlike any other Cambridge location. The contrast of white chalk, green grass, and violet wildflowers in summer is exceptional.
Cherry Hinton Hall Park
The 16-acre Victorian pleasure grounds with large ornamental trees, open lawns, a stream, a paddling pool area, and the old hall building as backdrop. The park is excellent for family portrait sessions — large enough to give variety, small enough to keep young children comfortable, and quiet enough most of the year to shoot without crowd management.
Coldham's Common
Coldham's Common — the large urban green space adjoining Cherry Hinton to the north-west — provides open meadow portrait space with a surprisingly wild character for a park barely two miles from Cambridge city centre. The open sky and horizon light across the Common is excellent in the hour before sunset.
Cherry Hinton Brook corridor
The Cherry Hinton Brook and its management corridor — particularly south of the Hall park and towards Fulbourn Road — provides a linear ribbon of riparian landscape giving reflection, dappled light, and green bank portrait settings accessible from the residential streets with no car parking challenges.
Addenbrooke's area & Nine Wells LNR
The Nine Wells Local Nature Reserve in the Trumpington/Cherry Hinton boundary area — a cluster of chalk springs supporting rare chalk stream habitat — is within easy walking distance and provides an additional specialist natural setting for portraits that require something beyond the conventional park.
Cherry Hinton Photography FAQs
How long does a Cherry Hinton portrait session take?+
Standard sessions are 1–1.5 hours, which is sufficient to cover one or two locations and get a full range of natural images particularly for families with young children. I recommend no more than 1.5 hours for families with children under five, as this is typically their comfortable attention span before tiredness affects the images.
What time of day is best for Cherry Hinton park sessions?+
The hour or two before sunset for the best portrait light — particularly at Coldham's Common and Cherry Hinton Hall park where the open western sky provides beautiful directional light. Summer sessions can work from 7–9pm. Morning sessions are available from 8am for parents who need to work around school pickups.
Can we include our pets in a Cherry Hinton session?+
Yes — Cherry Hinton Hall park, Coldham's Common, and the Chalk Pits are all dog-friendly. Including the family dog in portrait sessions is entirely normal and the resulting images are almost always some of the most natural and emotionally resonant from the session.
Do you cover wedding photography in Cherry Hinton and Cambridge?+
Yes — Cambridge weddings and Cambridge area weddings are a core part of my work. Cherry Hinton Hall itself has hosted wedding receptions, and the park grounds are within my standard coverage. Contact me with your date for availability.
How do I book a Cherry Hinton session?+
Contact me with your preferred dates, the type of session (family, couple, individual), any specific locations you'd like to use in Cherry Hinton, and any particular needs (e.g. session timing around children's naps). I'll confirm availability and send a booking form and deposit invoice.
Get in Touch
Book Your Cherry Hinton Portrait Session
Local sessions — Chalk Pits, Hall Park, Coldham's Common. Contact me to check availability.