Yana Skakun
Yana Skakun
Birmingham
Natural light portrait sessions across Birmingham — individuals, couples and families at Cannon Hill Park, Sutton Park, the Botanical Gardens and across the West Midlands.
Birmingham is England's second city — and its portrait photography landscape is exceptionally varied. Cannon Hill Park, Sutton Park (one of Western Europe's largest urban nature reserves), the Victorian Birmingham Botanical Gardens, and the canal network's towpaths each provide portrait settings of very different character within the city and its immediate suburbs.
I photograph natural, relaxed portraits — no stiff poses, no artificial setups. Sessions work with your personality and the best available light at the chosen location. Most sessions run 60–90 minutes: enough time to find the light, settle into the location, and create images that are genuinely yours.
I photograph individuals, couples, families, and professionals across Birmingham and the wider West Midlands.
Birmingham's most popular park — 80 hectares of formal gardens, woodland walks, a boating lake and the Midlands Arts Centre on its edge. The park's mature planting of plane trees, limes and chestnuts provides beautiful dappled-light portrait settings throughout the year. Autumn colour at Cannon Hill is exceptional.
Sutton Park is one of England's largest urban nature reserves — 2,400 acres of heath, woodland, wetland and open grassland in Sutton Coldfield. The park's ancient birch and oak woodland, its open heather heathland, and its three lakes provide portrait settings of genuine wild character entirely within the city boundary.
The Birmingham Botanical Gardens in Edgbaston, founded in 1832, offer 15 acres of beautifully maintained formal and informal gardens. The glasshouses, the rose garden, the rock garden and the mature arboretum specimens each provide different portrait settings across the seasons.
The Edgbaston Reservoir, the Calthorpe estate parkland, and the mature Victorian residential streets of Edgbaston provide a corridor of green, light-rich portrait environments running south from Cannon Hill Park through one of Birmingham's finest residential areas.
Birmingham's canal network — 35 miles of navigable waterway, more canals than Venice — provides industrial-heritage portrait settings of a very different urban character. The Gas Street Basin area, Brindleyplace, and the Jewellery Quarter's Victorian architecture are all within walking distance of city-centre portraits.
Charlecote Park (National Trust, Warwickshire), Croome Park, Hagley Hall, and the Lickey Hills Country Park at Birmingham's south-western edge all provide estate and parkland portrait settings within 30–45 minutes of the city centre.
Professional headshots, personal branding, acting portfolios, or simply great portraits for yourself. Sessions run 60–90 minutes at a location we choose together. 40–60 edited images delivered.
Engagement sessions, anniversary portraits, or couples' portraits at any stage. Relaxed, natural, focused on your connection rather than poses. 50–70 edited images.
Natural family portraits at Cannon Hill, Sutton Park or another Birmingham location. Sessions work best in late afternoon or evening light. 50–80 edited images.
£195
30 minutes
£345
75 minutes
£545
2 hours
Travel throughout Birmingham and the West Midlands included.
Golden hour — the 60–90 minutes before sunset — gives the best natural light for outdoor portraits. In Birmingham, this arrives around 8–9pm in midsummer and 4–5pm in winter. I recommend evening sessions at Sutton Park and Cannon Hill for the warmest, most directional light.
For families with young children, Cannon Hill Park works well — it has varied settings, facilities, and is easy to navigate. For individual and couple portraits, Sutton Park or the Botanical Gardens tend to give more interesting, natural settings. I provide location recommendations as part of the booking process.
Yes — I cover the whole West Midlands including Solihull, Sutton Coldfield, Wolverhampton, Coventry, and into Worcestershire and Warwickshire. Travel is included up to 30 miles from the city centre.
Tonal, natural colours photograph best in outdoor settings — cream, navy, olive, terracotta, and neutral earth tones all work well. Avoid bright white (bleaches out in open light) and heavy pattern. I send a detailed style guide before every session.
Tell me about the type of session you're looking for and I'll suggest the best location and time.
Get in Touch
Tell me about your vision and I'll be in touch within 24 hours.