Yana Skakun
Yana Skakun
Glasgow, Scotland
Natural light and cinematic portrait photography across Glasgow — Kelvingrove Park, the West End's Victorian terraces, the Merchant City, and Glasgow's bold industrial architecture.
Glasgow is one of the UK's most architecturally interesting cities for portrait photography. The city's stock of Victorian and Edwardian architecture — Kelvingrove Park and its red sandstone buildings, the grid of the West End's Dowanhill and Hyndland terraces, the Merchant City's converted warehouses — creates portrait environments of genuine depth and character.
I photograph all types of portraits in Glasgow: personal branding and professional headshots, family and couple portraits, creative and fashion portraits, and editorial-style location sessions. My approach is natural and relaxed — I direct lightly, focus on authentic expression, and use Glasgow's specific urban and green environments to build a body of images that reflects each person.
Sessions run across the whole city — the West End, the Southside, the city centre, Merchant City, and beyond into the surrounding landscape of Loch Lomond, the Trossachs, and the Campsie Fells.
Kelvingrove Park — 85 acres of Victorian parkland flanking the River Kelvin, with Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum at its heart — is Glasgow's finest outdoor portrait location. The river walk, the park bandstand, the tree-lined paths, and the glasshouses of the Botanic Gardens (ten minutes' walk) provide layered portrait variety within an easily walkable area.
Glasgow's Merchant City — the restored 18th-century trading quarter east of George Square — provides portrait backgrounds of significant architectural interest: the colonnade of the Trongate, the Ingram Street warehouses, the Italian Centre's courtyard, and the Candleriggs brick streetscapes. Best in morning light or on overcast days for even, undirected illumination.
The Glasgow Botanic Gardens at Kibble Palace — the great Victorian iron-and-glass glasshouse in the West End — provides interior portrait settings that are unique in the UK. The exotic plants, the cast-iron structure, and the diffused light of the glass ceiling create an atmospheric indoor portrait environment usable in any weather.
Pollok Country Park in the Southside — Glasgow's largest park, home to Pollok House (the only house in the UK gifted to the National Trust by its owner in her lifetime) and the Burrell Collection — provides formal gardens, woodland, and parkland portrait settings of a completely different scale to the West End parks.
Glasgow's surviving industrial architecture — the Finnieston Crane on the Clyde, the railway arches under Central Station, the Govanhill and Tradeston warehouse districts — provides urban backdrops with Glasgow's specific character. These locations suit professional personal branding sessions wanting to reflect the city's energy and creative economy.
Loch Lomond — 40 minutes from Glasgow city centre — provides Scotland's classic Highland loch landscape accessible from the city. Luss on the western shore, Balmaha on the East Highland Way, and the Trossachs beyond Aberfoyle are all usable for Glasgow portrait sessions wanting a dramatic Scottish landscape backdrop.
£245
45 min
£395
90 min
£595
Half day
Personal branding and professional headshots, family and couple portraits, creative and fashion editorials, actor and performer portfolios, and corporate team photography. All session types can be based at Glasgow locations or at nearby natural landscape locations.
Kelvingrove Park and the West End are the most popular — the combination of parkland, Victorian architecture, and the riverside walk provides excellent variety within a short walk. The Botanic Gardens (Kibble Palace specifically) and the Merchant City are my other most-used Glasgow locations.
Yes — I cover Central Scotland including Edinburgh, Stirling, and the Trossachs from Glasgow. For Edinburgh sessions I can also base sessions at the full range of Edinburgh locations (New Town, Stockbridge, Holyrood Park, etc.).
Use the form below with your session type (family, professional, couple etc.) and preferred dates. I'll confirm availability and send a portrait questionnaire to plan the session.
Share your ideas and preferred dates — I'll get back to you within 48 hours.
Get in Touch
Tell me about your vision and I'll be in touch within 24 hours.