WHERE SHALL WE SHOOT?
A photographer's guide to the most beautiful portrait locations across Cheshire and the Wirral.
"ARE THERE ANY LOCATIONS YOU’D RECOMMEND?" is the question I'm asked A LOT!
It's a good question and over the past seventeen years I've photographed families here, there and everywhere across the northwest — on windswept beaches, in formal gardens, deep in the woods and in countless homes.
My work has always had a strong sense of place. Your location roots your photographs in a particular place and a particular season, so that years from now you'll remember not just how everyone looked, but where you were, what the light was doing and how it felt to be there.
So here are my favourites. The spots I come back to again and again, with honest notes on the best times of day to shoot there, parking, amenities and whether you’ll get a pram down there on a Saturday morning!
HOW TO CHOOSE your FAMILY PORTRAIT location
I always recommend starting with the wall, not the map.
Before you think about where, think about what you want to end up with. There's a big difference between a wide open coastal scene and a quiet corner of a beautiful walled garden and one of those will suit your hallway far better than the other. A few things worth weighing up:
Your Home
If your interiors are soft and neutral, a misty estuary in muted tones will sit beautifully. If you've got bold colour and pattern, a wildflower meadow in July will sing.
The Season
Bluebells in May, wildflowers in high summer, that low golden light in October. The same location gives you a completely different photograph three months apart.
The People
A three-year-old needs somewhere they can run. A teenager might thank you for somewhere off the beaten track where they don’t feel too self-conscious.
The Practicalities
How far is the walk from the car? Can you get a pram/wheelchair to the location easily? Is there a loo? These things matter far more than people expect.
An if it's February and blowing a gale — there's always the studio (coming September 2026!).
HOW TO CHOOSE your personal brand PORTRAIT location
THINK ABOUT WHO YOU ARE AND WHO YOU’RE TRYING TO ATTRACT.
Your brand photographs have work to do — on your website home page, on your Instagram grid, on a podcast cover or in a speaker bio. So the question isn't only where looks lovely, it's where will give you a set of images that keep earning their keep. A few things worth weighing up:
Your Work
Where do you do what you do best? Is it at your kitchen table, running a workshop, in a treatment room or on a laptop in the corner of your favourite café? Photographs taken where you genuinely work will always feel more like you than a pretty backdrop you've never set foot in before.
Your Audience
Think about what your ideal client will resonate with in these photographs. Somewhere polished and formal says something quite different from a windswept beach in a big cosy jumper. Neither is wrong, but only one of them is you.
Your Platforms
Websites want wide, Instagram wants tall and both want a bit of negative space around you for text to sit. Knowing where these images are heading before we choose a location means we can build the right shapes into the shoot.
Your Comfort
Being photographed in public is the part many people feel anxious about. If the thought makes you want to hide behind a hedge, we'll choose somewhere quiet — or use the studio, where it's just the two of us and nobody's watching.
THE LOCATIONS
COASTAL
West Kirby Marine Lake & Beach · Lower Heswall Boatyard · Hoylake Red Rocks · Parkgate
Gardens & estates
Ness Botanic Gardens · Tatton Park · Grosvenor Park
Woodland & meadows
Delamere Forest · Thurstaston Common & Royden Park · Cholmondley Castle
Parks & citIES
Birkenhead Park · Chester city centre · Liverpool city centre (a short trip across the Mersey)
PICTURESQUE VILLAGES
Thornton Hough · Port Sunlight · Great Budworth · Eccleston · Christleton
NESS BOTANIC GARDENS
Neston Rd, Ness, CH64 4AY
One of my favourite places to shoot and not just because it’s my local! Ness Gardens has the potential to give you multiple shoots in one place: long lawns for children to run free, a walled kitchen garden, pine woodland, colourful herbaceous borders, a wildflower meadow and a view out over the Dee Estuary to the Welsh hills that never gets old.
What makes it genuinely useful is the shade. Many outdoor locations are unworkable in the middle of a bright summer's day, but the mature planting here gives you beautiful open shade right through midday, which makes a real difference when you're working around a baby's nap!
Entry Fee
Ness Botanic Gardens is open all year round and you’ll find ticket prices on their website.
Parking
There’s a free car park at the entrance with overflow parking adjacent for peak summer.
Toilets
Toilets and baby change are available inside the Visitor Centre.
Other Amenities
There’s a café and shop inside the Visitor Centre which is fully accessible.
→ Be inspired by a family portrait session at Ness Botanic Gardens →
WEST KIRBY MARINE LAKE
South Parade, West Kirby, CH48 0QG
A stunning location with its large saltwater lake, sandy beach and views of the Welsh hills. The combination of water, sand and sky provides a perfect backdrop for coastal-themed family photos. Don’t forget the bucket and spade!
Nearby Ashton Park is a 5 minute walk away and a lovely alternative with a large pond and play area, offering an opportunity to mix a bit of green scenery backdrop.
Entry Fee
Free and accessible to all.
Parking
There’s a free car parking along the length of South Parade and a pay-and-display car park at Dee Lane.
Toilets
There are public toilets on the West Kirby promenade located next to the Marine Lake in the same building as the Wirral Sailing Centre.
Other Amenities
There’s a Morrisons supermarket at the end of the promenade and plenty of cafés and shops along Banks Road in the town itself.
THORNTON HOUGH
Neston Rd, Thornton Hough, CH63 1JE
Thornton Hough is the ultimate "storybook English village" backdrop for a photography session and it’s particularly close to my heart, as I went to primary school there!
The village offers an incredibly photogenic blend of manicured greenery, historic architecture and english charm, all compressed into a small, walkable footprint that is perfect for keeping little people engaged.
Entry Fee
Free and accessible to all.
Parking
There’s a free car park at Thornton Hough Green and roadside parking is available throughout the village.
Toilets
Unfortunately the public toilets in Thornton Hough were closed in 2020. There are toilets inside the Seven Stars pub in the village, you might just need to buy a glass of something to use them!
Other Amenities
In the village itself there is a Post Office on Manor road and the pub serving food and drink. There is also a play area on the village green to keep kids entertained!
→ Be inspired by a family portrait session in Thornton Hough →
FAQS
Where's the best place for a family photoshoot in Cheshire?
It depends on the photographs you want to end up with. For open, coastal light I'd suggest West Kirby; for something softer and more contained, Ness Botanic Gardens. I talk this through with every client when they enquire, so you can rest assured we’ll choose somewhere that suits your family and the artwork you envisage for your home.
Do you travel outside Cheshire and the Wirral?
Yes. Most of my sessions take place within about 20 miles of Chester, covering the Wirral, Chester and west Cheshire and there's no travel fee inside that radius.
However I do have regular clients in London and am always happy to discuss travel supplements for locations further afield.
What if it rains?
We reschedule or we move indoors. This is England after all, so I always research a plan B when shooting on location in case of inclement weather and we’ll discuss this before your session. But I will also say, some of my favourite frames have come out of grey, drizzly mornings, because flat light can actually be really lovely for portraits.
When's the best time of year for outdoor portraits?
There isn't a bad one. Spring gives you bluebells and blossom, summer gives you long evenings and wildflowers, autumn gives you colour and that beautiful golden light and winter gives you bare trees, empty beaches and if you’re lucky… snow!
The main thing to consider the temperature as we want everyone taking part in the shoot to feel comfortable.
Can we do the shoot at home instead?
Absolutely and for newborns it's especially lovely — familiar surroundings, everything to hand, no packing everything into the car. My garden studio (coming September 2026!) is also ideal for portrait sessions where we want warmth and consistency.