Portrait photography reviews

Helen Bartlett is an outstanding photographer who gets the best out of both parents and children - which is a rare talent! Her eye is exceptional and she is also extraordinarily fun and intelligent.

We are keen to capture our sons' childhood as it is passing so quickly so we ask Helen to shoot for us four times a year. The boys cannot wait for her next visit. Her exquisite photographs have an amazing painterly quality with a wonderful use both of natural light and of any surroundings in which she finds herself.

Helen is also lovely to have around, and slots into the family as if she has never been away. She is always energetic, optimistic and a warm and happy presence - she will gauge a child's mood instantly and knows exactly how and when to get the best from a shoot.

Unreservedly recommended if you want exquisite shots without a moment's stress from a Child Whisperer who also happens to be an extraordinarily gifted photographer.

Genevieve

The photo sessions with Helen are a real joy - as if you are with an old friend who just happens to be very handy with a camera. She effortlessly bonds with our son and allows him to be himself throughout the day, and the result is wonderful photos that seem to capture the essence of his personality. Helen's creativity and technical ability is outstanding - indoors, outdoors, rain, bright sunshine or poor light - somehow she manages to turn every shot into a small masterpiece.

Elke

Helen has photographed our family on a number of occasions, and the experience has always been fantastic. Not only is the time that she spends with us very enjoyable, it is also a very relaxed experience as Helen manages to take phenomenal photos of you and your family in your everyday environment. Therefore, the photos always look very natural and relaxed.

I still don’t know how Helen manages to capture such great photos with such ease and aplomb, but she does it every time, and our friends always comment on how great they are. I would recommend Helen to anyone.

Agnes

For me, the sign of a great children's photographer is someone who is so unobtrusive that they capture the essence of your child without them even realising that they are being photographed. Helen is one such photographer - she always manages to produce great shots of my children.

Helen's beautiful black and white photographs are framed and scattered throughout my home, and we've already scheduled our next shoot for the autumn. I cannot recommend Helen highly enough.

Joanna

Not only did we get a fantastic end result with far too many beautiful photos to choose from following Helen's photo shoot, but I was surprised at just how much I enjoyed the experience. The day was relaxed, fun, creative and I came away feeling like I had spent a very special time with my son, focusing on him and doing just what we should be doing. He was only two at the time, but still talks about Helen a year on! Can't wait for the next time!

Philippa

Being a children's photographer myself, I had high hopes and expectations of how Helen would approach our shoot and what she would come up with. I was not disappointed.

The measure of a social documentary photographer is their ability to get cracking images that convey the spirit of what is happening with no interference in those events. We hardly noticed that Helen was there, and the memories of the day that Helen came to photograph us are of a family day, not a family photography shoot.

But the real proof is always in the pudding - and for that just look at the images!

Anna

Despite having a deep-seated phobia of having my photograph taken, I enjoyed every moment of our photo shoot with Helen. From the moment we met, I felt totally relaxed and confident in Helen's professional ability. She has a natural ease with children and my daughter was completely her normal self throughout; the pictures capture all her usual lovely, quirky expressions.

Spending time with Helen viewing the final images was extremely helpful and her suggestions for prints were very much appreciated. I would highly recommend the whole experience to anyone wanting beautiful real-life images of their family or friends.

Andrea

Helen combines the ability to quickly build a great rapport with the children - putting them at ease so they are free to relax and express themselves - with the ability to take wonderful pictures which manage to capture the essence of the child and the moment.

Tom

Helen's photography is an antidote to the over-preened studio shots that are fashionable right now. We went to a place where the kids love to play, and just did what kids do. The main thing I love is that Helen captured the children the way that they really are - dirty, disheveled and beautiful.

Caroline

I wasn't sure what to expect from a photo shoot at home, but after several stressed visits to studios, I wanted some relaxed pictures that capture the spirit of our family. Helen arrived just after breakfast and stayed until lunch as we were all having so much fun!

I introduced Helen to the children as 'Mummy's friend' to help them feel comfortable around her, but next time she visits us it will be as a friend of the whole family. The day after Helen's visit my son asked when she was coming back as it was, 'the best day of my life!' Our albums will be treasured forever.

Lynne

We were all very excited and a little nervous; after all, you shouldn't go in front of a camera with children or animals, and we had both! Helen made everyone feel completely at ease and was able to capture us all in a very natural, relaxed way. The results were amazing - the most fabulous pictures, which we will cherish for many years.

Louise

We were so pleased to have Helen come and take photos of our family. The shoot was great fun. Helen's presence was very unobtrusive which led to some beautiful, natural photos that perfectly captured our son's personality and toddler ways.

Helen was very accommodating of our daily routine and she has a special ability to relate to the camera-shy ten year old and the lively eighteen-month old equally well. The pictures wowed everyone, and we will treasure them forever!

Lucy

We all really enjoyed our photo shoot with Helen. It was just so easy. Even when Amy got quite tired and grumpy, Helen was endlessly patient. We were thrilled with the end result, particularly the framed prints. Every time someone comes into my office, they always comment on the beautiful picture of Amy and my in-laws were delighted with their joint birthday present. With another baby on the way, I'm sure it won't be too long before we're booking Helen again!

Katie