Helen Bartlett / Family Portraiture

Kind words from wonderful clients. Everything they loved about their family photography shoot. Read their reviews here.

Helen is lovely to have around, she slots into the family like she has never been away.

– Genevieve

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.

The premier family photographer in London.

Helen Bartlett is an outstanding artist and the premier family photographer in London. Her work is both surprising and timeless. Over the years we have had the pleasure of spending several mornings with her and the images she captures have a spontaneous quality that often eludes other photographers. Helen is one of the sweetest people we have ever met, a quality that translates into an empathetic relationship with our children who are happy to spend hours being photographed by her.

Every photo book we have as a result of our mornings with Helen are a cherished memento of our growing family and we are grateful to have them. The books are of outstanding quality and can easily withstand a child handling them over and over and even after five years they still look as new. We couldn’t recommend Helen more.

– Jennifer

Helen manages to take phenomenal photos of you and your family in your everyday environment.

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

We have a house covered with extraordinary, striking, unique and beautiful images of our family.

Bubbles and sunshine make for a dramatic portrait of a small girl.

 

Helen has been taking photographs of our children for many years now and I can’t imagine ever asking her to stop. Not only is she wonderful with the children but the results are always truly outstanding. We have a house covered with extraordinary, striking, unique and beautiful images of our family thanks to Helen. I could not recommend her more highly.

– Adam

I felt totally relaxed and confident in Helen’s professional ability.

Light and soft compositional curves transform this family portrait into a fine art image.

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

Unobtrusively capturing the essence of your child.

three children run down a hill together in a west london park

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

The photos she produced were nothing short of superb.

Since our daughter was born three years ago we have engaged Helen Bartlett’s services on two occasions.

The photos she produced were nothing short of superb and her relaxed informal style helped to produce the best results from the subjects.

We have had no shortage of positive feedback from friends and family alike (plus a few tears from grandmas).

Our only problem was deciding which photos from a selection of around seventy not to utilise – I promise you the choice will be hard.

We have no hesitation in recommending Helen to anyone and for that reason Helen Bartlett Photography achieves the top rating in our opinion.

– Anita

Quickly builds a great rapport with the children.

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

An ability to create a calm and fun atmosphere to get the most out of everyone involved.

Helen has an incredible talent. She came to our home on a rainy October Friday and captured the most stunning and entertaining pictures of our four-month-old baby. Not only does Helen have an amazing eye for capturing photographs, she has an ability to create a calm and fun atmosphere to get the most out of everyone involved.

We are very lucky to have been able to have a session with Helen and now we have the most amazing album to treasure until the time comes to pass it on to our daughter. We couldn’t recommend Helen highly enough.

– Beth

A true professional who is confident in her own photography style and doesn’t follow trends.

I was lucky enough to come across Helen early in her career, and she has photographed my three boys at regular intervals since then. She forms an instant relationship with children of all ages and manages to construct amazing photos while letting the children do their own thing. As a result, the kids love Helen’s visits, and you get pictures that really reflect the individual character of each child.

I have huge admiration for Helen – she is a true professional who is confident in her own photography style and doesn’t follow trends. If you want relaxed yet classic photography of your children being completely themselves, look no further.

– Alison

Capturing those moments that must exist, but as chasing parents, we never get to see.

Helen has photographed our children on two separate occasions and both times were absolutely fantastic. She takes wonderful pictures, capturing those moments that must exist, but as chasing parents, we never get to see … Beyond her talent as a photographer, however, Helen is great with the kids and fun to be around! She must be one of the best.

– Ben

Helen always produces stunning pictures that take your breath away.

Helen makes capturing family moments so easy with her natural style. She covered our wedding, our first and second sons’ early days and now has flown out to capture our latest adventure in Switzerland. We have so many amazing memories down on paper in great photos thanks to Helen and I look forward to many more! Helen always produces stunning pictures that take your breath away, they are so different with such original framing.

– Fran

Helen and her team are exceptional.

Truly amazing results. Helen and her team are exceptional. Thank you!

– Matthew

Helen has a great sense of fun. She’s up for capturing your family being your family.

I cannot recommend Helen highly enough. Her approach is just so lovely. On the days of both the family shoots that Helen has done, she has made us feel totally at ease and taken away all the stress of catching that perfect moment. All the behind the scenes stuff is executed very fast and efficiently too.

Helen really does have an unbelievably considerate approach, from arriving early to catch children before they are tired, and when the moment comes noticing that family members young or old need a break. She is a brilliant judge of personalities and had a knack of working with everyone in a very friendly and personal way, ensuring she captures the best in all the family.

Very importantly, Helen has a great sense of fun. She’s up for capturing your family being your family. Be it climbing trees, cuddling the dog or falling in a pond! She takes it all in her stride and allows you to be natural and un-self-conscious. The results speak for themselves, stunning images of a moment in time. I would not hesitate to recommend booking Helen.

– Charlotte

Helen is a complete natural with children (and camera-shy adults!).

We have had two photoshoots with Helen and both have had fantastic results, we have been so happy with both process and finished product. Helen is a complete natural with children (and camera-shy adults!) and produces stunning photographs which we will treasure forever. She is a lovely person and a great photographer. We are already looking forward to seeing her the next time!

– Natasha

Helen is absolutely amazing.

Helen is absolutely amazing – her photos truly capture precious memories and stand the test of time.

– Emma

Helen is not only a superb photographer, but she understands kids and how they work.

Truly fabulous. Helen spent the morning with us capturing my two-year-old daughter’s first experience of snow. The photos are fantastic and we treasure them. Helen is not only a superb photographer, but she understands kids and how they work which was evident when she asked about sleep times etc and scheduled around what would work best. This resulted in not only fab photos but a really enjoyable shoot.

– Dawn

Helen knows exactly how to tailor a shoot to fit the stage that a child is at and the result for me has been two sets of photos I shall treasure for ever.

Helen has photographed my daughter twice, as a newborn and then again at about eighteen months: I couldn’t have been happier with the photos! Helen’s photos are wonderfully natural and really captured the character of my daughter. The shoots were really easy and my daughter had a great time (as did I). But Helen’s relaxed style didn’t stop the photos she took from being beautifully framed and balanced. She was very creative in suggesting what actions I could do with my daughter to give her the opportunity to get the best images possible. Nothing fazed Helen (when my wife pointed out an ugly rip in my shirt, Helen was unruffled and found ways to hide it). The photos would be gorgeous to look at even if I wasn’t looking with the biased eye of a father at his daughter.

Like all babies and toddlers, my daughter changes so quickly, so the photos from the two shoots are very different. I’m so glad that we had both photoshoots. Helen knows exactly how to tailor a shoot to fit the stage that a child is at and the result for me has been two sets of photos I shall treasure for ever.

– Rudolf

Helen made everyone feel completely at ease.

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

Helen makes you feel completely at ease which result in truly natural photographs.

We have been fortunate to work with Helen on a number of occasions. The relationship started when Helen was mine and Susie’s wedding photographer. The photos were amazing and a number of our guests have also used her as their photographer. We have since used Helen a number of times to record our children and us as a family. We love the photo shoots and the photographs capture the moment precisely. Helen makes you feel completely at ease which result in truly natural photographs. We can’t recommend her enough.

– Stuart

Helen was fantastic.

We were absolutely thrilled to have Helen come and take a beautiful set of photos of our daughter. Helen was fantastic – she worked around the chaos of a newborn and was very sensitive to the challenging routine of feeds and changes.

The photographs are perfect. We love the natural style. The closest thing to a problem we have is that Helen has taken so many beautiful photographs, we are finding it tricky to pick favourites!

– Beth

Helen was flexible, professional and super friendly and made the whole experience (one that we were slightly nervous about) a total pleasure.

Our morning with Helen was fabulous. Having met briefly when Helen took beautiful pictures at our nephew’s birthday party, Helen arrived at our flat and was instantly a hit with our daughter. Helen was flexible, professional and super friendly and made the whole experience (one that we were slightly nervous about) a total pleasure.

Pre and post shoot admin has been easy and efficient, and going through the finished photos with Helen’s assistant was lovely. Our only problem was choosing which ones to keep!

We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the end-to-end service to anyone considering taking the plunge.

– Penny and Mike

Helen was great at putting us at ease and genuinely didn’t mind that I had to disappear to do extra-long feeds. It was all so relaxing.

Helen took photos of us with our new baby daughter when she was just seven days old. We had a fantastic experience and have the most wonderful photographs to treasure for always. Helen was ever so accommodating – my daughter was two weeks overdue so we had to be fluid with the date we had the pictures taken – which was no problem.

On the day, Helen was great at putting us at ease and genuinely didn’t mind that I had to disappear to do extra-long feeds. It was all so relaxing.

We had a great experience choosing the photos (although we wanted all of them, they were so great!)

We can’t wait to have more photos taken once our little girl is older!

– Kate

Helen’s desire for perfection and customer satisfaction meant she spent a long time making sure our order was just as we wanted it.

We were all thrilled with the beautiful photos Helen has taken of us. Helen is a delightful person to spend a bright but chilly Saturday morning with in Kensington Gardens. We were all relaxed in her company: my two children ran through the wet grass playing tag and cowboys and Indians as she unobtrusively snapped away. Even my husband, the most self- critical of photos of anyone I know, has been desperate for a decent photo of himself with his family, was pleased with the results.

The post shoot selection process is also fun, although there are so many lovely photos to choose from it’s easy to get carried away. Fortunately, we were able to stick to our budget and get some wonderful pictures as well as the digital files. Helen’s desire for perfection and customer satisfaction meant she spent a long time making sure our order was just as we wanted it. We now have some beautiful works of art on our walls and an album full of exquisite memories of that bright but slightly damp and chilly October morning.

– Alex

Highly recommended.

We received a photography session with Helen as a gift and were absolutely delighted with the results. Helen is very friendly and put all of our family at their ease – the children played happily, resulting in wonderful, natural photos. Highly recommended.

– Karena

I have never come across anything that comes close to her standards.

Helen photographed both my girls when they were just a few days old, and I can sincerely say that the photos and albums she produced are some of my most treasured possessions. Her photography is exquisite, and she manages to produce the most stunning pictures from the most ordinary surroundings. Having the newborn shoots done at home, and Helen’s natural affinity with children, make the whole experience relaxed and very enjoyable.

To then have Helen’s assistant bring the pictures to us to preview and order is another luxury, and also allowed us to feel very involved in the final product. I have yet to find anybody who has not been struck with the quality of the finished product, both the photographs and their presentation.

I cannot recommend Helen highly enough, and I have never come across anything that comes close to her standards.

– Francesca

I would recommend her without hesitation.

Helen has taken two sets of photographs for us, and we were absolutely thrilled with the results. Somehow, she managed to capture our daughter’s personality, and the photographs look so natural and happy – they are a joy.

Helen has a lovely way of making the session effortless, but she is always thinking about the composition and it means so many shots look as if they come straight out of a magazine, they are so well put together.

Many friends have asked for her details and I would recommend her without hesitation.

– Sarah

If you want a fabulous child photographer look no further!

We’ve been using Helen since our first boy was born over seven years ago, now three boys later …

Helen really gets children. She is 100% genuine and I think kids can really pick up on that. She goes the extra mile, getting dirty in the mud to get that shot and doesn’t complain when there’s yet another interruption!

Helen always gets fab shots of all of us which really capture everyone’s individual personality as well as the family (including grandparents) which is probably the reason we go back to her every year!

If you want a fabulous child photographer look no further!

– Helen

It was just so easy.

We all really enjoyed our photoshoot 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

Neither my husband or I like having our photo taken but you managed to capture the spirit of our family and bring out the best in all three of us.

Thank you Helen for an absolutely amazing day. Neither my husband or I like having our photo taken but you managed to capture the spirit of our family and bring out the best in all three of us. We are absolutely thrilled with our prints and can’t wait to hang the big one. It will make us smile every day.

You really were amazing at making us all relaxed and not laughing at the ridiculous number of outfit changes and nervous nattering that was going on from our side. You were just wonderful and we can’t wait to have you over again. Thank you for the memories.

– Alice

Our session with Helen was a five-star experience from start to finish.

Our session with Helen was a five-star experience from start to finish. Our children were two and three at the time and we were a bit worried about concentration span, timing of the shoot, nappy changes, tantrums, etc. We needn’t have worried at all!

From the moment Helen arrived, our children were wonderfully at ease, played hide and seek with her, told her stories and introduced their toys. We drove to a nearby park and just ran around, played, had coffees, basically all the things we would usually do on a Saturday morning.

When the photos arrived, I was incredibly happy to have such a wonderful record of the day and the children’s characters.

– Carmen and Peter

She has a special ability to relate to the camera-shy ten-year-old and the lively eighteen-month old equally well.

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

She has an eye for the right angles, the big shots and the quirky detail, and can turn any space into a studio.

A child having fun on a swing during their London portrait shoot while visiting the UK.

The annual photoshoot with Helen is coming dangerously close to becoming a family tradition.

Spending time with her is like catching up with an old friend, and we’d almost forget that she carries a large camera wherever she goes, were it not for the odd ‘click’. She has an eye for the right angles, the big shots and the quirky detail, and can turn any space into a studio.

The photos that result from these sessions always delight, often surprise and somehow seem to capture the essence of our son and our family.

And we have already invited her over to our place for later this year!

– Elke

She is always sensitive to the needs of the parents and children.

Helen is a wonderful photographer who produces beautiful photographs that are timeless and classic, yet also modern and relaxed. She photographed my sons a few days after each was born and made the whole experience very special. She is never intrusive while shooting, and the shoots are great fun. This is crucial, since the first few days after giving birth can be overwhelming!

She is always sensitive to the needs of the parents and children and is always happy to work around the need to feed and change. She is very creative, and a shoot with her is so much better than having a standard photoshoot in a studio. She also makes sleep-deprived parents look fantastic! We love the images, as did all our family and friends. I cannot recommend her highly enough!

– Emma

She somehow manages to capture amazing moments that are seemingly invisible to the naked eye.

We have never been anything less than thrilled with Helen’s photographs. She somehow manages to capture amazing moments that are seemingly invisible to the naked eye. A delight to work with, I couldn’t rate or recommend Helen more highly.

– Jane

She takes photos that are breathtaking.

Siblings giggle during their family photography in Knightsbridge

Helen is simply brilliant when it comes to photography. She takes photos that are breathtaking. They are so natural and really capture the moment which is really precious especially when it comes to photos of babies, children and families.

I was very happy with the photo quality, service, speed and professionalism with which Helen and her staff worked to produce the most amazing photos of our family.

– Megumi

The day after Helen’s visit my son asked when she was coming back as it was, ‘the best day of my life!’

I wasn’t sure what to expect from a photoshoot 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

Memories of a family day, not a family photo shoot.

Peekaboo! A mother peeks around her child during a portrait shoot.

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

The main thing I love is that Helen captured the children the way that they really are.

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, dishevelled and beautiful.

– Caroline

The pictures are happy and so reflective of the relationships between different family members.

Our eldest son went to university this October. It struck me before he left that it was a very long time since we had a good family photograph taken. I trawled the web looking for something different than the formal posed pictures we had taken previously. I came across Helen’s website and loved how natural the pictures were and the way she captured so much personality of the people she photographed.

We were not disappointed. The whole experience was so much fun, as we walked around the beech woods. It was like going for a walk with a friend. She then came back to our house and took pictures as we made music.

The pictures are happy and so reflective of the relationships between different family members, with cheeky glances, knowing looks, giggles, laughter and friendship. I will really treasure these pictures and the wonderful way she captured the essence of my precious family.

– Davina

The pictures are stunning and there were so many to choose from.

We are so delighted to have found Helen and her team to take photographs of our young family. Helen dedicates lots of time to the job and put us all at ease, photographing us in our environment with wonderful results. The pictures are stunning and there were so many to choose from. The album she produced was so well done there was no way we wouldn’t have ordered it, along with the multiple prints!

– Clemy

The result is a collection of beautiful and sensitive images of a fleeting and magical time in our lives.

We had a great day with Helen. She had Joshua completely engaged for hours, and we ended up with a whole load of fantastic photos. Most importantly we felt completely relaxed and there was lots of laughter during the time Helen was with us. She’s a natural with little ones, and even I felt OK having my photo taken!

The pictures are so beautiful. The photographs completely capture the very essence of Joshua’s personality, which is exactly what we wanted.

The result is a collection of beautiful and sensitive images of a fleeting and magical time in our lives. The album is a real work of art and a great keepsake, all of our friends always comment on how beautiful it is!

– John

The shots Helen took on that day are such a beautifully intimate record of those precious moments we enjoyed as a newly-founded family of four.

Helen is an incredibly talented photographer and I would highly recommend her to anyone looking for natural family portraits. She came to our home to photograph our newborn twins and did everything to make us feel at ease. The shots Helen took on that day are such a beautifully intimate record of those precious moments we enjoyed as a newly-founded family of four and are ones that we will cherish for many, many years to come!

– Paula

Helen was very accommodating of my tiny baby’s feeding needs.

Helen came and took some photographs of us as a family, not long after our daughter was born. Helen and my 8-year-old son hit it off straight away, which helped a great deal in making the shoot a very relaxing and pleasant time. Helen was very accommodating of my tiny baby’s feeding needs – and that day all she wanted to do was feed!

The photographs that Helen took were just stunning and will be treasured by all of us. Having seen photos that friends have had done by other photographers there just isn’t a comparison really – Helen’s images are amazing.

So, if you are looking at investing in some photographs of your family that you can treasure forever, I cannot think of a better person to go to than Helen.

– Alison

We cannot recommend her highly enough.

Helen seems to be part of our family – having been the photographer at our wedding, she has now seen our family grow and has photographed both our young children. She is fantastic, a natural! She puts everyone at ease and captures the most amazing moments.

We cannot recommend her highly enough. You just need lots of wall space in your home for all the photos as it’s impossible to choose!

– Susie

We love her work and will be using her again.

Helen’s photography is beautiful. She manages to really capture the essence of childhood and those precious family moments. We love her work and will be using her again to create a timeless record of our growing family.

– Lucy