Engagement Location: St John’s Lodge
St John’s Lodge - located in Regent’s Park - offers a quintessentially British garden backdrop. It is a hidden gem of West London’s park offerings, being free to access and immaculately manicured. I would recommend checking opening hours before you arrive to avoid disappointment.
Shyam and Anya’s engagement session was in mid-October, on a bright and sunny autumnal day. The best time to shoot here would be March - November. It’s easy to access from several tube stations around Regent’s Park, and even the walk to this particular spot is a treat and is a great chance to get to know your couple more before beginning the shoot.
The gardens feature hidden botanical sections so you can avoid people in the background of your session and your subjects can feel more comfortable being themselves. There are beautiful marble statues, fountains, rose gardens, gates and tall manicured walkways which frame images beautifully.
The only downside of this location - it’s very weather dependent and can make lighting tricky for shooting.
When we began our session is was 1pm and as it’s autumn, there were still lots of shadows and the sun wasn’t at it’s highest point. By the end of the hour session, the sun was directly above and it made for more harsh direct lighting and required quick camera setting adjustments as you move around locations.
