London locations
Permits, light and what to expect on the day.
Open space, the Serpentine, avenues of trees and water. That is what brings people to Hyde Park with a camera.
| Hyde Park | |
|---|---|
| Who controls it | The Royal Parks issue a wedding and lifestyle photography permit for engagement, wedding and family portrait shoots. |
| Good for | Open space, the Serpentine, avenues of trees and water. |
| Light | Late afternoon along the water gives backlight without a building in the frame. |
| Busiest | It is the largest and busiest of the central parks. |
The Royal Parks issue a wedding and lifestyle photography permit for engagement, wedding and family portrait shoots. One permit covers one hour and up to ten people, in selected areas. You attach public liability insurance with minimum cover of five million pounds, and they ask for at least ten days notice. Permits for The Regent's Park are applied for separately.
Checked on 4 October 2026. Rules and fees change, so confirm with the authority before the shoot.
Late afternoon along the water gives backlight without a building in the frame.
It is the largest and busiest of the central parks. The permit covers one hour, so pick one area and stay in it.
Lancaster Gate, Hyde Park Corner and Marble Arch.
Light kit you can carry, because the distances inside the park are long.
Booking one hour and planning three locations inside it.
| Who controls it | The Royal Parks |
| Permit needed | Yes: personal lifestyle and commercial shoots use different applications |
| Notice to allow | 10 days for lifestyle; at least 5 or 10 working days for commercial work, depending on crew size |
| Insurance | Public liability, minimum 5 million pounds |
| Worth knowing | The one-hour / 10-person limit is for wedding and lifestyle permits |
| Nearest stations | Lancaster Gate, Hyde Park Corner and Marble Arch. |
| What to carry | Light kit you can carry, because the distances inside the park are long. |
Rules and fees change. Confirm with the authority named above before the shoot, and treat this table as a starting point rather than a permission.
| Where | What it gives you | When it works |
|---|---|---|
| The Serpentine | Open water and sky | Late afternoon |
| The Rose Garden near Hyde Park Corner | Formal planting | Morning |
| The avenue towards Speakers' Corner | Long lines of trees | Backlight in the evening |
A location is a corner at an hour, not a postcode. Pick one of these and build the session around it.
An hour in Hyde Park is three stops, not one.
We start at The Serpentine, because it is the frame most people came for and it is quietest first.
Then The Rose Garden near Hyde Park Corner, which changes the background without changing the light.
We finish at The avenue towards Speakers' Corner, which gives a different scale and a different mood.
Late spring, when the trees are in leaf but the crowds have not arrived.
Autumn for colour along the water.
Winter for mist over the Serpentine on cold mornings.
Simple shapes: the park is open and the sky is part of the frame.
Long coats work well in the avenues.
Flat shoes, because the distances inside the park are long.
The Serpentine galleries and the cafes give shelter.
Kensington Gardens continues from the same point with the same permit rules.
The Royal Parks issue a wedding and lifestyle photography permit that covers engagement, wedding and family portrait work.
One permit covers one hour and up to ten people, in selected areas of the park.
You complete the online application, choose the park, and attach public liability insurance with minimum cover of five million pounds.
They ask for at least ten days notice, and the fee is paid through a link once the application is approved.
The Regent's Park is applied for and paid separately from the other parks.
Commercial filming and photography is a different route, handled by the filming team, with fees set by the shoot rather than by a fixed permit.
Nearby, with different rules and a different look: Covent Garden, Regent's Park and Canary Wharf.
The full list of occasions is on event photography in London.
Next step
Send the date and intended use; the current permission route can then be checked before the location is promised.
Send the date, location and what you need photographed.