London locations
Permits, light and what to expect on the day.
Open grass, bracken, ancient trees and deer. That is what brings people to Richmond Park with a camera.
| Richmond Park | |
|---|---|
| Who controls it | The Royal Parks issue a wedding and lifestyle photography permit for engagement, wedding and family portrait shoots. |
| Good for | Open grass, bracken, ancient trees and deer. |
| Light | Early morning gives mist and low light across the grass. |
| Busiest | Keep a long distance from the deer, especially in the rut in autumn and when calves are born in summer. |
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.
Early morning gives mist and low light across the grass. It is the one London location that looks rural.
Keep a long distance from the deer, especially in the rut in autumn and when calves are born in summer. The park is large: pick a gate near the area you want and share it with the client.
Richmond station, then a bus or a walk to a gate.
A long lens for the deer and boots for the grass, which stays wet most of the year.
Approaching the deer. Keep the distance the park asks for, in every season.
| 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 | Richmond station, then a bus or a walk to a gate. |
| What to carry | A long lens for the deer and boots for the grass, which stays wet most of the year. |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Isabella Plantation | Azaleas and water in late spring | Morning |
| Pen Ponds | Open water and sky | Sunrise |
| The ancient oaks near Sheen Gate | Bare structure, dramatic in mist | Winter morning |
A location is a corner at an hour, not a postcode. Pick one of these and build the session around it.
An hour in Richmond Park is three stops, not one.
We start at Isabella Plantation, because it is the frame most people came for and it is quietest first.
Then Pen Ponds, which changes the background without changing the light.
We finish at The ancient oaks near Sheen Gate, which gives a different scale and a different mood.
Late April and May for the plantation, which is the busiest and best fortnight.
Autumn for bracken and the rut, when the deer must be given a very wide berth.
Winter mornings for mist, which is the reason photographers come here at all.
Long coats and boots. The grass is wet most of the year.
Earth colours sit into the landscape, bright colours stand out of it.
Nothing that drags: the ground is uneven and often muddy.
Pembroke Lodge gardens are more sheltered.
The park is large enough that one side can be dry while the other is not.
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: Hampstead Heath, Greenwich and Little Venice.
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.