Yana Skakun
Journal
Photography Blog
Tips, guides, venue spotlights and behind-the-scenes stories from my photography sessions across England.
Photography Tips
3 April 2026·6 min read
First Day of School Photography: How to Capture the Moment
The first day of school is a milestone that passes quickly and is frequently under-documented. With a simple plan, first day photographs become images you will treasure — not a blurry doorstep snapshot taken while running late.
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Photography Tips
3 April 2026·6 min read
Prom Photography in the UK: How to Get Beautiful Results
Prom passes quickly and the photographs from it often disappoint. With a little planning, prom photography produces images that genuinely capture who your young person was at this moment. Here is how to approach prom portraits in the UK.
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Photography Tips
3 April 2026·6 min read
Retirement Portrait Photography: Marking the End of a Career
Retirement is a milestone that deserves proper documentation — a portrait session that says something about who you are and what you have achieved, not just a snapshot at the leaving party. Here is how retirement portrait photography works.
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Photography Tips
3 April 2026·6 min read
Milestone Birthday Portrait Sessions: 30, 40, 50 and Beyond
A milestone birthday portrait session is about marking the person you have become — with imagery that reflects confidence, character, and the achievements behind you. Here is what a milestone birthday portrait session involves.
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Photography Tips
3 April 2026·7 min read
Graduation Portrait Sessions: A Complete Planning Guide
Graduation is one of the few moments in life where formal dress, academic ceremony, and genuine personal pride align. A graduation portrait session captures all three — here is how to plan one that does full justice to the occasion.
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Photography Tips
3 April 2026·7 min read
Jesus Green & Midsummer Common: Urban Nature Wedding Photography in Cambridge
Jesus Green and Midsummer Common form an unbroken ribbon of riverside parkland through the heart of Cambridge — huge avenue limes, the longest open-air swimming pool in England, herbaceous borders, and the River Cam glimpsed between willows every hundred metres.
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Photography Tips
3 April 2026·7 min read
Snowdrop Photography at Anglesey Abbey: The Most Magical Winter Spectacle
Every January and February, Anglesey Abbey near Cambridge hosts one of England's most spectacular natural events — millions of snowdrops carpeting the woodland floor in a white drift beneath ancient trees. A photographer's guide to capturing this magical winter spectacle.
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Photography Tips
3 April 2026·7 min read
Gog Magog Hills: Hidden Gem Photography Location Near Cambridge
The Gog Magog Hills are the only real hills near Cambridge — a chalk ridge of ancient hillfort earthworks, open downland, ancient beech woodland, and views stretching across the city to Ely Cathedral on the horizon. One of the finest and most underused photography locations near Cambridge.
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Photography Tips
3 April 2026·6 min read
Cherry Hinton Chalk Pits: Cambridge's Hidden Photography Location
Cherry Hinton Chalk Pits is one of Cambridge's most unusual and least-visited photography locations — a flooded Victorian chalk quarry with translucent blue-green water, white chalk cliffs, and an eerie beauty entirely unlike anything else in Cambridgeshire.
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Photography Tips
3 April 2026·10 min read
River Cam Photography Guide: Best Stretches, Seasons & Times of Day
The River Cam is the defining landscape of Cambridge — ten miles of photographic riches from the meadows above Grantchester through the college backs to the fen ditches beyond Ely. A complete guide to the Cam's finest portrait, wedding, and engagement photography locations.
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Photography Tips
3 April 2026·9 min read
Anglesey Abbey (National Trust): Stunning Garden Photography Near Cambridge
Anglesey Abbey near Lode is one of the National Trust's finest gardens — 114 acres of formal allées, classical sculpture, dahlia-filled borders, a working watermill, and the most extraordinary snowdrop display in England. A complete photography guide to this 12-acre Cambridge gem.
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Portrait Tips
3 April 2026·11 min read
What to Wear for Studio Portrait Photography: Complete Guide
Studio portraits put everything in your outfit under a magnifying glass. A comprehensive guide to backdrop coordination, colours, fit, grooming, and what to avoid for perfect studio portraits.
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Photography Blog — Tips, Guides & Inspiration
Welcome to the photography blog by Yana Skakun — a professional photographer based in Cambridge, England. This journal covers everything from practical wedding planning guides and engagement session advice to family photoshoot tips, newborn photography guides, portrait session prep, and venue spotlights across Cambridgeshire, London, and East England.
Whether you're a couple planning your wedding, a family getting ready for a seasonal portrait session, or a professional preparing for a headshot shoot — you'll find honest, experience-based advice here. Every article is written from real sessions and years of capturing life's most meaningful moments across England.