Yana Skakun
Stoke-on-Trent · Staffordshire
Family Photographer
Stoke-on-Trent
Natural family portraits across Staffordshire — Trentham Gardens, Cannock Chase AONB, the Staffordshire Moorlands, and the southern Peak District.
Stoke-on-Trent Family Photography
Trentham, Cannock Chase & the Staffordshire Moorlands
Stoke-on-Trent is surrounded by some of the most varied countryside in the Midlands — the Trentham Estate gardens to the south, Cannock Chase AONB to the west, the Staffordshire Moorlands and Peak District edge to the east. Family portrait sessions here can range from the formal Italian terraces of Trentham to the open gritstone ridges of The Roaches, all within thirty to forty minutes of the Potteries.
Sessions are relaxed and follow your family's own pace — exploring a setting together, pausing where the light is right, and making photographs that genuinely capture the day.
Packages
Family Session Packages
Mini Session
£150
30 min · 20+ images
A focused Staffordshire session — Trentham Gardens, Cannock Chase, or a chosen Stoke-on-Trent natural location.
Standard Session
£250
1 hour · 40+ images
A full hour at a chosen location — Trentham Estate, Cannock Chase, or the Staffordshire Moorlands — at your family's natural pace.
Extended Session
£350
2 hours · 75+ images
Two hours across two Staffordshire settings — Trentham and the Chase, or the Moorlands and the Peak District edge — for a session with real landscape variety.
Locations
Staffordshire Family Photography Locations
Trentham Estate & Gardens
The major landscape attraction of Staffordshire — the Italian gardens, the monkey forest, the lake, and the parkland surrounding the Trentham Hall ruins. The estate provides an extraordinary variety of portrait settings from formal Italian garden to open lakeside meadow, all within one accessible property.
Cannock Chase AONB
The lowland heath and forest of Cannock Chase — the nearest Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to the Potteries. Open heathland, ancient woodland, and forest trails 20 minutes south of Stoke. The Chase is excellent for family portraits in autumn when the bracken and birch turn.
Biddulph Grange (NT)
The remarkable Victorian garden near Congleton — featuring a Chinese garden, Egyptian garden, and extensive formal garden collections in a deeply wooded valley setting. An extraordinary and unusual portrait location for families wanting something completely distinctive.
Rudyard Lake
The Victorian reservoir east of Leek — a lake in a narrow wooded valley, with a miniature railway, open waterside paths, and the Staffordshire Moorlands above. Excellent for Extended Sessions combining lake and moorland settings.
Staffordshire Moorlands & The Roaches
The gritstone ridge of The Roaches and the open moorland of the Staffordshire Peak — 25 minutes east of Stoke, wild and dramatic in a way entirely different from Cannock Chase. The Roaches summit has extraordinary views across Cheshire and the midland plain.
Peak District (Dovedale, 40 min)
The southern Peak District — Dovedale, Ilam Park (NT), and the Dove valley — is 40 minutes from Stoke and provides the finest river valley landscape portrait settings in the whole of the East Midlands. Excellent for Extended Sessions wanting outstanding landscape.
Why Families Choose Yana
Trentham Gardens is exceptional for family portrait photography
The Trentham Estate combines formal Italian garden terraces, an open lakeside, ancient parkland, and the ruined Hall — all within a single ticketed estate with good visitor facilities. For Staffordshire families, it provides the widest variety of portrait settings of any single location in the county.
Cannock Chase is an accessible AONB
Twenty minutes from Stoke city centre, Cannock Chase provides open heathland and ancient woodland portrait settings that are genuinely wild in character. Particularly exceptional in September and October when the heather and bracken turn.
The Staffordshire Moorlands begin on the doorstep
The Peak District National Park boundary is barely 15 miles from Stoke-on-Trent — the southern moorlands, The Roaches ridge, and Dovedale are all accessible for family sessions wanting open landscape rather than managed estate settings.
Relaxed, unhurried, and genuinely natural
Sessions follow your family — Trentham's Italian terraces to explore, the Chase heathland to run through, a moorland ridge to climb. The photographs capture real moments and real energy rather than arranged smiles.
Stoke-on-Trent Family Photography FAQs
Is Trentham Gardens the best location for Stoke family photos?+
For variety and accessibility, yes — the Trentham Estate has more portrait-quality settings than any other single location near Stoke-on-Trent. Admission applies (reduced for season ticket holders). For something wilder, Cannock Chase or The Roaches are excellent alternatives at no entry cost.
What is the best season for Staffordshire family photography?+
October for Trentham in autumn and Cannock Chase with the bracken turning. May and June for the Italian garden formal planting at Trentham. Any season for the moorland locations — which are dramatic in winter low sun and atmospheric in autumn mist.
Can we combine Staffordshire and the Peak District in one session?+
Yes — Dovedale and The Roaches are within 40 minutes of Stoke. An Extended Session (2 hours) can incorporate one Staffordshire setting and one Peak District location in the same afternoon if travel time is included in the plan.
Is Biddulph Grange National Trust — do we need membership?+
Yes — Biddulph Grange Garden is NT and standard admission applies (free for members). It's an exceptional and unusual setting — the Chinese and Egyptian garden sections create portrait compositions unlike any other location in Staffordshire.
How far is Stoke-on-Trent from Cambridge?+
Approximately 130 miles — within my regular Midlands coverage schedule. A travel supplement applies for distances over 60 miles from Cambridge.
Get in Touch
Book Your Staffordshire Family Session
Check availability — Trentham Gardens, Cannock Chase, or the moorland edge.