Skip to content
  • About
  • ServicesExpand
    • Brand Photography
    • Women’s Portrait Photography
    • Headshots
  • Journal
Spirited Branding and Portrait Photography logo
  • Gallery
  • FreebiesExpand
    • Free Brand Shoot Planner
    • Pricing Brochure Download
    • Join the tribe
  • Book Now
Spirited Branding and Portrait Photography logo

PERSONAL PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY FOR WOMEN | LONDON

EMPOWERING WOMEN PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY

HONEST PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY FOR COURAGEOUS WOMEN

THE EXPERIENCE THE PACKAGE GALLERY
Peony illustration

Women’s personal portrait photography sessions that liberate your confidence & self expression

…a therapeutic portrait experience

South East london | female photographer

The World of

Portrait Photography for Women


Welcome to The Liberty Sessions, a unique space where women are invited to be seen, celebrated, and captured through authentic portrait photography.


I’m Frances, a London-based portrait photographer, former director of a migrant women’s organisation, and founder of Spirited and The Liberty Sessions. Through the lens of the camera, my work blends the sensitivity of coaching, the creativity of an artist, and the intimacy of storytelling.


These aren’t just photographs. This is a therapeutic session, a moment in time where you rediscover the beauty, power, and presence within yourself. Whether you’re marking a milestone, navigating a transition, or simply craving a sense of you again, you’re exactly where you’re meant to be.

MORE ABOUT ME
personal portrait photographer for women london
I’m Frances, your personal portrait photographer
My clients are looking for
a sense of self that only you can know.
The Liberty Sessions / Spirited Photography
Portrait photography for women matters - Girl Almighty leather biker jacket

Why Portrait Photography for Women Matters


In a world that often asks women to be everything for everyone, portrait photography becomes an act of reclamation. It’s about slowing down, focusing in, and honouring the woman in the frame — you.

Clients come to me for many reasons:

  • To celebrate a birthday or a new job
  • To explore a sense of identity post-pregnancy
  • As a mother–daughter experience across multiple generations
  • To capture the deep friendship between best friends
  • Or simply because it’s been too long since they were last photographed


Every session is a moment to pause, to reflect on your life, and to see yourself with new eyes, without needing an “excuse.”

How My Portrait Sessions Work


Each session is carefully crafted to support your confidence, creativity, and self-expression. Here’s what to expect:

01.

Pre-session consultation


We begin with a relaxed chat, your goals, wardrobe ideas, and anything you’d like to explore. Whether you’re drawn to something artistic, intimate, or classic, I’ll guide you with advice rooted in years of experience in women portraits photography.

Portrait photographer for women in London consultations

02.

Your photoshoot at the studio


Welcome to my cosy, safe home studio in South East London, complete with props, flattering light, and a curious cat. We’ll create a space where you feel fully seen through gentle movement, breathwork, and music.


Don’t worry about poses or being “photogenic.” My job is to help you feel comfortable, focused, and in flow with the camera.

Cameras in women's portrait photography studio London

03.

Confidence-Boosting Tools


With coaching techniques and creative prompts, I help you connect with your own sense of beauty and presence. This isn’t about performance. This is about you.

Frances Carlisle Portrait Photographer for Women London, with camera

Frances has the ability to connect with clients in a way that makes the whole process enjoyable and unforgettable.

04.

Outfit & Styling Support



Bring a range of outfits that make you feel good. Some women come with flowing dresses, others with their favourite jeans. Some wear makeup professionally done, others come fresh-faced. It’s all welcome.

make up artist styling for portrait photography London

05.

A Portrait Experience that Stays with You



After the shoot, you’ll receive a curated collection of edited images — portraits that reflect who you are, not who you think you should be.

female portrait photo session
REQUEST A SESSION WITH ME

The Stories These Photos Tell


Women often tell me this isn’t just a photography session, it’s a healing experience. One woman came after ending an emotionally abusive relationship. Another brought her baby and her mother, three generations in one frame. A friend duo laughed and cried through their shoot, calling it the most fun they’d had together in years.


Each woman brings her own story. Each session reflects that. This is more than a photo, it’s a celebration of your lived experience.

Women’s Portraits: A Gallery

  • female writer personal headshot in london studio dressed in black against purple background with sunlight angled across face
  • women's personal headshot in London studio, head on back of hand holding purple flower
  • portrait of a woman looking skyward with a flower in her mouth
  • women's personal portraits photography london
  • woman power poses with hands on hips, backlit against a pink backdrop wearing a black v neck jumpsuit and a peach tulip behind one ear
  • Portrait Photographer London for creative contemporary portraits
  • Woman in red headscarf and shawl
  • How to pose for pictures with confidence
  • women's portraits for change - liberty session portrait in red

Why Choose Me as Your Photographer


I don’t photograph to flatter.
I photograph to portray.


To portray the strength in your softness.
The depth in your gaze.
The joy in your presence.
The shape of your laughter.
The quiet power behind your stillness.
The moment your confidence starts to return, not forced, but felt.


Because you’re not a pose. You’re not a filter.
You’re a whole person with a life full of stories, complexities, and chapters yet to be written.


As a woman photographer, I understand how it feels to be in front of the camera. You may not feel like a model, an actress, or the person you see on magazine covers. But that’s never the point.

This is not about performance. It’s about presence.


I’ve worked with women from all walks of life, mothers, artists, business owners, pregnant women celebrating their pregnancy, women rebuilding after trauma, and those just wanting to remember who they are again. Some come with their best friend for a shared experience. Others bring their children, their mother, or a reminder of someone no longer here. Each session carries history, meaning, and a quiet kind of power.

My approach is slow, intentional, and deeply personal. I guide, not direct. I offer gentle advice when you need it, whether it’s how to stand, what to wear, or how to breathe through that moment of “What do I do with my hands?”

Through years of photographing women, I’ve learned that the most powerful images come when you’re not trying to be anything. They come when you let go. When the studio becomes a space where you don’t need to be “on”, just seen.

I bring all of me to the work, not just as a photographer, but as a coach, an artist, and a woman who’s lived through reinvention.

So, whether you’re stepping into a new phase of life, healing from the last one, or simply giving yourself permission to exist in photos, I invite you to explore what it means to see yourself, fully, honestly, and beautifully.

Explore my gallery of work to see my photography in more detail.

Explore my gallery
Portrait Photography for Women London - woman peering confidently from behind feather

HOW MUCH DOES A PERSONAL PHOTOGRAPHER COST?

  • 1 – 1.5 HOUR PHOTOSHOOT
  • CONFIDENCE BOOSTING TECHNIQUES
  • SAFE SPACE, COSY HOME STUDIO (+ A CURIOUS CAT)
  • WARDROBE ADVICE
  • PROPS (OPTIONAL) FROM FLORALS TO RIBBONS TO… WHAT WILL YOU CHOOSE?

£440

BOOK NOW

Ready to be seen in a new light?


This is your moment. Not to become someone else, but to come home to yourself.

Whether you’re celebrating a milestone, marking a transformation, or simply want to remember this chapter of your life, you deserve to be seen, honoured, and photographed with intention.

You don’t need an excuse. You only need a yes to yourself. Call now to book your portrait photography for women. 

Frances Carlisle, Portrait and Brand Photographer London, smiling outdoors near London Bridge

DON’T LIKE FORMS? DROP ME A LINE VIA EMAIL.

frances@wearespirited.co.uk

PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY FOR WOMEN:

Questions & Answers


In my small but cosy London home studio, which is full of natural light. There’s space to hang outfits, enjoy a tea or coffee and change in between set-ups. You might even meet my normally socially awkward cat, who just loves to see what’s going on in the studio!

You should feel comfortable, but also beautiful (in whatever way that means to you). Comfort isn’t always physical, so I’m not necessarily talking jeans. At the same time, evening wear might not be how you envisage yourself. Think about how free you are to move, twist, turn. Think about how colours pop (in your background? Or in your clothes? Makeup? Or props?). If you’ve dreamt of a look but were too scared to try it in public, this is your opportunity. Like the client here, who channelled her Mexican heritage through a Frida Kahlo inspired look. She had never dared to try it outside of the home before, but left feeling absolute confidence in it afterwards.

These photo sessions are designed for maximum comfort and feeling secure – so whilst I do photograph outdoor portraits, I can’t offer the same freedom of expression as these particular personal portrait sessions have. Outdoor sessions always run the risk of people looking on, the weather, searching for a wardrobe change location, the noise from central London. If the look / location is pulling you more than the feeling from the Liberty Sessions, tell me you’d like an outdoors session when you book and we’ll arrange a location.

I know several makeup artists I would recommend; time allowing they may even be able to do your makeup here first. It’s best to book your date in for your personal photoshoot and then see who is available.

I’m based in Nunhead (the Dulwich /Peckham borderland), South East London – easily accessible by the train from London Bridge or Blackfriars, overground (Windrush line) and bus. The neighbourhood has plenty of great coffee shops and amazing restaurants & cocktail bars to visit with friends after your shoot. Some of my favourites are Peckham Bazaar, Forza Wine, Zapoi, Kudu, CLF Art Lounge and The Good Neighbour.

Yes and no. I photograph everyone, from headshots and branding to family photoshoots. The Liberty Sessions are something different and designed specifically with women in mind. Women bear the brunt of emotional labour, experience greater financial inequality and are more likely to experience abuse from partners & family members. The discrimination due to colour, immigration status, nationality, age, disability makes our vulnerability greater still. It’s therefore no wonder we feel more at risk, less confident or the need to shout louder simply to be heard. With this and the male gaze in mind, women’s personal portrait photography is specifically to counter that and work on capturing freedom in the moment, enabling you to carry it forward.

Follow me on Instagram

  • megaphone stuffed with roses shouting petals and leaves for london lifestyle photograph
  • Woman political candidate posing for lifestyle brand photography shoot London empanada shop
  • lemons around a glass of lemon water
  • creative brand photography - watermelon wedding lollipop and pink coloured veil
  • detail of make up artist holding 'Timeless' hairstyle book
  • tailor-made women's clothing lifestyle photography

female headshot with flower tucked behind ear

Women's Portraits

London

We Are Spirited

Bespoke brand photography & home studio in Nunhead (between Peckham Rye/ East Dulwich) South London.

Working across London providing clarity in brand photography for change making female founders.

View Pricing Brochure
Free Brand Shoot Planner

frances@wearespirited.co.uk

07816 764047

jewellery brand photography

Brand Photography

London

Let's be friends!

Instagram Pinterest Linkedin

© Frances Carlisle 2026  |  Theme by StyleCloud

Manage Cookies
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
  • Manage options
  • Manage services
  • Manage {vendor_count} vendors
  • Read more about these purposes
View preferences
  • {title}
  • {title}
  • {title}
Scroll to top
  • Home
  • About
  • Services
    • Brand Photography
    • Women’s Portrait Photography
    • Headshots
  • Journal
  • Gallery
  • Freebies
    • Brand shoot planner
    • Pricing Brochure
    • Join the tribe
  • Book Now
Instagram Linkedin Pinterest