Family & Pet Photography in the Surrey Hills | Natural Outdoor Family Photos with Dogs
A Morning With a Family and Their Romanian Rescue Dog | Family & Pet Photography in the Surrey Hills
I was recently contacted by a lovely lady who received a photography gift voucher for a family photo session with their Romanian rescue dog. It’s always such a joy when people want to include their pets in a family photo session, especially rescue animals, who so often have such moving stories behind them. I was delighted and honored to have been asked to document this family’s memories.
After chatting through a few ideas, we decided to meet early one summer morning at National Trust Abinger Roughs and Netley Park, tucked away in the beautiful Surrey Hills. It’s one of those places that always feels just a little bit magical - peaceful, full of texture, and with enough space to let everyone (including the dog!) breathe and explore.
We chose an early start to avoid the crowds and give the dog a calm, quiet environment to settle into. The morning began overcast with soft, diffused light filtering through the trees - which is actually a photographer’s dream! Then, just as we were getting into our stride, the clouds parted and sunlight began to spill through the canopy. Perfect timing for dreamy family portraits!
With family sessions, I always like to begin with a few “together” shots. These are often the anchor of the session; images that show connection, closeness, and the little dynamics that make each family unique. Once I have those in the bag, we can relax a bit more, and that’s often when the real magic begins.
Natural Outdoor Family Portraits with Pets
This family was a joy to photograph - warm, patient, and so caring for their dog, who had clearly come a long way since being rescued. It is always moving to see how much trust and love can develop between people and animals, and I think it really came through in the photos.
I also wanted to capture the bond of the little girl with her mum, so I observed their interaction and documented a few frames of the real genuine moments between the pair. And I couldn’t resist a portrait of their canine friend. The dog gradually relaxed, and I managed to capture some tender images of him looking up, eyes full of loyalty and affection.
As we wandered through woodland paths, we came across an area of wide open meadows, where cows were grazing in the distance. I noticed a fallen tree surrounded by wild flowers so I thought this would be a great scene to document the family relaxing and enjoying each other’s company - the laughter, the playfulness, the small gestures of care.
Pet Photographer in Surrey – Capturing Connection and Character
There’s something quietly powerful about photographing people and their pets. It’s not just about pretty portraits, it is about capturing a bond, a rhythm, a sense of belonging. This session was a gentle reminder of just how meaningful those connections are.
I left the Surrey Hills that morning with a full heart, a camera full of images, and a renewed love for what I do.
About Me | Dog and Family Photographer Surrey
Hello, I am Mina Milanovic, a lifestyle photographer based in Surrey, specialising in relaxed family and pet photography. My style is natural and storytelling-led, focusing on real moments, genuine connection, and the beauty of everyday relationships.
Whether it’s a walk in the woods, a morning at home, or an afternoon in your favourite park, I aim to create images that are timeless, honest, and full of life. The kind of photographs that feel like you, not posed or perfect, but beautifully real.
When I’m not behind the camera, I’m usually out in nature, enjoying a yoga class, or exploring new pockets of countryside for future shoots.
How to Book Your Surrey Pet and Family Photography Session
If you’re thinking about booking a session, whether for your family, your dog, or a mix of both, I would love to hear from you.
Here’s how it works:
Say hello – Drop me a message via email (mina@minamilanovic-photography.com) with a little info about who you are and what you’re hoping for.
Let’s chat – We’ll arrange a short phone or video call to talk through ideas and tailor the session to suit your family and your dog’s personality.
Confirm your date – Once we’ve agreed on a plan, I’ll send over deposit details to secure your session.
Relax and enjoy – On the day, I’ll guide you gently and intuitively so the session feels easy, unrushed, and enjoyable for everyone.
I am looking forward to hearing from you, and to working with you!
📍 Covering London, Surrey, Sussex, the South East, and beyond.
📧 mina@minamilanovic-photography.com
🌐 www.minamilanovic-photography.com
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mina_milanovic_photography/
Children photography in the Surrey Hills
I am really behind on my blog posts. There seems to be a million other things to do at the moment!
This children photography session happened a few months ago, at the beginning of winter. Nothing beats winter light on a beautiful sunny day! The sun is low and can produce some spectacular effects in the middle of the day. We set out on a family walk, and I actually left my camera at home as it was overcast at the time. My husband presuaded me to go back and get it and I cannot thank him enough! As we reached the Hills, the clouds parted and we were treated to magic! It was one amazing scene after another, perfect for family photography and children’s portraits.
As Surrey family photographer, I was gutted that I didn’t have a family photoshoot on that day, but I more than made up for it with photos of my own family and the beautiful landscape in front of me.
I hope you enjoy viewing these photos as much as I enjoyed taking them. On this first day of spring and on one year anniversary since the first lockdown, let’s look back and be greatful for all the nice experiences we had and hope for some more in the near future.
I will be returning to photographing children and families next week. If you would like to book a photoshoot with me, please get in touch.
Family and Dog Photography in Surrey
January is normally a month of catching up with admin and a backlog of blogs. This January is no different, even though we are in lockdown number 3. I am finding this lockdown more challenging than the last two so looking back on some of the positive things that came out of 2020 offers a respite and hope for this year.
Last year, I started a personal photography project entitled “Family Dogs”. I photographed a lot of families and a lot of dogs but the two seemed to keep quite seperate. I therefore decided to combine my two passions and create an opportunity for photography I really wanted to do. I love capturing an action shot of a dog running or playing, or a lovely quiet portrait. But what I really want to be photographing is the interactions families have with their dogs, kids playing with their four legged friend, giving them a hug or riding bikes while the dog runs along.
The family and dog photo session shown in the photographs below is from a recent Family Dogs Photoshoot, back when there were still a few leaves left on branches. This sweet family was a joy to photograph, the boys so keen to show me their pet chickens, paddle and dig clay in the stream, and ride bikes with their dog following them. One of my all time favourite photoshoots!
As a Surrey family and dog photographer, I work all over Surrey, London and the South East. This project is for local Surrey residents only, and I welcome anyone who would like to participate. If you are interested, please contact me to find out more.
Family Dogs / Surrey Family and Pet Photographer
Family Dogs
I love taking family photographs and I also love photographing dogs. That is why I recently started a personal project called Family Dogs, with an aim to document the relationship families have with their pet dogs. To kick start the series, I photographed a gorgeous cocker spaniel Lexi with her human family. We arranged our dog and family photo shoot near Leith Hill as the family lived close by and one of their favourite things to do in spare time was to go on long country walks.
Family portraits with pets
It was a warm summer day in late summer, with sunshine coming through the clouds but with rain looming in the distance. We started our walk at the bottom of the hill, walking up the gentle slopes, sun coming through the trees. This first part of the session provided some great opportunities for group shots, the colours of the dead leaves on the ground matching Lexi’s coat. It was lovely to work with the earhy colour palette. A part of the route up towards Leith Hill has some impressive tree roots which form an amazing pattern on the ground. I knew I wanted to include these in the photographs, so I positioned Lexi for a few dog portraits. I particurlarly like black and white versions of these photographs, the textures and patterns really come through. Once we were on top of the hill, I looked around for nice spots for some more family shots. The heather was in bloom and I wanted to include it in the photos. Often when photographing families with dogs, there is quite a bit of arranging going on. Either the dog doesn’t want to sit still, the kids want to run around or both things happen making it nearly impossible to take a group shot! On this occasion, by some miracle, the family set down and just as they did so (while also looking at the camera), Lexi came from behind and poked her head through a little hole in the middle. This is one of the rare unposed, unplanned photos which just happened and turned out amazing! It is one of my favouirtes from this family and pet photo session, probably because it was so spontaneous!
Dog Portraits
Finally, a dog photo session with an energetic dog like Lexi wouldn’t be complete without a few action shots. I got Lexi to run along the paths amongst the heather and she did so with such speed that my auto focus struggled to keep up. I love taking a variety of different shots which capture memories of our pets in different situations - while frantically running around, chasing a ball, playing with another dog or a family member, or having a quiet moment. Different moments take us back and awaken memories we thought we lost.
Family Photography with Dogs
If you live in Surrey and are interested in participating in my Family Dogs photography project, please get in touch - I would love to hear from you and photograph your family and your dog(s)!
Dog Photography Gift Vouchers
If you are looking for a different kind of gift for someone’s birthday, anniversary or Christmas present, then a photography gift voucher may be the answer. I offer 1h and 2h dog photography gift vouchers. You can add extra credit to the gift certificate, which can go towards digital files or prints, or leave it up to the receipient to choose what they’d like at the end of the photoshoot. Get in touch if you have any questions!