MAGICAL MERRIMENT IN LONDON · CHRISTMAS 2026
London Christmas Dog Photoshoot
A private Christmas photography experience with Andrew Raven, created around you and your soul dog.
Pet Photographer of the Year 2025, British Photography Awards · Gold, reFocus Awards · Gold, International Pet Photography Awards
Christmas Dog Portraits in London’s Most Magical Corners
Christmas has always been my absolute favourite time of year. For a few wonderful weeks, London seems to give itself permission to be a little more extravagant. Streets glow, shopfronts become tiny theatres, enormous trees appear where they have no business fitting, and even the corners I know by heart somehow feel new again. I adore all of it.
Magical Merriment was born from that feeling. My private London Christmas dog photography experience is created around you and your soul dog, wandering through the parts of the city that come alive at Christmas and creating portraits filled with their character, your connection, and the little moments that belong entirely to the two of you.
Magical Merriment has sold out every Christmas since 2022 and has become my busiest time of year. Each year I open a set Christmas calendar so every experience remains enjoyable and memorable, with every precious little soul given the time and attention they deserve. Once the calendar is full, bookings close until the following Christmas.
From the glow of Burlington Arcade and New Bond Street to the towering tree and golden Christmas lights of Covent Garden, the elegance of Chelsea around Duke of York Square, the grand architecture of Bank and the rich colour and ornate Victorian character of Leadenhall Market, each part of London brings its own personality to the experience.
You can choose the part of festive London you feel most drawn to, and I will help shape the experience around your precious one, considering their confidence, character and how we can make the most of that setting together.
For those who would love a little more of London at Christmas, I also offer an extended experience bringing Covent Garden and Mayfair together in one beautifully planned morning. If you’re dreaming of the full Christmas story, a bespoke multi location commission can also be arranged to include all four locations, either within one longer morning or across more than one morning, depending on the experience you would like to create together.
Christmas Dog Portraits in Magical Mayfair
Mayfair at Christmas feels wonderfully indulgent. New Bond Street glows beneath its extraordinary displays, Burlington Arcade becomes a little world of its own, and everywhere you look there seems to be another beautiful detail waiting to become part of a portrait.
I love photographing here because the Christmas spectacle can be enormous, yet the photographs can still feel intimate. Your dog might sit beneath one of the grand displays one moment, then a few steps later we find a doorway, an arcade or a pool of light that gives us something completely different.
Mayfair brings a wonderful sense of elegance and occasion to the portrait, with your dog and the connection between you always remaining at its heart.
Sometimes that connection is obvious. Sometimes it is no more than the way they look towards you, lean against your leg or soften the moment your hand reaches them. Those tiny gestures are often the ones that mean the most.
Christmas Dog Portraits Beneath the Lights of Covent Garden
Covent Garden at Christmas is gloriously over the top. The huge tree in the Piazza, Apple Market dressed in lights, enormous baubles, ribbons and decorations everywhere you turn. It is exactly the sort of Christmas excess I adore.
For portraits, Covent Garden gives us colour, scale and detail in abundance. We can embrace the grandeur of the main displays, then move only a few steps and find an archway, a quieter edge of the Piazza or a little pool of light that changes the whole feeling of the portrait.
Even amongst all of that Christmas theatre, my attention stays with your dog and the connection between you. The expression that lasts half a second, the glance back towards you, the little flash of mischief or affection. Those are the details that make the portrait feel entirely theirs.
Christmas Dog Portraits Around Duke of York Square, Chelsea
Chelsea at Christmas has a gentler kind of grandeur. Around Duke of York Square and the surrounding streets, the festive details sit amongst elegant architecture, beautiful shopfronts and a little more breathing room than some of London’s busiest Christmas landmarks.
I love that sense of space because it gives me time to watch the two of you together. The way your dog looks for you, settles beside you, leans into your hand or gives you one of those expressions you know instantly and nobody else quite does. Those are often the moments I am waiting for.
We can still embrace the Christmas displays and all the beauty of Chelsea, but the heart of the portrait is your precious one and the relationship you share. Years from now, I want the photograph to bring back far more than where you were standing. I want it to remind you exactly how it felt to have them beside you at Christmas.
Christmas Dog Portraits in Bank and Leadenhall Market
Bank has a different energy at Christmas. The scale of the architecture around the Royal Exchange gives the photographs a sense of grandeur, while Leadenhall Market brings colour, detail and that unmistakable Victorian character into the story.
I adore the contrast here. Bank gives your precious one a wonderful sense of presence against all that stone, symmetry and scale, while the smallest moments between you still hold their own. A glance, a touch, the way they naturally fall into step beside you. Those are the details that stop the photograph becoming simply about London.
For me, this part of the city is especially beautiful when the portrait has presence. London provides the stage, Christmas adds the occasion, and your dog remains very much the reason for the photograph.
A little glimpse of Magical Merriment
Christmas Magic, at Your Dog’s Pace
Christmas in London can be wonderfully exciting, and every dog takes it all in in their own way.
Before we meet, I want to know about your soul dog. What makes them curious, what gives them confidence, what they would rather avoid, and the little quirks that make them completely themselves.
My years working with rescue dogs have shaped the way I photograph those who come in front of my camera. I watch their body language, give them time to understand what is happening, and allow the experience to unfold naturally around them.
If they need to wander, sniff, pause or simply watch Christmas happening around them for a while, we do exactly that. There is no rush. Some of the most memorable moments appear once they have settled into the adventure in their own time and decided that Christmas in London might actually be rather delightful.
Your Magical Merriment Experience
Magical Merriment is released seasonally, with a limited number of Christmas sessions available each year. I keep the number of dates intentionally limited, allowing each morning to remain calm, personal and centred around the dogs in front of me.
Each commission is carefully shaped around the dog who means the world to you, the location and those quieter moments before London begins to stir.
You can choose one beautiful part of festive London for your portraits, amongst the lights, architecture and Christmas details of Mayfair, Covent Garden, Chelsea or the City.
For those who would love a little more of London, I also offer an extended Magical Merriment experience bringing Covent Garden and Mayfair together in one beautifully planned morning, with more time to wander, explore and create a fuller collection of portraits.
If you’re dreaming of the full Christmas story, a bespoke multi location commission can also be arranged to include all four Magical Merriment locations, either within one longer morning or across more than one morning, depending on the experience you would like to create together.
Above all, the experience is centred around them, allowing time to settle, explore and simply be themselves.
Magical Merriment is my seasonal Christmas pet photography experience in London, with private photoshoots taking place across Mayfair, Covent Garden, Chelsea and the City of London. Open to dogs, cats and other much loved pets, each session is planned around their personality, confidence and comfort.
Planning Christmas with your dog in London? Read my festive London guide →
Reviews from London Christmas Dog Photoshoots
Kind words from Magical Merriment
“We booked Gizmo’s first ever shoot with Andrew back in December, and of course it had to be Andrew’s beautiful Christmas shoot.
He was a dream to work with, was clear with instructions for us, was super patient, chose all the iconic backdrops for photos and, as a result, captured so many beautiful shots.
We had THE best time shooting with Andrew and the only difficult part of it all was narrowing down the number of photos we wanted in our Christmas album. All the shots were superb!”
— Gizmo the Christmas Bear
“We have now done two individual Christmas-themed photoshoots in London with Andrew, as well as a couple more at different events over the years.
He is always so patient with our rescue dog, Biscotti, letting him do his thing whilst capturing the perfect photos at the perfect moments. He is always considerate of what works best for the human and the dog.
Watching him work his magic at the time of the shoot and also after editing is always amazing, and he has never failed to put a smile on our faces!”
— Biscotti the not so Naughty
London Christmas Dog Photoshoot FAQs
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Magical Merriment takes place across four of my favourite festive corners of London: Mayfair, Covent Garden, Chelsea around Duke of York Square, and the City around Bank, The Royal Exchange and Leadenhall Market.
You can choose the setting you feel most drawn to, or enjoy an extended Magical Merriment experience bringing Covent Garden and Mayfair together in one morning.
If you’re dreaming of the full Christmas story, a bespoke multi location commission can also be arranged to include all four locations, either within one longer morning or across more than one morning, depending on the experience you would like to create together.
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Absolutely. My years working with rescue dogs have shaped the way I approach every session. We can choose a quieter time or location, allow plenty of space, begin with a gentle wander and let everything unfold at their pace. Your dog can remain safely on lead throughout, and there is always time to pause whenever they need it.
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Absolutely. You can be as present in the photographs as you would like. Some clients come specifically for beautiful owner and dog portraits, while others prefer their soul dog to take centre stage, and many choose a mixture of both.
I especially love the little interactions between you, as they are often the moments that make a portrait feel most personal.
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Magical Merriment is released seasonally, with a limited number of Christmas sessions available each year, and dates do tend to fill quickly.
If you have a particular date, favourite London location or are planning your visit from overseas, I recommend registering your interest early.
Those on the Christmas waiting list are the first to hear when new dates are released, before any remaining availability is shared more widely.
Where my Christmas diary allows, I may occasionally open a small number of additional dates later in the season, although these cannot always be guaranteed.
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Absolutely. I regularly photograph clients visiting London, and Magical Merriment can be planned around your time in the city. Your soul dog can take centre stage, or we can create a mixture of portraits together as a couple or family, with the location and timing carefully planned before your visit.
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Yes. Magical Merriment is open to dogs, cats and other pets, with each session planned around their individual character, confidence and comfort. Sessions take place across some of London’s most beautiful festive locations, with the experience adapted to suit the precious one in front of me.
A Little Christmas Magic to Keep
The lights eventually come down, the trees disappear and London settles back into January. The photographs and precious memories stay with us forever.
Years later, I want them to bring you straight back to that Christmas. The way your little one looked at you, the sparkle in their sweet eyes, the little expressions you knew by heart, and the feeling of having them beside you while London was dressed in all its Christmas splendour.
I love Christmas.
That, for me, is the real magic of Magical Merriment. Join the Christmas Waiting List