Written by Penna a Spillo
🗺️📍Follow my SoulMap™ and discover London like a local
🚶 Category: London walks
📸 Why London is a Photographer’s Dream
It’s not difficult at all to take good pictures in London.
No need for expensive cameras or special equipment.
Just go out with your smartphone or your Camera in your bag, walk down the street, occasionally take it out and shoot randomly.
Photos are impressive.
Sometimes I sit on the bus, on the second floor, taking pictures to pass the time.
One of my favourite spots for photos from the bus is definitely Oxford Street.
London is one of the most photogenic cities I’ve ever seen.
It’s not a question of beauty; of course, there are many beautiful cities like London, but it’s rather a question of artistic aptitude.
I don’t know exactly how to explain it; pictures are good, and that’s it.
Perhaps it’s because there are so many corners that look like paintings, perhaps because the red buses running around always give your photos a touch of colour.
Or maybe it’s because the doors of the houses are often colored and framed by climbing plants, or perhaps because the light it changes constantly, creating totally different effects within a few minutes.
Actually, the photos are always good.
However, of course, there are locations in the city that allow you to take special pictures.
You often see on Instagram shots of the monuments of London with the right perspective and the right light, but the point is, where did they take these beautiful shots?
So, based on my experience, here are some of the strategic locations in town where you can take beautiful pictures.
🏛️ Iconic Landmarks & Best Vantage Points
Big Ben
📍Tube Station St. James’s Park
Big Ben is not easy to photograph.
Accessing from the nearby roads, usually, you arrive too close, and only a part of it can be photographed.
The best point to take it is probably the Westminster Bridge, which allows you to have a view far enough to take a picture with good proportions.
The photo, perhaps, is a bit obvious, but the charm of Big Ben is irresistible.
Tower Bridge
📍Tube Station Tower Hill
The perfect place to photograph Tower Bridge is probably the end of the walk along the South Bank, close to the City Hall.
The most scenic point may be after passing the London Bridge, when the bridge begins to stand out (More London).
One of the advantages of taking pictures from this point is that the More London walk is pedestrian and, consequently, there are no cars or buses that obstruct the view, and you can stay as long as you want to wait for the right light and the right time to shoot.
You can also go ahead along the River for a great picture of Tower Bridge with the London Skyline in the background.
Another good location is on the other side, after crossing the bridge, close to Tower Hill Tube Station.
It’s always beautiful, despite the weather, and each photo is different from the other.
But don’t forget to photograph Tower Bridge from another perspective, i.e., from St. Katharine Docks, the small marina just below Tower Bridge.
The London Eye
📍Tube Station Embankment
The right point to photograph the London Eye is the Waterloo Bridge because, from the bridge, you can also see all the monuments on the opposite bank.
My favourite photo here is in the evening, with lights reflecting in the river.
It’s not bad to photograph also “from” the London Eye; the cabins run very slowly, so wait for the right moment to take breathtaking views of the Houses of Parliament and the entire opposite bank of the Thames from above.
🎨 Pretty Little Doors
London is full of colored little doors; they are everywhere in all neighbourhoods.
They are all different from one another, and every day I find new doors in colours that I have never seen before.
Usually, the colored doors come in pairs; the funniest thing is to identify the most appropriate colour combinations.
And often the little doors are always framed by something: climbing plants, which in autumn change colour, black and white stone steps, sometimes flowers, and so on.
The ideal place to photograph them is Notting Hill; there are also famous pretty little doors in Hampstead.
But I like to discover them in new neighbourhoods where I happen to pass by chance; the pictures in my photos are from Chiswick and Barnes.
🏛️ Classic Victorian Architecture
📍Tube Station, High Street Kensington, and South Kensington
Another typical London subject is very charming Victorian Houses, with white façades and black doors topped with columns.
To take these pictures, one of the best places in London is the area of South Kensington, near the Museums, and another one is The Boltons.
Try the street around High Street Kensington as well.
🌈 Pastel Houses & Hidden Courtyards
To photograph the pastel-colored houses, one of the best places is Portobello Road; better to go there during the week than on Saturday morning, to skip the crowded Portobello Road Market.
For more info about this famous and charming Village read also my article 5 Romantic Villages you shouldn’t miss in London
Tube Station Notting Hill
The other famous place is Primrose Hill.
📍Tube Station Chalk Farm
And don’t forget Neal’s Yard in Covent Garden
📍Tube Station Covent Garden
🎨 Street Art Spots
There are many places in London where you can take pictures of Street Art; the best known are Camden, Shoreditch / Brick Lane, and Brixton.
📍Tube Station Camden Town
In Camden, you have to go into the side streets around Camden Lock
To find the most beautiful artworks, it is necessary to stroll around mapping them, because often the most interesting murals are hidden on some side street, far from the main streets.
In Brick Lane and Shoreditch, you can find Murals everywhere.
📍Tube Stop Old Street or Aldgate East
One of the best locations, in my view, is Hanbury Street.
In Brixton, just in front of the tube station, you can find the famous David Bowie painting.
📍Tube Station Brixton
You must consider that Street Art in London changes very quickly, and every single time it’s different.
I think that photographing London is easy, actually, because it is easy to fall in love with the city, and what emerges from the photos is nothing but the result of this love.
👉 Discover more
- Download the FREE London Markets Guide
- Check my book “Alessandra in London – notes for discovering the city
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