London photography spots

Best light

Sunrise, or after dark

Where to stand

The South Bank for wide shots, or the bridge itself for something more architectural

Bring

A Platypod — the stone barriers along the Thames are the right height for one

Look for

A boat passing underneath to add movement to the frame

Tower Bridge is the London landmark everyone already knows, which makes it the hardest one to make feel like your own. At sunrise the towers pick up soft pastel color; after dark the whole structure lights up and throws a long reflection across the Thames. I shoot wide from the South Bank, or step onto the bridge itself for a closer, more architectural angle.

Look closely at the Victorian Gothic ironwork, or wait for a boat to pass underneath and give the frame some motion. The barriers along the river sit at just the right height to rest a Platypod on, which is what I bring here instead of a full tripod.

Best light

Sunrise or sunset, for the gold on the stone

Where to stand

Westminster Bridge for the classic view, then look for another angle

Try

Framing Big Ben down a side street instead of head-on

At night

A longer exposure picks up the light trails from traffic, though the clock hands can blur with them

No trip to London is complete without photographing Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. Both hold their grandeur best at sunrise or sunset, when the sky turns the stone gold. Westminster Bridge gives you the view everyone already has, so I look past it — Big Ben reflected in a puddle after a rainstorm is one I keep coming back to.

At night, a longer exposure pulls in the trails from passing headlights, though the hands of the clock can blur along with them. When that happens, I shoot a second, faster exposure for the clock face and composite the two later. Most people shoot Big Ben wide; a telephoto gives you something different.

Best light

Anytime — it’s all interior

Good starts

Westminster station for symmetry, Canary Wharf for something sleeker

Try

A long exposure around 1/20th to 1/30th of a second, panning with a train

Timing

Go outside rush hour — it gets crowded fast

The Underground has a gritty, modern look worth slowing down for. Westminster station gives you clean, symmetrical lines; Canary Wharf leans sleeker and more futuristic. I look for the geometry in the tunnels and escalators, or the blur of people rushing for a train.

A wide-angle lens earns its keep down here — it pulls in the depth and scale of the tunnels. I also like a long exposure, somewhere around 1/20th to 1/30th of a second, holding the camera still or panning with a moving train.

Best light

Any time — day or night, this one is about the neighborhood

Where to look

Notting Hill’s pastel houses, Soho’s neon, Borough and Camden Market

Add motion

A custom panning mode, around 1/15th of a second

Worth a stop

The Burlington Arcade

London’s streets carry most of this guide’s real photographs. Notting Hill mixes old and new in its pastel townhouses; Soho stays loud and lit with neon well into the night. Borough Market and Camden Market are both good for candid shots of vendors and the crowd around them — and the Burlington Arcade is worth a detour on its own.

A slower shutter adds motion — cyclists near the Embankment, a double-decker crossing an intersection, one of London’s black cabs cutting through a frame. I shoot around 1/15th of a second with continuous focus and the fastest burst my camera has, and I accept that most of those frames won’t work. You only need the one that does. Hobson’s Fish and Chips is a good stop when you’re done.