Yes, I know a second video in a row from London. I do go to other places, I promise, but when time allows, and I can sneak away from the usual work and family chaos, I sometimes make the drive down and hop on the tube for a bit of street photography. London always pulls me back in.
I don’t live here, which means I’m not strolling the city every weekend. So, when I do come down, I try to make the most of it. There are a few places I nearly always visit — not because they’re some hidden, magical secrets, but because they tend to deliver. These aren’t groundbreaking locations by any means; they’re more like the pumpkin spice latte of London street photography spots. Reliable. Easy to get to. And usually good for a few decent shots.
Start with the Underground
This might sound obvious, but the London Underground isn’t just a way to get from A to B. It’s your first proper slice of London — full of interesting faces, shadows, movement, and occasionally great light. Most guides list it as an afterthought, but I think it deserves more credit.
You don’t even need to wait until you reach your ‘proper’ destination. I’ve lost count of how many shots I’ve taken just on the way somewhere else. Paying attention during those in-between moments is often where the good stuff happens.
The Barbican
Always one of my first stops. It’s a classic for a reason. The light here is better early or late — strong shadows, deep contrast, brutalist lines everywhere. It’s a photographer’s playground, though it’s worth remembering people live here, and there’s a school, so be mindful.
One thing to flag — the station itself isn’t the most accessible. If you need step-free access, Bank is a better bet, and you can walk up from there.
Bank and Surroundings
From Barbican, I usually wander down to Bank. The architecture is strong, the light is nearly always good, and there’s no shortage of people passing through. It’s easy to stick to the big spaces, but it’s worth ducking into the side streets. That’s where the real stuff is. Little pockets of light, random reflections, odd angles — the kind of things you won’t find listed in any guide.
Photography’s meant to be personal, so find your version of it. It’s easy to take the same shots as everyone else, but it’s more fun to take the ones only you would spot.
One New Change
I’ve never come here and not taken a shot I was at least half-happy with. It’s right near Bank and gives you reflections, angles, and the backdrop of St. Paul’s. I always head up to the balcony to shoot down onto the spiral staircase. On a bright day, the shadows are spot-on.
Bonus tip: it’s one of the only places you can use the loo in central London without pretending to buy chips.
South Bank
Alright, yes — I’m from the North. But when it comes to street photography, the South Bank delivers. You’ve got staircases, bold architecture, loads of light, and more characters than you’ll know what to do with.
I usually swing by the Tate Modern — worth a wander for the light and the architecture alone. Then there’s the Millennium Bridge, which gives you those clean shots of people against the sky. Further down, near Blackfriars, there’s always someone interesting milling about. Or a goose. Or both.
I often end up near the Southbank Centre or National Theatre — good shadows, brutalist shapes, and lots of people moving through. If you’re into more of the fine-art style stuff, you can definitely find it here. If you’re just after good people-watching, you’re also in the right place.
That’s Usually My Loop
By the time I’ve hit those spots, I’m ready for a break — or at least a coffee. There are loads of other places: Covent Garden, King’s Cross, Leicester Square… but this little route tends to be my go-to. Easy to walk, lots to see, and more than enough variety to keep things interesting.
I’m hoping to branch out a bit more next time. Waterloo keeps coming up in conversation, so that’s on the list. If you’ve got any other recommendations, send them my way.
And with that, I’m going to carry on shooting for the day and see what I find. Until next time.
Cleaned Up Transcript
Good morning, friends, and welcome to London again. I swear I do go to other places, but for the second video in a row, I'm visiting London. I've managed to grab a bit of time in between my busy life of work, family commitments, and all those sorts of things. I don't live in London, so it's a couple of hours' drive down here, plus a bit of time on the underground.
The reason I've come down is that I wanted to go through a few of the spots that I usually visit as a street photographer who only sometimes comes to London. I watched a video at the start of last year when I was coming down for the London Marathon to pick up my number. A really good street photographer, Sam, made a video going through some of his street photography spots, and it really helped me. I brought down my little GR3X, went around some of the spots, and took some of the shots that he did. It really helped me out and, in many respects, it made me get back into street photography and showed me around London.
So, I wanted to do the same for someone that just comes down here every so often, as it is a bit of a trek. There's nothing special about these street photography spots; they could probably be considered the "pumpkin spice" of London street photography locations. But the reason I've chosen these is that I only come down here every so often, so I like to take advantage and almost guarantee myself some interesting shots. They're all within a good space of each other, all definitely walkable and very accessible. So, let's start going through them.
This first spot isn't really a spot at all: it's the London Underground. You'll see it on most street photography blogs and articles, tucked away at the bottom as a bit of an afterthought. In reality, it's probably going to be the first interaction that you'll have with London as a whole. It's a fantastic resource for a street photographer—always full of interesting people, and on a day like today with great light, there's always great architecture and nice shadows. I've already got a couple of shots just walking down here.
I guess there's a philosophical stance here. I'm certainly guilty of going to street photography spots, just traveling between them, standing there, looking around, and saying, "What do I take a photo of now?" In reality, going between the two things or paying attention during your journey can get you some really nice shots in the first instance. So, my first spot and my first port of call with any journey into London is the London Underground.
My first actual stop is usually the Barbican. It's better earlier on in the day and then later in the evening when the light gets low, draws out the shadows, and you get some really nice contrast. It's a bit of a mecca for street photographers. Obviously, be mindful and considerate because people do live here. Also, bear in mind there's a school in the Barbican, so considerations all around. One other thing to consider is that the Barbican underground station is not the most accessible. If you need step-free access, you're probably best off getting the underground to Bank and then walking back up. But the Barbican gives us a good starting point, usually gets me a few warm-up shots in, and it's a good place to walk to the rest of the spots I enjoy. So yes, the Barbican is always a good first stop for me.
So, I've taken the very short walk down to Bank. Most people will just come straight here, and rightly so. The Bank of England has iconic architecture, there's nearly always perfect light, and you're always guaranteed to find loads of people about, especially first thing in the morning like I am. But if you stray a bit further out to the sides, down one of the little side streets, through one of the little centres, you're going to find little pools of light, some fantastic hidden architecture, and some real gems. You can't go wrong heading over to Bank.
It doesn't take very much effort to find a few spots that are at least a little bit off the beaten track. Like I said before, you can go to all the street photography spots you want, but finding those little bits on the journey between those spots will benefit you much more, and you'll be able to find something unique. Don't take the shots that everybody else takes. I've been to places and done all those sorts of things, and it's great to start off with, but photography is all about expressing yourself, whatever genre you're into. Find those little bits down those side streets and really express yourself. I found this spot with my son a few weeks ago, and there's a bar down there, believe it or not, underneath the street. London is fantastic for street photography and just weirdness in general.
I don't think I've ever come to London for street photography and not visited One New Change and come away with a shot that I'm relatively happy with. And for good reason: there are some really nice angles, loads of reflections, and you've got the backdrop of St. Paul's that you can shoot against. One of my favourite spots is just over the balcony there; you can shoot down onto the spiral staircase and, in good lighting like today, get some really nice shadows that people can walk in and out of. Shout out to Sam who pointed this shot out to me and got me straight back into street photography. So, One New Change, just down the road from Bank, is definitely worth visiting.
I'm beating a bit of a strange path over to the South Bank. Obviously, it's "North London forever," but when it comes to street photography, you can't go wrong with the South Bank. One thing I usually pay particular attention to is staircases because you can get some really nice contrast against a plain sky or a nice background like Tower Bridge. I like to come down the river where you've got lots of nice staircases up to bridges and buildings.
When you come down the South Bank, always check out the Tate Modern. It's completely free to enter; they just have a look in your camera bag if you bring one with you. There's quite a lot of good architecture and stuff in there. You don't have to go in and see the gallery. There's a quite famous staircase and some brutalist architecture, which is quite common with street photographers. I've managed to get a couple of shots in there before, but not very many. But it's definitely worth checking out, especially on a day like today when you can get some nice light coming through the big windows.
One of my favourite places to try and shoot when I'm down here is the Millennium Bridge, outside the Tate Modern, across from St. Paul's. You can get some really nice contrast of people against the sky and some real individual takes. I always like this little area before you get to Blackfriars Bridge as well. There are always some interesting characters down here, as well as a few geese, and you can always grab a coffee if you want to.
Down on the South Bank, you've got the National Theatre that I'm sat in right now, you've got the Southbank Centre, you've got all sorts of interesting bits and pieces that have all got great architecture. You can get some really nice shadows, especially in the Southbank Centre, to get those sort of fine-art street photography shots if you want to. But to me, the South Bank is all about the people. There are some interesting characters you see down there: tourists, people from all over the world. You've got a big bunch of skateboarders underneath the Southbank Centre as well. So, there's plenty to look at and plenty to do.
By this point in my day, I'm usually completely beat. I'm at least ready for a coffee and something to eat. But I think for the rest of today, I'm just going to chill out, have a walk further down the South Bank, and take some shots. It doesn't mix very well with trying to capture everything for the video.
So, I'm going to leave it here, but that gives you five or six different spots that I usually go to when I'm visiting London to take my street photography. Shout out to Covent Garden, King's Cross, and Leicester Square. There are some other bits and pieces, but this is usually where I start because I can't go far wrong. I'm hoping in the near future to expand my street photography horizons in London. A lot of people are pointing me towards places like Waterloo. So if you've got any other spots you want me to check out, then please let me know.
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