Photography Tips

Everyone has a camera, whether it's built into your phone, a pocket sized marvel or a semi-pro, digital SLR. If you look at some of the photographs across this site (particularly for the changing of the guard) you’ll see uniform rows of spectators holding cameras above their heads and firing off round upon round. The starting point for a stunning photo, is stunning subject matter. Listed below are a number of locations around town with beautiful views. You may just like to be there and drink it in. However, if you do take your camera along, here are a number of tips for shooting better photos:

For plain landscape views, you need a narrow aperture, (that’s the landscape/mountain symbol on your camera – F9-F32 on an SLR). Bear in mind that you’re making the hole for light to travel through, very small. The upside is everything will be in focus (near and far objects), the downside is that you have to hold it very still. Prop yourself against a wall and don’t hold your breath; gently breathe out as you squeeze the shutter, it stops your hand jerking.

Consider taking several shots of the view and stitching them together later. If there’s a flat horizontal wall or ledge, hold the camera on it and move it around. All the pictures will be from the same height and will look much more professional when stitched together.

Try adding some foreground interest (especially a person) rather than just a straight view. The end result is always a better photo.

Have the sun to one side. Shooting into the sun will make everything appear as a shadow or outline, and having the sun behind you will make the view appear flat. Side light adds shadow, which gives the picture a 3-dimensional quality.

Lastly, try to fill the frame with what you’re taking a picture of; this is called getting ‘tight’ on the subject, to professional photographers. If it’s a Grenadier Guard. Get close enough so they fill the whole photograph. A small figure in the distance will always look disappointing.

With that advice in mind, let’s consider some show-stopping views.

The London Eye

Along with Buckingham Palace and the Palace of Westminster – the ‘Eye’ is London’s most popular tourist attraction. The London Eye can carry 800 passengers per revolution. Each of the 32 capsules weighs 10 tonnes. Each rotation takes about 30 minutes, meaning a capsule travels at a stately 26cm per second, or 0.9km (0.6 miles) per hour - twice as fast as a tortoise sprinting; allowing passengers to step on and off without the wheel having to stop. The height of the London Eye is 135m, making it the fourth tallest structure in London after the BT Tower, Tower 42 and One Canada Square in Canary Wharf.
As well as being a fun ride, it’s also the best view in town (the 3 taller structures are closed to the public – except for some very exclusive and tricky to book, restaurant space). Do pack a camera and perhaps Google some London Eye images. There are lots of original and interesting perspectives to take of the Eye, so get some ideas before you go.

 

Piccadilly Circus – Especially at Night

Piccadilly Circus is interesting enough during the day, but is a much better prospect at night. Bear in mind that at night you will have to hold the camera very still, so prop yourself against a lamppost. Also, turn the flash off as it will add nothing to the finished pictures.

Piccadilly Circus is on the Piccadilly and Bakerloo lines and is a hive of activity at night. It is however, somewhere that’s avoided by Londoners, so don’t expect to run into many natives.

Parliament Hill

If you’re visiting Hampstead Heath (Northern Line), then Parliament Hill is a must see. It’s the highest point above the city and gives a spectacular view of the whole metropolis from the north, looking south. It’s not especially high, so you won’t have to hike up it, but London is in a flat, chalk basin, with gently sloping sides. Meaning that scaling the edges gives unbroken views of 20 miles or more.

The Monument

The Monument was built to commemorate the Great Fire of London in 1666. It is a 202 ft tall, Roman Doric column, with a spiral staircase running up the inside. It was designed by Christopher Wren and Robert Hooke with building work commencing only five years after the fire (it took 6 years to complete). Its height is the exact distance from the base to where the fire began, in an oven of Thomas Farynor, the King’s baker shop, in Pudding Lane.

The top is reached by 311 steps. Don’t bother to ask if there’s a lift, because the reply from the cheeky ticket booth is likely to be “Yep – there are 311 of them.” You can assume they’ve been asked that question before. Many, many times.

From the summit, you’ll be able to see the nearby Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Lloyd’s Building, City Hall and West towards St. Paul’s and Bankside.

Tate Modern Restaurant

The Tate Modern at Bankside is one of the most popular attractions in London, both for visitors and residents. Although the art works within, are certainly viewed and appreciated (modern art, is its remit), it’s the building itself that continues to fascinate. A former power station built in the 1940s, it was extensively refurbished, with an energy company still retaining a stake in the building (operating as a sub-station). Its huge atrium is filled with balconies and people taking photographs and generally hanging out.

If you travel to the 7th floor there is a restaurant which offers impressive views to the North (particularly towards St. Paul’s).

Greenwich Observatory

Any trip to London is incomplete without visiting Greenwich. Aside from being the location of the Prime Meridian, it also houses the Naval College, Maritime Museum and Royal Observatory, amongst many other distinguished buildings and is one of four World Heritage Sites, located in the capital. The area retains a village feel and the park and green spaces are extensive. The hill where the observatory is located, offers a view from south to north incorporating the Docklands development around Canary Wharf, on the Isle of Dogs.

The OXO Tower

Yes the bar and restaurant are expensive, but you do get what you pay for. The views are stunning and being located on the bend in the River Thames, you can see both up and downstream. You don’t have to buy a drink or eat, you’re quite welcome to just wander around, but do visit the decked balcony. If you are peckish and not on a strict budget, consider staying as the food, drink and service are recommended and the views are memorable.

St. Paul’s Cathedral

There is an entrance fee payable at St. Paul’s, but once inside, there is much to do and see. The Stone and Golden Galleries up in the dome of the cathedral, offer 360 degree views of the City. For hundreds of years St. Paul’s was the dominant building within the cityscape, and was built at a cost which had to be spread over 50 years (by levying coal prices). When enjoyed from this perspective, you know you’re sharing a view that has been marvelled at by many Londoners, over the centuries.

River Taxi

To offer a change from an album full of bird’s-eye views, try taking to the river. As well as buses, tubes, trains and taxis, London has a comprehensive river service offering regular scheduled services from both banks of the Thames. Yes, there will be some movement so you will have to hold the camera still, but looking up at famous buildings can often produce better results than looking down on them. In addition, the Thames was the main thoroughfare in London until only the last century, so many of the buildings show off their best facades to passing river traffic.