Hi everyone, good to see you here.
Just so you are aware, this blog works on three levels. For those who know me personally or via my job, or through one of my hobbies, photography. Whichever it is, I hope you enjoy reading it.
It came about after I spoke at a leadership conference in London recently and shared the importance of enabling people to know the you outside of work and how this helped to build trust between people who worked together. One of the delegates had seen some photos that I taken in central London the evening before the conference and said, “Why don’t you write a blog so people know a bit more about you outside of work.”
Now for those of you who’ve read other blogs of mine, you will also know that I’m a big believer in “paying it forward” and sharing learning to help others, so it got me thinking as to how I could also use this blog, to help other photographers who wanted to take night shots in central London.
So, I thought I’d take you on a little journey around central London and share with you, what I consider to be some of the best locations to take night photographs in central London. For those who may be interested in doing this journey yourself, it is just over 4 miles of walking and took me about 3 hours to complete, due to stopping to set up my camera, tripod and taking the shots. So here goes.
I started my journey at Tower Hill Underground Station and walked towards Tower Bridge, taking the road to St. Katherine’s Dock, where I took my first shot at around 7.30pm, just before the sun set.
From here, I walked back to Tower Bridge, heading towards the South bank of the River Thames. On the bridge, I was able to take a shot of London City Hall, also known as Town Hall and The Shard, as the sky darkened.
I then continued to walk across Tower Bridge, keeping on the right side of it, so that I was on the South Bank of the River Thames. Shooting to the left, I was able to take a photo of 20 Fenchurch Street, which has the Sky Garden at the top of it. It is also affectionately known as the “Walkie Talkie” building. To the right of the photo, you can also see the building known as “The Gherkin.”
Still stood outside of the Lord Mayor’s Office, facing the river, to the right is Tower Bridge.
Directly opposite is the Tower Of London.
Walking along the river with Tower Bridge behind you, you come to Blackfriars Bridge, with St. Paul’s Cathedral in the background.
The next bridge that you come across which provides you with a good view is the Millennium Bridge. Walking half way across it and looking back towards Tower Bridge gives you a great view of the “Walkie Talkie” building to the left, The Shard to the right and Tower Bridge in the distance. The lights of Blackfriars Bridge make great reflections in the Thames.
Right in front of you when you are on the Millennium Bridge is the iconic St. Paul’s Cathedral. I retraced my steps to get back onto the Southbank so I could take a photo that had part of the bridge to the right of the photo.
The next part of my walk was probably the longest part without taking photos. Walking past the ITV studio and under Charing Cross Bridge, I then stopped to get a shot of the bridge with Charing Cross Station colourfully lit to the left.
The last leg of my journey took me past the London Eye to the steps that lead onto Westminster Bridge. Due to building works being completed on The Houses Of Parliament, the scene was as brightly lit however, I thought that it gave a bit of “Old London” atmosphere to the photo.
I walked across Westminster Bridge and about two thirds of the way across, I looked back towards the London Eye and County Hall.
My final shot was on the way to get my tube at Westminster Underground station. I hope you agree, an iconic shot that includes two things synonymous with London and loved by tourists, the London Underground sign and Big Ben’s clock face. When you see the underground sign. you just need to look at it and behind it.
As you will see, the time shows 10.30pm, almost exactly 3 hours from when I started my walk.
Well, I hope you’ve enjoyed spending a few minutes with me on my walk and enjoyed the night shots that I took. If you have and would like to see other photos that I’ve taken, please use this link to my Unsplash Account.
If you are reading this blog as a person who loves photography, I hope that I’ve “Paid It Forward” and helped you plan your next trip to London to ensure you get some great shots without having to walk too far.
Maybe you know me from seeing me speak at a conference or having attended a team-building workshop that I’ve facilitated. Perhaps you are a business connection on LinkedIn or the other social media I use, or part of my family and friends. Whoever you are, I hope that you’ve enjoyed this blog and that, if you didn’t know already, it has given you a little insight into one of my passions when I am not working.
Wishing you continued success and happiness in both your work and life.
Yours behaviourally, Nick
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