I have lived in London for over 30 years and there are spaces that I return to often to make street photography images. Because they are just about always busy and ever changing.
London is not short of places to photograph and being a street photographer in London is exciting, as there is always something happening. A market, a protest, an event celebrating something or other, where you can blend into the crowd, or not depending on how you want to work as a street photographer.
London reveals itself to the visitor slowly as it is a huge diverse city and while the English have a reputation for not being overly friendly they will chat if they have time. I have always found that it is easy to make images on the street of London. If you are to aggressive then you could get in trouble, but generally people are occupied with their own lives and do not want to engage with strangers.
You never know when a stranger can become a good contact or friend, so get out there and engage. Make images, if you can share them. I often hand out my photographers business card to people and say if you want to see that image I just made, send me an email. Don’t DM me, as it is easier to send you an image via email. In fact, my business card gets given out to more people who I have photographed, than potential business clients.
A quick list of top street photography hotspots in London are:
West End
- Oxford Circus, and Oxford Street.
- Portobello Road Market (not strictly in the West End as it is further west)- Fridays and Saturdays. More info here
- Carnaby Street
- Piccadilly Circus
- Trafalgar Square
- Old Compton Street & Berwick Street Market.
City of London
- The area outside the Bank of England in front of the Royal Exchange. Corner of Threadneedle St and Cornhill.
- Spitalfields Market.
- Liverpool St station area, including Broadgate.
- Leadenhall Market
East End
- Brick Lane. More info here with a little history about…
- Columbia Road Flower Market – Sundays, More info here
North London
- Camden High Street and Market
South London
- Brixton Market
- Greenwich mainly around Greenwich Market
- Brough Market near London Bridge
When or if you are visiting England, we would love to hear what could become, your very own Street photography hotspots in London.
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