City of London Street Photography
Often on a Sunday morning when the sun is out I like to head out early with the camera. You’d think for someone living in London that it’s an easy choice of where to go out each time, but it’s kind of a double edged sword though. Because London is such a great city for street photography with lots of different areas to explore, you almost have too much choice and can have paralysis by analysis. ‘Should I go to this place’ or ‘should I go there’ instead, but what if I miss this over in that place, FOMO really kicks in.
After a bit of deliberation I often just get straight on the tube and head to the West End to my usual route of Waterloo, Covent Garden, Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus and around Soho. There’s always something going on in these places with plenty of people, but sometimes it just gets too busy and you’re craving for somewhere just a bit more chilled out. This is especially true if you fancy a bit of ‘fishing’ whereby you find a great scene and like to just sit it out hoping for a good subject to walk through it, however when this does happen, there are often far too many other people also walking past at the same time.
The Square Mile is Calling
This is where the City of London comes in, otherwise known as the Square Mile. This is the financial district of London spanning from Temple in the west over to Aldgate in the east and Barbican in the north down to the river Thames in the south. When I first came to London over ten years ago this area was pretty much dead at the weekend, now it’s a lot busier, but is still much more relaxing than walking around Soho or the West End.
Even within the Square Mile itself there are different areas that can offer a variety of architecture. For me the three main places I frequent the most are around Bank, One New Change/St Paul’s and Barbican.
Bank
Bank takes its name from the Bank of England which is at the centre of this area. It's a very traditional building which was built in 1694, a lot of my images have this building as the backdrop due to it’s very high stone walls which keep background clutter to a minimum. Some of the streets around the Bank can also be interesting, especially Lombard Street when the sun is piercing through from the south (below right).
One New Change
One New Change is a shopping centre next to St Paul’s Cathedral which was only built in 2010 and is a short walk from Bank. You will often find many photographers around here as the area consists of a lot of glass and mirrors and also looks onto St Paul’s Cathedral, resulting in some interesting shots. It’s also one of the few places in the City where you’re not hassled by the security guards because you’re on private land taking photographs, they tend to leave you alone here.
Barbican
Barbican is a residential complex of approximately 2000 flats and houses and is an example of British brutalist architecture, the whole area is also Grade II listed. The site was built between 1965 and 1976 on an area which was previously bombed during World War II. It also contains a performing arts centre where it hosts music and theatre performances.
It’s a great location for street photography due to the many alleyways and corridors spanning over multiple floors. It really comes to life when the sun is shining, creating some fantastic light and shadow opportinities.
So the next time you’re struggling for some inspiration of where to go in London for some street photography, just head to the Square Mile, you won’t be disappointed. And if you see a tall pale guy with a Fuji XT-3 around his neck, it’s more than likely me so come and say hello!