At Condé Nast Traveler we have spoken with six photographers and instagrammers who have shared not only some of the best photos of London from their portfolio, but also all your secrets and locations so you can replicate the same snapshots and get memorable postcards from six locations in the British capital.
Tower Bridge, London.
SUNRISE AT TOWER BRIDGE
Tower Bridge it is a must stop for tourists and one of the most photographed places by travelers. Photographer Damien Rivoire chose this place to tell us about your work because he managed to capture with his camera what “all the photographers in London want to achieve when they wake up very early to see the sunrise.
This French, who has been 16 years living in London and who started in the world of photography in 2016, he explains that the sky we see in the image is “the kind of heaven we seek all the time and it happens a few times a year. It has the perfect amount of clouds and the sun lights them up in shades of orange and red. It is really weird."
To replicate this snapshot, Damien took the photograph in London Bridge, from the south side of the bridge and arrived an hour before sunrise to watch the blue hour and see how everything lit up. He says that one of the best things about photograph london is that “sunrise and sunset can be really wonderful”.
St Dunstan in the East, London.
MAGICAL MOMENT AT ST DUNSTAN IN THE EAST
Olga Chagunava left her i work at google in 2018 to try and turn her passion of traveling and taking pictures into her profession. And she made it. Almost 200,000 followers witness the travels of this photographer and instagrammer who she was born in germany, she grew up in seven countries and for 14 years she has considered London her home.
The image that Olga chose for share with readers from Condé Nast Traveler is one she took during the pandemic in May 2020 in St Dunstan in the East, an old church that was bombed during the Second World War. The ruins have been converted into a garden where locals come to chill out during your meal time.
"It's one of those Magic places of London that is in the City, between skyscrapers, banks and offices. It's a busy part”, but when you get here the ruins turn into an oasis of tranquility that “transports you to medieval London”, explains Olga.
According to her, the best moment to take this photo if you want to avoid the crowds is during the week and in the morning, but she points out that “the moment prettier is when the sun comes through the window” and that is in the afternoon, when more people come to take a photo under the great arches.
The Sard, London.
THE SHARD AT EVENING
Another of the most iconic places of London is The Shard, the tallest building in the UK. One can climb to the top of the 95 storey skyscraper to contemplate the impressive views of the city and enjoy a cocktail and dinner in one of their restaurants.
Rachel Fuller is a photographer and lover to immortalize London from all angles and heights possible and an example of this is the image she took of the Shard at dusk. The secret of this photo is that she took it from the balcony of another skyscraper, the Sky Gardens or as it is known by many the Walkie Talkie.
For Rachel this is one of her favorite views of the city and she shares that it is only possible to take this snapshot in winter because the balcony from where she took the photo is only open until 6:00 p.m. london in winter it is just between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., depending on the month.
St Paul's Cathedral, London.
ST PAUL FROM ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE
Surely if you think of the best photos of London they will come to mind hundreds of postcards st paul's cathedral, but perhaps not the original Steven Maddison postcard, from a lower height than one is used to seeing.
Steven Maddison is a British photographer whose work focuses on the architecture and urban landscape of London. His goal is "to go to a place and try to see it in a different way than most people in order to add a little more originality to what is a known place".
If you want to take the same snapshot as Steven, you have to go to watling street, one of the roads leading to St Paul. “This place has everything you are looking for in a good composition. You have the lines of the paving stones and painted yellow lines that lead you to St Paul. People look at the cathedral but at the same time it is much more interesting than simply having a photo of the building.”
Steven says that the best time to take this photo is in the afternoon when the sun is low and the golden light reflects off the cathedral. if you can go during the weekend better because Watling Street is in an office area and on weekends there are hardly any people.
Albert Bridge, London.
THE IDYLLIC POSTCARD OF ALBERT BRIDGE
One of the bridges that is not usually part of the city's tourist tandem is the Albert Bridge, a bridge that connects the neighborhoods of Chelsea with Battersea. For Adam Sheath this is one of the most beautiful bridges in the city, especially for its illumination with 4,000 bulbs. "It is enough ornate and delicate compared to the heavy and conspicuous structure of Tower Bridge. There is something about this bridge that makes it magical,” he comments.
This London photographer likes “capture the moment” And so he did it during a day of the pandemic in which not only the illuminated bridge caught his attention but also “the group of people spotlight who enjoyed the view, while having a drink”.
To the image, which he captured from the south side of the river in battersea park, added more layers and depth. “I remember moving when I framed this shot so that tree branches they would be positioned so that they would fit nicely over the bridge,” he explains.
Cherry trees in Greenwich, London.
CHERRY BLANKETS IN GREENWICH
The British capital stars every year a burst of colors with the arrival of spring cherry trees, magnolias and wisterias, popularly known as wisteria, they paint different corners of the city with pastel and lilac tones. The Instagram account of Rita Farhi shows this explosion of colors, that changes shades as we go from one season to another. "People always say that London is a city of gray days, dull and without light and I try to show that there is a colorful side of London that not everyone is aware of and makes the city interesting”, she details.
One of the places of pilgrimage of travelers who want to witness this explosion is Greenwich and Rita Park, born in istanbul and that she has been in London for more than 30 years, she has the best indications so that you can photograph the cherry trees in their greatest splendor. "The area is right next to the Royal Observatory, next to the car park," she says. There is a small path with cherry trees on both sides that takes you to the Georgian mansion Ranger's House. The time to see them is limited, between April and May when they bloom.
For her, the best time of day to go is early in the morning when the sun rises to avoid the crowds. “I love the mornings, the calm, that peace. You can appreciate the place without crowds, you get lost in the distance”, she points out, but she also adds that “it is fascinating to go during the day and see what everyone is doing” since it is normal to find pairs p daring for their wedding photos, models doing various dress changes for a photo shoot, and families enjoy a picnic while trying to take photos in the crowd.