The Best Photo Spots in London

London’s brilliant for that. The same corner can look totally different depending on the light, the weather, or who wanders through your shot.

Here are five spots where the street does most of the work for you.

Step 1: Planning the route in VSCO Canvas

A good way to get the most out of London is to plan your day before you pick up the camera. I photographed these five spots over many visits, then pulled them together on a mood board in VSCO Canvas, arranged in walking order with a note on the best time and light for each. Planning a day from it takes a few minutes, and it means you’re not wasting good light walking between spots.

Here's a link to my VSCO Canvas mood-board

Chinatown: first thing in the morning when early light cuts down the streets as everything wakes up. Lanterns, signs and faces crowd every inch of the street. I often shoot through the restaurant windows, steam and all, so the street turns into soft colour and moving shapes.

Covent Garden: Glass, reflections and passers-by collide in a single frame. I look for the frame within the frame. I’m also drawn to those quiet details. A table setting, a person sitting still. I look for the frame within the frame.

Trafalgar Square: Autumn is the time to go. The early sunsets give you silhouettes, so I wait for people to cross the light and grab the moment.

Big Ben: It’s a classic, but I shoot it between the crowds, when the gaps let a single figure stand against the tower. Crowd in front, clock behind. The layers do the work.

Southbank skate park: Finish at Southbank as the light fades. Graffiti, skaters and spectators are all in motion at once, while walkers stroll along the river and browse the book market. Stay for the blue hour.

Treat the board as a guide rather than a schedule, because crowds, weather and cloud can all change the plan. A street photographer tends to wander, letting their feet and instinct do the guiding. The board gets me to the right area at the right time, and after that I follow whatever catches my eye.

I shoot on prime lenses for my street photography, mostly a 50mm and an 85mm. Having one fixed focal length means I have to move with my feet instead of zooming, which puts me closer to the action and makes me think about every frame.

Step 3: Editing in VSCO Studio Pro

Back home, I edited everything in VSCO Studio Pro using the M6 and A6 Pro presets. From there I tweak exposure, contrast and warmth, then pull the highlights and shadows until each frame feels right. The settings change a little from shot to shot, so I don’t have a fixed recipe, and I’d encourage you to experiment and find what works for you. Your own taste, mood and your personality are all what makes your photos stand out. I wanted the edits to keep the mood of each spot without overpowering the people in them.

Step 4: Sharing to galleries

Once the edits were done, I shared my favourites to my VSCO galleries, grouped by location. One gallery per spot, so each place gets its own mini series. I've shared the gallery on my VSCO site.

Step 5: Publishing here

The last step is this blog post on my VSCO site, which brings the route, the photos and the process together in one place.

Also, You don’t need all five spots in one go. Pick one, check where the light’s coming from, and give it a few minutes. Stand still, let people walk into the frame, and see what the street gives you.

Plan in Canvas, shot on the street, edited in VSCO / Studio Pro, shared to my VSCO galleries / blog published