Big Ben - London
Best Time: In the direction of sunset
Remarks: London is still one of my favorite places on earth. I try to visit at least once a year. The weather is not always perfect. So I tried to point out some weather independent spots. Let's start with the first one. Big Ben is very known. There are plenty of very known perspectives. This one is a bit less known but it is my favorite. There is a small underpass of the Westminster Bridge. Just follow it and you will find the spot. It is a bit tight and quite dark but there is enough space for your tripod. So take some exposure brackets and you will be fine. I thought it is a bit too boring without anybody in the picture. As I didn't have somebody with me, I had to develop modeling skills. To be honest, it took me much longer not to look too silly than everything else. Enjoy.
GPS Location: 51°30'02.7"N 0°07'12.0"W
Staircase - London
Best Time: All day (as long as the shop is open)
Remarks: From my point of view, this is the most beautiful staircase in the world. I just love the colors and the lamps are fitting so well. It is located in the Heal's furniture store. The people are very friendly and welcome photographers. At the entrance of the staircase, they display some pictures and ask to tag them on Instagram. I walked up to the top and tired to find the perfect spot by going more and more down. This one was shot one level lower. As everything is out of wood, you have to wait until there is nobody around to minimize vibrations. Clamps can't be used as the railing is too soft but tripods are okay. If I remember correctly, I used my tripod a bit like a monopod to get more over the edge. Enjoy.
GPS Location: 51°31'16.0"N 0°08'04.4"W
King's Cross - London
Best Time: All day long
Remarks: Next Spot is at King's Cross Station. It is called King's Cross Tunnel and connects the transport hubs of Kings Cross to bars and restaurants. One side of the tunnel is half-transparent glass which is lit up by LEDs. They shine normally in very light colors. As the colors are so light, I liked the spot more black and white. As it is a subway and train station, I recommend coming not during rush hours. I came very late, as my hotel was nearby and it was nice and empty. I even had to wait a bit to find somebody to walk along. Without anybody in the picture, it is just a follow the line until there is nothing picture. As the walkway is very wide, nobody had an issue with my tripod.
GPS Location: 51°31'50.5"N 0°07'22.5"W
Baker Street - London
Best Time: All day long
Remarks: Another great Underground Line spot is the older part of Baker Street Station. I just loved the old architecture with a great texture. Unfortunately, the light is terrible. No natural light and the artificial light has a very ugly yellow tone. Again, I preferred to convert it in black and white. It is a very tight spot and trains are coming very often. Getting the chance to shot from one side to the other is quite rare. I used a tripod but tried to minimize my footprint next to a garbage bin. It took around 20min until staff approached me and asked very friendly not to use the tripod for safety reasons. So officially tripods are not allowed in subway stations.
GPS Location: 51°31'23.2"N 0°09'24.4"W
Canary Wharf - London
Best Time: All day long
Remarks: And another Underground station spot. In this case a very modern one. Canary Wharf is in the heart of the super modern London City center. There are two exits with a similar architecture. I preferred the smaller one but check out also the "main" exit. I visited first in the evening but I had to realize that then the windows at the top are too dark. When I came back the next day after the morning rush hour the light was much nicer. As I considered it a subway station shot, I was not really thinking about the light, avoid that mistake. I was shooting for arround 10-15min until I was approached again by very friendly staff, telling me tripods are not allowed for safety reasons. Okay, that rule seems to apply to all subways stations even if it made in this case absolutely no sense. There was nobody around and there was a lot of space. But rules are rules so I packed my stuff and left. So be aware - tripods are not allowed in London Underground station - but different to other places the Underground staff in London is super friendly.
GPS Location: 51°30'13.0"N 0°01'09.7"W