England is the largest of the four nations of the United Kingdom, and it holds most of the country’s population. The Thames runs east through its capital to the North Sea. From there, fast trains reach York, Bath and Manchester in about two hours, and Eurostar crosses to Paris under the Channel.
London
For a photographer, England starts in the capital. Every frame in our England archive comes from there, shot over three trips between 2012 and 2017. Each trip had a different method, so each produced a different city.
The complete London guide covers the sights one by one. This guide, by contrast, follows the photos: where they were made, at what hour, and why they work. Most of them share one rule. Before seven in the morning, a city of nine million belongs to you.
Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge opened in 1894, and it remains the most recognisable crossing on the Thames. On a Sunday in August 2017, I was on the riverside path before sunrise. The last guests of Saturday night were still heading home. Meanwhile, the lamps along the railing led straight to the bridge glowing at blue hour, with its towers doubled in the flat water.
Later that morning, the road was closed for a marathon. Guards held the crowds on the footways. After a while, one of them waved me onto the empty carriageway. The result is Tower Bridge with no traffic at all, its north tower in warm sun between the two high-level walkways. Normally, that frame does not exist.
Those walkways have a past, too. In the Victorian years, they drew pickpockets and prostitutes, and they closed in 1910. They reopened in 1982 and now form part of the Tower Bridge Exhibition.
Shad Thames
Right beside the south end of Tower Bridge, Shad Thames runs between tall brick warehouses. In Victorian times, these were the largest warehouses in London. Ships unloaded tea, coffee and spices here. Then the trade moved downriver, and the street declined until the 1980s converted it into apartments.
Several buildings still carry the names of what they stored. Iron walkways cross overhead, once used to move goods between the buildings. At blue hour, the wall lamps turn the brick orange while the sky stays cool. So I photographed the walkways stacked down the length of the street, with the cobbles leading the eye to the vanishing point.
The Shard
The Shard was completed in 2012 to a design by Renzo Piano. At 310 metres, it is the tallest building in the United Kingdom. Its facade is built from about 11,000 glass panels. In daylight, the glass reads navy blue.
The marathon had emptied the streets of the City that morning. We walked the deserted street canyons and turned left at a crossroads. There it was: The Shard lit gold by the early sun, rising out of an old cobbled lane still in shadow. The contrast between that lane and the tower is the whole photo.
Hours later, we sat by the river at St Paul’s Walk, below the Millennium Bridge. In fact, the walk had started at 3:30 a.m. As the sun cleared the buildings, I framed The Shard under the steel of the Millennium Bridge, with a sunburst on the left.
Millennium Bridge and St Paul’s
The Millennium Bridge opened in June 2000 and closed two days later. On the first day, thousands of people walked it, and the bridge began to sway. As a result, people adjusted their steps to the movement, which made it worse. Engineers fitted dampers, and the bridge reopened in 2002. Locals still call it the Wobbly Bridge.
At 5:44 the next morning, I stood on the empty deck facing north. Wren’s cathedral was still floodlit against a blue sky. That gave me St Paul’s at the end of the Millennium Bridge, framed by the curved rails. During the day, that view is solid with people.
Fourteen minutes later, I turned east. A rapper was filming a music video on the same bridge, and the river was turning orange. No single frame held both the glow and the skyline. Instead, I shot overlapping frames at 70mm. Years later, they became London at sunrise as a panorama: the City towers on the left, The Shard on the right.
Westminster and the London Eye
The London Eye was built for the millennium and stands 135 metres tall. Originally, it was planned as a temporary attraction. Its success kept it turning.
Our ride came after a two-hour queue in May 2014. One rotation takes about 30 minutes. The capsule glass was scratched, so I worked close to it. Even so, the clear afternoon gave me Westminster from the top of the London Eye, with the Houses of Parliament and the river below.
An hour later, I walked onto the Golden Jubilee Bridges. From there, the wheel and Big Ben share one frame. That is the London Eye and Westminster, lit warm across the water. Two years earlier, on a cold January trip, I had photographed the wheel and County Hall on a sunny winter day from the opposite bank.
The Mall and Buckingham Palace
From Admiralty Arch, The Mall runs through St James’s Park to Buckingham Palace. State visits and royal processions use it. On ceremonial days, Union flags line both sides.
Most photos put the palace in the centre. I put the road first. At 190mm on an August evening, the long lens stacked the flags, the black cabs and the Victoria Memorial into The Mall leading to Buckingham Palace. Above all, that compression is what makes it read as England in one glance.
The numbers confirm it. In the last 90 days, Google showed this frame more than 90,000 times in image search. That makes it the most-seen England photo in the archive.
Greenwich
Greenwich sits on the south bank, downriver from the centre. It is home to the Royal Observatory and the Prime Meridian. The Old Royal Naval College, designed by Christopher Wren, now houses part of the University of Greenwich.
In May 2014, the plan was the view from the Observatory hill. However, Greenwich Park closes in the evening, and we found the gates locked. Instead, we walked down and passed through the college grounds. There, the twin domes frame the Canary Wharf towers between them. We came back for the afterglow and made the Old Royal Naval College at dusk, with the colonnades lit from within.
The whole ensemble is listed by UNESCO as Maritime Greenwich, together with the park and the Observatory.
Canary Wharf and the Docklands
The Docklands were once the heart of the Port of London. Then container shipping made the old docks obsolete, and they closed between the 1960s and 1980. Since then, Canary Wharf has grown into London’s second financial district.
From the Greenwich riverbank, that same night, I shot a 28-frame HDR panorama: four segments of seven exposures each. The result is the Docklands skyline across the Thames, with the lights of the towers repeated in the water.
Afterwards, the driverless DLR took us to Heron Quays. Daria spotted the lit bridge first. I doubted the wide-angle could hold the towers, but it did. We then waited for the bridge lights to cycle to pink, her choice. That became Canary Wharf at night.
Photographing England
Every England frame here follows the same method. First, the hour: blue hour and sunrise give empty bridges, empty streets and floodlit landmarks. Second, the event: a closed road on marathon day gave me a Tower Bridge photo that normal traffic never allows.
Third, the lens. A wide angle handles the tight Docklands and the alleys. A telephoto, on the other hand, turns The Mall into a wall of flags. Finally, patience with the files. The sunrise panorama waited eight years to be stitched, and it is now one of the strongest frames in the set.
Clean frames also matter commercially. A landmark with no people and no traffic is easier to license and to print. London rewards the photographer who gets up at 3:30.
When to Visit England
England’s weather changes fast, and rain is possible in every month. For photography, however, summer has a clear advantage. In June and August, sunrise comes before six, so the city is still empty at golden hour.
Spring and early autumn bring milder light and fewer visitors. Winter days are short, so blue hour arrives in the late afternoon, which makes night work easy. My January frame of the London Eye proves that clear winter days do happen.
Getting Around England
London’s Underground, buses and the DLR all accept contactless payment. Most sights in this guide connect by a riverside walk. Tower Bridge to St Paul’s, for example, is about 30 minutes on foot along the Thames Path.
Beyond London, the rail network fans out from the capital’s main stations. Eurostar leaves from St Pancras and reaches Paris in about two and a half hours. From there, the Paris guide picks up the same early-morning approach. London also reminded me of Berlin, my home city: several towns that grew into one, each with its own centre.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best time to visit England for photography?
Summer, for empty streets at golden hour. In August, sunrise comes around 5:30, so landmarks like Tower Bridge and St Paul’s are quiet before the crowds arrive. Spring and early autumn give milder light. Rain is possible all year, so plan a flexible day or two around the forecast.
How many days do you need in London?
Three days cover the core at a photographer’s pace: Tower Bridge and Shad Thames, St Paul’s and the Millennium Bridge, Westminster and the London Eye. A fourth day adds Greenwich and Canary Wharf. Plan sunrise mornings around the river, then use the middle of the day for museums and scouting.
Where is the best sunrise spot in London?
The Millennium Bridge. Facing north, St Paul’s Cathedral stays floodlit through blue hour. Facing east, the sun rises behind the City towers with The Shard on the right. Before six on a summer morning, the bridge is nearly empty. The riverside path by Tower Bridge is a close second.
Is the London Eye worth it for photos?
Yes, on a clear day. One rotation takes about 30 minutes, which leaves time to work the view over Westminster and the Thames. Book ahead and still expect a queue. Shoot with the lens close to the glass to cut reflections, since the capsule panes can be scratched.
Where can you photograph Canary Wharf?
There are two classic spots. From the Greenwich riverbank, the whole Docklands skyline reflects in the Thames. At Heron Quays, the lit DLR bridge sits right below the towers. Both work best at blue hour and after dark, when the offices are lit.
How do you get around England without a car?
By train. Services from London reach York, Bath and Manchester in about two hours. Inside London, the Underground, buses and the DLR accept contactless cards. Walking along the Thames Path connects most of the central landmarks. A car only makes sense for rural areas such as the Lake District or Cornwall.
