American in London: photo/exploring advice wanted

[mackigator]

I'm going on a trip to London this fall and I'll be playing tourist for most of the time. I saw this thread on flea markets and cameras and it got me thinking that I could use some advice regarding London. Not about gear, but about what shops, what are some clever angles/places for images, what are a few interesting bits that a compulsive photographer should be aware of. Sort of off the beaten track if possible.

Would any of you be willing to point me toward:

• bookstores with good photobook selections (new, used, or rare)
• camera stores worth browsing
• favorite parks or image-making locations, other than the typical tourist to do lists (that I have plenty of already)

And, generally speaking, anything really interesting that you wish you could tell the right person about, whether it be a shaft of light or a soccer match. I'm the curious sort.

 

[SolaresLarrave]

Camera stores: I dealt once with the London Camera Exchange (one of the many stores they had). Apparently, each has its own character and inventory... If I were to return to London, I'd look them up and see if I could say hi to Robin, the young gentleman who sold me a very nice, mintish Leica SF-20 flash.

Otherwise, my last visit to London was in 1995. I cannot remember much... except for the fact that Trafalgar Square was full of people. Let's see what others can add (which will be significantly better than this, but I didn't want your thread to get buried).

Best of luck!!

 

[Roger Hicks]

Well, don't take pictures anywhere near kids (or you'll be branded as a paedophile, even if you're facing in the opposite direction) or pictures of government or public buildings (or you'll be interrogated as a potential terrorist). Or the Londn Eye, that silly Ferris wheel thing where they don't allow 'professional looking' cameras. Oh, and private shopping arcades. Apart from that, anything's fair game, except people who think they have a right not to be photographed.

'Off the beaten track'? Try Brick Lane, the old Jewish quarter, now heavily Indian/ Pakistani/ Bagladeshi. Superb food, too. The Underground offers great picture opportunities unless some jobsworth tries to stop you ("Nah, can't do that. More than my job's worth, that is.")

Many great old camera stores like Brunnings and the best L.C.E.s are gone, but there's still R.G. Lewis on Southampton Row: nice people, though the shop is smaller than of yore. The Charing Cross Road is great for all kinds of bookstores, and don't miss The Photographers Gallery, 16 Ramillies Street: a lot more than 'just' a gallery.

Cheers,

R.

 

[ruby.monkey]

'Off the beaten track'? Try Brick Lane, the old Jewish quarter, now heavily Indian/ Pakistani/ Bagladeshi. Superb food, too. The Underground offers great picture opportunities unless some jobsworth tries to stop you ("Nah, can't do that. More than my job's worth, that is.")

Brick Lane - be prepared to be inundated with camera-toting teens desperately trying to look like they're not photographing anyone. Also try Al Badar for cheap, good curries, and (of course) the Brick Lane Beigel Shop for the salt beef. Tas Firin (160 Bethnal Green Road, near the top end of Brick Lane) serves fine Turkish food.

As for photographing on the Underground - nowadays one must obtain a permit in order to do so (I kid you not) which costs £35 for a month-long student/non-commercial permit.

 

[smasher]

Don't know too much about camera shops in London, but it's a VERY photogenic city, and you can't really go wrong wherever you go.

Regarding book shops: There are still a few used shops in Charing Cross Road just north of Trafalgar Square. The Waterstones flagship store is in Piccadilly next door to Fortnum & Mason. (I forget: what was it before it was Waterstones?)

Street shooting is great in the West End, Soho, and the street markets (Borough, Camdentown, Portobello Road, etc.). Covent Garden is touristy, but still fun to shoot. There's always something going on in Central London.

The South Bank (Southwark, near Nat'l Theatre) is an interesting area: a working-class neighborhood that's been gentrified in the past 20 or 30 years or so. Interesting architecture, kind of a mish-mash of workers' houses, brutalist postwar developments, and Victorian institutions. Walk along the river toward Tower Bridge.

I mostly know West and South London. Tourists don't really frequent these areas, so it's a bit more "authentic" London. Much of it isn't too easy to get to; the Tube doesn't go to much of the southeast (Walworth, Camberwell, Denmark Hill, etc.), so you'll have to take a bus. It's a better way to see the city anyway.

Borough Market is awesome.

You'll get dozens of responses to your post, each with a different answer. Like I said, London is a very photogenic city.

NOTE: The police are sometimes unclear about your rights as a photographer. London is a very security-conscious place, especially after the 7/7/07 bombings. If anything the surveillence and security infrastructure/culture are more developed (or, if you prefer, "extreme") than they are in the States. There are a lot of threads in the forum archives about that.

(And I probably just touched off another one!)

 

[benlees]

Sadly, the Photographers Gallery is closed this fall, but the bookstore will remain open which is worth a look if you like books and are in the area. Lots of Japanese stuff. Claire de Rouen on Charing Cross just sells photo books and is easy to spend time in unless it is crowded- it is quite small. The area around Shoreditch is a little off the track but is a unique combination of art hipster and Asian communities.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Brick Lane - be prepared to be inundated with camera-toting teens desperately trying to look like they're not photographing anyone. Also try Al Badar for cheap, good curries, and (of course) the Brick Lane Beigel Shop for the salt beef. Tas Firin (160 Bethnal Green Road, near the top end of Brick Lane) serves fine Turkish food.

As for photographing on the Underground - nowadays one must obtain a permit in order to do so (I kid you not) which costs £35 for a month-long student/non-commercial permit.

I thought the beigel shop was gone? Good news if it isn't. Didn't know about the camera-toting teens. Could be fun photgraphng them. PERMITS on the bloody Underground? Willum Jobsworth strikes again.

Cheers,

R.

 

[brainwood]

If you're in the west end head for the photographers gallery just off Oxford street . It has good exhibitions and a very good bookshop

http://www.photonet.org.uk/

 

[thegman]

Camera shops:

Aperture/Camera Cafe
The Classic Camera
York Cameras

All around the British Museum area, all good shops. Aperture and York are good for bargains, the Classic Camera charges list price for Voigtlander gear, but the second hand prices on Leica are not crazy.

I've photographed the tube many times, no problem.

If you like architecture check out Canary Wharf and the Gherkin, Tower 42, BT Tower etc.

For urban/nasty check out Elephant and Castle.

Soho is always great, most of it is not as seedy as it once was.

 

[brainwood]

If you're in the west end head for the photographers gallery just off Oxford street . It has good exhibitions and a very good bookshop

http://www.photonet.org.uk/

Oh sorry just checked the website ... They're closed for refurbishment until the new year

 

[brainwood]

I thought the beigel shop was gone?

No still going strong I had a hot salt beef bagel there last week for around £3

 

[greyelm]

Don't forget the British Museum. Photography is allowed see link below

http://www.britishmuseum.org/the_museum/business_services/photography.aspx


Getting there.

http://www.britishmuseum.org/visiting/getting_here.aspx

 

[Austerby]

There's a lot of interesting things along the river - take the riverside path from the Tower past St Katharine's Dock, the Prospect of Whitby pub, along Wapping through Shadwell to Canary Wharf, then walk through the Isle of Dogs to Greenwich via the foot tunnel. Greenwich is stunning and v.photogenic - a good market there, not overrun with photogs. Catch the Clipper boats back up to town for a different view of what you've walked past. Lots of history, interest and characterful pubs and a change from what many visitors see.

The light here in the autumn can be exceptional in the late afternoon, probably the best time for light quality in the whole year.

 

[wgerrard]

Well, don't take pictures anywhere near kids (or you'll be branded as a paedophile, even if you're facing in the opposite direction) or pictures of government or public buildings (or you'll be interrogated as a potential terrorist). Or the Londn Eye, that silly Ferris wheel thing where they don't allow 'professional looking' cameras. Oh, and private shopping arcades. Apart from that, anything's fair game, except people who think they have a right not to be photographed.

I seldom disagree with Roger, but just to demonstrate that everything is unpredictable, here's a shot of a piece of the Eye, taken with an RF which, presumably, didn't flip the "professional" toggle. God knows I certainly don't.

I also have really awful pictures of cops hanging around doorways at the Palace of Westminster (Parliament) and some shots of the MoD. In truth, few government buildings in London built after 1900 are worth photographing.

So, shoot away. They can only take away your camera and put you in jail. 😉

 

[wgerrard]

Regarding book shops: There are still a few used shops in Charing Cross Road just north of Trafalgar Square. The Waterstones flagship store is in Piccadilly next door to Fortnum & Mason. (I forget: what was it before it was Waterstones?)

Foyles on Charing Cross Road is not a used book store but is more than worth a visit by any book lover. This multistoried place has modernized and been remodeled in recent years so it has lost some if its eccentricities. (Previously, you stood in line with your purchase and were given a slip of paper. You then took that slip of paper to another person at another position who would actually take your money.)

Anyway, it has a huge selection and is great for browsing. A decent jazz cafe is on an upper floor. Haven't checked out its photography section but wouldn't doubt it's bigger than a few standalone shops.

 

[historicist]

There's a photo book shop snappily entitled "Photo Books International" on Judd street I go past every day, I'm no expert on these things but they seem to have a good selection:

http://www.pbi-books.com/

Personally if I was going for a walk down the south bank of the Thames, I'd start at Greenwich and walk east, which is very quiet and offers more of a glimpse of the disappeared industry of the city. Greenwich park is also rather nice, but that said there's more things to visit along South Bank.

I'd also recommend either the Seven Stars or the Jerusalem Tavern for pubs, maybe Scootercafe on Lower Marsh in the evenings when its a bar.

If you do venture near Brick Lane, the Barbican is well worth a visit if you like brutalist architecture, especially on Sundays when the conservatory is open.

Fenton House in Hampstead is also rather nice and the older part of Hampstead it's in is good for a walk around.

 

[mackigator]

I really appreciate the advice. I'm quite taken just by reading about the place. Sad to learn that I'll miss the Photographer's Gallery, but I will hit up their bookstore.

 

[smasher]

There's so much to see and do there; don't be put off if one attraction is closed.

Other Thames walks: Upriver on the South Bank through Putney and Wandsworth. (Wandsworth Park is a gem, especially along the river. Totally off the tourists' track, even in summer.) Keep going along the gravel path (watch for cyclists) through Putney, as far as Hammersmith Bridge. You'll pass some of the toniest real estate in London, including the beautiful old Harrods warehouse, now converted to flats.

 

[peterm1]

I liked many places in London. But two or three I recall in particular for photo opss and camera buying / window shopping.

The Thames Embankment (either side of the river) provides heaps of opportunities for shots that are slightly more "open" in nature due to the presence of the river without which you tend to be surrounded by buildings on all sides.

Another stand out for me was the Inns of Court. Just off Fleet Street (almost an extension of Oxford Street but not quite) these represent the famous legal district where inner city barristers have their chambers not far from the Royal Courts of Justice. Lots of opportunities for photos of old buildings, quiet and character filled courtyards complete with gaslit lamps and of barristers hurrying to court. I loved it as it was off the tourists beaten track.

Not too far from here and very near to the British Museum is Pied Bull Yard ( Bury Place) a little mews which used to have (I am talking 10 years since I was there last) several shops that specialized in old cameras. I had heard that some had closed but I would hope that some would still be there. Well worth a look.Here is one of those shops.

http://www.theclassiccamera.com/

You may wish to do what I did when in London - buy a classic leather and canvas Billingham bag from one of these shops.

 

[porktaco]

depends on the weather, in a way. i was in london at the end of last week and it was glorious. everyone was out, walking around. it would have been hard not to take good pictures anywhere in town.