The London Lights in Central London, December 2024

Street photographers love London, and everyone has their favourite area for taking pictures. I simply enjoy watching people move around the streets. Sometimes, you find a street teeming with opportunities for photographs; other times, it is not so fruitful. But, as they say, go with the flow—good pictures are always waiting for you.

The London Lights in Central London, December 2024
The upside down world of Soho.
The London Lights in Central London, December 2024
Good will on Earth to Refugees.

When wandering the streets, having a companion to share your journey is invaluable. Peter is an excellent photo buddy (link to Website). Living in London, Peter knows the best places to visit and is adept at finding ideal spots to stand. My other companion is my Fujifilm X100vi. The inbuilt image stabilisation makes it perfect for street photography. I shoot with a low shutter speed (1/30,1/60), a wide aperture (f4), and auto ISO to adapt to unexpected moments. The resulting pictures can be noisy, but a quick edit with Lightroom’s denoise function cleans them up effectively.

The London Lights in Central London, December 2024
Everyone is taking pictures of the Piccadilly light show.
The London Lights in Central London, December 2024
The streets were atmospheric giving a Christmas look.

I have also set up my camera with back-button focusing, which has significantly improved my ability to capture scenes in focus. However, this technique introduces a slight delay as I focus before pressing the shutter. I overcome this by anticipating the scene forming in front of me.  

The London Lights in Central London, December 2024
Regent street shop displays are very elegant making super street photography backdrops.

My first stop was to see the lights along Regent Street, with the beautiful angels soaring above the centre of the road. The shop windows offered bright, eye-catching displays. My technique here was simple: stand still for a few minutes and point my camera at the scene waiting for a suitable picture to materialise. The magic in this series of pictures came from the rain earlier in the afternoon. A light drizzle was falling on the pavement, creating reflections that shimmered with colours.

The London Lights in Central London, December 2024
Reflections and colours

I met Peter at Waterstones’ coffee shop, and we set off together. Starting with the bright lights of Piccadilly, we walked along Shaftesbury Avenue before exploring Chinatown. The city was bustling as it was the end of the working day. Pubs were overflowing, and people were moving everywhere, on foot and by bicycle. There was so much activity that pictures appeared all around us.


The rain added another layer to the story, bringing out umbrellas that enhanced the scenes. As we wandered into the narrow streets of Soho, the vibrant atmosphere gave way to Leicester Square. Here, we encountered a German market, but it was a disappointment. The stalls were no different from those found in Birmingham, and their circular arrangement felt uninspired. I did, however, find an interesting tree to photograph, though not much else of note.

The London Lights in Central London, December 2024
Tree decorations – Leicester Square.
The London Lights in Central London, December 2024
Busking away looking for an audience.

We did not stay long at the market. Instead, we headed to the Diamond Jubilee Garden facing St Paul’s Church in Covent Garden. The coloured lights reflecting off the wet pavements created a stunning view, and the silhouettes of people walking through the garden added depth to the composition of my pictures. We arrived at Covent Garden itself, and the decorations there were breathtaking. The large decorative bells and Christmas ornaments hanging from the ceiling filled the space with festive charm. The place was alive with energy, and I could have spent hours photographing the scene.  This was my final stop on my visit to the lights of London.  There were a few more pictures to take along the Strand before arriving at Charing Cross station and the Bakerloo line up to Marylebone station.  

The London Lights in Central London, December 2024
Approaching Covent Garden.
The London Lights in Central London, December 2024
St Paul’s Church Covent Garden.
The London Lights in Central London, December 2024
Street reflections and silhouettes. St Paul’s Church, Covent Garden.
The London Lights in Central London, December 2024
The Christmas tree and decorations in Covent Garden
The London Lights in Central London, December 2024
The beauty of the interior of Covent Garden.

All that remains for me to say is: enjoy my photographs and the short descriptions accompanying each one. There are some fantastic backdrops, including a particularly amusing one where a poster is upside down. I am sure this was deliberate, designed to catch the eye of keen street photographers like Peter and me as we wander London’s streets.

The London Lights in Central London, December 2024
Toys and Souvenirs.
The London Lights in Central London, December 2024
Blue tyres and red lights on the Strand.
The London Lights in Central London, December 2024
Outside Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club.
The London Lights in Central London, December 2024
Walking in the rain outside the Hippodrome.
The London Lights in Central London, December 2024
I love London.
The London Lights in Central London, December 2024
The shop window says it all.
The London Lights in Central London, December 2024
Escalator at Charing Cross.

If you enjoyed this view of Christmas lights then please follow the links below for more stories. One is about Christmas in Birmingham this year. The second is snow in our village in 2017.

I went to one of favourite spots for picture taking. Knowle Locks offers all the necessary ingredients. Water reflections, perfect setting sun, trees and a high vantage point. Add some clouds and you have the chance to take a great picture. I took all the gear, tripod, DSLR camera, filters and a range of filters. Whilst I was there I snapped a quick picture with my iPhone and tagged it with #englandsbigpicture on my twitter handle. Should I be surprised that the iPhone picture was the one that made the BBC website.

Here is the link to England’s Big Picture

Over the summer, I experienced an amazing photographic exhibition by Mat Collishaw called “Thresholds” and it is best to read the website that gives details of it www.somersethouse.org.uk/whats-on/mat-collishaw-thresholds

This extract is taken from the Web Site “Using the latest in VR technology, Thresholds restaged one of the earliest exhibitions of photography in 1839, when British scientist William Henry Fox Talbot first presented his photographic prints to the public at King Edward’s School, Birmingham. The experience was a fully immersive portal to the past; people were able to walk freely throughout a digitally reconstructed room, and touch the bespoke vitrines, fixtures and mouldings; even the heat from a coal fire was recreated. A soundscape for Thresholds included the sound of demonstrations of the Chartist protesters who rioted in 1839 on the streets of Birmingham, and could be glimpsed through the digital windows.”  Take a look here youtu.be/acktp-Wy8Nw

This picture shows a women picking up a text to read it. I am taking the picture though a window into the hall. When I suited up with the VR technology it was quite an experience to wander around the room.  I meant to write a blog on the experience and then I got prompted to do so as I learnt that the BBC web site used my image under CC Licence.  It is a blog on the BBC R&D section discussing reality labs.  Always nice to know your image is being used and here is the BBC Blog bbc.in/2eJKo1g