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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
