The second day of our photo adventure also takes us to one of London’s most exciting and diverse districts – Shoreditch. Every Sunday, Londoners head to the fabulous flower market at Columbia Road in East London. As well as the awesome color displays and interesting faces, we will enjoy hearing Cockney accents shouting out to buy their produce. The rich history of the Columbia Road flower market resulted in a close community with a lively, friendly and warm people that are just plain fun.

Sunday is the main trading day for most markets in London, and London’s East End contains some of the best for street photography. The famous Spitalfields is more than just a market. We’ll find antique stores, food traders, independent fashion houses and much more is on offer here. The market lies close to Brick Lane which has changed dramatically over the last 15 years.

With some of the best street art found anywhere in Europe, picking out subjects with stunning backgrounds, means street photographers enjoy visiting Brick Lane time and again. These sites are located within Tower Hamlets which is one of the most culturally diverse in Europe. Street photography will play a big part in our day, though there is so much more to capture with your camera.

Later in the evening, we will incorporate movement into our images where panning techniques and slow shutter speeds isolate subjects and add a sense of drama during low-light photography. Capturing subjects during Blue Hour with ambient street lighting will round off our day in this fabulous city. (B)

On the morning of our third day, we head across the iconic Tower Bridge. One of the most recognizable structures in the world, it was requested by Queen Victoria to match the architectural style of the nearby Tower of London. Some excellent images of the structure with pedestrians crossing to and from Southbank can be taken here, especially during foggy mornings where the lights create an ethereal atmosphere. The bridge offers excellent vantage points of the London skyline and buildings such as the Shard. No visit to London would be complete without photographing Tower Bridge, overlooking the river Thames. Its 900 year old history includes being used as a Royal Palace, prison and place of execution!

Crossing Tower Bridge towards Southgate, we arrive to the fabulous Borough Market. A thriving retail and wholesale food market, and also one of the oldest in London, this photogenic location was also used in part of one of the Harry Potter movies, the Diary of Bridget Jones, and Lock, Stock and 2 Smoking Barrels. The vendors can also make for good subjects in environmental portraits, especially due to the beautiful soft light that fills the area. Thanks to it’s layout and interesting backgrounds, a variety of street photography techniques can be practiced here. The old, dark brick contains countless stories from its past, and really adds to the atmosphere of this market.

Continuing our journey, we arrive to the streets around Kings College & Guy’s Campus. A great location for photographing London’s younger generation and the interactions between friends, while incorporating great backgrounds and cool architecture, reflected in puddles of water can make for some interesting contextual images. The heart of London’s culture and creativity, Southbank offers many opportunities for street photography, and includes the Tate Modern – one of our favorite locations due to its wonderful architecture, refections and directional lighting. Instead of large crowds, individuals captured while predicting their movement can result in some minimalist type shots composed around negative space. We will also make time to visit the Southbank Skate Park – a great source of dynamic, action type images of skateboarders surrounded by graffiti.

As our day comes to an end, we will head to Millennium Bridge to photograph pedestrians crossing during Blue hour. A popular location for photographers, the railings make for fabulous leading lines to Saint Paul’s Cathedral in the background. Using a table tripod, or simply placing the camera on the floor, allows us to include movement of pedestrians to create an artistic element to our shots. Photography at Millennium Bridge at this time of day rounds off a great day of capturing subjects from a wide range of iconic sites. (B)

This morning we will visit some of the stunning architecture that London is renowned for. Beginning at Trafalgar Square, we will aim for compositions of subjects incorporating the art of layering. One of the most effective compositional techniques, it can also be one of the most challenging to master. Contrasting with the wide open spaces, the quaint, narrow streets of Covent Garden include the charming shop fronts and colorful houses at Neal’s Yard. As well as the multitude of photo opportunities on offer, Covent Garden is a personal favorite for it’s great cuisine, so will be an ideal place to stop for lunch.

Continuing from Covent Garden, we arrive to the ever-fashionable Carnaby Street. With a long history of attracting the unusual and eclectic, Carnaby Street was the go-to place in the 1980’s to see the incredible hairstyles during the punk era. Today it is more commercial, yet retains its unique character. Colorful facades abound, and make for great backdrops as shoppers browse the streets. As well as iconic brands, many independent stores attract a certain type of clientele, which make for interesting subjects, as does Soho, the red-light district of the West End.

Soho is the type of district that can reward the street photographer with ironic images of its dark and seedy background, contrasting with regular, everyday people going about their day. Some of your best work can be created here. Nearby is Chinatown, where vibrant colors and reflections through windows create images full of depth and drama. Chinatown is a constant source of images, thanks to an abundance of photogenic backgrounds and the potential for environmental portraits.

In the evening we will have a mid-week review of our favorite images taken so far through a group critique. This will help you in learning which images stand out and why, and we will discuss some editing techniques to further improve on the final image. (B)

On the morning of day 5 we will head to the British museum. This fabulous museum is not only an architectural photographer’s dream – the British museum also houses some of the rarest works of man from prehistoric to modern times from around the world. The museum displays the Rosetta Stone and mummies from ancient Egypt. But it is the stunning architecture and natural light from the glass roof that makes this an excellent location for photographing people here. Due to it’s uncluttered and contrasty interior, the British Museum is a must for lovers of black and white photography.

Continuing our day, we arrive to another favorite location. The Barbican is probably the best example of London’s brutalist architecture, where the study of light and lines can create some of the most powerful compositions when subjects are placed in perfect harmony to their environment. Due to so many variations of directional light, geometric shapes and leading lines, the Barbican is one of those locations that the avid street photographer can return to time and again. Unlike other inner city residential areas, the Barbican demands wide angle lenses in order to incorporate its wide open spaces, geometric architecture and perfectly placed subjects.

Today we will also head to Whitechapel Market – one of the best locations to fully immerse ourselves into the real East End of London. A working class neighborhood, the East End has a rich and culturally diverse history, and Whitechapel Market is located in the heart of it. Here you will witness the struggle of everyday life of a closely-knit community. It’s also a great location to experiment in different camera techniques when capturing strangers from a variety of ethnic backgrounds out on the street. We strongly believe this will increase your confidence, develop an arsenal of different techniques, and aid you on your photographic journey for the future.

Towards the end of the day, when the locals start heading home from work, we will head to the Square Mile, the heart of London’s financial district. This is a great site for photographers wanting to experience the rat race of dapper businessmen in pin-striped suits, London taxis and the famous buildings dotted around the area. As well as the amount of pedestrians passing during this hour, the light will allow subjects to stand out from dark backgrounds. This is the type of location where shooting from a low angle and including office blocks in the background will create dynamic, hero-type compositions.

In the evening, we’ll celebrate our “Farewell Dinner” at one of our favorite London restaurants. We’ll enjoy great fun and laughter as we discuss all the highlights of the trip. (B)(D)

On our last day we will wander around some of London’s most famous streets and landmarks. Starting at the Embankment, the pleasant pedestrian walkway along the River Thames, we will practice panning shots of joggers and cyclists, while the iconic Big Ben and Houses of Parliament are beautifully lit by the rising sun. Likewise, Westminster Bridge is an excellent location for capturing people crossing the Thames. Our walk takes us through St. James’ Square, the tranquil, green space with imposing buildings lined with top designer brands, high end restaurants and hotels.

No visit to London would be complete without sampling the most loved meal by the British – fish and chips! Here we will enjoy lunch at one or favorite restaurants, before discussing the past week and all our adventures together, then exchange contact information, where sadly, we will bid you farewell. (B)