London - Where not to go (neighbourhoods) with your equipemt

[fenlander]

Not the highest, but among the most interesting, is St Pauls Cathedral. There are 3 galleries: (if memory serves me well) the Whispering Gallery (inside), the Stone Gallery (outside) and the Golden Gallery (inside). You have to climb the stairs, though - no elevators - and the Golden Gallery is not far short of 300 feet.

The London Eye really is the BEST high point in the city, but it's not ideal for photography as it's enclosed (glass) and moving. You can book online at http://www.londoneye.com and it's worth doing if you're travelling in the tourist season. It gets very busy and you may not just be able to turn up and get a ride. Booking just reserves your "flight" - you swipe your credit card and collect your tickets on arrival without joining any of the huge queues.

Some of the old viewpoints, like the Post Office Tower have closed their observation platforms over the years, mainly because of terrorism.

fenlander

All thanks for the post, something else now:

I always like to shoot the total city from what most city call
look-out points. Now I know you have the big wheel, but it isn't
realy the best option for taking pictures, so what is the highest
point to shoot pictures from?

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DieMonde

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[Ian Yates]

It's shocking what can happen there. Ask anyone in the Vic!

Ian Yates

 

[MarekM]

All thanks for the post, something else now:

I always like to shoot the total city from what most city call
look-out points. Now I know you have the big wheel, but it isn't
realy the best option for taking pictures, so what is the highest
point to shoot pictures from?

--
DieMonde

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MarekM wrote:

Whatever it is, CN Tower in Toronto is taller. Then , we have London, Ontario. Any interest?
Rgds

 

[Alan.T.]

It's shocking what can happen there. Ask anyone in the Vic!

Ian Yates

Erh,Ian,how is he supposed to know what the "Vic" is ? I don't.

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Alan.T.

 

[*isteve]

I agree re St Pauls - one of the few open air vantage points, though there is so much building work around there right now its not such a nice view.

Best views (london is not a very high rise place) are the bridges - the best view of the houses of parliament for instance is from Westminster bridge, though there is something worth seeing from all of them. Other places I use quite a lot include the 3rd floor cafe balcony at the Tate Modern, the millennium bridge itself and the Greenwich Observatory. At one time you could go up to the walkway on top of tower bridge, but Im not sure this is still open.

Take a trip on the eye though - its well worth it.

S

The London Eye really is the BEST high point in the city, but it's
not ideal for photography as it's enclosed (glass) and moving. You
can book online at http://www.londoneye.com and it's worth doing if you're
travelling in the tourist season. It gets very busy and you may not
just be able to turn up and get a ride. Booking just reserves your
"flight" - you swipe your credit card and collect your tickets on
arrival without joining any of the huge queues.

Some of the old viewpoints, like the Post Office Tower have closed
their observation platforms over the years, mainly because of
terrorism.

fenlander

All thanks for the post, something else now:

I always like to shoot the total city from what most city call
look-out points. Now I know you have the big wheel, but it isn't
realy the best option for taking pictures, so what is the highest
point to shoot pictures from?

--
DieMonde

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[Lynn Healy]

Ian,

Shame on you!

(It's just too easy, though isn't it?)



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-- Lynn
-- FCAS Member
-- PBase Supporter
-- CoolPix 5000, 5700, former 995, N8008/F801

 

[Alan.T.]

Ian,

Shame on you!

(It's just too easy, though isn't it?)



--
-- Lynn

Come on,you two ! Can't we others share the fun ? I have lived in Denmark since 1965 and may not be au fait with the contemporary English vernacular but I,and doubtless 80% of others here,have no idea what is meant by the "Vic" (Old Vic,yes,but that's something else).Please enlighten.

Alan.

 

[GEENO]

Come on,you two ! Can't we others share the fun ? I have lived in
Denmark since 1965 and may not be au fait with the contemporary
English vernacular but I,and doubtless 80% of others here,have no
idea what is meant by the "Vic" (Old Vic,yes,but that's something
else).Please enlighten.

Alan.

The Vic is a tv soap pub in a soap Albert Square.
G

 

[diemonde]

Hi Fenlander,

Will check, which one is best?

DieMonde

fenlander

Well I am there a short time so I guess I will be fully packed most
of the time. I think I will mostly go to tourist spots, but there
is a subway and there is always some thing you want to see in some
'bad' neighbourhood. Luckely I am staying in Kenningston, so there
won't be a problem I guess.

If you are only going to the tourist spots, then you ought to be
safe. Do you need to carry everything all the time?

Have fun - it's a lovely couple of cities.

--
DieMonde

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--
DieMonde

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[*isteve]

Ken-N-ington is not an ideal tourist spot- not even sure if they HAVE any hotels there....Ken-S-ington is (mostly) very pleasant indeed and they have a very large number.

S

Will check, which one is best?

DieMonde

fenlander

Well I am there a short time so I guess I will be fully packed most
of the time. I think I will mostly go to tourist spots, but there
is a subway and there is always some thing you want to see in some
'bad' neighbourhood. Luckely I am staying in Kenningston, so there
won't be a problem I guess.

If you are only going to the tourist spots, then you ought to be
safe. Do you need to carry everything all the time?

Have fun - it's a lovely couple of cities.

--
DieMonde

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--
DieMonde

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[diemonde]

Hi Steve,

It is Kensington. So no problems here then.

S

Will check, which one is best?

DieMonde

fenlander

Well I am there a short time so I guess I will be fully packed most
of the time. I think I will mostly go to tourist spots, but there
is a subway and there is always some thing you want to see in some
'bad' neighbourhood. Luckely I am staying in Kenningston, so there
won't be a problem I guess.

If you are only going to the tourist spots, then you ought to be
safe. Do you need to carry everything all the time?

Have fun - it's a lovely couple of cities.

--
DieMonde

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--
DieMonde

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DieMonde

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[Athegn]

At one time you could go up to the walkway

on top of tower bridge, but Im not sure this is still open.

Is still open see:-

http://www.towerbridge.org.uk/

Went last November

 

[*isteve]

on top of tower bridge, but Im not sure this is still open.

Is still open see:-

http://www.towerbridge.org.uk/

Went last November

Good, it is a great vantage point facing west! It was closed for a while but I never checked if it had been reopened. Not ideal for photography as I remember because of the glass panels enclosing it - but no worse than windows of other tall buildings.

S

 

[Tuba Paul]

Speak for yourself! Whichever company comes out with a Hello Kitty DSLR first is the one getting my $!

:^)

I do a number of Hello Kitty appliances already...

Pukeazoid; thnx for that one. Very good ideau

and MarekM, some shiny pink case would be nice eh! No-one wants to
be seen with that.

Both thanks a lot for your posts, I will use a backpack!

hia,

i read an issue about blanking out the brand of the cam...

maybe it helps you

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1014&message=4652908

greets

MarekMwrote:
That's not a bad idea. May be they could start making some cheesy
looking plastic colourful disguise cases for cameras?
Rgds

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DieMonde

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Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read...

 

[David Hughes124436]

A good viewpoint is from the top of the monument in Monument St, nearest Tube station is Monument. But you have to climb up the stairs. It's to commemorate the spot where the great fire of London started. Looking at a map it's at the North end of London Bridge. Looking West you get St Paul's etc...

 

[David Hughes124436]

And, just for the record, there is an Albert Square in reality as well as in the soap...

Honestly, you lot make me wonder at times.

 

[timo]

Hi I will visit London in May and I was wondering if there are
neighbourhoods where you don't want to be seen with expensive
equipment.

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DieMonde

Hi diemonde . . .

I have just landed in Singapore having spent two weeks in London, my home town, showing some friends around.

A friend and I spent a great (but cold) evening photographing the lit-up sights on the river at night: starting at London Bridge (get there by tube), eastwards along the south bank and across Tower Bridge, back along the north bank to St Pauls, across the Millennium footbridge, along the south bank to the new Hungerford foot bridge, and back across to the crowds in the west end. I didn't feel threatened at any time, but in some of the lonelier stretches you would be silly to go on your own. But it's a walk worth doing, and you will get some great night shots. (Canon S45 and Pentax Optio 430rs - both worked well with a minitripod; Pentax has to be set to 'landscape' if the autofocus desn't lock, which is often - manual focus on infinity is NOT in focus, which seems to be characteristic of the breed - i wonder if they have sorted out the new models properly?).

In nearly 30 years living in London, I was only accosted once, and that was in a badly lit street (Portobello Road in fact) in a very smart area. The two hoodlums were very well-mannered, if weary, sounding like customs officers at the end of a long shift..

There is certainly street crime in London, but it is mostly opportunistic, petty stuff in the areas you are likely to go to, and most likely you won't see any at all. The problem in an unfamiliar city is knowing when you are straying into a bad area: e.g. southern end of Caldeonian Road, perfectly OK, but further up near Caledonian Rd tube station, well, maybe . . . But a visitor woudn't know that.

I suspect mobile phones are a greater temptation than cameras for delinquent youngsers.

Make sure you have insurance. Leave your passport, tickets and most of your credit cards in the hotel. (You don't need to carry ID)> And just don't make it too easy or too tempting in crowded places. Enjoy your trip.
tim

 

[David Hughes124436]

I always felt sorry for the tourists in London, being rushed from a couple of the more obvious spots and back again. Does anyone know of a forum where we/I could post alternatives to the usual rat run?

 

[diemonde]

Hi David,

Well, just go ahead here!

I always felt sorry for the tourists in London, being rushed from a
couple of the more obvious spots and back again. Does anyone know
of a forum where we/I could post alternatives to the usual rat run?

--
DieMonde

• CP5700 -

 

[timo]

Well, just go ahead here!

I always felt sorry for the tourists in London, being rushed from a
couple of the more obvious spots and back again. Does anyone know
of a forum where we/I could post alternatives to the usual rat run?

David you are completely right. Some of the major venues are tourist hell. But London is one of the most 'walkable' big cities in the world. In a way you don't really need a guide - in any of the areas from, say, Ladbroke Grove/Notting Hill in the west to Tower Bridge in the east, from Hampstead in the north to, say, Kennington (not Kensington) in the south, the photographer can find endless things to shoot - in particular, look up above eye level. There is a real variety of interesting architectural or sculptural detail on the upper stories of many of the most unpromising buildings. It's probably more rewarding to concentrate on one borough - say Kensington/Chelsea; or Westminster; or the City, than try to do everything . . .. Look upwards - even KFC outlets are often located in interesting buildings if one can bothered to look! Paris is more beautiful as a uniform set-piece; London is more rewarding photographically if you poke around a bit . . .

I get museum fatigue after 10 minutes - but I love wandering around - every street corner will give you some kind of photo - it's a bit like Rome in that respect. That's what I find anyway.

Tim

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tim