The Best Places for a Photoshoot in London

The best place for a photoshoot in London is Westminster, for Big Ben, the London Eye and the red phone box; then Tower Bridge, St James’s Park, Covent Garden, St Paul’s and Notting Hill. Westminster and Tower Bridge are the two backdrops people recognise anywhere. The others give you softer light, colour or fewer people. Most shoots cover one area in an hour; a photo walk links several.

Westminster and Big Ben

The classic London photo. The south end of Westminster Bridge gives you the Elizabeth Tower and the Houses of Parliament along the river. The pair of red phone boxes on Great George Street, at the corner of Parliament Square, line up with the tower behind them; there is often a queue. The South Bank opposite, by the London Eye, is the spot for evening light. It is all busy from mid-morning, so go early. The Big Ben photoshoot page has the Westminster shoots.

Tower Bridge

Best from the riverside rather than the bridge: Potters Fields Park and the Queen’s Walk on the south bank, the walk in front of the Tower of London on the north bank, and Shad Thames to the east. Sunrise is the quiet time. See the Tower Bridge photoshoot page.

St James’s Park and The Mall

Lakes, willows and Buckingham Palace at one end of The Mall: the softest backdrop in central London, and a good one for couples and families. The Professional Photo Walk passes through it, and the Iconic Sights photo walk goes from Trafalgar Square through the park and down The Mall to the river.

Trafalgar Square and Covent Garden

Nelson’s Column and the fountains, then the market hall and street performers of Covent Garden a few minutes away: lively, urban and good in any weather, since Covent Garden has cover.

St Paul’s Cathedral

The steps and the dome, and the view down from the Millennium Bridge. The Notting Hill, Covent Garden and St Paul's photoshoot offers it as one of three locations.

Notting Hill

Pastel and painted house fronts and quiet mews. These are people’s homes, and residents have pushed back against crowds, so stay on the pavement and off the steps. A local photographer knows where to shoot. See the Notting Hill photoshoot page.

The South Bank and Leake Street

Brutalist concrete, reflections on the river, and the graffiti tunnel under Waterloo station: London’s most urban backdrop. The London Through a Lens photography walk uses exactly this route, from Waterloo through the Leake Street tunnel to the National Theatre.

Off the usual trail

Courtyards, alleys and hidden gardens in the City photograph without crowds. The hidden photo spots walking tour visits 10 to 12 of them in three hours.

Several spots, one shoot

If you cannot choose, the Professional Photo Walk links several: it starts near Big Ben and Westminster Abbey, follows the river for the London Eye and Parliament, crosses St James’s Park and ends at Trafalgar Square or Covent Garden, with Notting Hill or Tower Bridge as alternative routes. It is one price for up to 10 people, from US$180 per group (checked October 2026), with 60 to 200 edited photos.

Check photo walk dates

You can photograph all of these places yourself, for free. What a photographer adds is the order: which spot first, which angle, and which time of day avoids the crowd at each.