Londoners: need advice please

mel · 03-10-2008, 04:56 PM

Greetings Londoners.
I will be visiting your city for a week starting Saturday. I am chaparoning as fairly large group of teenagers on a theatre themed trip (let me apologize in advance for their behavior) so much of my time will not be my own. However, the free time that I will have I would like to make the best of (yeah yeah I know grammar police).

I am interested in doing some night photography while I am there. However, being American and female it has been ingrained into my being that there is no place in the world that is safe for me alone after dark. I will not have a "man of my own" to accompany me (the only male chaparone is traveling with his wife and I'm sure they won't want to accompany some raving photography fanatic in search of great shots).

My questions are as follows:
Will it be safe to venture out on my own, traveling by tube day or evening in London in general?

Are there interesting locations to photograph by night near our hotel (Leinster Square, Bayswater) so I can at least get a quick getaway to er, "home?"

Forgive my total ignorance on these matters. I know women should probably not wander around after dark alone anywhere but this is probably a once-in-a-lifetime trip and I want to make the most of it photographically. I would really hate to waste my time wandering aimlessly or being needlessly paranoid.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.

spillway · 03-10-2008, 08:29 PM

Hi Mel,

I'm not a Londoner, but I do visit that great city 4 or 5 times a year. Maybe I can get this started and others will chime in.

I've taken some nice night shots in the theater area called the 'West End'. Either the Leicester Square or Covent Garden tube stops are convenient. That area is so busy at night that I wouldn't feel uncomfortable walking around taking pictures.

Another nice spot is the Westminster tube stop. Get off there and within a few steps you can take great pictures of Big Ben, the London Eye, Parliment, and Wesminster Abbey. All of them are well lighted and it's a safe area.

My daugter was an exchange student in London last year and was very comfortable gettng around on the subway, even at night. Others may know areas to avoid, but overall I think that London is a pretty safe city.

Have fun!
-Larry

mel · 03-11-2008, 07:32 AM

Originally posted by spillway

Hi Mel,

I'm not a Londoner, but I do visit that great city 4 or 5 times a year. Maybe I can get this started and others will chime in.

I've taken some nice night shots in the theater area called the 'West End'. Either the Leicester Square or Covent Garden tube stops are convenient. That area is so busy at night that I wouldn't feel uncomfortable walking around taking pictures.

Another nice spot is the Westminster tube stop. Get off there and within a few steps you can take great pictures of Big Ben, the London Eye, Parliment, and Wesminster Abbey. All of them are well lighted and it's a safe area.

My daugter was an exchange student in London last year and was very comfortable gettng around on the subway, even at night. Others may know areas to avoid, but overall I think that London is a pretty safe city.

Have fun!
-Larry

Thanks for the tips. I'll keep these places in mind. I think we'll be not too far from a couple different tube stops and having an idea where I'm going and what I'm looking for will decrease the vulnerability factor, as well ad prevent the wasting of time, of which I'll not have a lot.

Thanks again.

Tom M · 03-11-2008, 08:31 AM

Maybe there's a 'man' in London who could meet up with you and show you around some?

Confused · 03-11-2008, 12:49 PM

Hi Mel

Bienvenue à Londres ! You see, I've reluctantly been forced to become somewhat more 'multicultural' since becoming part of the EEC……lol ! Incidentally, there are some pretty panoramic good views to be had from the walkway around the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral, but sadly this facility is not open at night-time and the trip is wholly dependent upon prevailing weather conditions ! Regrettably photography is not allowed inside the Cathedral itself, but I have included a link to an excellent 360º 'virtual' tour of the building, which requires a high-speed (< 2Mb) broadband connection. Click on the http link below and then on the small photo of the dome which appears (marked Click Here). There are a number of 'buttons' to choose from along the bottom of the main 'tour' page, so you'll need to select the one at the far right-hand side which says 'view from the top' which takes you to the exterior views. Clicking and dragging the mouse allows you to control the movement of the image. Shift zooms in and Ctrl zooms out.

St Paul's Cathedral

If you slip on a pair of comfortable shoes or trainers, you can obviously walk across many of London's bridges which offer some superb vantage points from which to take scenic photographs. The infamous 'wobbly' Millenium Bridge which spans the river between Bankside (now Tate Modern Art Gallery, south of the Thames) and St. Paul's Cathedral (north of it) gives a fresh & dramatic perspective of London previously unavailable to pedestrians. The Houses of Parliament are perhaps best photographed from the south side of Westminster Bridge (from the pedestrianised Embankment). I am ashamed to admit that I have never been on the revolving 'London Eye' myself, but the views it offers are supposedly excellent. As for safety at night I'd say that London is a fairly safe city, so simply exercise caution as you would elsewhere and if travelling on the Underground, if possible choose a carriage where there are plenty of other people on it. I'm sure that if you asked nicely, one or two of your students would be prepared to accompany you on your night-time excursions. Lastly, don't forget to pack a decent tripod !
If you need any other advice, simply PM me and I'll enclose an e-mail address.

Best regards
Richard

mel · 03-11-2008, 02:35 PM

Merci beaucoup!! (Vous etes francais?)

I will add these tips to my list of possibilities for when I'm there. I never thought of taking a student with me. They will be on a strict curfew however and I'd hate to get one in trouble. Especially if it's my own son!

The safety issue is the largest concern as I'll be in a strange place. I used to teach martial arts and perhaps I've made myself overly paranoid with all the self-defense seminars I've held for teenage girls over the years.

Tripod is already packed!

Thanks again.

calicojack · 03-11-2008, 02:52 PM

No advice, just well wishes for a great trip. Please be sure to post your comments and opinions upon your return. My wife and Mother-in-law are going to be in London for a few days next month. (she's taking my K10D & 17-70 with her) Maybe I can get her interested in reading about your impressions.
Thanks,
Brian

Confused · 03-11-2008, 03:23 PM

Hi again

Re your comment:

Quote:

Tripod is already packed!

As far as your personal safety is concerned, should your martial arts fail to do the trick, just hit them with the tripod....ouch !....lol

Best regards
Richard

mel · 03-11-2008, 03:27 PM

Originally posted by Confused

As far as your personal safety is concerned, should your martial arts fail to do the trick, just hit them with the tripod....ouch !....lol

Best regards
Richard

Yes believe me, I had thought of that!!

Confused · 03-11-2008, 03:55 PM

Hi yet again

Here is what is admittedly a rather poor 'virtual tour' of the 'London Eye' via this link:

Virtual Tour of the London Eye

When the page first fires up, it looks like a double spread across two pages. On the right hand side, after a bit it says
'start your exploration here', then (click). On the left side an 'eye view' box appears, then click on that !

There are some general photos (not necessarily brilliant ones) of London on this site, which might give you some useful inspiration:

Picture of Millennium Bridge, London, England - Free Pictures - FreeFoto.com

Picture of Tower of London, London, England - Free Pictures - FreeFoto.com

Picture of The Thames Barrier - Free Pictures - FreeFoto.com

On the left of this page is a long list of different pictures to click on.

Picture of Tower Bridge at night, London, England - Free Pictures - FreeFoto.com

Picture of Knightsbridge, London, England - Free Pictures - FreeFoto.com

Picture of Canary Wharf Station, London Underground - Free Pictures - FreeFoto.com

Night shots: Tower Bridge at night, London, England Free Pictures - FreeFoto.com

Best regards
Richard

spillway · 03-11-2008, 06:28 PM

One more tip, Mel.

I just talked to my daughter and she agrees with my suggestions of Covent Gardens and Westminster.

But she also wanted to add the Embankment tube stop. She said that the National Theater is nearby, so there is always a lot of people milling about at night. There is a footbridge over the Thames that gives you beautiful views in both directions.

Care to see my pictures of London? There's a couple night pictures in there.
London Pics

mel · 03-11-2008, 06:45 PM

Wow thanks for sharing all the great shots and tips. I'll print out this thread the morning of my flight (in case any more great advice pops up in the next couple days) and put it in my luggage. A lot of the places mentioned are on our agenda for the daytime touring so hopefully that will give me a chance to scope things out a bit and make plans for returning for the night shots.

Thanks again all. I am so looking forward to this trip. I've been to Europe once in my life but it was 23 years ago. My K1000 and I shot up about 12 rolls film. The K1000 is of course coming back with me but the poor thing will probably have to play 2nd fiddle to the K10D.

Thanks again everyone.

Confused · 03-12-2008, 06:41 PM

Hi again

Before you leave, here are a couple of .pdf's you might want to download of the train system covering the south-east of London. The second one covers the London Underground System. You will need to download Adobe Reader v.7.0 or later onto your computer beforehand (in order to view these maps) if you haven't already done so ! You can also print these .pdf's out if that's more handy.

8-free.com / PDF Converter 8.1 - easily convert and create any PDF file in only 2 clicks - compatible with Adobe Acrobat

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/system/galleries/download/print_maps/LondonConnections.pdf

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/Standard-Tube-map.pdf

Tube and DLR | Transport for London

Best regards
Richard

mel · 03-12-2008, 07:07 PM

Wow! Thank you these are wonderful! The tube map came up beautifully using only v6 of the reader. I'll try the other two next. We will be issued 7 day passes to the tube system so this will give me some plotting material for the loooong flight over there while I try to get some sleep (in a plane full of hyper and rowdy teenagers).

Thanks again for your insider information

cpopham · 03-13-2008, 07:13 AM

I'm also not a Londoner, but a frequent visitor:

When you arrive, you might find it handy to buy yourself a Pocket A-Z guide (for £5.50 from most corner newsagents) - it's small, handy, fits in a coat pocket - is spiral bound, not a fold out map, and it has a tube map on the back.

On several occasions when visiting I've just chucked that in my pocket, grabbed my camera bag and wandered. The only thing I've ever been warned about safety wise was to keep my wallet, etc quite close when around Piccadilly and Oxford St (there are signs warning of pickpockets)

I should also add that you can get some fantastic night time street shooting in and around the West End, particularly near Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square if that's your thing.

03-10-2008, 04:56 PM	#1
mel Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Virginia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,531	Londoners: need advice please Greetings Londoners. I will be visiting your city for a week starting Saturday. I am chaparoning as fairly large group of teenagers on a theatre themed trip (let me apologize in advance for their behavior) so much of my time will not be my own. However, the free time that I will have I would like to make the best of (yeah yeah I know grammar police). I am interested in doing some night photography while I am there. However, being American and female it has been ingrained into my being that there is no place in the world that is safe for me alone after dark. I will not have a "man of my own" to accompany me (the only male chaparone is traveling with his wife and I'm sure they won't want to accompany some raving photography fanatic in search of great shots). My questions are as follows: Will it be safe to venture out on my own, traveling by tube day or evening in London in general? Are there interesting locations to photograph by night near our hotel (Leinster Square, Bayswater) so I can at least get a quick getaway to er, "home?" Forgive my total ignorance on these matters. I know women should probably not wander around after dark alone anywhere but this is probably a once-in-a-lifetime trip and I want to make the most of it photographically. I would really hate to waste my time wandering aimlessly or being needlessly paranoid. Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.

03-11-2008, 12:49 PM	#5
Confused Inactive Account Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: London Posts: 1,067	Hi Mel Bienvenue à Londres ! You see, I've reluctantly been forced to become somewhat more 'multicultural' since becoming part of the EEC……lol ! Incidentally, there are some pretty panoramic good views to be had from the walkway around the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral, but sadly this facility is not open at night-time and the trip is wholly dependent upon prevailing weather conditions ! Regrettably photography is not allowed inside the Cathedral itself, but I have included a link to an excellent 360º 'virtual' tour of the building, which requires a high-speed (< 2Mb) broadband connection. Click on the http link below and then on the small photo of the dome which appears (marked Click Here). There are a number of 'buttons' to choose from along the bottom of the main 'tour' page, so you'll need to select the one at the far right-hand side which says 'view from the top' which takes you to the exterior views. Clicking and dragging the mouse allows you to control the movement of the image. Shift zooms in and Ctrl zooms out. St Paul's Cathedral If you slip on a pair of comfortable shoes or trainers, you can obviously walk across many of London's bridges which offer some superb vantage points from which to take scenic photographs. The infamous 'wobbly' Millenium Bridge which spans the river between Bankside (now Tate Modern Art Gallery, south of the Thames) and St. Paul's Cathedral (north of it) gives a fresh & dramatic perspective of London previously unavailable to pedestrians. The Houses of Parliament are perhaps best photographed from the south side of Westminster Bridge (from the pedestrianised Embankment). I am ashamed to admit that I have never been on the revolving 'London Eye' myself, but the views it offers are supposedly excellent. As for safety at night I'd say that London is a fairly safe city, so simply exercise caution as you would elsewhere and if travelling on the Underground, if possible choose a carriage where there are plenty of other people on it. I'm sure that if you asked nicely, one or two of your students would be prepared to accompany you on your night-time excursions. Lastly, don't forget to pack a decent tripod ! If you need any other advice, simply PM me and I'll enclose an e-mail address. Best regards Richard Last edited by Confused; 03-11-2008 at 03:18 PM.

03-11-2008, 03:55 PM	#10
Confused Inactive Account Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: London Posts: 1,067	Hi yet again Here is what is admittedly a rather poor 'virtual tour' of the 'London Eye' via this link: Virtual Tour of the London Eye When the page first fires up, it looks like a double spread across two pages. On the right hand side, after a bit it says 'start your exploration here', then (click). On the left side an 'eye view' box appears, then click on that ! There are some general photos (not necessarily brilliant ones) of London on this site, which might give you some useful inspiration: Picture of Millennium Bridge, London, England - Free Pictures - FreeFoto.com Picture of Tower of London, London, England - Free Pictures - FreeFoto.com Picture of The Thames Barrier - Free Pictures - FreeFoto.com On the left of this page is a long list of different pictures to click on. Picture of Tower Bridge at night, London, England - Free Pictures - FreeFoto.com Picture of Knightsbridge, London, England - Free Pictures - FreeFoto.com Picture of Canary Wharf Station, London Underground - Free Pictures - FreeFoto.com Night shots: Tower Bridge at night, London, England Free Pictures - FreeFoto.com Best regards Richard Last edited by Confused; 03-11-2008 at 06:08 PM.

03-12-2008, 06:41 PM	#13
Confused Inactive Account Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: London Posts: 1,067	Hi again Before you leave, here are a couple of .pdf's you might want to download of the train system covering the south-east of London. The second one covers the London Underground System. You will need to download Adobe Reader v.7.0 or later onto your computer beforehand (in order to view these maps) if you haven't already done so ! You can also print these .pdf's out if that's more handy. 8-free.com / PDF Converter 8.1 - easily convert and create any PDF file in only 2 clicks - compatible with Adobe Acrobat http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/system/galleries/download/print_maps/LondonConnections.pdf http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/Standard-Tube-map.pdf Tube and DLR \| Transport for London Best regards Richard Last edited by Confused; 03-12-2008 at 06:59 PM.

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03-10-2008, 08:29 PM	#2
spillway Inactive Account Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: S. Wisconsin Posts: 110	Hi Mel, I'm not a Londoner, but I do visit that great city 4 or 5 times a year. Maybe I can get this started and others will chime in. I've taken some nice night shots in the theater area called the 'West End'. Either the Leicester Square or Covent Garden tube stops are convenient. That area is so busy at night that I wouldn't feel uncomfortable walking around taking pictures. Another nice spot is the Westminster tube stop. Get off there and within a few steps you can take great pictures of Big Ben, the London Eye, Parliment, and Wesminster Abbey. All of them are well lighted and it's a safe area. My daugter was an exchange student in London last year and was very comfortable gettng around on the subway, even at night. Others may know areas to avoid, but overall I think that London is a pretty safe city. Have fun! -Larry

03-11-2008, 07:32 AM	#3
mel Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Virginia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,531 Original Poster	Originally posted by spillway Hi Mel, I'm not a Londoner, but I do visit that great city 4 or 5 times a year. Maybe I can get this started and others will chime in. I've taken some nice night shots in the theater area called the 'West End'. Either the Leicester Square or Covent Garden tube stops are convenient. That area is so busy at night that I wouldn't feel uncomfortable walking around taking pictures. Another nice spot is the Westminster tube stop. Get off there and within a few steps you can take great pictures of Big Ben, the London Eye, Parliment, and Wesminster Abbey. All of them are well lighted and it's a safe area. My daugter was an exchange student in London last year and was very comfortable gettng around on the subway, even at night. Others may know areas to avoid, but overall I think that London is a pretty safe city. Have fun! -Larry Thanks for the tips. I'll keep these places in mind. I think we'll be not too far from a couple different tube stops and having an idea where I'm going and what I'm looking for will decrease the vulnerability factor, as well ad prevent the wasting of time, of which I'll not have a lot. Thanks again.

03-11-2008, 08:31 AM	#4
Tom M Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Lincoln Park, NJ Photos: Gallery Posts: 780	Maybe there's a 'man' in London who could meet up with you and show you around some?

03-11-2008, 02:35 PM	#6
mel Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Virginia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,531 Original Poster	Merci beaucoup!! (Vous etes francais?) I will add these tips to my list of possibilities for when I'm there. I never thought of taking a student with me. They will be on a strict curfew however and I'd hate to get one in trouble. Especially if it's my own son! The safety issue is the largest concern as I'll be in a strange place. I used to teach martial arts and perhaps I've made myself overly paranoid with all the self-defense seminars I've held for teenage girls over the years. Tripod is already packed! Thanks again.

03-11-2008, 02:52 PM	#7
calicojack Inactive Account Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Long Island, N.Y. Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,124	No advice, just well wishes for a great trip. Please be sure to post your comments and opinions upon your return. My wife and Mother-in-law are going to be in London for a few days next month. (she's taking my K10D & 17-70 with her) Maybe I can get her interested in reading about your impressions. Thanks, Brian

03-11-2008, 03:23 PM	#8
Confused Inactive Account Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: London Posts: 1,067	Hi again Re your comment: Quote: Tripod is already packed! As far as your personal safety is concerned, should your martial arts fail to do the trick, just hit them with the tripod....ouch !....lol Best regards Richard

03-11-2008, 03:27 PM	#9
mel Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Virginia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,531 Original Poster	Originally posted by Confused As far as your personal safety is concerned, should your martial arts fail to do the trick, just hit them with the tripod....ouch !....lol Best regards Richard Yes believe me, I had thought of that!!

03-11-2008, 06:28 PM	#11
spillway Inactive Account Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: S. Wisconsin Posts: 110	One more tip, Mel. I just talked to my daughter and she agrees with my suggestions of Covent Gardens and Westminster. But she also wanted to add the Embankment tube stop. She said that the National Theater is nearby, so there is always a lot of people milling about at night. There is a footbridge over the Thames that gives you beautiful views in both directions. Care to see my pictures of London? There's a couple night pictures in there. London Pics

03-11-2008, 06:45 PM	#12
mel Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Virginia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,531 Original Poster	Wow thanks for sharing all the great shots and tips. I'll print out this thread the morning of my flight (in case any more great advice pops up in the next couple days) and put it in my luggage. A lot of the places mentioned are on our agenda for the daytime touring so hopefully that will give me a chance to scope things out a bit and make plans for returning for the night shots. Thanks again all. I am so looking forward to this trip. I've been to Europe once in my life but it was 23 years ago. My K1000 and I shot up about 12 rolls film. The K1000 is of course coming back with me but the poor thing will probably have to play 2nd fiddle to the K10D. Thanks again everyone.

03-12-2008, 07:07 PM	#14
mel Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Virginia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,531 Original Poster	Wow! Thank you these are wonderful! The tube map came up beautifully using only v6 of the reader. I'll try the other two next. We will be issued 7 day passes to the tube system so this will give me some plotting material for the loooong flight over there while I try to get some sleep (in a plane full of hyper and rowdy teenagers). Thanks again for your insider information

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03-13-2008, 07:13 AM	#15
cpopham Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Auckland Posts: 553	I'm also not a Londoner, but a frequent visitor: When you arrive, you might find it handy to buy yourself a Pocket A-Z guide (for £5.50 from most corner newsagents) - it's small, handy, fits in a coat pocket - is spiral bound, not a fold out map, and it has a tube map on the back. On several occasions when visiting I've just chucked that in my pocket, grabbed my camera bag and wandered. The only thing I've ever been warned about safety wise was to keep my wallet, etc quite close when around Piccadilly and Oxford St (there are signs warning of pickpockets) I should also add that you can get some fantastic night time street shooting in and around the West End, particularly near Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square if that's your thing.