Southbank Photography Tour

(17 reviews)

London audio tour: Southbank Photography Tour

This is a 1.8mi walking tour

It takes an average of 60 mins to complete.

London

The United Kingdom

$4.99

Access all 38 locations offline with the VoiceMap app

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About the Tour

Improve your photography skills as you explore London's Southbank with Travel Photographer of the Year Finalist and Professional Travel Photographer Matthew Williams-Ellis. You will receive insider tips on great spots for photographing some of London's most iconic landmarks such as the London Eye.

During the photography tour, Matthew will nurture your photographic eye and help you develop a proactive photography mindset, so you can apply your new found skills to any situation you find yourself in when photographing in the future.

Advice given is relevant and applicable whether you use a DSLR or point and shoot camera.

Tour Producer

Matthew Williams-Ellis

1 tour

Londoner. Travel, landscape and wildlife photographer. Nothing beats the open road... Join me for the journey.

Preview Location

Location 1

Start of route: The London Eye

Thank you very much for downloading this photography tour along London’s iconic Southbank.

Before we set off, I've got a few things to tell you.

VoiceMap uses GPS to pinpoint your location and trigger the relevant audio. This means you can put your phone away now and re... Thank you very much for downloading this photography tour along London’s iconic Southbank.

Before we set off, I've got a few things to tell you.

VoiceMap uses GPS to pinpoint your location and trigger the relevant audio. This means you can put your phone away now and relax. I will tell you where to go, and where to stop for some great photo opportunities.

I'll always tell you where to meet me after a photo, so as long as you listen carefully for directions, you can take your time and shoot to your heart's content at any stop.

Before we get started, I just want to remind you to keep an eye on your camera gear and belongings when photographing. I don’t say this too scare you, and London is no worse or better than any other city in Europe. I simply want to point out that while you have your eye behind a lens, or are looking at an LCD screen to take a photograph, you will be distracted. Obviously don’t let this stop you taking photographs, but just try to be a little aware of what is going on around you. Case in point, I was photographing a temple in Thailand a couple of years ago. I was very distracted and was concentrating on the photo I was taking. I suddenly felt my bag moving. I turned around and found a monkey had jumped onto my bag! I obviously didn't lose anything valuable, but it was a painful mistake that resulted in needing a rabies jabs! Now this is clearly never going to happen in London. I just want to make the point that you should be aware of your surroundings.

Our first stop is at one of London’s most iconic landmarks, The Eye - you should be standing underneath it. The challenge with capturing over-photographed locations such as this one is finding a unique approach or angle. While we're in the shadow of the Eye, around the queuing area, there are plenty of opportunities to use the uprights of the structure to create interesting, graphic compositions. Keep your photos simple. From this spot, isolate single sections of the Eye, rather than trying to photograph it all at once. If you are lucky enough to have interesting sky or clouds, think about incorporating this into the photo. The eye may be the subject, but there is no reason why it has to be the largest element of the image. Is there one particularly striking cloud? Perhaps just include a few of the capsules and then that individual cloud.

Before you start shooting, face away from the eye. When you're ready to get moving, walk between the avenue of trees towards the street. I'll meet you near the street. Read More

View locations and route

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Focus on your surroundings, not the screen

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Major Landmarks

London Eye
Southbank Centre Food Market
Southbank Centre Book Market
Southbank Skate Park
Golden Jubilee Bridges
St Paul's Cathedral

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Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
30 The Queen's Walk, London SE1 7PB, UK
Total distance

3km
Final location
52 Hopton St, London SE1 9JH, UK
Distance back to start location

1km

Directions to Starting Point

The tour starts directly underneath the London Eye.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

As well as the main stops, there are many cafes to stop at. I would definitely recommend recovering at the Founders Arms Pub at the end of the tour, which has great views of St Paul's Cathedral.

Best time of day

Photography is always best during the early morning or late afternoon.

Precautions

Always be aware of what is going on around you, especially when you have your eye to the camera taking photographs.

Camera straps around your neck/wrist are strongly advised when photographing over the edge of bridges too!

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“This app has become my go-to app for audio tours. I pretty much use it for every trip and it works wonderfully. I highly recommend VoiceMap for travelers to truly experience cities.”

App Store Review

“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”