• Home
  • About
  • TRAVEL
    • UK
    • Europe
    • USA
    • Disney Parks
    • Asia
  • THEATRE
  • LONDON
  • VINTAGE FASHION

Shy, Strange, Manic

A colourful London, travel and theatre blog with a vintage edge. Always on the hunt for the next adventure!

You are here: Home / #maplinphotowalk / Central London Photo Walk with Mapin
#maplinphotowalk, afternoon tea, Brigit's Bakery, Cecil Court, Chinatown, covent garden, london, maplin, Neil’s Yard, photo tips, photo walk, photos, Seven Dials, travel

Central London Photo Walk with Mapin

August 18, 2017

As you might have gathered from my South Kensington and Regents Park Insta-walk series, one of my favourite things to do in London is go for photo walks.  I love that it forces me out of the house to go explore new places, learn something new and find beauty along the way.

 

But what about well traveled places?  As a Londoner (I’ve been living here a year and a half so I’ve not really earned that title but go with me) I am guilty of avoiding tourist hotspots.  They are overcrowded and full of slow walking people stopping to get selfies.  We can find ourselves thinking we are above all that, and then we miss some of the most gorgeous parts of our city!  There’s a reason tourists flock to these places after all, they are stunning and choc-full of history.  Truth be told I never get bored of seeing the places on top of tourists wish lists, even if it’s not the newest, most hipster spot in town.  On Saturday I met with blogger and photographer Kaye and set off on a photowalk to some of London’s most viewed spots to find a new way of looking at these landmarks.  It sure was a learning experience, here’s where we headed:
Covent Garden
After meeting at the Brigit’s Bakery we headed for one of the most famous areas in London, Covent Garden.  As a child this was always the area we’d come to with my parents, without really knowing why, it just seems to draw people.  When we arrived at the square there was one show in full swing with a large audience.  We had no chance of getting close-up shots through the crowd, but Kaye informed us of how to use people to frame your shot to create atmosphere.
 
In the 20 minutes we had to explore I actually didn’t get very far into the market at all, choosing instead to play with the architecture near the entrance.  There was some really interesting angles and symmetry to play around with here, with just some imagination you can make a well photographed street look completely new!  Of course there’s plenty of street photography opportunities here which isn’t something I’ve tried much, but I do like this shot of street performers on a break which I captured.
Seven Dials
This is a place I run through a lot, but usually only when on my way to the theatre or one of the gorgeous shops nearby, so I don’t often take the chance to stop and look at what’s around me.  On this particular day Benefit had a pop up event and I loved how the colours of their booth matched the bunting brightening in the area.  I’m also a big fan of the contrast between the red floral pub and the harsh black building next to it.
Neil’s Yard
Heading towards our next stop we accidentally stumbled upon the insta-famous Neil’s Yard and just had to make a slight detour!  Such a world of colour, I can’t believe I’d never seen it before.  Colour instantly makes me happy so I loved snapping away here as I chased Milly around trying to get with her hair in frame, I think really adds to the photo don’t you?
Chinatown
Chinatown is just a great place to be, it has a lively atmosphere, great food and really stands out from anything else in the city and trying to capture that can be difficult.  Seeing the traditional market sellers mix in with the tourists made for some interesting street shots.  
Cecil Court
We headed back to our start point via Cecil Court, which is a place I’d visited on my Harry Potter Walking Tour as it’s said to be one of the inspirations for Diagon Alley.  I wasn’t totally happy with how my photos for this area came out and it’s left me craving a new lens so I can get a better aperture and really play with focus.
Back at Brigit’s Bakery, and the smell of Chinatown had left us all starving!  Thankfully we were invited in for a full afternoon tea, (including prosecco naturally!).  All was delicious but boy did the desserts really steal my heart, each one was delicious and so delicate!  I was so stuffed in the end I had to reluctantly take my mini scone home for Harry, I was just so full!

 

In total I took 196 photos that day and found narrowing it down so hard!  I must have almost 75’000 photos split between my laptop and hard drive, so trustworthy storage space is a must!  If you’re in the market check out Maplin’s storage solutions to save those precious memories, I know I sure need more!  

 

The walk would have taken 37 minutes exactly without stopping/ dodging tourists so Kaye informed us, so it’s a great central photowalk to do if you’ve got a spare hour or so.  Even better the likes of Piccadilly Square, Leicester Square and Big Ben are super close by so can easily be included if you want more to shoot.  This short session has made me more confident taking pictures of strangers, looking at things differently and not being dismayed when there’s people in my shots, it’s real life after all!

 

A big thank you to Maplin for inviting me on this walk & Kaye for being so talented and giving with her amazing photography skills.  What is your favourite thing in London to photograph?  

Leave a Comment

« Caring for Coloured Hair
On Trend Tops and Blouses for the Fall Season »

RELATED POSTS

  • Day Trips from London: 8 Hours in Bath
  • 5 Guys Chillin’ at The King’s Head Theatre
  • woman at train station with a cabin zero backpackCould You Ditch Your Suitcase for a Backpack?
  • Moments: June 2016

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Hey, I'm Kariss, welcome to my colourful corner or the internet. Expect to find adventure and amusement with a touch of eccentricity! Find out more here or why not drop me an email at shystrangemanic@gmail.com

Looking For Something?

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Popular This Month

  • Existing Disney Characters That Could Be Gay
  • Love Thy Bust: My five tips for loving your boobs with Simply Be
  • My Amazing Solo Birthday
  • capsule hotel room Staying in a Capsule Hotel at the FIRST CABIN Haneda Airport, Tokyo
  • london eye and houses of parliament at sunset 8 London Attractions You Must Book Before You Visit

Archive

kariss182

Instagram post 2175036702326245827_7011024 I’ve started reading the second book in @thearmisteadmaupin ‘s Tales of the City series and it’s got me dreaming of San Francisco.  My post on The Castro walking tour is now live too and writing it has left me wishing I was sashaying down the rainbow avenues once’s again!  #thecastro #castrotheatre #castrodistrict #castrostreet #sanfranciscoworld #lgbttravel #lgbttravelers #visitsanfrancisco #visitcalifornia
Instagram post 2167058729052568375_7011024 “Are you a gambling maaaaan, Santa”. There’s no batter way to celebrate Halloween then with the best film combo, Nightmare before Christmas and Hocus Pocus!  Helped by the fact that Oogie Boogie gives the best hugs! #disneyhalloween #hongkongdisneyland #hkdisneyland
Instagram post 2166335996249398626_7011024 “There were shelves upon shelves of the most succulent-looking sweets imaginable.” The description of Huneydukes in the Harry Potter series always gets me drooling.  I’ve currently stacked the cupboards for the trick or treaters and hoping no one comes so we get to eat them all, so it’s a similar vibe!  #honeydukes #warnerbros #warnerbrothersstudiotour #gifted
Instagram post 2164872323538432233_7011024 Halloween is just a few days away, are you trick or treating?  Have you got a costume?  My house is fully decorated and I’m ready for it! #disneylandparis #disneylandhalloween #disneylandresortparis
Instagram post 2164144212966521328_7011024 Do you recognise the Disney Characters in this pumpkins?  There much bigger in Asia then they are in the West thats for sure!  Hard to believe that this time last year I was traveling to 3 different Asian counties, visiting four different Disney Parks and this weekend I’m trying not to die from a cold on my awful sofa! #shanghaidisneyland #shanghaidisney #shanghaidisneyresort
Instagram post 2163391533956752331_7011024 [AD-Gifted tickets]  There might be no better view of the Eiffel Tower then from on the River Seine itself.  After visiting the Eiffel Tower we hoped on the @citywonderstours tour boat for a look around the main sites of Paris, with only having a day it was a great way to sightsee!  #citywonders #parisparis #parisinstagram
Follow on Instagram

© Shy Strange Manic

THEME BY ECLAIR DESIGNS