Do you want to take those amazing shots of London that you see on all the tourist websites? Here’s your chance!
Have a look at the images in the London Night Gallery. You could take photos like these on the tour. Please note, these photos haven’t been manipulated in photoshop etc, and aren’t the result of multiple images melded together. So, if you prefer, as many people do, to only take jpg photos, these are what you could take. If you prefer to work in RAW and manipulate the image, well, the opportunities are boundless.
It’s best to read all of the information below first, before booking a night tour.
You must have a sturdy tripod or once it gets dark all your photos are likely to be blurry. (if you don’t have a tripod, see the Tripod Hire section. Click on the Tour Details tab). The Night Tours aren’t instructional so please make sure you know how to change the Shutter Speed, Aperture and ISO, plus how to turn your flash off and how to set your timer (if not using a cable or shutter release) and how to change focus points. It’s not necessary to know more than that as we tend to experiment, but it will certainly make you happier with the end results and take less time to achieve them.
This tour isn’t for beginners and isn’t instructional. If you want to learn how to take photos in low level light/night, please see the Photography Workshops as there is a workshop just for you or we can provide 1 on 1 tuition at a time to suit you.
For the night tours, bookings and payment must be made in advance. There are no refunds. The tour will only be cancelled if the weather makes the tour hazardous and the payment can be used for an alternative date.
Camera: You will need either a good quality Bridge camera or a DSLR. Sorry, but a compact which has limited options of manually changing the Aperture, Shutter Speed, or no Manual options isn’t suitable.
Tripod Hire: If you do not have a sturdy tripod and wish to participate in the Night tour, I have tripods available to hire for £5 each. It has a spirit level, and both quick release and screw on attachments, weight 1.5kg, extended height 152cm. Please let me know in advance if you require one on the night. Small very lightweight travel tripods won’t be suitable or stable enough as some locations can be windy which will result in blurred photos, plus the rails of the bridges can be quite high. If in doubt, email me or hire mine.
Cost: £70 per person
Dress: For a few hours outside. Wear warm comfortable clothing and shoes. Bring a pair of gloves to keep your hands warm in between photos. Bring a rainjacket and umbrella just in case! The tour still goes ahead in the rain as there are places we can shelter and still get great photos. If it’s likely to rain, I’d also recommend you bring a clear ziplock bag big enough to fit your camera in as it will stay dry. Simply cut a hole in the base big enough to poke the end of the lens through and put the lens hood on. Or bring a shower cap (for the camera, not you)… and then you can still take photos and keep the camera dry. Problem solved!
There are 4 different options.
Option 1. Meet under the clock in the middle of Waterloo Station hall. This tour covers the more touristy and well known riverside locations in the west, such as Houses of Parliament, London Eye, the bridges and mystery locations towards the West End.
Option 2. Meet at the front of Marks and Spencers inside London Bridge Station.
This tour covers eastern end of the river, such as Tower Bridge and then moves into the City area. We see beautifully lit and unusual architecture, back alleys and many interesting mystery locations. This is the oldest and original areas of London. At some stage this year an Olympic sign will be placed on the Bridge, so we’ll go somewhere else dramatic instead.
Option 3. Meet at the front of the Royal Exchange bulding at Bank tube station. We cover fantastic buildings with interesting lighting, back alleys, some of the seedier and also lively city areas. This is the oldest part of London and provides great atmospheric locations.
Option 4. Meet at the base of George IV statue in Trafalgar Square. We’ll cover Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Soho, Chinatown, Covent Garden and any other places of interest I can find.
Dates:
I’ll be adding dates for 2012 all day! Keep checking.
February
Thursday 23rd Starts at 17.10 Option 2 from London Bridge
March
Sunday 4th Starts 17.30 Option 4 from Trafalgar Square
Thursday 8th Starts 17.35 Option 1 from Waterloo
Monday 19th Starts 17.55 Option 2 from London Bridge
Saturday 24th Starts 18.05 Option 3 from Bank
Friday 30th Starts 19.15 Option 1 from Waterloo
April
Friday 7th Starts 19.30 Option 4 from Trafalgar Square
Thursday 12th Starts 19.35 Option 2 from London Bridge
Wednesday 18th Starts 19.45 Option 3 from Bank
Monday 23rd Starts 19.55 Option 1 from Waterloo
Saturday 28th Starts 20.05 Option 2 from London Bridge
May
Saturday 5th Starts 20.15 Option 2 from London Bridge
Sunday 6th Starts 20.15 Option 4 from Trafalgar Square
Wednesday 9th Starts 20.20 Option 1 from Waterloo
Friday 18th Starts 20.35 Option 1 from Waterloo
Sunday 20th Starts 20:40 Option 4 from Trafalgar Square
Thursday 24th Starts 20.45 Option 2 from London Bridge
June
Friday 1st Starts 20.50 Option 2 from Bank
Monday 4th Starts 20.55 Option 1 from Waterloo
Saturday 9th Starts 20.55 Option 4 from Trafalgar Square
Friday 15th Starts 20.55 Option 2 from London Bridge
Wednesday 20th Starts 20.55 Option 3 from Bank
Sunday 24th Starts 20.55 Option 1 from Waterloo
Thursday 28th Starts 20.55 Option 4 from Trafalgar Square
July
Tuesday 3rd Start 21:00 Option 2 from London Bridge
Wednesday 11th Start 21:00 Option 3 from Bank
Saturday 14th Start 20:55 Option 1 from Waterloo
Monday 16th Start 20:55 Option 2 from London Bridge
Friday 20th Start 20:50 Option 4 from Trafalgar Square
Sunday 22nd Start 20:45 Option 3 from Bank
Wednesday 25th Start 20:45 Option 1 from Waterloo
Sundxay 29th Start 20.35 Option 2 from London Bridge
Tuesday 31st Start 20.35 Option 3 from Bank
August
Thursday 2nd Start 20.30 Option 4 from Trafalgar Square
Saturday 4th Start 20.25 Option 1 from Waterloo
Monday 6th Start 20.25 Option 3 from Bank
Wednesday 8th Start 20.20 Option 1 from Waterloo
Thursday 9th Start 20.15 Option 4 from Trafalgar Square
Saturday 11th Start 20.15 Option 2 from London Bridge
Monday 13th Start 20.10 Option 3 from Bank
Wednesday 15th Start 20.05 Option 4 from Trafalgar Square
Saturday 18th Start 20.00 Option 2 from London Bridge
Thursday 23rd Start 19.50 Option 1 from Waterloo
Sunday 26th Start 19.45 Option 4 from Trafalgar Square
Tuesday 28th Start 19.40 Option 3 from Bank
Friday 31st Start 19.30 Option 1 from Waterloo
September
Sunday 2nd Start 19.30 Option 4 from Trafalgar Square
Thursday 6th Start 19.20 Option 3 from Bank
Friday 7th Start 19.20 Option 1 from Waterloo
Tuesday 11th Start 19.05 Option 4 from Trafalgar Square
Saturday 15th Start 19.00 Option 1 from Waterloo
Wednesday 19th Start 18.50 Option 1 from Waterloo
Sunday 23rd Start 18.40 Option 3 from Bank
Thursday 27th Start 18.30 Option 4 from Trafalgar Square
If you wish to participate in a Night tour and no dates are listed around that time, please contact me. Personal tours can be arranged.
All tours are to be booked and paid in advance.
Please double check your address when sending an email as I have been receiving emails, but am unable to respond due to the addresses being incorrect. If you are trying to arrange a personal tour at short notice please also add your telephone number as it can make communications a little quicker.
