One Hour In London – South Bank

Photo Story 📸 — One Hour in London

Sometimes the best photo sessions are the ones you almost don’t have time for.

On a recent trip to London, I managed to steal literally one hour to grab some night shots around Southwark, City Hall and Tower Bridge. It wasn’t exactly a planned shoot either — but sometimes that’s when the best images happen.

We started with a quick refuel at Nando’s before heading down to Southwark Bridge. I spotted this view with St Paul’s Cathedral in the background and decided to give it a go. No tripod, no time to set anything up properly — just my camera balanced against a wall and a bit of improvisation.

I really like the contrast in this scene. The blue and purple lighting makes the bridge pop against the darker surroundings, while the warm orange streetlights reflecting across the Thames add a completely different tone to the image.

Later, after a quick detour back to the hotel to collect my tripod, I headed towards City Hall and Tower Bridge.

Surprisingly, there was hardly anyone around. Not that I was complaining! 😄 It gave me plenty of space to try a few bracketed exposures and different compositions around City Hall, with Tower Bridge sitting beautifully in the background.

What I love about this part of London is the way old and new collide in the same frame — the futuristic curves of City Hall alongside the centuries-old architecture of Tower Bridge and the Tower of London.

Finally, I made my way onto Tower Bridge itself, hoping to capture some light trails from the passing traffic.

For 7:30 on a weekday evening, I was amazed by how quiet it was. There weren’t many people around, but thankfully the traffic was still doing its bit!

That gave me exactly what I was hoping for — some lovely streaks of light cutting through the frame.

And this one is probably my favourite shot from the whole session. 📸

Not bad for an hour in London! 🇬🇧