There’s something magical about capturing London through a vintage film camera. On Saturday, May 10th, 2025, I joined a film photography workshop led by expert photographer Ang Li at the Fujifilm House of Photography, embarking on a 6-hour, 5-mile journey through London’s most photogenic landmarks.

Essential Film Photography Gear for London Streets

For this London photography adventure, I brought my trusty 35mm Olympus OM4Ti and medium format Mamiya 645 Pro. These classic film cameras perfectly complement London’s mix of historic architecture and modern design. My lens selection for the Olympus OM4Ti included 23mm f2.8 and 50mm f1.4 Zuiko lenses to handle everything from narrow streets to portraits. The Mamiya 645 Pro was set up with a 80mm lens f2.8 which is equivalent to a 50mm on a full frame camera.

For those new to film photography, the cameras I am using are between 23 and 32 years old! The Olympus OM4Ti was manufactured between 1997 and 2002 and the Mamiya 645 Pro between 1993 and 1998. They were serviced and in perfect condition when I bought them second hand.

The films I used during this London photo walk were:

• Kodak Portra 400: it’s perfect for street portraits and my favourite film so far in terms of colour rendering. A roll was already in the Olympus OM4Ti.
• Fujifilm 200 is great for balanced color in daylight. I tested this film as it was provided as part of the workshop package and I was very pleased with its neutral colour rendering.
• Cinestill 400 is ideal for capturing London’s urban atmosphere with a vintage look. I like this film very much because of the look of the pictures very distinctive from digital photography.

Best Photography Locations in London: Covent Garden to Fleet Street

Our photographic journey began near Covent Garden, where our small group of three—Anandh, Tom, and myself— led by Ang Li focused on mastering composition techniques. Ang Li asked us to find a frame in a frame, explore reflections and contracts – old and new. Key photography spots included:

• Slingsby Place sculpture – perfect for practicing framing against historic backdrops
• Space House on Wild Street – stunning 60s brutalism contrasting with Victorian architecture
• Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand – ornate railings creating natural frames for street photography
• Arundel Street – restaurant mirrors transforming ordinary scenes into dreamlike compositions

Photographing St Paul’s Cathedral: Composition Tips

St Paul’s Cathedral offered the perfect opportunity to capture London’s architectural contrasts. The magnificent dome—standing since 1697—creates stunning juxtapositions against modern glass and steel structures. Top photography techniques I used here:

• Framing the cathedral between modern buildings
• Capturing reflections in windows
• Using modern steel sculptures as foreground elements
• Photographing St Mary Somerset church tower framed between contemporary structures

The challenge of photographing in these narrow streets required frequently switching between lenses to properly frame these iconic London landmarks.

London Bridge Photography Guide: Millennium Bridge and Thames Views

The Millennium Bridge provided some of the day’s most compelling photography opportunities:

• East views – The Shard and London Bridge
• The City of London – The City’s impressive skyline using the bridge’s distinctive metalwork as natural frames
• Street photography opportunities – Capturing tourists against St Paul’s dome

Street Photography Tips: Mastering Manual Film Cameras in London

The Thames pathway proved ideal for environmental portraiture, with subjects including street performers, chess players, and singers bursting on the pathway.

Shooting candid portraits with manual film cameras presents unique challenges that digital photography doesn’t. I focused on:

• Maintaining quick focus adjustments
• Rapidly setting correct aperture and shutter speed for proper exposure
• Anticipating moments without relying on continuous shooting
• Building confidence with manual settings to focus on composition

The place offers also some contrasts between old and new buildings reflecting the spirit of London’s architecture.

Best Southbank Photography Locations

When I ran out of 35mm film, I switched to my medium format Mamiya 645 Pro with a Cinestill 400D film which helps capture images with a vintage look. Southbank offered exceptional vantage points:

• Southbank Boardwalk – A great place to capture candide portraits such as couples enjoying London’s riverside atmosphere and tourists walking around
• Southbank Book market – Offering a great viewpoint to capture candide portraits of people searching for books or LPs.
• Southbank skate park – Vibrant graffiti creating colorful portrait backdrops

Westminster to Chinatown: London Photography Hotspots

After reloading my Olympus with Cinestill 400 ISO film, I explored more iconic London photography locations:

• A carousel ride on the South Bank with two ladies clearly having a great time
• A plate spinning performer on the South Bank near the London Eye.
• Westminster Bridge – Capturing tuk-tuks waiting for tourists and a graduation celebration

Chinatown presented perfect opportunities for exploring themes of contrast and reflections:

• A woman seated on the edge of the pavement on Lisle Street
• Electric bikes parked beneath red lanterns on Lisle Street
• A couple having their lunch behind the window of a restaurant on Charing Cross Road

Film Development in London: The Anticipation

Back at Fujifilm House of Photography, we compared experiences and submitted our film for processing. After shooting 110 frames across different film stocks, I experienced that unique anticipation that only film photographers understand—the wait for development, trusting your instincts rather than checking an LCD screen.

After walking 7.5 miles through London’s most photogenic streets, I headed home to Birmingham, exhausted but creatively fulfilled. This London film photography walk offered not just stunning images but meaningful human connections that make street photography so rewarding.

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Looking for more London photography inspiration? Join monthly photography workshops at Fujifilm House of Photography in Covent Garden. Perfect for beginners and experienced photographers looking to explore London’s most photogenic neighborhoods through a vintage lens.