Spending a day out in London comes with the opportunity to capture some of the most beautiful holiday photos. But family photos aren’t the easiest to take because not everyone wants to cooperate. You know the scene: someone is holding the camera, while someone is refusing to smile, someone suddenly needs a snack, and someone is mysteriously missing from the scene.
We understand that you want to capture memories, but a family day out isn’t about photos only. Don’t turn the day into a professional photoshoot. We have discovered that the best photographs happen when nobody pays attention or puts great effort into taking them. One of the kids is racing towards the river, and you just snap a photo. Your partner has a funny expression on the Tube. You’re watching your children together as they discover something for the first time and know they cannot wait to tell the story to their friends. These scenes will make better memories than a perfectly arranged family portrait.
Choose one manageable London route
Keep in mind that you’re planning a family day out, so it’s no use crossing London five times just because you have a long sightseeing list and some influencer said that you can do it. A route around South Bank and the Thames is a particularly practical option because the area brings together attractions, riverside walks, food and open spaces within a walkable part of central London. Visit London describes the area as easy to explore on foot, with pedestrianized routes and family attractions along the riverside. You could begin around Waterloo, walk towards the Southbank Center, continue along the Thames and finish around the London Eye or Westminster Bridge.
This is more than enough for your family trip. Resist the temptation to squeeze another neighborhood into the day only because it’s famous.
Encourage the children to pick some of the stops
As adults, you might plan the sightseeing around what you think your kids will find interesting, but naturally, they might have other ideas. For them, a riverside walk could become an impromptu competition to spot boats. They might find it interesting to spend twenty minutes watching a street performer. Or a food market might become more exciting than the attraction you booked before leaving home.
It’s OK to let these moments win. South Bank has numerous opportunities for this kind of flexible exploration, and you can have a little bit of everything, from family attractions to riverside entertainment, cultural attractions, and food stops.
Take photos of the things your children seem to care about because years in the future you won’t remember how many museums you squeezed into a day, but your kids might become obsessed with the artist they discovered while playing during this trip.
Plan for the British weather, not the weather you wish you had
We all know how the London weather has a unique talent to make beautifully detailed plans feel slightly less optimistic. Only because you saw a sunny forecast before leaving home doesn’t mean you should leave home without a backup. Likewise, a few clouds in the sky shouldn’t be enough reason to automatically cancel your day. Learn to integrate flexibility into the route. If the weather is pleasant, take your time along the Thames. If rain arrives, move into an attraction, café, food market or another indoor activity and return outside when conditions improve.
South Bank works well for this because there are both outdoor and indoor options clustered in the same general area, including attractions, cultural venues and places to eat.
The same principle applies to photography. You might have the misconception that cloudy skies equal a photographic disaster, but in fact, soft, overcast light can actually be more flattering for your family portraits because it reduces harsh shadows. And even if it’s raining, you can transform the weather into part of your story: grab some colorful umbrellas, take pictures of the reflections on pavements, your children jumping over puddles, and every other thing that can make rain an opportunity to build some unique memories.
Make sure all of you are in the photos
While exploring London, you might be tempted to take turns taking photos. But you’re traveling as a family, so there’s a good reason to ask someone else to take your pictures: making sure both parents are in the photos, something that rarely happens during family trips. You can also avoid the stress of asking people on the street to take your pictures by booking a local photographer. A short session with a local professional photographer might make more sense than you think. Instead of spending the entire day documenting the activities yourself, you can set aside a small part of the itinerary for photos with all of you.
Keep the best photos candid
We don’t say that you shouldn’t take any traditional family shots; it’s understandable that you want at least a couple of photos where everyone is vaguely looking in the same direction. But don’t stop there. Look for the moments immediately before and after the posed photo when your kids are probably relaxing because the official picture is finished. Your partner might be laughing because one of the children pulled a ridiculous face. The kids are running towards their favorite attraction.
These photographs often feel more alive because nobody is performing for the camera. If your children are old enough, you can even give them a little responsibility. Ask them to photograph something they find interesting or choose the next picture you take.
Make sure everyone has at least one photo they love
Before heading back home, make sure everyone has at least one photo they like. Go through the gallery together and ask them if they would want to take a couple of other shots before leaving London. The real success of a family photography day is not coming home with hundreds of photographs. It is having a handful that instantly bring the day back: the places you wandered, the things your children noticed, the jokes nobody else understood