My home town(s)

I've been thinking about writing a blog for a while now, but as with most projects, I've been wondering where to start. There are so many good photography blogs out there, it's almost difficult to imagine how another person could contribute to the field. As a professional writer, however, I know that if you want to get the ball rolling, you've got to get started somewhere...

And, to start, perhaps a good place is the beginning, or rather sharing my experiences of my local area of Bath and Bristol. I read a lot about the great 'street photography cities' of London, New York, or Tokyo, but I thought it might be interesting to turn the focus on my own haunts.

First of all, Bath. If I had to sum up Bath, I would say it's the 'golden city'. That's not a commentary on the quality of the people, food, or culture - rather, a photographer literally explaining the colour palette of the place.

To me, the defining feature of the place isn't necessarily the myriad (and beautiful) heritage sites that dot the city, but the overwhelming look of the Bath stone.

Every building in the city is either built from, or clad in, a limestone that was quarried from a local pit called Bath stone. It's a stone that you can't escape from in Bath, but it does give the city a very unique look versus most places in the UK.

If you catch the right light, you can definitely get some beautiful shots of the major heritage sites like the Royal Crescent, Circus, or Pulteney Bridge. If you're a photographer that focuses more on people, then these sites are also absolutely awash with tourists from all over. You won't get accosted for having a camera, and there are always people milling about.

As alluded to, Bath can get very, very busy in the British summertime. If you want fewer crowds and moodier shots, then you're way better off coming early Spring or Late autumn. In some ways, I much prefer my shots of Bath when there's inclement weather as you can really establish more of a mood in the photo (see my shot of the canal just below).

Briefly touching on the shots included above. The first is the world famous Pulteney Bridge, which I always try and frame in a non-touristy way. The second is an angle on the Thermae Baths, which is one of the only modern buildings in the centre of the city. Finally, the third was taken just off the Royal Crescent. There's a tip for you - If you visit the Royal Crescent on a late Sunday afternoon in the Summer and Autumn, you'll almost always see hot air balloons being launched.

I feel pretty fortunate to have lived in Bath for as many years as I have, but of course, I have observed a few minor annoyances when taking photographs in the place.

I think you've probably already picked up one one. The overwhelming single-note colour palette of the city can make it quite difficult to experiment with different architectural backdrops. You're basically going to get a nice, golden, oldish-looking building again and again.

Another thing that really annoys me is the proliferation of cars in the city. Again, that's not a social commentary on how people should live - this is solely photographic snobbery talking.

It always annoys me seeing these beautiful, moody shots of Bath ruined by someone's modern car parked up on side. It's like having this amazing scene that evokes a great detective or gothic horror novel ruined by something that really suspends your disbelieve.

But, now that I've expressed my pet peeves, I'll return to actually giving some tips or local knowledge to prospective photographers (or anyone) looking to visit Bath.

I've already mentioned local tourist spots like the Royal Crescent, but I do recommend spending some time off the beaten path. Central Bath can be walked across in under 30 minutes, so if you have an afternoon you can really explore quite a bit of the city in one.

One place I'd highly recommend checking out is Quiet Street, which is one of the last cobblestone streets in the city. It's become a little more famous in recent years because the landlord of the pub on the corner (The Raven), kicked Kier Starmer out over some kind of long-forgotten dispute. Politics aside, the street itself is one of the more evocative locations in the city - and there's also a really great bookstore along the way, too.

Another spot I really like is Green Park station. It's a beautiful old building that's part of England's industrial heritage and one of the few remaining spots like it in the city. Unlike the name would suggest, this old train station is now fully pedestrianised but you can still see the old iron girdles and architecture - which, as a photographer, I think can create quite a striking backdrop. The station's opening also points west, so you get fantastic light in the summer evenings here. As a side note, many of the city's independent stalls and market set up shop here.

Finally, if you may also want to explore some of the Bath Skyline walk that circles the city. This is more of a general 'tour guide' tip rather than a street photography pointer, but why not check out the scenery while you're in the city?

If you're up for a bit of a hike, good routes include the path from Bath Spa rail station to Alexandria Park, which is the quickest way to get a view of the city, and the route from the canal up to Sham Castle. If you're feeling a bit more adventurous, then you could take the canal up Bathwick hill and onto Smallcombe Vale, which is another good spot to get vistas of the city.

One thing that strikes me putting together this page, is actually how few pictures of Bath I have in my archive that I consider truly 'portfolio worthy'. I think, like many photographers, I struggle to feel really inspired to take pictures of my home town. It's a thought I may spin out into its own page at some point, because I think it's a pretty interesting topic.

Hopefully, you've got some valuable tips here, however. And, maybe you can return the favour by taking some pictures of Bath with a fresh perspective. Certainly, I think one of my photographic goals of 2026 is to really explore my local environments and produce better quality work, because I know excellent photos are everywhere and needing 'inspiration' is a kind of excuse that stops you from getting out and practicing.

Next time, a few observations shooting in Bristol, which definitely more up my alley stylistically...

Article Gallery

Images in full without page crops