Shoot day in London: 9 Instagram perfect locations

I always love the idea of shooting outfits all day but as I learnt from my first few chaotic shoots, you need to have a plan in place. Especially for a full shoot day in London. 

Do you know what isn’t cute? Disorganisation. My first few shoots saw me cram a suitcase with a bunch of mismatched clothes, some shoes and no plan. Cue a lot of wandering around, lots of wasted time and lots of unplanned snacking. Oh the joys of blogging hey! 

Luckily for you, I’ve taken the pain out of researching locations and have put together a plan for you to follow including food stops, plus hints and tips for each location as well as a suggested route. I know, I know, I’m too kind.

Shoot Day in London: Brunch at Aubaine Selfridges

A quirky and purple setting for brunch surrounded by gorgeous hanging wisteria. I recommend starting your day here, it’s nice and central, the flowers are stunning and the brunch is banging (plus no judgement for 11am champagne – just saying). 

Tips for Aubaine:

If you really want to avoid the crowds, book early or go in the week. We went on a Thursday morning, where we had  free reign of the entire corner area (best spot) and there were only a few other tables occupied.

https://aubaine.co.uk/ 

Drunch

Next on our hitlist was Drunch which was a 10 min walk from Selfridges. Drunch is a lot smaller IRL than I initially thought it would be – typical London! But we weren’t actually planning to go inside anyway, I’d eaten my weight in egg and lobster benedict so we were more than happy with a few “candid” snaps outside before moving swiftly on.

Tip for Drunch:

Don’t get hit by a car trying to get “the shot” by the doorway on the corner of the street – you’ve been warned! 

http://drunch.co.uk/

Annabels

Ok this was the only muck up I made – Annabels always has the most stunning outside displays but I didn’t check if they had any displays before heading there. On the day we visited there was no display. Fail. But there are plenty of cute doorways and potential locations in Berkeley Square, so all was not lost. 

https://annabels.co.uk/

Tip for Annabels:

See what displays they have on before sticking this on your list! 

Shoot Day in London: Cocktails at Sketch

This wasn’t on our original list but as my cousin Soph hadn’t been before, we decided to add this one onto our hitlist. Check out her photography btw – she is so talented. Even if you haven’t booked a table to eat, you can normally just pop in for a drink at the bar, and let’s be real here, the majority of people only want to visit here for the eggcellent toilets.  

Tip for Sketch:

Do take your camera to the loo’s – weird but you won’t regret it! 

https://sketch.london/

Stork 

You may see a theme going on here – the majority of places had some sort of floral display. We snapped some pics outside the front, where I’d spotted something hilarious (classic) and we earnt plenty of smirks from people out and about on their lunch break (standard). 

Tip for Stork:

There is an alleyway around the back which is perfect for a quick outfit change! Keeping it classy as per. 

https://www.storkrestaurant.com/

Bond Street

I wanted one of those, candid walking up the middle of the street photos but wasn’t exactly sure where to get one so this was a bonus. 

Tip for Bond Street:

Wait for a bus or two to come along – the colour of London buses really make a monochrome outfit pop on camera. 

https://www.bondstreet.co.uk/

Shoot Day in London: Sassy cider at Dalloway Terrace 

We went a’shooting on a hot day, that and the drinks here are really nice. We ordered two Sassy ciders (you couldn’t make it up) and sat outside where we worked out the best spots to snap. The Coral room inside is gorgeous too – so make sure you pop inside as well. 

Tip for Dalloway Terrace:

If you want a photo inside the conservatory area it might be worth booking a table as it’s almost impossible to snap photos without putting your elbow in someone’s lunch!

https://dallowayterrace.com/

Neals Yard

I’ve been to Covent Garden a million times but never been able to find Neals Yard, so was happy to tick this one off to be honest. The colours of the buildings contrast each other nicely and make for the perfect photo op. 

Tip for Neals Yard:

Visit early in the day to avoid the crowds! 

Neals Yard, trip advisor 

We then hopped in a Bolt taxi to Peggy P’s where we got our first ride free. Feel free to download the app and use my code HANNAH for your free taxi angels (aff link). 

Shoot Day in London: Afternoon tea at Peggy Porschen 

Ok so I’ve been blogging properly for just over a year and I’ve only just visited Peggy Porschen. Am I for real? But anyway. Well worth it and the cakes are so damn good. 

Tip for Peggy Porschen:

This isn’t really a tip for Peggy Porschen, but I do recommend bringing a change of outfit for the surrounding areas as there are heaps of great shop fronts and side streets in Belgravia that make for the nicest backdrop!  

https://www.peggyporschen.com/

Number one recommendation

Plan the locations you want to go, then input them into Google Maps as individual stops, you can then move them around to see which is the quickest route to take. I do this ALL the time and it came in super handy when we were in Budapest and short on time! 

Don’t feel you have to eat or drink at every location huns – London prices are ridic and there’s only so many lattes you can physically drink, even if they are an aesthetic dream! It’s perfectly acceptable to snap some shots outside, then move right along. 

Route:

1. Aubaine
2. Drunch
3. Sketch
4. Annabels
5. Bond Street
6. Stork
7. Dalloway Terrace
8. Neals Yard
9. Peggy Porschen

Time taken: 6 hours (including brunch and drink stops).

Hope you find this little guide handy- have you visited any of the locations? Let me know in the comments xo