The Photographers Gallery, Soho, London

Quaint little gallery just off Oxford Street. However, due to its limited space, sadly it is possible to go through the entire exhibition space twice in half an hour.

However, they do have the most extensive photography bookshop in Europe apparently. And they have nice cafe upstairs, which is a good alternative to the super-crowded Starbucks and Cafe Nero’s on Oxford Street.

This is another of my favorites!

I especially like the bookshop as it has many hard to find titles and sells lots of little art books and beautiful postcards. If ever you are stuck for a gift for someone, come in here and buy a book or a postcard. There will be a photobook that will suit someone who might not know the difference of an Ansell Adams from a Richard Avedon. It doesn’t matter! Photography is all about learning and visually interpreting the world from someone else’s perspective.

This place also acts as a little oasis of tranquility in the middle of the west end.

Fab little place, and free! If you’ve half an hour to spare in central london, pop by; there are always some cool photos on display. The cafe is a lovely quiet place to have a cake or sandwich and check out the photos or read the weekend papers, away from the hustle and bustle of Covent Garden. I am a bit bizarrely obsessed with their salmon mousse rolls, which are excellent and I haven’t seen anywhere else. They also do a nice orange and cranberry juice drink! Prices very reasonable too. The attached gift shop is also worth a look.

The best place for photographers and it’s free! If you are into photography it’s a must-see. The Photographer’s Gallery is a very nice gallery in a great location (right next to Leicester Square) so even if you’re not into photography and you have some time to kill, you and visit. You should plan to spend around 30mins here as there are not a great number of exhibitions. Exhibitions also rotate regularly so it’s always worth a few visits every now and then.
Even though it is free, you’ll probably spend your money in the gift shop. Here you can find a lot of great photography books.

Always great stuff on display here and its free to view. Not a day out, more like a 20 minute walk round and then a cup of tea. The small scale of the place makes it a great place to pop into to kill some time.

There are always amazing exhibitions on display and i love the gif shop! =D

Fab place! Exhibitions obviously change but very worth while the vast majority of the time.

Please, somebody, stop me from going into the shop! I just spend way too much money, every single time. Can’t help myself, there are just too many must-have items!

Galleries do, to a certain degree, have to be commercial in their outlook as (especially in a city like London) it costs a HUGE amount to maintain the space, staff it, and secure great artists. The Photographers Gallery has taken all this into account, but still maintains a huge commitment to independent artists, upcoming work, and whenever i go, i always see pieces that make me go “wow”. If you are in the area, make this a must-visit.

Little gallery in Soho. They always have great exhibitions on, it is for free to go in, you can buy interesting things, prints and books and they are also a registered charity. in 2011 they’ll be moving to the opposite side of Soho but it is a long way to go, I’m sure you’ll be able to pop in many times beforehead:)

I couldn’t quite get my head around all of the work displayed in this gallery, but loved it’s quirkiness all the same. The photographer’s gallery is doing a great job in getting the public involved in photography, in a central location and with free entry and a cafe and bookshop inside, it is a refreshing change from the sterile cold art gallery feeling. The cafe does lovely cakes and is a hangout for arty types whilst the bookshop offers sales at some times of the year. There is also a shop upstairs where you can buy some pricey but stunning prints.

The gallery has free entry and there is a cafe in the back with a huge long table. I just love to go there, eat some delicious and cheap cake, sip some tea and read magazines or just stare at the expositions on the walls.