Historic streets

Andrew Bransby reveals the secrets of successfully shooting popular tourist hotspots at night

- Andrew Bransby

The medieval cobbled streets of The Shambles in York are such a beautiful subject to photograph. Believed to have been the inspiration behind Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter series, these streets are consequently hugely popular with fans of the film series and the general public alike.

As great as this is for tourism, the alley's popularity can make it difficult to take a clean photograph. The crowds do give you the option to use a longer exposure to create ghost-like figures walking through the alley, but for this image, I opted for a gap in the crowds to get a more eerie and atmospheric result.

Instagram: @ABransbyPhotography

1 Take a tripod