Over the Christmas holidays, me and my friend got on the train up to London to visit one of London's coolest galleries: The Photography Gallery. The gallery is located in Soho, an area in London well known for its vibrancy and exuberance, and is in a tall, modern building. We visited on a Thursday so it wasn't too busy and although we visited during the holidays, there weren't many children and this is probably because of quite a few mature photographs and topics.

It was easy enough to get to, although it was quite far from any train stations but this isn't really a problem, especially if you want to get a good look at London during your visit. There was no admission fee for me and my friend as we were both under 19 but if you are older than this then there is a small fee of £5 per person. Because the gallery is tall, there are quite a few stairs to go up and down but there is also a lift for people that would struggle to make this.

On the first and second floor, there was a special exhibition on food in photography which was really interesting and demonstrated the way the same theme can be photographed in various ways and how art and photography are so closely linked. It is so interesting to see the way that you might just see a piece of fruit but a photographer and artist would see the fruit differently and make art out of it. Underneath each picture was a helpful paragraph to explain what the photographer was trying to achieve, how they did it and what techniques were used in that photograph. This is extremely useful to apply to your own photographs and to learn about different techniques used in photography.

On the next floor there is a special exhibition dedicated to Soho which consists of many different photographers recording their experience in Soho by the means of film or photographs. My favourite part of this exhibition was definitely the film recorded on a 60mm film camera. The film was called 'Looking For Love' and mostly consisted of grainy film of people on the streets of Soho. It was abstract and mesmerising and inspired me to use different mm of film for my photographs.

In summary, I would definitely recommend this gallery to any aspiring photographers or anyone who is interested in photography. It was a very fun and interesting day out and I learnt lots as well. My visit has inspired me to use various techniques and skills when taking my photographs as well as introducing me to different ways of looking at things, a very important skill for a photographer. I also now have a much better idea of where photography can you take you in the world of jobs. Although I have seen other exhibitions like this one, none of them were quite as unique as these ones. The only set back of this gallery is the mature themes which might limit who can visit but for anyone old enough to visit, this is a great day out. So if you are planning a trip to London in the future, then I would recommend a visit to this gallery.