HIDE Restaurant Spiral Staircase

The image was taken inside HIDE restaurant in Mayfair. When you enter the restaurant, you'll see this staircase. Go up to the top of the staircase and then look down to get this view. By London Underground: - Closest station: Green Park Station (via Jubilee, Piccadilly or Victoria lines) - Head southwest on Piccadilly and the restaurant will be on your right Address: HIDE, 85 Piccadilly, Mayfair, London W1J 7NB

As an indoor location, HIDE is not seasonly dependent and can be photographed year round.

The morning and midday will work, but I think that the late afternoon is the best time to visit as the restaurant will be less busy. It will also give you the best chance to enter the restaurant without booking a table and to capture an empty composition. If you visit during off-peak hours, ask the staff nicely and they will probably allow you to enter without dining.

Because this is a fine-dining restaurant, I suggest wearing smart-casual clothes. Also, please be respectful of the other diners.

Using an ultra-wide lens (I used a 10mm), will let you capture the full width of the staircase.

Try positioning yourself so that the bottom of the staircase is in the middle of the frame. Creating this sense of symmetry will guide the eye and enhance the spiraled architecture.

A close 5-minute walk away is Piccadilly Circus, which is home to the largest advertising screens in Europe. It's a fantastic place for nighttime and street photography and I also recommend it for shopping. When you're there, make sure to bring a tripod for some bus blur action!

Afterward, head over to the nearby Soho and Chinatown districts for mountains of post-photography food.