Edinburgh Photography Locations – Top 10!

Another top Edinburgh photography location is the Vennel. This location is one of my other favourite spots to photograph Edinburgh Castle. When you get the right lighting and weather conditions, then photos from here just work perfectly! Some of my favourite photos I’ve taken of Edinburgh have been from the Vennel. While a less well-known view of the Castle, the small path that connects the Grassmarket to Lauriston Place is a superb spot for photography. If I was a tourist visiting Edinburgh I would hate to miss this view.

As of 2022, with the popularity of Instagram, this spot is a fair bit busier than it once was! It’s still quiet enough that most of the year if you wait 5-10 minutes you can get a photo without any people on. Especially if you’re there at 6:00 am as I was in the photo on the right here!

First, there was the Forth Bridge (or the Forth Rail Bridge as some call it). Next to be built was the Forth Road Bridge.  Most recently there was the Queensferry Crossing. The three bridges provide a multitude of different photo opportunities from a variety of different angles! My favourite however has to be the Forth (Rail) bridge as it is so unique! There’s many opportunities for great photos from either side of the river – please explore and see what you can find!

Whether it’s a shot of the “gingerbread house” (Gardener’s Cottage), the Scott Monument, Edinburgh Castle or something else entirely, there’s plenty to keep a photographer busy in Princes Street Gardens. If you’re looking for a way to spend a couple of hours on a sunny afternoon then you could do worse! The Ross fountain was also renovated in recent years and now looks amazing – make sure you don’t miss it!

If you fancy a break from photography for the afternoon then Princes Street Gardens is also a nice place to have a seat and soak in the Edinburgh atmosphere!

Perhaps you don’t expect to find an attractive wee village in the centre of Edinburgh but if not then prepare to be pleasantly surprised! One of the most interesting things about Edinburgh as a city (and particularly for photographers) is that there are so many of these unexpected finds. Dean Village is one of these unique spots and is just a short walk from Edinburgh’s West End. Dean Village is a delightful combination of old stone houses including the unique Well Court. There are many great photography locations, with the Water of Leith cutting through the centre of the Village.

As one of Edinburgh’s most popular tourist streets you need to be up early (or very late) if you want to get a shot of the Mile clear of people! I’m quite a fan of long-exposure photography on this busy Edinburgh street as you can cut out most of the people but still get a sense that the city is alive!

The Royal Mile is also a good spot if you want to do some street photography, particularly during the Edinburgh Festival in August. It’s pretty much impossible to miss the Royal Mile when visiting Edinburgh and you’re bound to walk down at least some of the Roya Mile while visiting some of the other spots included on this list.

There are countless ‘closes’ in Edinburgh, the most famous ones coming off the sides of the Royal Mile. In Scotland, a ‘close’ is a small street or alley that runs between buildings and Edinburgh certainly has quite a few! There are a number of very recognisable ones including White Horse Close, Barrie’s Close and Milne’s Court. However, every one of these little streets offers some sort of photographic opportunity and as a photographer, they’re all worth investigating (with the exception of Carrubber’s Close – I never like going down there for some reason)!