Street Photography in Marseille

The Vieux-Port is the heart of the city. In the morning, fish sellers set up on the Quai des Belges and sell straight off the boats. Next to them is the Ombrière, a polished steel canopy designed by Norman Foster that mirrors everything under it. Stand under the edge and shoot up to catch the crowd upside down, or shoot the real people and their reflection in one frame. Come early for the fish market, then again near sunset from the north quay, with Notre Dame de la Garde on the hill behind. Watch your bag in the crowd.

Noailles is called the belly of Marseille. The streets around the Marché des Capucins and Rue d'Aubagne are packed with produce stalls and spice shops, and vendors call out in Arabic and French. The mornings are busiest. Shade from the tall buildings means you can work faces under the awnings while the street behind is bright. Try a low angle from the curb with crates in the foreground and a vendor behind. The area is lively but gritty, with rubbish on the street and some people who do not want a camera near them. Keep it discreet.

Le Panier is the oldest part of Marseille, a hill of narrow streets just north of the port. It has pastel walls and plenty of street art. Stairways are the best feature. Stand at the top of one in the late afternoon and wait for a figure to climb into a patch of sun. Rue du Panier and Place de Lenche are the busiest points, with cafés and small shops. The lanes around them are quieter and residential. It has become touristy, so arrive in the morning if you want locals rather than visitors in your frames.

Cours Julien is a raised square and a set of streets covered in graffiti, a short climb from Noailles. Walls and staircases are painted top to bottom, and the terraces fill with a young crowd in the evening. Use a busy mural as the background and wait for someone whose clothes pick up its colors. The stairs down toward Noailles make a strong diagonal. After dark the bar light is enough for a fast lens. Nights here are friendly, but keep your camera close late on.

La Canebière is the big avenue that runs up from the Vieux-Port. It is not beautiful, but it carries the whole city: trams, shoppers, students and people waiting at stops. Stand at a tram stop with the sun low behind you and shoot along the platform, or shoot through the tram windows as they pass. The side streets into Belsunce are busier and more local. Midday light is flat on the wide pavement, so come in the early morning or late afternoon.

The Mucem is a modern museum at the harbor mouth, wrapped in a concrete lattice. When the sun is out, that lattice throws a net of shadows across the ramps and the people walking them. It is the best spot in the city for pure light and shadow work. Go in the afternoon when the sun comes through at an angle. Wait on the outer ramps for a walker to cross a clean patch of pattern. A footbridge links it to Fort Saint-Jean, which has good frames of people against the sea. The ramps are open air and hot in summer.

Vallon des Auffes is a tiny fishing harbor tucked under the Corniche road, a short bus ride from the center. Small wooden boats sit next to old fishermen's huts, and a big stone road bridge arches over the inlet. Late afternoon is best, when the light turns warm and diners fill the terraces. Shoot from the path under the bridge to use the arch as a frame, with a fisherman or a swimmer in it. It is small and busy at dinner time, so move slowly around people eating.

Plage des Catalans is the city beach closest to the center, about 20 minutes on foot from the Vieux-Port. On summer afternoons it fills with volleyball games and families. The scenes are graphic: bodies against pale sand and bright water. I'd shoot from the promenade above, looking down, for clean layered frames. Late afternoon light is warm and low, and the swimmers coming out of the water make good silhouettes against the sea. People on a beach expect privacy, so avoid close shots of swimwear and anything that singles out children.