Street Photography in Toulouse

Place du Capitole is the centre of Toulouse, with the long brick facade of the city hall across one whole side. Berenisse Fernandez Rivera, a Toulouse resident writing for One Planet Journey, calls it the natural starting point, since it connects to the best streets in the centre, and notes that flea markets set up in the square every week. The square is huge and open, so people crossing it become small figures against the brick. Late afternoon light turns the facade warm. Stand under the arcades on the edge and use the arches as a frame for passers-by. Cafe terraces around it give you slower moments.

Marché Victor Hugo is Toulouse's main covered market, open Tuesday to Sunday, holidays included, from 6am to 2pm, according to the market. Rivera calls it iconic, and it is where locals buy cheese and charcuterie. Late morning is busiest, as shoppers mix with people heading upstairs to the market's restaurants for lunch. Traders cutting and wrapping food make good hands-at-work frames. Stand at the end of an aisle with a short telephoto to stack stalls and shoppers. Ask before a close portrait, and buy something first. It is indoors and fairly dim, so raise your ISO.

The Quai de la Daurade is where Toulouse goes to watch the sunset. Rivera writes that every local has sat on the Garonne's banks here to rest or share an evening drink with friends, with street musicians and cafe terraces in the background. In the evening, the low sun lights the river and turns the brick warm, and the Pont Neuf and Pont Saint-Pierre frame the view. Shoot groups on the steps in silhouette against the water, or walk the lower quay for couples and cyclists. Summer evenings are busiest. Keep a respectful distance from groups relaxing, since this is their evening, not a set.

Place Saint-Pierre sits on the river near the Pont Saint-Pierre, a short walk upstream from the Daurade. Its bars fill in the evening with a young crowd, and people spill out onto the square and the riverbank. Rivera singles out the sunset from the Daurade toward the Pont Saint-Pierre. Come just before sunset for the last light on the brick, then stay for the lit bar fronts and the crowd. The later it gets, the rowdier it can be, so keep gear small. Across the bridge, the Saint-Cyprien side has its own market and a quieter feel.

Arnaud-Bernard is a small quarter just north of the centre that the Toulouse tourist office describes as a popular, lively quarter that is always bubbling. From the boulevards, the square looks like a Mediterranean village, with colourful facades and the belfry of Saint-Sernin rising behind. The quarter has long welcomed newcomers from around the Mediterranean, and that mix shows in its shops and cafes. It feels local, so move slowly and be friendly. Use the Saint-Sernin belfry as a background for people crossing the square. Afternoons and early evenings are the liveliest times.

The Basilique Saint-Sernin is the great Romanesque brick church of Toulouse, and its octagonal belfry is visible from all over the north of the centre. The square around it is quieter than the Capitole, with students and locals cutting through and people sitting on the benches. Walk around the apse, where the stacked brick curves give you a strong background for single figures. Late afternoon sun lights the brick orange. Inside, respect services and any posted rules on photography. It links easily with Arnaud-Bernard, a couple of minutes to the northwest.

The Canal du Midi curves around the north and east of central Toulouse, part of the waterway that links the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Rivera describes a wide towpath between lines of trees, like an endless walk away from the crowds. The Ponts-Jumeaux, where the canals meet, is a good start. This is slow street photography: joggers and cyclists passing under the trees, and people on benches. Early morning and late afternoon give dappled light through the leaves. Shoot along the towpath with a longer lens and let a single cyclist fill the gap in the trees.