Vieux-Port and the Ombrière

The Vieux-Port is Marseille's front room: a rectangle of water lined with masts, the Quai des Belges at the head of it, and the hills of the city closing both sides. Norman Foster's Ombrière stands on the quay — a thin mirrored canopy on slim legs that reflects the pavement, the boats and everyone underneath it, upside down. It is the most photographed square metre in the city for a reason: put your subjects beneath it and you get two frames in one, the couple and their reflection hanging over them.

Sunrise is the working hour. The fish stalls on the Quai des Belges set up early and pack up by mid-morning, the light comes down the harbour from the east, and the quay belongs to fishermen and runners rather than crowds. From about ten the Ombrière fills with people photographing themselves and the frame becomes a waiting game.

Use the whole harbour, not just the canopy: the ferry boat that crosses the port in three minutes is a small, cheap set piece; the north quay gives you Notre-Dame de la Garde on its hill at the end of the water; and the Fort Saint-Jean end opens onto the MuCEM footbridges for a completely different, architectural look ten minutes' walk away.