The old town from Quai Bonaparte

From the Quai Bonaparte, where the Promenade du Soleil turns the corner of the old town, the whole town stacks up in one frame: apricot, ochre, faded rose and pale yellow, tier on tier, with the twin bell towers of the Basilique Saint-Michel-Archange and the Chapelle des Pénitents-Blancs at the top and the sea underneath. There is no arrangement of Menton that beats it, and it works from the road, from the pebble beach and from the breakwater.

The direction of light decides the day. The facades face roughly south-west, so late afternoon puts warm sun straight onto them and the whole stack glows — that is the shot. Sunrise is quieter and the sea is calmer, but the town sits in its own shadow and the colour goes muted; use that time for the beach and the water instead.

Work the distances. Close in on the beach you get pebbles, boats and the town filling the sky behind; from the far end of the quay you get the classic postcard with the mountains of the Italian border above; from the port breakwater you get the whole thing reflected on a still morning.

Palms and lamp posts along the promenade break up the skyline, which helps or hurts depending on where you stand — walk the quay before you set up. And this is a busy seafront road: keep the group off the carriageway and use the pavement side for wide frames.