The gardens beyond the parterres

Everyone photographs the parterres under the palace windows; the pictures happen further out. The Tapis Vert runs from the Latona fountain down toward the Grand Canal in a perspective drawn to be looked along, and the bosquets — the walled groves off the main axis, like the Colonnade with its ring of marble arches — feel private even on a busy day. Statues on plinths, clipped hedges and gravel walks do half the composition for you.

Interiors are a different rulebook: the Hall of Mirrors and the state apartments require special authorisation for professional shoots, so plan the session as a gardens session and nobody has a problem. Garden entry is free on most days, but on fountain-show days — most weekends in season — it is ticketed; check the Grandes Eaux calendar before fixing a date, and remember the running fountains can be worth the ticket.

Distance is your friend twice over: past the Apollo fountain and along the Grand Canal the crowds thin to nothing, and the flat water doubles the sky. Golden hour along the canal, with the palace catching the last light behind, is the closing shot.