Urban photography hike

Urban photography hike

Marseille, a photogenic city

Ethusiastic beginner at photography. I  am  so excited, heading to the meeting place of Cours Pierre Puget at 1.30 PM. Surprisingly, the weather is not so nice on this day, mostly  cloudy. We hope the clouds will dissipate to make  way for the sun. Bruno, the photographer,  is already waiting for us and warmly welcomes us. Once, everybody is there, he explains us how the visit will proceed. First and foremost we will  be told the photography basics on a camera or a smartphone. Then, we will explore different highlights in order to take some nice shots.

What is better than nice pictures to make some great souvenirs. After chatting a few moment with the  group. We realized that taking  pictures became a new life style thanks to our smartphones. Indeed, they are more and more efficient in terms of quality. We like to share with our relatives or even on social network, that’s why professionnal advice is always a good asset to improve ourselves.

The basics of city photography

Bruno begins by recommending that we use the grid to explain the rule of thirds in order to position our camera properly and thus to frame our photo properly. He also explains the function of the ISO mode which corresponds to the sensitivity of the sensor to light. In addition, the opening of the diaphragm is one of the basics in photography, it regulates the light that enters the camera and we can play on the depth of field. A large opening (eg. f2) allows you to obtain more light and a shallow depth of field (sharp subject, blurred background). Conversely, a small opening (eg f10) reduces the flow of light entering the camera and offers a great depth of field (subject and background sharp). We do our first tests at the Palais de Justice and the Pierre Puget statue then we continue our excursion in the beautiful streets of Marseille.

Then, we continue to the  Vauban district. Heading to Notre Dame de la garde we  are taking some nice photo breaks. Thankfully, the  sun finally came out and  highlighted the  beautiful colourful and  warm streets of Marseille. Bruno  gives us the best advice for  a good shot and takes all the time in the  world to explain to us how  to improve our  cliché.

The phocaean city from another angle

After climbing the hill leading to Notre-Dame de la garde we can see through the pine forest that we have gained some height and that breathtaking and striking panorama is before us. The sun begins to set as we reach the square in front of Notre-Dame, the highest point of the  city. We can see an amazing sunset, soft orange tones come to rest on the islands of Frioul and the chateau d’If, the rooftopss of  Marseille have taken on pink tones, the rays  of the sun pass through the vaults and statues while the wind comes to amuse the gabians. This moment is magical, we even put down our cameras for a moment to enjoy the show.

After this nice moment at the top of the city, it is high time to reach the seaside by ‘le Bois sacré’. After, walking down a long flight of stairs, we arrive in the peaceful Roucas Blanc district, a district named after the rocks on which it is  located. A nice landscape of villas and bastides adorned with rock gardens stretches along the lanes and stairways a most charming walk !