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For urban sociologists (does that exist ? 😉 ) Marseilles must be an ideal playground. I’ve never seen a city change this fast or as profoundly.
Dear Susan Sontag would probably disapprove but I can’t resist taking photographs of the city purely to note its evolution every time I visit.
Old shops in the Passage de Lorette, in Marseilles. Modern buildings meet old buildings in the docks of Marseilles. Sony A7rII & Zeiss OTUS 85.
All the area between the “Vieux Port” and “La Joliette”, along the docks have been turned from an industrial and social wasteland into an upper-crust shopping boulevard compared to which the old Cannebière (which used to be called the most beautiful avenue in the world) looks distinctly tired and sorry for itself. The mix of the very rich front row and lower-class courtyard facing apartments immediately behind (see above) is a stark contrast and quite typical of the city. Worse (if you’re feeling judgemental) is the gentrification happening in Le Panier. The passage de Lorette (above) used to be a cut-throat area where I wouldn’t have walked at night to save my A7rII. Today, the building is being upgraded and most of the inhabitants have been relocated.
The whole process apparently came to a halt when Lehman Brothers, who were financing the renovation and acquisitions came a clatter in 2008. Since then, it appears fresh money has been found and the whole area has been turned into a charming maze of galleries, museums and restaurants for the well-to-do tourist and the BoBo (bourgeois bohème, French for Bohemian bourgeois).
This has driven much of the population away from the streets that were so popular just a year or two ago (above) and into a whole new area that’s more open, more family-friendly and better looking for tourists (below).
I really recommend Marseilles to anyone wanting to photograph a city full of idiosyncracies but pleasant and (more and more) beautiful. 
If you worry that, by the time you visit, Marseilles will have settled into a gentle rhythm with little left of its authentic self to photograph, don’t. Marseilles can’t settle down. Marseilles is always evolving. Some of the most recent upgrades have already suffered degradations. May underdeveloped areas remain in the sights of promoters and developers, artists are always on the move … The biorhythms of this city seem more agitated than almost any other I’ve visited. Come now and come again in 5 years, you’ll see for yourself. 
How to photograph Marseilles is a more interesting topic.
I’ve visited and photographed often (most recently a coastal walk, graffiti and high contrast walls) using anything from a 15mm lens to a 135mm. Visitors with even longer lenses will have a lot of fun shooting sail boats, islands, birds, divers, sunsets …
Rather than worry about focal length, I would recommend using just one lens. First of all, you’ll be noting stuff every 5 seconds and changing lenses on the go soon gets tiring and frustrating. And, more importantly, spending a few hours with just the one lens is the best way of noticing scenes that fit just right. You can always crop or stitch to correct shortcomings.
This is what happened for the photographs on this page. All were made with my OTUS 85. After selling my kids and lens collection to buy one, I realised it was staying at home a lot, with Audrey, my sexy Distagon 1.4/35, getting much of the attention. Time to bring Hubert, the bigger brother, back on. The photos are obviously very different from those made with other lenses and,in the long run, I will try to assemble a gallery with only the photographs where the lens best matches the subject and intent.
In the mean time, have fun with these and give me a shout if you’re visiting Marseilles. Maybe we can do so together.
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I am enamored with your sample shots of Marseilles and most especially with the vertical with three lanterns and young man walking up stairs – wonderful. I am trying to plan a trip to France and would certainly appreciate meeting you for a mini-journey of photography! Although I do not have the Otus 85 I would be bringing the Batis 85 & 25. Not sure of the timing of my trip but hope it will be in the spring.
Thank you Paul. If you land in Paris and travel to Marseilles, you’ll have two very different perspective on France. Other places are definitely worth the effort if you can spare the time. Carcassonne, Strasbourg, Brittany as a whole, plenty more. Please drop me a line when you’ve got dates ready and ‘ll see if I can jump out of work for a while. Have fun !
I feel like I have to compliment you on constantly making me want to buy an OTUS. And also I’ll be feeling inspired to bring my 90 summicron into the city more often. I’ll be visiting the north of Italy soon and I think I’ll use mine more often now as opposed to the 35 which I always liked in the city. I’ll probably still bring the 35 for when it gets dark (f1.2 rules).
Hi Tillmann, thanks for the kind comment. My sincere apologies for nudging you towards that frighteningly expensive purchase 😉 Maybe you can find one at lens rentals to form your own opinion. I don’t use mine nearly enough, it’s a superb lens in all situations. As for the 90 in the city, it’s a great experience. Probably not one to try in a location you can’t return to, but somewhere close to home is great to put the experience to the test. It does feel very cramped initially but as soon as the eye gets used to the sort of framing and composition best suited to the focal length, it’s a nice way of being selective. More of that series coming in a new post today.
Have fun in Northern Italy. Milan and Turin are very photogenic places. Not always as pretty as other cities (or the lakes) but very interesting to walk around with a camera.
I’m specifically going to Turin, hopefully also Milano but it’s a bit far off. Maybe I’ll try it in a small town I’ll probably visit twice.
Turin is great. I visited 3 years ago for Halloween and the place was cold and magical. Not the charming little city with flowers but so interesting and full of opportunity. There’s a fantastic cinema museum that’s terrific for photographs. There are also plenty of small cities around in the vineyars, with castles on the hills. And if you visit in a few weeks, you can find truffles, particularly in Alba (this place is fantastic : http://www.ipiaceridelgusto.it/). Have fun and send us some photographs when you return.
I specifically planned the stay so i could get albas truffle festival as well as cuneos fiera di marrone. I’ve been here many times during the last 18 years. But this is the first time with a camera in hand. So far the 90 cron has had its fair share of use especially compressing the vineyards and some cities. But for Turin I’d rather take a safe lens. Going tomorrow, so wish me luck. I’ll check out the restaurant. And in case you need any recommendations for your next stay, I know a few things as well. I think if my images turn out nicely I’ll definitely send you some.
Wonderful! I’d love to see the truffle festival. Your photos are more than welcome and if you want to add a few words, we’ll run a post on that lovely part of Italy. I think this is a great time to visit Turin, with early nights and autumn colours. Weather is the only caveat. It was terrible on our previous visit, which it doesn’t seem to be right now; So have fun!