Marseille Saint-Charles

Two reasons combine. First, the platforms at Saint-Charles partly jut out from the roof, so you stand outdoors rather than under a closed hall roof. Second, the sun sits noticeably higher in the south and the air is clearer – the light is hard and high-contrast rather than diffuse. For vehicle shots that's a big advantage in spring and autumn, and a problem at midday in high summer.

In the early morning or in the late afternoon. In these windows the sun is flat enough to render fronts and side panels of vehicles at the same time. Between eleven and four it gets difficult in summer: bright train fronts burn out, while nothing is visible under the roofs any more. How to work this out beforehand is in the article planning the sun's position at a photo spot.

The platform end at the buffer stops in the open area. There, arriving trains come towards you head-on, you have daylight, and because trains move slowly in a terminus, moderate shutter speeds are enough. For vehicle portraits in motion you need to go to the public paths at the approach tracks north of the station – that costs 10 to 20 minutes on foot.

Hardly in the station itself, since Saint-Charles is a terminus. Everything that arrives here is turned around or stabled. You only get shots in motion at the approach tracks outside the station, or at a through station such as Lyon Part-Dieu further north on the same axis.

The TGV dominates long-distance traffic across several design generations. Noticeably more varied is the regional traffic of Provence, in which you still find loco-hauled sets with Corail driving trailers. In shunting duty, small locomotives such as the Y 8000 are at work – easy to overlook, though they're often photographically more rewarding than the tenth high-speed train.

Not of note in the passenger station. Freight traffic in the greater Marseille area runs via the port and industrial facilities and is routed around the terminus. Anyone looking for locomotives and heavy trains is better served at a border or mountain station such as Modane. A starting point is the article tracking freight trains live.

Photography for private purposes is common at French stations, but the rules differ from Germany and can vary by station. The operator's house rules apply. On the forecourt and at the public paths near the approach tracks you're on freely accessible ground; on the platforms you're on the operator's premises. The general principle is described in the article on house rules at a station.

Via the grand flight of steps straight down from the forecourt, or by metro and bus, both of which stop at the station. The difference in height is the reason for the steps: the station sits on a rise above the city centre. For spotters the forecourt is more interesting than the steps themselves, because from there you have the station's setting in the frame.

Only if you make deliberate use of the light change: mornings at the open platform end, midday in the covered area or in the city, afternoons at the approach tracks. Anyone who doesn't plan that has seen everything after two to three hours, because vehicle variety is limited. How to structure a session is in the guide planning a spotting tour at a station.

Unlike in the dark Parisian halls, you don't need extremely fast glass here, but contrast control: a lens hood, a polarising filter if in doubt, and the willingness to shoot in RAW to rescue blown-out highlights. A moderate telephoto zoom is useful at the approach tracks. A general roundup is in the equipment checklist.