Skala Eressos beach at sunset

Skala Eressos is a long, straight beach of coarse dark sand on the south-west coast, backed by a low village of tavernas and a shaded square of tamarisk trees. What makes it worth the drive is the orientation: it faces almost due west, which is rare on this island, so the sun goes down into the sea in front of you rather than behind a hill.

The last half hour is the shoot. The sand is dark enough to hold colour rather than blowing out, wet sand at the waterline mirrors the sky, and the small rocky island offshore gives the horizon something to sit against. Silhouettes work here better than almost anywhere on Lesvos, and so does back-lit hair in the fifteen minutes before the sun touches the water.

It is a wide, open beach, so there is always somewhere with no one in the frame even in August. The village end has sunbeds and music; walk five minutes west and it is empty sand and tamarisks.

Wind is the thing to check. The west of Lesvos is exposed and afternoon wind is common, which is beautiful for movement in fabric and hair and difficult for everything else. The beach shelves gently, so wading for a shot is easy — and the water stays swimmable into October.