Proposal Photographer in Koh Tao

Most sessions run between forty-five minutes and two hours. In Thailand the time of day matters more than the length: the sun rises and sets between roughly six and seven o'clock all year, the soft light lasts only a short while because the sun climbs fast, and by mid-morning heat and hard overhead light take over. An hour that starts at sunrise or ends at sunset usually gives more than two hours at noon. The photographer's packages on their profile say exactly what each length includes.

Choose the coast by the month. The Andaman side — Phuket, Krabi, Phi Phi, Khao Lak, Koh Lanta — is at its best from about November to April; its rainy season runs roughly mid-May to mid-October, wettest in September. The Gulf islands — Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Koh Tao — work the other way round: wettest from October to December, with November the peak. Agree a spot and a signal with the photographer beforehand; they arrive early, blend in with the other people on the beach and start shooting as you walk into frame.

Each photographer sets their own price for a photoshoot on Koh Tao: every package on their profile shows an all-inclusive price, and nothing is added at checkout. Packages differ by how long the session runs and how many edited photos you receive, so compare a one-hour beach session against a longer one before you book.

Like the other Gulf islands, Koh Tao is driest from about February to April and wettest from October to December, when rough seas can cancel ferries — and boats from Chumphon, Samui and Phangan are the only way on and off, since the island has no airport. Sairee Beach on the west coast is the sunset spot; the viewpoints above the bays are best at sunrise, before the heat. Koh Nang Yuan, three small islands joined by sandbars, is privately run: there is an entrance fee and plastic bottles are not allowed on the island. Leave a spare day before an onward flight.