Klong Dao and Long Beach at sunset

Koh Lanta's whole west coast faces open sea, so the sun goes down straight into the Andaman with almost nothing between the beach and the horizon. In the north of that coast, Klong Dao, the bay near the main pier at Saladan, shelves the most gently of all, which is why families with toddlers end up there. Long Beach, just south of it, runs for a few kilometres: room for a walking frame that needs distance, for children running ahead, and for an empty stretch even in high season.

For a family, the evening is the session. Start about an hour before sunset, when the sand has cooled and the light is low; keep it to one beach rather than three; and bring a change of clothes for the child who goes into the sea halfway through — that frame is usually the best one. With small children, two short sessions often beat one long one: the Old Town at breakfast time one day, the beach at sunset another.

The west-coast beaches differ more than a map suggests: some show rocks at low tide and some keep a clean line of sand, so the photographer picks the stretch for the day's tide. Frame out to sea, not back towards the road and the beach bars. From about November to April the water is calm and gently shelving; from about May to October the monsoon brings rough seas and red flags — a red flag means no swimming, literally — and beaches close to empty, lovely between the showers.