Shayan & Caroline

The place

Crete

Greece’s largest island: a Venetian harbour in Chania, turquoise lagoons, gorges and mountain villages, and warm days into late October.

August works here with a little planning.

The light

How the light falls there

Crete’s light is clear and strong, hard at midday on white walls and turquoise water. The west coast faces the sunset — at Balos and Elafonisi the sun goes down into the sea — while Elounda’s bay looks east, towards the morning sun. At midsummer the sun sets at about twenty to nine; the hour before belongs to portraits.