Omaha Beach and the cliff above Colleville-sur-Mer

Omaha Beach runs from Vierville past Saint-Laurent to Colleville-sur-Mer, and at low tide it is enormous: a shallow curve of pale sand three or four hundred metres deep, backed by a low grassy bluff and the shingle bank at its foot. The steel sculpture Les Braves stands out on the sand at Saint-Laurent and gives a wide frame something to hold. What makes the place work photographically is emptiness — outside July and August you will often have several hundred metres of beach to yourselves.

Light comes from behind you here in the evening, off the land, so the sea goes silver and the wet sand mirrors the sky. That last hour is the one to book. Mornings are flatter and the wind is usually lighter, which matters more than it sounds: this is an exposed north-facing coast and a stiff onshore breeze changes what is possible with hair, veils and long dresses.

On the cliff above Colleville is the Normandy American Cemetery, nearly ten thousand headstones in mown lawns behind a colonnade and a reflecting pool. It is a war grave first and a viewpoint second. Entry is free, but hours are fixed, security screening applies and conduct rules are enforced — check them before the day, and treat a session there as a quiet visit rather than a shoot.

The tide moves several hundred metres twice a day, so a spot that is dry sand at ten can be under water at one. Look at a tide table when you fix the hour.