Platja de Sant Sebastià at sunrise

Most of Sitges faces south-west, which is why the town is famous for its sunsets and difficult in the morning. Sant Sebastià is the exception: a short beach tucked on the other side of the church rock, facing east, with a row of old fishermen's houses along the sand and the bell tower of Sant Bartomeu standing over the headland at one end.

That orientation is the whole reason to be here at six in the morning. The sun comes up out of the sea directly in front of you, the church goes to silhouette on the right, and the wet sand takes the colour of the sky. Twenty minutes later the light is on faces rather than behind them and you can turn round and use the houses as a backdrop.

The beach is small, which helps: two people fill the frame without a wide lens, and the sea wall gives a clean line for full-length shots. Out of season, expect to have it to yourselves; even in August, sunrise here is quiet in a town that goes to bed late.

Everything is free and open. The town does get taken over twice a year — Carnival in February and the film festival in October — when accommodation and parking are impossible; check the dates before promising an early start that needs a car. The promenade behind the beach runs into the old town in three minutes, so a session can move straight from sand to whitewashed lanes.