The clifftop above the beach on Reynisfjall

Reynisfjall is the flat-topped mountain that separates Reynisfjara from Vík, and a rough track climbs it from the Reynishverfi side. On top there is short grass, sudden edges and one of the widest views on the south coast: the stacks directly below in the surf, the black beach running west, the arch of Dyrhólaey on the horizon, and behind it all the ice of Mýrdalsjökull.

This is where a Reynisfjara session goes when the beach is either dangerous or full. Nobody is up here compared with the sand, the wind is the only company, and the pictures are landscape-first: two people small on a green edge with the whole coast behind them. Evening light comes in from the west along the coastline and is the reason to time it late; in June the light is still working near midnight, and in winter the low sun sits at exactly the right angle for the few hours it is present.

From roughly May to August the ledges below the rim hold nesting puffins and other seabirds. Watch them with a long lens from well back — do not approach the edge to look down at burrows, and respect any nesting closures or signage, which change year to year; check locally before planning to photograph birds. Trampled burrow ground is a real and lasting harm.

The access is the caveat. The track up is steep, rough gravel, sometimes requiring a capable vehicle and sometimes closed altogether; check conditions and never attempt it in poor weather or winter ice. On top there are no fences, the edge is undercut in places, and the wind is stronger than at sea level — stay several metres back from any edge, keep hold of hats and veils, and abandon the plan if the wind is high. It is a much better idea in calm summer weather than at any other time.