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Photography Expeditions in Siem Reap
The gateway town to the Angkor temples in northwest Cambodia, a low-rise base of guesthouses, markets and the Siem Reap River that empties out before dawn as visitors head for Angkor Wat, and a growing scene of Khmer craft workshops, cooking schools and boat trips to the floating villages of the nearby Tonle Sap.
Why here
Angkor is one of the great photographic subjects on earth, and Siem Reap is the base for shooting it. The draw is not only Angkor Wat at sunrise, when the towers reflect in the northern pond and the sky burns behind them, but the range of what sits within a short drive: the face towers of the Bayon, the strangler figs swallowing Ta Prohm, and quieter, harder-to-reach ruins like Beng Mealea and the distant Koh Ker pyramid. Resident photographer-guides know which temple works in which light and get you through the gates before the coaches arrive, so you are set up for the good hour rather than fighting crowds. Between temples there are monks, markets and the Tonle Sap floating villages to shoot, which makes it a place to build a portfolio, not just tick a monument.
Best months
The dry season from November to March gives the clearest skies and the most reliable sunrises, and is the peak time. April and May are hot and hazy. The June to October wet season brings dramatic cloud, green landscapes and reflections in the moats, with rain usually falling in short afternoon bursts. Sunrise at Angkor Wat draws a crowd year-round, so guides often start at a different temple and work back. A one-week Angkor pass suits multi-day shooting.
Getting there & around
Siem Reap has an international airport with wide regional connections and is an easy town to base in. Photography tours include hotel pickup by tuk-tuk or car, usually before sunrise, and handle the Angkor pass logistics and temple routing. Bring a wide lens for the temple interiors and a longer lens for detail and portraits, plus a head torch for the pre-dawn start. The remote temples of Beng Mealea and Koh Ker are longer drives and best on a full-day or multi-day itinerary.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate, advanced
Schools & guides (2)
Angkor Photography Tours
GuideAngkor Photography Tours is run by Laurent Dambies, a professional photographer and long-time Siem Reap resident who leads instructed photo tours of the Angkor temples and further out to Beng Mealea, Koh Ker and the Tonle Sap lake. Trips run from a half-day Angkor sunrise to five-day itineraries, with pre-dawn tuk-tuk pickup and hands-on coaching in composition, light and settings. His work has been featured by the Wall Street Journal and Conde Nast Traveller.
Angkor Travel Photography
OutfitterAngkor Travel Photography is a Siem Reap based outfit built around a photography-first approach to the temples, run by a small team of resident photographer-guides. It offers three, four and five-day Siem Reap photo tours that pair the main Angkor monuments with lesser-visited ruins, Buddhist monasteries, markets and sunrise on the Tonle Sap, plus a longer cross-country Cambodia trip. Guides coach technique in the field and work small groups rather than reselling a coach tour.