Angkor Wat Sunrise: How to Capture the Best Photo

Ever since I was in college, I’ve dreamed of seeing the Angkor Wat sunrise. That dream finally became a reality recently during our 10 day Cambodia trip, but it definitely took some effort. This magnificent event draws thousands of people everyday. This means that it can be a rather daunting task taking the perfect shot. I’m here to give some tips and photography basics to help you capture a beautiful memory.

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Capturing the sun as it was coming up

Angkor Wat Sunrise: Is It Worth It?

“Was it worth the effort?” This was one of the most popular questions I got after seeing the sunrise at Angkor Wat. I think the answer can be very subjective, but my answer is yes. There will definitely be frustrations, and annoyances, from the massive crowds of tourists. It may seem like one of those overrated touristy bucket list items. But I must say that watching the sun rise from beneath such a beautifully ancient structure was incredible. It’ll be a moment you’ll never forget.

Best Time to Go

The most ideal time to go to Cambodia is during the dry season. This is usually from November through March. Overall, you want to make sure to go on a clear day. Keep an eye on the weather before you go, otherwise you may be disappointed with grey skies covering the beautiful colors of the sunrise.

What You Need to Know Beforehand

In order to watch the sunrise and secure a good photo spot, you’ll have to leave your hotel at 4:30am at the latest. We highly recommend having your ticket already. We made the mistake of buying them the day of, and although we still lucked out with a decent spot, you might not be as lucky. If we had the tickets already I imagine we would have gotten an even better one.

Make sure to have a flashlight handy. After entering the gate you’ll have to journey through the dark to find your spot. We actually didn’t scope out the temple the day before to find the ideal place, but did do some research ahead of time and already had an idea. So it would be best to do either of these, so you’re not stumbling around in pure darkness trying to decide.

Another helpful tip is to book your tuk tuk driver ahead of time. We had found Tuk Tuk Roben on the Tripadvisor forums, and booked a full 3 day temple tour with him. You can also book through your hotel or hostel as well.

You could also book a sunrise temple tour this one with transportation included. You’ll have a guide along with you, which could give more insight and tips for taking photos.

Lastly, wear good bug repellent. It’s a must while traveling in Cambodia in general and will protect against sickness that can make you ill for weeks. Better to be safe than sorry!

The Ideal Place for Photographs

While researching, the most common place I kept coming across was the left corner of the left reflecting pond, so we headed straight there. It definitely was the perfect place for those quintessential shots you typically see. Because we had to buy our ticket first, we ended up getting here too late to have first pick. I’d say we got pretty lucky to only end up being behind one person, who was kind enough to duck for a lot of our shots.

We also chatted with a local guide who claimed the most ideal spot depends on what time of year you go. During dry season, the left side is indeed the best. But during wet season, the right side is actually better. This is all due to the positioning of the sun and where it falls within the temple silhouette.

Beautiful rays of sun shining through

Photography Tips to Capture the Perfect Angkor Wat Sunrise

Use a DSLR Camera + Wide Angle Lens

While phones can take some pretty amazing shots these days, there’s still nothing like a good DSLR camera. It’s our trusty travel companion, and the shots always turn out much more epic than the phone. We use the Canon 5D Mark III, although any DSLR will do the trick.

The right lens can make a huge difference. Bringing a wider angle lens will allow you to get some nice shots within the tighter spaces within the temples. It also allows you to fit more within the frame, really highlighting just how grand these structures are. We always bring the Canon 24-70 f/2.8 II lens, it’s perfectly versatile for travel purposes.

Bring a Tripod

Since there will be low light as the sun rises, a tripod will help to keep your photos crisp and in focus. It may be a pain to carry, but if you booked a tuk tuk or car for the day, they can hold onto it as you explore the other temples. Having a tripod means you’ll have to make sure to secure a spot in the front, so nobody can get in front of your shots. We use this MeFoto Travel Tripod, which is lightweight and perfectly compact for travel purposes.

Alternatively you can also choose to bring a monopod instead. You can easily carry it, and also not take up as much space with your whole setup. We don’t have one, but saw a few using them.

Use a Remote Shutter or Set a Delay

Another helpful item is a wireless remote shutter. It allowed us to enjoy the moment more and snap photos with a simple button click. We use this one by Vello, and it worked perfectly. Make sure that you buy one that is compatible with your camera model. It’s important to familiarize yourself with using one before the big day, so make sure to practice at home. Also, check that it’s sufficiently charged the night before, and test so that it’s working properly.

If you don’t have a remote shutter, you can achieve similar results through your camera settings. By setting a few second delay for each shot, it will eliminate any chance of blurry shots from the camera shake.

Setup Your Focus to Infinity

After your camera is all setup on the tripod, you’ll have to focus it. It can be tough to do this in pitch black, but try your best to find something with the most contrast. I focused to infinity on one of the spires, and all of my shots came out crisp. As the light increases it’ll become much easier to focus it.

Familiarize Yourself with Long Exposures

For low light photography, long exposures can give some stunning results. Do a bit of research on it before the actual day of sunrise and practice. Since I’m a more seasoned photographer I put my settings on Bulb, which meant I controlled the aperture and the shutter speed. If you’re a beginner, it’s best to start with Aperture mode, so the camera decides the ideal shutter for exposure.

Camera Settings

In order to have clear shots with no grain, I set the ISO to 100. Being able to do longer exposures will allow you to set a lower ISO. I kept my aperture from between f/8-f/16, and varied it between shots.

While it was still rather dark, I started the shutter speed with 45 seconds and altered based on the exposure. Then I gradually decreased to 30 seconds, then 15, then even less as the sun finally rose. With aperture mode, you will only have to worry about changing that between shots.

Crowds of people all trying to take the same shot

Keep an Eye on Rude Tourists

It’s inevitable that there will be a few rude tourists who will try to get in front of your shots. I definitely spoke up during their attempts. Afterall, I didn’t wake up at 4am to have someone getting in the way of my shots. Speak up and stand your ground, I’m sure you traveled far to get here.

Editing Your Sunrise Shots

I usually use Lightroom to edit my photos and it works great. For more detailed touchups I use Photoshop. Make sure to shoot in RAW format so that you can do more detailed edits with them after. For quick on the fly editing while traveling, I use the Lightroom app.

Stay Around for Awhile

After the sun rises, a lot of people will start heading to the temple or queuing for the tower. We actually stuck around for awhile and kept taking photos since the crowds dispersed. The lighting was quite magical over the temple complex and looked just as stunning. However, if you have limited time in Siem Reap, you may want to head to the tower right away instead. We ended up missing it this trip, so that gives us a good reason to return!

Alternative Sunrise Spots

If you’ve already seen the sunrise at Angkor Wat, you might want to watch it elsewhere. Some of the other great spots to watch are Bayon, Pre Rup and Sra Srang. You could also head up to Phnom Bakheng, we went here for sunset and it was glorious!

See more: 13 Siem Reap Temples Worth Exploring

Exploring the inside of Angkor Wat

Exploring Angkor Wat

Now that you’ve taken those prized photos, head to the temples to explore. It will be during the golden hour and the lighting will be perfect, so take advantage! We headed inside around 7:30am and it was still rather empty. We started noticing big crowds coming in around 8:30ish, so maximize your time right after the sun rises.

Angkor Wat sunrise is definitely one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences that won’t be forgotten. What makes it even more memorable is the effort you took to get there. It’s like a rite of passage in a way, something that deserves a huge pat on the back for having achieved.

Have you seen the sunrise at Angkor Wat temple? If so, we’d love to hear about your experience in the comments.

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