T-Travel Photography
Zdenko Takac & Iveta Takacova
Landscape, Travel & Fine Art Photography
Mt St Helens & Willamette NP
Angkor Wat
We got up very early in the morning hoping to get a good spot for some sunrise photos of Angkor Wat. We left our hotel at 4.30am to buy our 3 day pass which is valid for all the temples and do not have to be used on consecutive days. You can also buy a one day pass for 20 USD but we decided to purchase the 3 day pass for 40 USD. On the way there we saw many tourists in tuk tuks heading to the entrance. Crowds were quite enormous and everyone was trying to get the best spot for the sunrise. The best spot for taking sunrise photos is directly in front of the lake. If you don't get there early, you will have to find a spot on either side of the lake but this has got many disadvantages if you are hoping to get a decent photo (people sticking out their hands with cameras and flashes to name a few).
We were able to take few photos before sunrise but when it got lighter, to our disappointment we could see a huge construction in front of the main entry to the temple. This can definitely spoil your picture.
Because we couldn't get a decent photo of Angkor Wat during the day, we tried to improvise. One of the options was to take a partial picture of the Angkor Wat reflection in the lake
There are still good opportunities to take good pictures of the place, but you have to keep in mind that this is the main attraction in Siem Reap and there are always crowds of people around any time of the day. In the evening, the temple is illuminated by the setting sun and gets engulfed in a bright golden colour. The hordes of tourists pose a problem for photos, especially this time of the day, so be prepared to be very patient if you want to capture a nice shot without people in it.
We really liked the long corridors and detailed carvings in the temple.
Overall, we have to say that this place didn't quite meet our huge expectations. For us, there were much nicer temples around Siem Reap, especially from a photography point of view. This place was just too commercial and didn't have the feeling that other temples had.