How to photograph Uluru, Australia’s iconic monolith

Use these five expert tips from photographer Ewen Bell, who has been visiting the rock for two decades.

By Sarah Reid
Published 10 Aug 2019, 08:00 BST

“I love to see the way people respond when they first lay eyes on Uluru,” says Ewen Bell. “No matter how many photos you’ve seen of it, the vision of this huge red rock rising a thousand feet out of the flat desert is incredibly powerful.”

For the past 15 years, the Melbourne-based photographer has been leading photography trips to the defining feature of Australia’s Red Centre (as Central Australia’s outback is known). He’s learned a thing or two about how to frame the grandeur and mystery of the ancient monolith, formerly known as Ayers Rock.

“With tight restrictions on where and how you can photograph the site, you have to get creative,” says Bell. In accordance with the wishes of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park’s traditional Aboriginal owners, the Anangu people, climbing Uluru will be prohibited starting in October 2019. Bell recommends beginning a visit by making the six-mile hike around the base of Uluru—or driving the ring road that encircles it—before checking out the nearby Culture Centre’s excellent exhibits on the park’s natural environment and cultural history.

“This gives you a chance to familiarise yourself with the subject and appreciate its significance” before starting to photograph, he says, adding that it can take much longer to bank a portfolio of great images than the two or three days most people spend on a visit.

“While it’s just one rock, people underestimate how many different ways there are to capture it,” says Bell. “On the plus side, you don’t need special gear—a 24mm lens will get you almost every shot.”

Here are Bell’s top tips for making the ultimate picture of Uluru.

Be mindful of cultural protocols

“Uluru and nearby Kata Tjuta [formerly the Olgas] have deep spiritual significance to Anangu people, and as a result there are a number of culturally sensitive sites at each location where photography is banned,” says Bell. “Check out the Parks Australia website before you arrive to get a read on the angles you can respectfully shoot from, and keep in mind that a permit from the Northern Territory tourism board is required for all commercial photography inside the national park.”

Climbing to the top of Uluru—a height greater than that of the Eiffel Tower—proves a great risk to tourists and crosses a Dreamtime track sacred to the Anangu people. After decades of legal dispute, a climbing ban will go into effect on October 26, 2019.
Photograph by Ewen Bell

Embrace silhouettes

“One of the easiest ways to avoid revealing sacred sites is to shoot for silhouettes,” says Bell. “Most visitors to Uluru follow the crowds to the Talinguru Nyakunytjaku sunrise viewing area to get the classic shot of the rising sun lighting up the rock in the morning, but I like to head there at sunset when you get the place to yourself, and the opportunity to capture the beautiful silhouette effect looking back towards Kata Tjuta. Likewise, shooting back into the light from the viewing area at sunrise opens a world of creative opportunities.”

Kata Tjuta rises low on the horizon with Uluru silhouetted to the right. The Anangu ask photographs not be taken of certain areas on Uluru, in order to avoid the chance an Anangu person might accidentally break a taboo by viewing a picture of a ritual site normally forbidden to them. Using silhouettes is a striking way to obscure these culturally sensitive areas.
Photograph by Ewen Bell

Go high

“With drones banned in the national park, a helicopter ride offers an incredible perspective, and there’s no additional cost for flying with the doors off,” says Bell. “I prefer dawn flights, when the skies are generally clearer and the rising sun lights up the ripples of the sand dunes. While there’s a height limitation for aircraft inside the park, you can go down to 500 feet outside the boundary, which is one of the best angles to shoot from.”

Photograph from above with low-lying light to reveal surprising details of the landscape.
Photograph by Ewen Bell

Work the foreground

“Bringing the Red Centre’s unique natural environment—from the rust-coloured sand to the spiky spinifex grass—into your shot gives it a real sense of place,” says Bell. “If you go for a walk around the sunset viewing area you’ll find small trees and other flora that you can use to frame your shot. The Uluru birds app gives you a heads up on what species are around (and where to find them) at different times of the year, and if you’re lucky, you might spot kangaroos or a wild camel.”

Grasses create a textured foreground that contrasts with the monolith’s smooth, undulating flanks.

Photograph by Ewen Bell

Rent a car

“With Uluru famous for [seemingly] changing colour throughout the day, it pays to visit key viewing spots at different times around the clock,” says Bell. “If you head to the sunset viewing area at about 3 p.m., for example, you can shoot the foreground without the long shadows that make this impossible at sunset.”

Renting a car allows one to photograph from multiple viewpoints in a single trip, maximizing the warm light of sunrise or sunset.

Photograph by Ewen Bell

The catch? “With Ayers Rock Resort shuttles only ferrying people to the main viewing areas at sunrise and sunset, having your own wheels (which you can rent at Ayers Rock Airport) gives you much more freedom,” says Bell. “Just remember not to pull over where there are yellow lines marked on the road, and be sure to leave the park before it closes, about an hour after sunset.”

Sarah Reid is an Australian travel journalist with a passion for low-impact adventure travel. Find Sarah on Instagram.
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