Uluru landscape photography

A Guide To Photographing Uluru

Australia’s Red Centre is a breathtaking region in the heart of our land, encompassing vast desert plains, weathered mountain ranges, and awe-inspiring natural wonders. It’s a place where ancient Aboriginal culture combines with some of our most treasured landscapes. The Red Centre is home to several national parks, including Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and  Watarrka National Park– offering some of Australia’s best landscape photography opportunities.

At 348m high, Uluru is one of the world’s largest monoliths, towering over the surrounding landscape. It is over 500 million years old and constructed of sandstone, carved away by the changing structure of the land and waters over time.

It’s often referred to as the heart of the ‘Red Centre’ and is one of Australia’s most recognisable landmarks. It’s no surprise people come from all over the world to visit one of nature’s finest masterpiece’s. 

The main town near Uluru is Yulara, which is about a half hour drive from Uluru. There is a resort hub with ample accomodation, but due to the popularity of this region- it’s still important to book ahead. 

General Photography Advice

An important note when visiting Uluru for sunrise or sunset, is that the best light is actually 20-30 minutes before the sun comes above the horizon (or after for sunset). I notice a majority of tourists who come to watch the sunset at this magical location, leave almost immediately after the sun goes down. But as any professional photographer knows- the best light is always after sunset.

The play of light on the rich sandstone surface as the sunlight bends around the Earth’s curvature, results in a breathtaking transformation of colours. 

The orange sandstone of Uluru transforms into this incredible rich, red glow against the cool, night sky. The contrast is quite remarkable. Keep in mind that Uluru closes at a time depending on the time of year, so there will be only limited amount of time you’ll be able to stay back for night photography. 

We were incredibly lucky to be able to capture these soft pink clouds drifting in the sky, as well as a red moon rise! We did not expect a moon rise on this particular night, so nature was treating us with quite a spectacle! 

night photography of Uluru
Moonrise over Uluru

Best Photography Viewpoints

Australian Landscape photography of Uluru, Northern Territory
Moon setting over Uluru in the morning
Australian Landscape photography of Uluru, Northern Territory
Dawn at Uluru

There are two main photographic points, one for sunrise which is behind the rock and the other is the sunset location which captures the more iconic front side of the rock.  

If you’re after some more unique photography opportunities than the standard viewpoints, there is also a 10km track that runs around the base of Uluru and this can be great for scouting more unique abstract shots up close. We managed to find some beautiful, intimate compositions on the right hand side of Uluru, if you continue driving beyond after the sunset viewing point. 

The photos above were taken well before sunrise, I would actually recommend arriving at least an hour prior to capture the dawn stars setting beyond Uluru. There is nothing quite like the serenity of the Australian Outback in the morning- it really is one of the most magical experiences I’ve had. We also managed to catch the moon setting over Uluru. If you are lucky enough to get a moon rise/set over Uluru, make sure to use a narrower aperture in order to get the diffraction effect.

The photo below was captured at the sunrise location. Unfortunately we didn’t get the best sunrise- it was very overcast but it did allow for us to challenge ourselves with finding some more intricate compositions. One of the skills of landscape photography is being able to work with the light, not against it. Since the light wasn’t going to work for the typical wider scale photos, I decided to play around with abstract photos using this band of cloud that was sitting above Uluru. 

Australian Landscape photography of Uluru, Northern Territory
Fog Over Uluru

Unique Photography of Uluru

The southern side of Uluru features sharp gorges scattered with large dips. The large holes are due to erosion on the rock, with continuous rainfall filling up the shallow holes until they become deeper. However, on the north-western side you can see parallel ridges which outline the sedimentary layers of rock. Wind, as well as rainfall, has caused these parallel crests. 

These features create fantastic abstract photography opportunities. These photos were taken with some scattered cloud during the day which created some interesting lighting and shading, giving creature dimension and scale to this incredible rock. Using a telephoto lens of at least 70mm is ideal for shooting images like the ones below. 

Most of these images were taken on the right hand side of the rock, as you’re driving towards it from Yulara, but you can really get quite creative as you walk or drive around the base of the rock. 

Uluru landscape photography
Abstract Photo of Uluru
Abstract photo of Uluru
Abstract Photography of Uluru

Uluru was as magical in real life than I expected and is definitely a must-do for every landscape photographer. As you can see, there are many more photo opportunities than just the standard viewpoints, so I encourage you to be creative and play with the wonderful colours and shading to create awe-inspiring images of this Australian outback treasure. 

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