How to Get the Best Photograph of Uluru

You’ve seen photographs and films, but nothing compares to the sensation of gazing upon Uluru with your own two eyes.

This monolithic sacred rock gives off a sense of majestic power as it dominates the horizon, changing with the shifting light as the sun moves across the sky. When you visit you’ll want to capture your own experience of this incredible beauty with your camera, so here are some tips for getting the best possible Uluru photo.

What Time of Day?

Uluru is beautiful at all times of the day, as the light and shadow on the rock will change and give the scene a different mood. It’s worth viewing the rock from as many vantage points as you can during several different times of the day, so that you can get the best range of photos.

If you are hoping to capture the classic picture postcard view of Uluru, head there at sunset. This is when the sun will be reflect off the rock and it will have that stunning warm orange glow that fades to a deep red. Most people set up their tripods at the sunset viewing car park, so if you want to have your pick of the best spot you should try to arrive about an hour before the sun starts going down.

You can set up your chair and your tripod and bring a few snacks to enjoy as you watch the sun sinking below the horizon. Remember, you must exit the park before sunset, which is at 7:30pm in the winter.

Sunrise is the other best time to photograph this amazing rock. There is a viewing platform called Talinguru Nyakunytjaku located closer to the Olgas which is around 20 minutes drive into the park. You’ll be facing Uluru into the sunrise and when you turn around the Olgas will be bathed in light from the sunrise. Another great sunrise photographing location is the Ewing Lookout which is located near the camel farm. Bring a jacket – it will be cold before the sun comes up.

uluru erldunda roadhouse photography

Technical Tips: How to Photograph the Rock

The natural instinct when photographing this rock is to use a wide angle lens, which can help you include everything you see in one photo. However, if you go back far enough this might not be necessary. Experiment with a few different lenses so that you can capture both Uluru and the desert around it – you may need to zoom in from some of the viewing platforms.

However, never change your lens while you are out in the desert! The blowing sand can damage the inside of the camera, so always wait until you are back in the hotel to change it.

Photographing in the early morning or late evening will make the light feel softer in your photographs, which can give the rock a stunning glow and bring out the colours. It is a good idea to use a tripod if you are using a slow shutter speed during this time of day.

Whenever you are photographing in a hot and dry desert setting, it is very important to take care of your camera. The wind will blow the sand so keep your camera wrapped in a cloth or in a protective case when you are not using it. A UV filter on the lens can help you to protect the glass, as it is cheaper to protect the filter than to repair a scratched lens glass. Take an air blower so that you can clean out your camera at your hotel room at the end of the day.

You might also want to bring a fly net, as the flies in your face can be very distracting when you are attempting to take a photo. Don’t forget the sunscreen, hat, sunglasses and plenty of water – it’s sweltering hot in the desert.

Try photographing Uluru and its surroundings with HDR, or High Dynamic Range Photography. This style can be best for capturing dark shadows, bright sunshine and intense colours. It is a strategy for overcoming the dynamic range limits of your camera by combining multiple images of the same scene.

Each image is exposed differently, so that you can use the highlight details from one and the shadow details from another. You can do this by taking multiple exposures and blending them together with software such as Adobe Photoshop. Here is a great guide on how to do this.

Getting a Unique Photo

So you’ve captured the typical view of Uluru, but what if you want to take a few photos that are a little more creative? Be inventive and approach the subject from a different angle so that you can get a unique photo of Uluru and the surrounding landscape:

  • Pay attention to the natural patterns in the sand dunes or the rocks. Use a macro lens to focus on these textures.
  • Include people in your photos to give the rock a sense of scale and to create a point of focus for the viewer’s eye.
  • Change the position of the horizon line. It doesn’t have to be in the middle of the frame. Try playing the rock and the horizon at the bottom of the image and including lots of sky, or vice versa.
  • Try shooting from the opposite side as everyone else. So, at sunset head to the sunrise platform or go to the sunset viewing platform at sunrise. You’ll avoid the crowds and get a shot of Uluru as a silhouette against the changing colours of the sky.
  • Take a sunset camel ride for a chance to snap photos of Uluru and the desert landscape with these strange and elegant beasts in the foreground.

Don’t Climb It

Even if you are seeking an exciting angle for a photograph, whatever you do you should not climb Uluru. First of all, it is dangerous. Over 30 people have died climbing the rock in recent decades due to the heat and the lack of water. Also, the rock itself is a sacred site and climbing it is disrespectful to the Aboriginal people of the area.

Remember that this is a national park so roaming around and walking through the off-path areas is not allowed. Also, there are certain sacred areas and features of the rock you should not photograph, as they are sacred to the aboriginal people. If you aren’t sure, ask your local guide.

If you are an amateur photographer and you don’t plan on selling your images, then you are free to photograph the area without a permit. If you are a professional photographer, you will need to obtain a permit through the Media Office by filling out an application form. The guidelines will explain clearly which areas are restricted for photographs.

Have you photographed Uluru? Tell us about your experiences in the comments below.

Guide to the Binns Track

The Binns Track is a track that runs from Mt. Dare Hotel, which can be found in South Australia, and all the way through to Timber Creek, a location in the Northern Territory. The track is extremely long and goes through some of the most diverse terrain that Australia has to offer. Many adventurous drivers have taken to 4 wheelers and braved the Binns Track over the years, and they encounter a wide variety of types of terrain, going throughtownships, National Parks, hills, and desert, encountering obstacles such as water crossings, rocks, bitumen, and deep bull dust.

Mt_Dare hotel

Due to the fact that the Binns Track has a vast array of terrain for travellers to navigate, it is important for those who take to the track to be prepared. If you decide to go on the Binns Track, you are going to encounter bush camps and something new around every corner. You will experience the contrast offered between the desert country, the mountain ranges, and the open plains—all of the highlights that the Outback has to offer in just one track. Those who decide to venture onto the Binns Track are advised to have 4WD experience and skills beforehand.

With all its variety of terrain and adventure opportunities, the track spans a distance of 2,191 kilometres and has been named for Bill Binns. Bill had been a ranger with NT Parks and Wildlife for 32 years, and he had a dream to one day create a track that would give tourists the opportunity to explore the Outback and themagnificent rock formations, native wildlife, and bountiful colours that it features. His dream was accomplished and named after him in the Binns Track, and it certainly achieved its goal, as tourists can now take in all of the most remarkable aspects of the Outback during their trek from Mt. Dare to Timber Creek.

Binns Tracks

On such a large and adventure filled track, there are bound to be a lot of sights that are incredible for tourists to have the opportunity to take in, as well as a lot of things that they ought to experience during their venture along the winding roads that the track has to offer. Some of the most important highlights of the track that anyone venturing along it must make sure to experience are as follows:

  • Alice Springs Desert: While you are on the Binns Track, the Alice Springs Desert is a great opportunity to do some sightseeing. It gives tourists their chance to experience the flora and fauna that Central Australia has to offer, completely up close and personal.
  • Arltunga: Home to some abandoned gold mines, a visit Arltunga gives tourists an opportunity to explore these mines and even pan for their own gold if they wish.
  • Gemtree: The creek beds of Gemtree are home to some semi-precious stones if you look hard enough. Stop by and rummage around to see if you are lucky enough to find one to bring home with you as a souvenir!

 

“Dreamtime” story of the Emus

Dreamtime stories are stories that reveal the Aboriginal understanding of why the world operates in the way that it does. The Dreamtime, according to the Aboriginals, is the beginning of all the world’s knowledge, and from this, laws came into existence that must be observed in order to survive. These stories were told in places such as Red Centre in the Northern Territory in order to explain the order of the universe. A lot of these stories featured the Australian animal, the Emu, which is a flightless bird. One of these classic Aboriginal Dreamtime stories explains the reason that the Emu cannot fly, and it goes as follows:

Dinewan the Emu and Goomble-Gubbon the Plain Turkey

The Emu was the largest of all the other birds in Australia, and thus came to be acknowledged as king by all of the other birds that inhabited the area. The Turkeys, however, were all quite jealous of the elite status of the Emus and found their kingship to be extremely unfair. One Turkey in particular was especially enraged by the Emu’s size and consequent position of power among the birds. Her name was Goomble-Gubbon, and she was the mother of all of the Turkeys. She would enviously observe the Emus as they ran swiftly through the plains and took to great heights in the sky as they flew, mighty and powerful.

As time went on, Goomble-Gubbon’s anger and jealousy at the Emus only grew as she observed them flaunting their size, speed, and high flights. She slowly concocted a plan to knock the Emus off of their pedestal and give herself and her children a fair shot at competing with them for supremacy. Goomble-Gubbon fiercely believed that the time had come for the rein of the Emus to end once and for all.

Goomble Gubbon chose Dinewan the Emu to be her victim. Rather than pick a fight with Dinewan, however, Goomble-Gubbon decided to trick the Emus into falling to their demise. She strategically waited for the right moment to strike.

One day, Goomble-Gubbon spotted Dinewan in the distance running in her direction. She squatted down in a fashion that effectively blocked her wings from the view of the oncoming Emu. In doing this, Goomble-Gubbon successfully tricked the Emus into cutting their own wings off.

The Turkey laughed aloud in triumph, jumping up and down to celebrate her successful victory over the longtime king of the birds. She joyfully declared, “Ha ha ha, you have been de-thrones, you stumpy wings. My wings are still attached, but now you will never be able to fly again, for the rest of for days! Ha ha ha!”

The Emu was absolutely devastated at how naïve and gullible she had been to fall for the jealous Turkey’s trick. She cursed herself and vowed to get her revenge on Goomble-Gubbon for the injustice she had committed. Like Goomble-Gubbon had done before, she carefully waited for the right moment to enact her plan for revenge.

One day, the Emu got two of her young ones to follow her and left the others in another spot. She walked proudly passed Goomble-Gubbon the Turkey with her head held high and laughed at the Turkey and all of her children.

Goomble-Gubbon asked the Emu why she had just two of her children and the Emu told her, “It is so much easier to find food for all my children with only two. It is difficult to gather enough food with as many as twelve children.”

Realizing that Dinewan the Emu had a good point with this statement, the plain turkey immediately killed all of her children but two of them. The Emu then laughed at the Turkey and declared, “You foolish Turkey. I tricked you—I can find food for all my twelve children. Now you have only two while my children are alive and well. That is what you get for getting me to cut off my wings with your dirty trick.

Ever since these events transpired, the Emu has been unable to fly, and the Plain Turkey can only lay two eggs per season.