In 2019 me and my two friends travelled to Jordan. As a photographer that means you are looking for things to shoot. This is the advice I would give anyone who wants to travel to Jordan and has a passion for photography.
The three of us didn’t really know what to expect when we booked the trip. We had only had 7 days and we were on a limited budget. But at the same time we wanted something really different from where we live (Belgium). The airline tickets to Jordan fitted these needs so off we were.
We had planned to be there only for 7 days. We would be arriving on Tuesday at noon in Amman and leaving from the same airport exactly 7 days later. We knew we needed a plan. We bought a travel guide and asked friends who had been there before.
Dead Sea
We decided that we would start at the Dead Sea. This means we didn’t stop at Amman before heading on. We rented a car at the airport and drove straight to our hotel at the Dead Sea after picking up the rental car.
At the Dead Sea you can make two kinds of photos. If you have camera that’s waterproof - or if you invested in a waterproof camera case - I highly advise you to take your camera in the sea. My friend had a cheap water resistant camera. I used it to take pictures while we were in the sea. I converted these photos into black and whites and gave them a bit of a dramatic edit. I think they came out great.
Once you’ve tried floating in the Dead Sea, you can look for some salt banks near the shore. These salt banks are very spectacular. They can serve as a nice foreground for what can be a dull scene. We took this photos at Sanad Battikhi’s Beach.
If I went back I would look for a spot where there’s a curve in the coastline. The background of my photos is not terribly interesting. Some nice golden morning light would have been nice, too.
Kerak
After having fun doing the Siq trail at Wadi Mujib, we drove to Kerak. We were at Kerak at sunset. The fortress gives 360° views of the area. There are photos to be taken all around. Try doing a pano, and work with the light you get.
Petra
After enjoying the Kerak sunset we drove on towards Petra.
The ancient site of Petra is one of the 7 wonders of the world. It’s a beautiful - but also very popular - destination for tourists. Access to the site is limited. Petra is open to visitors on a daily basis from 6am to 6pm during summer and 6am to 4pm in winter. You should think about this when planning your shoots.
After walking around whole days I lacked the energy to get up early in the mornings. For me the solution was to shoot at sunset. But as you’ve noticed, the park closes at 6pm. We were balancing here a bit. Of course you expect that the best light is at the end of the day. My advice would be to wait long enough to get the best light, but be ready to hurry your way out of the park as well.
The park doesn’t really close - there are evening activities as well - but guards will chase you out. Speaking of the evening activities in the park; I was advised by more or less everyone that they were a scam, so we didn’t go for those.
When there’s harsh sunlight during the day, you can try shooting in the siq (canyon) leading into the site.
Wadi Rum
We arrived in Wadi Rum by noon. We left next morning. This means we had to make the best of the time we had.
The day we arrived we joined a 4 hour tour through the Wadi Rum desert. The Jeep tour makes several stops. We were lucky to have some clouds. The clouds made the light a little bit more interesting.
But even if you’re not lucky, there are still photos to be taken. For example, you can use the harsh sunlight in the jeep tracks as leading lines. At the end of the tour the bedouins bring the groups together to enjoy the sunset. Take some time to look for a composition and use the good light to your advantage.
When there are no clouds around you can also try to do some astro photography. The disadvantage of clouds is of course that it’s difficult to shoot Astro. It gave result in this fun time lapse.
AMMAN
In Amman we booked an apartment. From the roof we had an amazing view on Amman. This would prove to be a great place to make a pano at sunset. You can look for similar views in and around the Amman citadel.
While there are few typical historical buildings to point your camera at, Amman is a great place to try out some street photography. This is certainly not my strongest side, but I had fun with it.
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