Photographing Angkor Wat: From Ancient Temples to Watercolor Paintings
I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Angkor Wat and the temples of Angkor in Cambodia several times over the years, first as a professional travel photographer and later as a watercolor artist looking back through decades of photographs for inspiration.
It remains one of my favorite places in the world to photograph.
In fact, when I returned seriously to watercolor painting after years behind a camera, some of my very first watercolors were based on photographs I had made at Angkor. I didn’t realize it when I originally pressed the shutter, but I wasn’t just creating travel photographs.
I was collecting reference material for paintings I wouldn’t create until years later.
Exploring the Temples of Angkor
One of the misconceptions about Angkor is that it’s simply Angkor Wat.
It isn’t.
The Angkor Archaeological Park is an enormous landscape of temples, reservoirs, roads, gates, forests, and the remains of cities constructed during centuries of the Khmer Empire. Angkor Wat may be its most famous monument, but it’s only one part of an extraordinary archaeological complex.
There are a LOT of temples to explore.
Most first-time visitors naturally gravitate toward the famous sites: the enormous towers of Angkor Wat, the giant stone faces of the Bayon, the tree-covered ruins of Ta Prohm, the atmospheric remains of Banteay Kdei, and the intricate reddish stone carvings of Banteay Srei farther from the central archaeological area.
They’re famous for a reason.
They’re spectacular.
But some of my favorite experiences came from exploring the smaller temples in between.
Walk a little farther, wait for a tour group to disappear, and suddenly you can find yourself practically alone among ruins that are hundreds of years old.
For a photographer, that’s when Angkor becomes magical.
Photographing Angkor Wat at Sunrise
If you’re willing to sacrifice some sleep—and I usually am when there’s a photograph involved—sunrise at Angkor Wat is extraordinary.
The towers gradually emerge from darkness while the sky begins reflecting in the pools in front of the temple. It’s one of the classic photographs of Southeast Asia, which unfortunately means you won’t be the only person who had the brilliant idea to get up early.
Not even close.
But there’s a reason photographers continue to make the pilgrimage.
Light completely changes these temples.
Stone that looks relatively flat and gray in the middle of the day can glow orange and gold when the sun is low. Deep shadows exaggerate the carvings, doorways and repeating architectural patterns.
That’s why I often return to the same location several times.
The temple doesn’t change.
The light does.
And sometimes that’s all you need to create a completely different photograph.
The Heat Is No Joke
Here’s some practical advice, particularly if you’ve never traveled in Southeast Asia:
Respect the heat.
The middle of the day at Angkor can be brutal.
Do you want to know what it feels like to stand on the surface of Venus while carrying camera equipment?
Visit a Cambodian temple at noon.
During my trips, I preferred exploring and photographing the temples early in the morning and later in the afternoon, using the hottest part of the day to retreat somewhere with shade, food, air conditioning, or preferably a swimming pool.
It’s not laziness.
It’s strategy.
More importantly for photography, the middle of the day usually produces the least interesting light anyway. Early morning and late afternoon give you longer shadows, warmer color, greater texture, and much more atmosphere.
Your photographs will be better.
And you’ll be considerably less cooked.
Ta Prohm: When the Jungle Takes Over
Few places demonstrate the relationship between architecture and nature as dramatically as Ta Prohm.
Massive roots crawl across stone walls and wrap themselves around doorways. Trees rise directly through structures constructed centuries ago.
It’s almost impossible to look at it without thinking about how temporary our buildings really are.
Humans spend decades constructing something monumental.
Nature looks at it and says:
“That’s cute.”
Given enough time, the jungle takes it back.
Photographically, those trees are extraordinary because they provide scale, texture and a visual contrast between the geometric stone architecture and completely unpredictable organic forms.
Not surprisingly, Ta Prohm has also provided wonderful reference material for my paintings.
The Faces of Bayon
The Bayon provides a completely different experience.
Rather than trees consuming the architecture, you’re surrounded by enormous stone faces looking outward from the temple’s towers.
Everywhere you turn, another face seems to be watching you.
It’s beautiful.
It’s mysterious.
It’s also slightly creepy.
Which means, naturally, I loved photographing it.
From a photographic standpoint, the Bayon changes dramatically depending upon the direction and quality of the light. Shadows move across the enormous faces throughout the day, sometimes revealing features and sometimes causing them to disappear almost completely into the stone.
It’s exactly the kind of subject that later translates beautifully into watercolor.
Don’t Ignore the Smaller Temples
One of my strongest recommendations for visiting Angkor is simple:
Give yourself enough time to wander.
If you rush from Angkor Wat to Bayon to Ta Prohm and then back to Siem Reap, you’ll certainly see the famous monuments.
But you’ll miss much of what makes Angkor special.
Some of the smaller ruins receive only a fraction of the visitors. You’ll find crumbling doorways, intricate stone carvings, quiet courtyards and trees growing through structures without hundreds of people competing for the same photograph.
As a photographer, I often found these quieter locations more rewarding than the famous postcard viewpoints.
You stop trying to recreate a photograph you’ve already seen a thousand times.
You start looking for your own.
Here you can see how I take an original reference photograph and reinterpret it through watercolor, changing the color, atmosphere, and composition along the way.
From Travel Photography to Watercolor
When I originally photographed Cambodia, photography was my profession.
Years later, when I returned to watercolor painting, I began revisiting those images with completely different eyes.
A photographer thinks about light, composition, timing and perspective.
A painter can take all of that—and then cheat.
I can eliminate a building.
Move a tree.
Change the sky.
Simplify the architecture.
Exaggerate the light.
Or completely change the colors.
The original photograph becomes a starting point rather than a set of instructions.
Many of my Angkor paintings have therefore become interpretations of what I remember about Cambodia rather than literal reproductions of individual photographs.
The photograph documents the place. The watercolor lets me remember how the place felt.
That’s one reason these photographs remain so valuable to me decades after they were created.
Why Angkor Still Inspires My Paintings
Angkor has almost everything I look for in a painting subject: dramatic architecture, repeating shapes, enormous trees, broken stone, strong shadows, atmospheric light and centuries of texture.
Even better, I have my own archive of photographs from multiple visits.
Every time I return to those images, I notice something different.
A doorway I ignored.
A strange shadow.
A tree root wrapping around a wall.
A figure providing scale.
A composition hidden inside a much larger photograph.
Some images became paintings almost immediately after I returned to watercolor.
Others may sit untouched for another decade before I finally figure out what I want to do with them.
That’s part of the fun.
Is Angkor Wat Worth Visiting?
Absolutely.
But don’t visit Cambodia thinking you’re simply going to see Angkor Wat.
Give yourself enough time to explore the larger Angkor archaeological landscape. Photograph sunrise. Wander through Angkor Thom. Get lost among the faces of Bayon. Watch the jungle consume Ta Prohm. Explore some of the smaller temples most visitors hurry past.
Then, when the Cambodian sun starts attempting to roast you alive, retreat to the hotel pool.
The temples will still be there later.
And the light will probably be better.
Yes, this image is actually a multiple exposure using slide film. No AI effects children. Special effects done the slow way in-camera.
Best Angkor Temples for Photography
Angkor Wat — Best for sunrise, reflections and iconic Khmer architecture.
Bayon — Best for dramatic faces, shadows and architectural details.
Ta Prohm — Best for tree roots, jungle atmosphere and ruins.
Banteay Srei — Best for detailed carvings and warm reddish stone.
Preah Khan — Best for quieter ruins, atmospheric corridors and fewer crowds.
Planning a Trip to Angkor Wat
If seeing Angkor Wat is on your bucket list there are many flights to Cambodia & Siem Reap
Flights
Getting Around (Transportation)
You can easily hire a motorcycle driver or tuk-tuk to transport you within the UNESCO World Heritage park. If interested in exploring further afield you can rent a car:
Where to Stay in Siem Reap
Shinta Mani Angkor | Luxury Hotel in Siem Reap Near Angkor Wat
Two Seasons Siem Reap Hotel is a convenient Siem Reap base for travelers planning to explore Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm, Angkor Thom, and the surrounding Khmer temples.
Park Hyatt Siem Reap is an upscale hotel in central Siem Reap and a luxurious base for exploring Angkor Wat and the surrounding Khmer temples.
Borei Angkor Resort & Spa offers a relaxing resort-style stay in Siem Reap and a convenient base for exploring Angkor Wat and the surrounding Khmer temples.
Cambodia & Angkor Wat Travel Guides
I still buy at least one physical travel guide before most international trips. Phones die, internet connections disappear, and apparently I’m old-fashioned enough to appreciate having something made out of paper in my backpack.
I frequently use Lonely Planet guides for trip planning, and there are also dedicated Angkor Wat books for travelers interested in Khmer history, architecture, archaeology, and the temples surrounding Siem Reap.
Lonely Planet Cambodia Travel Guide
Angkor Wat Travel Guides:
Angkor Wat Travel Guide 2026: Discover Ancient Temples, Khmer Architecture, Cultural Insights, Scenic Surroundings, and Practical Tips for Your Cambodia Trip
Angkor Wat Travel Guide 2026: Ancient Khmer Temples, Sacred Ruins, Jungle-Covered Wonders, Sunrise Views, and the Timeless Legacy of Cambodia
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Ryan Fox Painting
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