Capturing the Colossal: Ultimate Photography Guide to Abu Simbel Temples

Abu Simbel sits approximately 280 kilometers south of Aswan, making it a considerable journey that requires thoughtful planning. Most visitors arrive via organized day trips from Aswan, either by air (a 40-minute flight) or by road convoy (a 3-hour journey each way). As a photographer seeking optimal lighting conditions, I strongly recommend arranging an overnight stay near the temples—a decision that proved invaluable during my visit last winter.

I opted for the Abu Simbel Nefertari Hotel, a modest but comfortable establishment within walking distance of the temples. This strategic choice allowed me to photograph during both the golden hour of sunrise and the magical blue hour after sunset—opportunities entirely missed by day-trippers.

Before departing Frankfurt, I meticulously researched the sun's position relative to the temple facades using my PhotoPills app, which proved indispensable for timing my shots. The app's augmented reality feature allowed me to visualize exactly where the sun would rise and set in relation to the monuments, helping me plan my shooting positions days in advance.

I arranged my visit to coincide with the winter months (November through February), when temperatures are considerably more pleasant for extended outdoor photography sessions. Summer in southern Egypt can be brutally hot, often exceeding 40°C (104°F), making equipment management challenging and outdoor photography physically demanding.

After fifteen years of travel photography across five continents, I've learned to balance comprehensive equipment with practical portability. For Abu Simbel, this balance becomes particularly crucial given the remote location and variable lighting conditions.

My primary camera body for this expedition was my trusty mirrorless camera, which offers excellent dynamic range—critical for handling the harsh contrast between the bright Egyptian sky and the shadowed temple interiors. I paired this with three essential lenses:

1. A wide-angle zoom (16-35mm) for capturing the monumental scale and architectural grandeur
2. A versatile mid-range zoom (24-70mm) for general documentation
3. A telephoto zoom (70-200mm) for isolating architectural details and compressing perspective

While my professional dental work has taught me the value of specialized equipment, photography expeditions have taught me the importance of redundancy. I always carry two camera bodies, additional batteries, and multiple memory cards. The remote location of Abu Simbel means there are no camera shops nearby if equipment fails.

A sturdy tripod is non-negotiable for this destination, particularly for dawn, dusk, and interior photography. My carbon fiber model offers the stability needed for long exposures while remaining lightweight enough for extended carrying. For interior shots of the temples, where tripods are often prohibited, a camera stabilizer proved invaluable, allowing me to stabilize my camera on irregular surfaces without technically using a traditional tripod.

Finally, don't underestimate the value of a good polarizing filter to manage reflections and enhance the rich colors of the sandstone temples against the deep blue Egyptian sky.

The quality of light at Abu Simbel follows a rhythm that photographers must understand to capture truly exceptional images. Having photographed historical monuments across Europe for years, I can confidently say that Abu Simbel presents some of the most dramatic lighting conditions I've encountered.

Sunrise (5:30-7:00 AM): This is unquestionably the prime time for photographing the Great Temple of Ramses II. As the sun climbs over Lake Nasser, it bathes the eastern-facing temple façade in a warm, golden glow that progressively illuminates the colossal statues from left to right. This creates a theatrical effect as each statue emerges from darkness into light. Position yourself directly in front of the temple or slightly to the north for the most dramatic compositions.

Mid-morning (8:00-10:00 AM): As the sun rises higher, harsh shadows begin to dominate the façade. This is an excellent time to shift your attention to the smaller Temple of Hathor dedicated to Queen Nefertari, which benefits from more diffused light during these hours.

Midday (10:00 AM-2:00 PM): The harsh overhead sun creates challenging conditions for exterior photography. I recommend using this time to photograph the temple interiors, where the light filtering through the entrances creates fascinating patterns on the walls and statues. My LED light panel provided gentle fill light for the darker recesses without overwhelming the natural illumination.

Late Afternoon (3:00-5:00 PM): As the sun begins its descent, softer light returns to the temple exteriors. This is an excellent time for capturing wider landscape shots that include both temples and Lake Nasser in the background.

Sunset and Blue Hour (5:30-6:30 PM): The temples are technically closed by this time, but if you've arranged permission in advance (as I did through my hotel), you may be able to photograph the temples as they're illuminated by the site's lighting system against the deepening blue sky—a truly magical sight reminiscent of the night photography I've pursued throughout European cities.

Photographing colossal monuments like Abu Simbel presents unique compositional challenges. How does one capture the overwhelming scale while still creating visually compelling images? After years of photographing historical architecture across Europe and Asia, I've developed several approaches that proved particularly effective at Abu Simbel.

Human Element for Scale: Including people in your composition provides immediate scale reference. Rather than seeing this as a photographic inconvenience, I deliberately incorporated other visitors as silhouettes against the massive façade. Position yourself to capture tourists as they first approach the temples—their body language often conveys the awe that the scale statistics (the statues stand 20 meters high) simply cannot.

Layered Composition: The site's layout offers natural opportunities for layered compositions. I found that positioning myself near the smaller Temple of Hathor allowed me to frame the Great Temple beyond it, creating depth and perspective. This approach tells a more complete story than simply shooting each temple in isolation.

Detail to Grand: One of my favorite techniques is to create a visual narrative through a sequence of images that begins with intricate hieroglyphic details and gradually expands to reveal the full monumental structure. This approach mimics the human experience of encountering such sites—first noticing details, then being overwhelmed by the totality.

Reflections: During my visit, I was fortunate to witness a brief desert rainfall that created ephemeral puddles, offering stunning reflection opportunities. Even without rain, Lake Nasser provides a distant backdrop that can be incorporated into compositions from certain vantage points.

Framing with Natural Elements: The sparse desert vegetation and rocky outcroppings can be used as natural framing elements. I particularly enjoyed using the silhouette of an acacia tree to frame the temples during golden hour, adding organic contrast to the geometric precision of the monuments.

Remember that while wide-angle lenses are tempting for capturing the entirety of these massive structures, they can diminish the sense of scale. I often preferred my 70-200mm lens, stepping back considerably to compress perspective and emphasize the monumental proportions against the landscape and sky.

Twice each year, on February 22 and October 22 (dates that may vary by a day), Abu Simbel hosts one of the ancient world's most remarkable demonstrations of astronomical precision. On these dates, the rising sun penetrates the entire length of the Great Temple, illuminating the innermost sanctuary where statues of Ramses II and three gods sit in eternal darkness—except for these two days when all but Ptah (the god of darkness) are bathed in sunlight.

Photographing this phenomenon has been on my professional bucket list since my early days documenting historical sites. Having finally witnessed it during my February visit, I can offer several specific recommendations for those planning to capture this event:

Arrive Early—Very Early: The temple opens specially at 4:00 AM on these dates, and photographers should be among the first in line. By 4:30 AM, hundreds of visitors and photographers will have gathered. I arrived at 3:30 AM and was still twentieth in line.

Equipment Preparation: The interior illumination happens in near darkness, transitioning suddenly to dramatic shaft of light. This extreme contrast requires careful exposure planning. I used my remote trigger to minimize camera shake during long exposures and bracket my shots extensively.

Position Strategy: Most photographers rush to the innermost sanctuary, but I found a more compelling composition halfway down the temple's central axis, where I could capture both the shaft of light and the silhouettes of visitors experiencing the phenomenon.

Time-lapse Opportunity: This event presents a perfect opportunity for time-lapse photography. I secured my camera on a compact tripod in a corner location where it wouldn't be disturbed, programming it to capture the progressive illumination at 10-second intervals.

Beyond Technical Considerations: While technical perfection is important, don't become so focused on camera settings that you miss experiencing the moment. The collective gasp of wonder from the assembled crowd as the light reaches the statues is as much a part of the experience as the visual phenomenon itself. This is something I've learned through years of photography—sometimes the emotional context of an image adds as much value as its technical execution.