How to photograph Komodo from a boat

Decide which one you are making before you board. Stills and reels ask for different mornings.

Stills want a held breath. At Padar at first light you have a ridge, a low sun and a few minutes while the color moves. Shoot the wide frame first, then the close one. Take a burst when people walk across the ridge, because one sharp frame is worth fifty soft ones.

Reels want movement and sound. A clip of 5 to 10 seconds with a clear start and a clear end cuts easily. Hold the phone upright for vertical, turn it sideways for anything you plan to print. Record the boat's own sound at the stop. The creak of the deck and the water on the hull carry more than music laid on top.

Phone or camera makes less difference than the hour. A phone gives you the wide frame and the quick clip. A camera gives you reach for the flying foxes at Kalong, which leave the mangroves about 15 minutes after sunset in a long stream over about 30 minutes. Bring the one you will actually take out of the bag.

We name no brands and no settings. Light on the day sets those.

The boat moves, even at anchor. Plan for it.

Stand with your feet apart and your elbows against your ribs. Lean on a rail or a post when you shoot. At anchor the movement is slow and easy to read. While the boat is moving it is not, and the sundeck is the place to wait, not to work.

Derya's sundeck photo shows what the space is like: white daybeds with gray and patterned cushions, a wooden slatted table between them, a life ring hanging on the rail, and a white sail awning overhead. The awning gives shade at midday. It also cuts the sky from your frame, so move to the open bow when you want the horizon.

Every one of the four boats has a sundeck with lazy chairs or daybeds. Semesta Voyages adds an upper sundeck with a rattan sofa and daybeds, and an indoor lounge for when the light is flat and the afternoon needs a roof.

Low sun gives long shadows and a bright sea. Sit with your back to the sun for the clean face, or face it for a silhouette of the crew on the bow. Both work. Pick one and keep it for the whole stop.

The hour, on deck: first light on the sundeck, before the others wake. Dusk on the same deck, for the flying foxes.

Salt gets everywhere. Wipe the front of every lens with a clean cloth before you shoot and after you step off the tender.

Keep the gear in a dry bag between shoots. A cabin is air-conditioned on all four boats, and a lens that moves from cold air to a hot deck fogs. Let the camera sit in its bag for a few minutes before you open it. The fog clears without a wipe.

The sun is strong on deck, and your screen is hard to read in it. Turn up the brightness, wear a hat and keep the phone out of direct sun when you are not shooting. Heat drains batteries and shuts phones down.

Power is the limit. We do not promise a charging point in your cabin on any of the four boats. Bring a power bank for each phone and a spare battery for each camera, charged the night before. Charge everything in your hotel on Thursday.

Wi-Fi is the second limit. Three of the boats have local Wi-Fi, not satellite. Semesta Voyages has Starlink satellite internet. We promise no speed on any of them. Upload from the hotel, not from the stop.

Back up your cards each evening. A second card is cheaper than a lost morning.

The short list, from the boats' own packing list and a photographer's habits.

• Shoes with grip for Padar and Kelor, and a head torch for the dark start.
• Reef-safe sunscreen and a hat. The sun is strong on deck.
• A dry bag and a soft cloth for lenses.
• Power banks and spare batteries, charged the night before.
• Spare memory cards and a way to back them up.
• Cash for tips and small purchases, and personal medicines.
• Fins, if you want your own. The boats carry snorkeling equipment and floaties.

Leave room in the bag for the park paperwork. Park tickets and ranger fees are never in the fare, so keep cash and your passport details ready.

One note on the stops. Each has its own hour, and a kit that suits Padar at first light is not the kit for Manta Point. Currents there are strong, so a life jacket is advised, and sightings are not guaranteed. A waterproof case for the phone is worth more than a second lens.

Pink Beach, on our example route, comes after Komodo, so it is a morning stop and not a low-sun one. Plan its frames for bright light, with the pinkish sand from red coral fragments as the subject.

Handheld photography for personal use needs no separate permit beyond the entry ticket. A drone is a different matter, and it comes with a permit and a no-fly list. Read the drone rules guide before you pack one. Kalong is a no-fly zone, so the flying foxes are a ground-and-sky shot from the boat.

Dragon treks at Komodo Island and Rinca are ranger-led. Keep to the ranger's pace and distance, and ask before you film close.

A commercial shoot, a documentary or a pre-wedding session uses another permit category, and we do not sell commercial-shoot charters. If you work for a client, ask the park first and tell us what you plan.

On a private charter the guide and the photo or video documentation are not included. Both are available on request and quoted separately. On the Friday departure the local guide and documentation are included. We do not promise drone footage on either.

Photographers who want a plan for the whole trip can start with the photographers page, which pairs each stop with its hour, then the light calendar for the month. Send us your party size and your month, and we price the whole boat for the route that fits.