The best places for a photo shoot in Phuket — my personal ranking
Where can you have a beautiful photo shoot in Phuket? I get asked this very often, and it’s impossible to answer with the name of a single beach.
I’ve been photographing in Phuket since 2015 and have done a huge number of shoots here. Over the years I’ve tried all kinds of locations — popular beaches, little-known bays, viewpoints, Old Town, islands and yachts.
So in this article I want to talk not about places that simply look nice on Google Maps or in travel guides, but about locations I genuinely recommend to my clients.
My list is a little different from the usual tourist rankings. Some famous beaches I don’t use for photo shoots at all because of the crowds.
And some places that tourists know almost nothing about I consider real finds.
1. A desert island near Phuket — my favourite place
My personal favourite isn’t even a Phuket beach.
It’s a small uninhabited island not far from Rawai.
It’s only about 10 minutes from Rawai Beach, and suddenly you’re in a completely different world: white sand, turquoise water and almost no people.
That’s exactly why I love this place for photo shoots.
It doesn’t feel like a typical tourist beach. We can work calmly, take our time and not wait for dozens of holidaymakers to walk out of the frame.
And thanks to the white sand and bright turquoise water, the photos look truly tropical — exactly how many people imagine the perfect holiday in Thailand.
Here we can shoot:
- a romantic couple shoot;
- a love story;
- an individual shoot;
- a family photo shoot;
- photos in the water;
- a shoot in beautiful outfits;
- content for social media;
- photos against the turquoise sea and white sand.
Most importantly, we can do almost any kind of photo shoot here without constantly looking out for people around us.
For me it’s one of those locations I especially enjoy showing to people who have already been to Phuket and want to see a completely different side of it.
I deliberately don’t turn this place into another mass tourist attraction and don’t reveal its exact location in this article.
If you’d like to go to this island and have a photo shoot there, just message me — I’ll happily tell you how to get there and organise the shoot.
2. Nai Harn — only at sunrise
Nai Harn Beach is a very beautiful beach and is genuinely great for photography.
But there’s one important nuance: I almost never shoot at Nai Harn in the evening.
The reason is simple — huge numbers of people.
At sunset the beach gets very busy, and for a professional photo shoot that’s a serious problem, especially if you want clean shots where only you and the scenery are in focus.
At sunrise, though, Nai Harn is completely different.
In the morning it’s much calmer, the light is soft, there are fewer people and the beach itself looks far more atmospheric.
So if you’re ready to get up early, I strongly recommend Nai Harn for a morning photo shoot.
And if early mornings really aren’t your thing, there are several secret beaches and small spots nearby where I love shooting in the evening.
I usually tell my clients about them when we choose the location together.
3. Karon — one of the best options for an evening shoot
I consider Karon Beach one of the very good options for a photo shoot in Phuket.
Unlike some popular beaches, here you can find stretches with far fewer people, where it’s easier for a photographer to work.
Karon is especially good for evening and sunset shoots.
The long shoreline lets us choose a spot depending on the light and the number of people.
That matters a lot to me: I don’t want to just stand someone on a beach and press the shutter.
I need to find a place with:
- beautiful light;
- a good background;
- as few strangers as possible;
- an interesting composition;
- you as the main subject of the photo.
On Karon that’s entirely possible.
So if you want a beautiful beach photo shoot in the evening, I’d consider Karon well before many of Phuket’s more hyped beaches.
4. Bang Tao — a great beach for a sunset shoot
Bang Tao is another favourite of mine, especially for evening photo shoots.
The beach is very long, so there’s plenty of room to work.
But the main thing is the sunset light.
In the evening the sand, water and sky take on warm tones, and the photos come out very atmospheric.
I also like Bang Tao because we don’t have to build the whole shoot around one spot.
We can move along the beach, change the framing and gradually catch different moods of light.
For couples this works especially well.
We can start with relaxed walking shots, move on to more romantic photos and finish right at sunset.
Bang Tao is one of the beaches I truly recommend for an evening photo shoot.
5. Freedom Beach — mornings only
Freedom Beach is a very beautiful place.
White sand, tropical greenery, clear water — visually it’s one of the most striking beaches in Phuket.
But my main rule applies again: for a photo shoot I recommend Freedom Beach in the morning.
In the evening there are too many people.
When the beach fills up with tourists, getting truly clean professional shots becomes much harder.
So if you dream of photos on Freedom Beach specifically, I’d suggest going there in the morning.
The morning light is beautiful too, and most importantly the photographer has much more room to work calmly.
6. Kata Noi — beautiful, but better in the morning
With Kata Beach it’s simple: I don’t shoot there.
There are too many people for me, and I don’t think it’s a good location for a professional photo shoot.
Kata Noi, however, is a different story.
It’s much more interesting photographically, especially in the morning.
Morning light, a calm atmosphere and the surrounding green hills give beautiful, natural photos.
So if you like the Kata area, I’d rather suggest Kata Noi in the morning than the main Kata Beach.
7. Phuket Old Town — when you want something different
If you think a photo shoot in Phuket has to be on a beach, I really recommend considering Phuket Old Town.
Old Town is nothing like the beach locations.
There are colourful buildings, historic architecture, Sino-Portuguese facades, signboards, cafés and interesting urban details.
As a result, the photos come out completely different.
Not “us on a Phuket beach”, but a stylish city photo shoot in a tropical town.
Old Town is especially good for:
- an individual photo shoot;
- a fashion shoot;
- a love story;
- couples;
- content creation;
- people who want something unusual.
You can choose outfits to match the architecture and get a very varied series of photos in just one walk.
8. Promthep Cape — a famous sunset, but not always the best choice
Promthep Cape is one of the best-known viewpoints in Phuket.
And yes, it really is beautiful.
But there’s one problem — huge crowds at sunset.
So I wouldn’t tell a client, “We absolutely must go to Promthep Cape, it has the best sunset.”
For a tourist snapshot — great.
For a professional photo shoot — not always.
It’s far more important to me to get a beautiful shot without a crowd of tourists than to put someone at a famous spot just because it’s famous.
Sometimes there’s a much more interesting angle nearby.
9. Windmill Viewpoint — beautiful, but not my first choice
Windmill Viewpoint is an interesting spot with a beautiful sea view.
You can get good photos here, especially in the evening light.
But if I’m choosing a place for a full photo shoot, I’d rank it below several other options on my list.
It’s more of a good extra location that can be part of a particular route.
