# Drone Photoshoot in Labuan Bajo

> Drone photoshoot in Labuan Bajo from $240: 30 minutes of top-down and wide aerial stills over a sandbar, jetty or boat deck, 15+ edited photos in 48–72 hours.

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## In short

A drone photoshoot in Labuan Bajo costs from $240 for 30 minutes of flying and gives you 15+ edited aerial photos — top-down and wide frames, no video — within 48–72 hours. Sandbars and jetties inside Komodo National Park need the park’s drone permit, and the boat and park fees are paid separately.

This is the still-photo cousin of drone video, and in Labuan Bajo it suits different places. Video wants sweeping movement over Padar’s ridges; a drone photograph wants a strong shape seen straight down — a curl of white sand in turquoise water, a wooden jetty running out over reef, a phinisi deck with two small figures on it. The area is full of those shapes, from the Taka Makassar sandbar to Kanawa’s jetty and the beaches around town. The constraint is permission. Most of the best shapes are inside Komodo National Park, where flying needs the park’s permit, and the town itself sits beside Komodo Airport, whose restricted airspace covers part of the waterfront. So every session starts with a map and a check, not a launch: we tell you which spots can be flown on your date and plan the thirty minutes around them.

## How the shoot is planned

A boat-day session usually covers two nearby shapes. At Kanawa, the jetty is the subject: you lie on the planks or walk out towards the end while the drone hangs directly overhead, so the jetty becomes a line across clear water and reef with you as the only figure on it; a second set from a wider angle shows the island and its beach. At the Taka Makassar sandbar, which appears as a crescent of white sand at lower tides, the frame is you on the curve of the sand with turquoise shallows on both sides — lying in a star shape, walking a trail of footprints, or sitting with a hat that reads from above. Between stops, the phinisi deck makes a third option at anchor: you on the sun-deck cushions or the bow, the boat shot from directly above as a pattern of teak and rigging. Without a boat, Pede beach and the coast around Waecicu offer simpler top-down frames of sand and shallow water, once we have checked the airport zone.

## Timing

Overhead stills need the opposite of what portraits want. The sun should be high — roughly 9 am to noon — so it lights the sea floor and makes shallow water turquoise rather than grey; low golden light throws long shadows that look striking from the side but muddy from above. Tide matters too: sandbars show their shape at lower water, and the time shifts every day, so we check the tide table for your date before fixing the start. Wind is the other limit — the drone is grounded in strong gusts over open water, which happen most in July and August. April to June and September to November give the calmest air and clearest water. In the wet season, visibility can drop after heavy rain as rivers cloud the bays, so we pick days after a dry spell.

## What is included

The Drone photoshoot package in Labuan Bajo covers: 15+ edited aerial photos; Top-down and wide frames of you in the landscape; Location checked against no-fly zones before the day; Directions on where to stand and how to lie for overhead frames; Private online gallery within 48–72 hours. Nothing is added to the price after the shoot. Permits worth knowing about: Padar Island viewpoint — Komodo National Park entry plus a Padar trekking fee, paid in Labuan Bajo or at the jetty; drone use needs a separate park permit; Pink Beach, Komodo Island — covered by the national park entry; boat access only; Komodo dragons at Loh Buaya, Rinca — park entry plus a mandatory ranger guide, paid at the ranger station; Kanawa Island — landing fee for day visitors, paid at the jetty; Sylvia Hill — small entry or parking fee; Phinisi deck at anchor — we shoot aboard your chartered boat; the charter itself is not included.

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## Frequently asked questions

### Do we need a permit for drone photos in Komodo National Park?

Yes — drone flights inside the park need its permission on top of national drone rules, and rangers can still restrict flying on the day, for example near crowds on Padar or near wildlife. We apply in advance and pass the permit fee on at cost; it is not in the $240. Allow time: we suggest booking at least two weeks ahead.

### Why can’t you fly over the harbour in town?

Komodo Airport is on the edge of Labuan Bajo, and the airspace around an airport is restricted for drones. Parts of the waterfront and harbour fall inside that zone, so we do not fly there without an authorisation that a short photo session cannot get. Beaches further from the runway are often fine; we check the exact pin.

### How do we pose for photos taken from straight above?

Think in shapes rather than faces. Lying down reads better than standing, arms and legs spread or curved into the line of the sand; a couple lying head to head makes a heart or a circle. Bright solid colours stand out against water and sand, and a wide hat or a long skirt adds a shape that reads from forty metres up.

### Can we add more time to reach a third location?

The extra-hour add-on is not available with drone sessions, so the thirty minutes are planned around one or two spots close to each other on your boat’s route. If you want a longer aerial day — sandbar, jetty and the boat under way — ask us to quote a second session on the same trip.

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