DroneUbud · Gianyar, Bali

Drone photoshoot · Ubud

In short

A drone photoshoot in Ubud costs from $240 for 30 minutes of flying by a licensed pilot, with 15+ edited aerial photos — top-down and wide frames of you in the landscape — delivered in 48–72 hours. We fly over quieter rice terraces with the landowner’s agreement, never over temples or ceremonies. There is no video in this package.

Starting from: $240
Duration: 30 min
Edited photos: 15+
Video: 15+ aerial photos — top-down and wide frames of you in the landscape, no video

Why here

Why choose Drone photoshoot in Ubud?

From the ground, Ubud’s rice terraces are a green slope. From above they become a pattern — curved bands of water and rice, dykes like contour lines, palms dotted along the edges — and a person standing on one of those lines turns into the single point that gives the whole image a scale. That is what a drone photoshoot here is for. Ubud is far from Ngurah Rai airport, so the restricted airspace that rules out much of south Bali is not the issue. The real limits are local: temples and ceremonies, which we never fly over; crowds at the famous viewpoints; landowners, whose permission matters; and the jungle canopy, which leaves few clear places to take off. So we choose quieter terraces where all four are in our favour.

How the shoot is planned

What does the shoot in Ubud look like?

The route

We meet at a set of terraces chosen a few days before for its shape, its access and a clear launch spot — often in the hills north of Ubud rather than at Tegallalang. The pilot checks wind and the area for anything we must avoid, such as a shrine at the head of the field, then shows you on the controller screen what the frame will look like, which helps more than any explanation. The 30 minutes run from simple to graphic. First, wide frames that place you in the valley. Then top-down shots: walking along a curved dyke, lying on the grass at the edge of a flooded paddy, standing in the centre of a bamboo bridge, a long dress or scarf spread out around you. A final set comes from a low angle across the terraces with the palms in front, to give depth.

The timing

An hour or so after sunrise is ideal: the sun is high enough to light the terraces and the water, but still low enough that dykes and palms throw long shadows that make the pattern pop from above. On some mornings mist lies in the valley and the drone can rise through it for a layered frame. Wind in Ubud is usually light, which helps. In the wet season, November to March, the water-filled paddies after planting make mirror-like top-down frames, but rain grounds the drone, so we fly early and keep another morning in reserve. Midday light is flat and harsh from above; we avoid it.

What’s included

What does the package include?

The Drone photoshoot package in Ubud 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: Tegallalang Rice Terrace — entry around IDR 25,000, plus small donations at farmer checkpoints on the paths; swings are extra; Tibumana Waterfall — entry around IDR 20,000; a short stepped path through jungle; Kanto Lampo Waterfall — entry around IDR 15,000–20,000; sarongs are not needed; Sayan Ridge & Ayung Valley — depends on the villa or venue; many allow guests' shoots, some charge a location fee.

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Portfolio

Drone photoshoot in Ubud

Frames from recent shoots, to plan yours against.

Before you book

FAQ — Drone photoshoot in Ubud

Can you fly at Tegallalang?

Sometimes, but it is not our first choice. Tegallalang is busy from early morning, and we do not fly over crowds; local operators may also ask for a fee or permission for drones, and the rules change. Quieter terraces nearby give the same pattern from above with no one else in the frame, so we usually go there and confirm the plan with you beforehand.

Can the drone fly over the Monkey Forest, the palace or a temple?

No. Flying over temples and ceremonies without permission is not allowed and is deeply disrespectful in Bali, and the Monkey Forest is itself a temple complex. Central Ubud around the palace is also crowded and built up. We plan the flight away from all of them; if a ceremony starts near our spot, we land and wait or move.

Can we have ground photos as well as aerial ones?

This package is aerial only. If you want both, book a photo session — a couple or holiday shoot, for example — and add the drone for $150: a photographer works on the ground while the pilot flies. That is usually the better choice for couples, while the drone photoshoot suits people who want a set of purely aerial images.

What should we wear to stand out from above?

Strong, solid colours that contrast with green: red, white, yellow, cobalt. From thirty metres up, a person is a few pixels of colour, so pattern and detail disappear while colour and shape remain. Long fabric — a dress with a train, a big scarf — spreads into a shape on the grass that reads beautifully in top-down frames.

Same shoot elsewhere