DroneYogyakarta · Special Region of Yogyakarta

Drone photoshoot · Yogyakarta

In short

A drone photoshoot in Yogyakarta costs from $240 for 30 minutes of flying, usually over the beach and dunes at Parangtritis, where the airspace is open. You receive 15+ edited aerial photos — top-down and wide frames of you in the landscape, no video — in 48–72 hours. We do not fly over Borobudur, Prambanan or the Kraton.

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 Yogyakarta?

The obvious picture — you among Borobudur’s stupas, seen from above — is the one we cannot sell you. Drones over Borobudur and Prambanan need written permission from the site management, which is not given for holiday portraits, and the Kraton area and the airspace around the Adisutjipto airfield on the east side of the city add more limits. So a Yogyakarta drone session goes where the sky is open and the ground is graphic: the south coast at Parangtritis. From thirty metres up, the long beach of dark volcanic sand becomes a canvas, waves draw white lines across it, wet sand reflects the sky like a mirror, and a person is a small bright shape in all of that. A few minutes inland, the Parangkusumo dunes add ripples and curves. These are frames you cannot get any other way, and they are honest about where you were.

How the shoot is planned

What does the shoot in Yogyakarta look like?

The route

We meet on the beach at Parangtritis in the late afternoon. The pilot starts on the ground — wind, people, horse carts and ATVs on the sand, the edge of the surf — and shows you where to stand, because from above you take direction by hand signal rather than voice. The first frames are straight down: you lying on the wet sand as a wave thins out around you, a heart or initials drawn in the sand with you beside them, then a walk along the waterline that the drone follows from overhead. As the sun drops, the drone climbs and pulls back for wide frames — a small figure on an immense grey beach, long shadow stretching inland. The last minutes move to the edge of the dunes, where the low light turns the ripples into stripes and a flowing dress or scarf reads beautifully from above. Thirty minutes is the whole flight; there is no extra-hour add-on for drone sessions.

The timing

The last hour and a half before sunset, roughly 4.30 to 6 pm, give long shadows and warm light that make top-down frames read as more than flat sand. The catch is wind: the sea breeze on this coast usually builds through the afternoon, and the pilot will not fly in strong gusts over the surf. If the forecast is windy, we switch to the first hour after sunrise, when the air is usually calmer and the beach empty. The dry season, April to October, has the most flyable days; from November to March, rain and low cloud often arrive after midday, so mornings are the safer bet. Weekends bring crowds and horse carts to the main beach, so we walk further along the sand.

What’s included

What does the package include?

The Drone photoshoot package in Yogyakarta 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: Borobudur — ticket for the temple grounds; climbing the upper terraces is a separate, quota-limited guided ticket; pre-wedding shoots and drones need written permission from the temple management; Prambanan — entry ticket; pre-wedding shoots with styling need a permit from the park; Ramayana ballet tickets separate; Ratu Boko — entry ticket; sunset access may be priced separately; Merapi lava tour (Kaliadem) — jeep hire per vehicle from Kaliurang; routes depend on Merapi’s current alert level; Gumuk Pasir Parangkusumo — small entry or parking fee; sandboard rental on site; Taman Sari Water Castle — entry ticket; pre-wedding or commercial shoots pay an additional permit fee.

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Portfolio

Drone photoshoot in Yogyakarta

Frames from recent shoots, to plan yours against.

Before you book

FAQ — Drone photoshoot in Yogyakarta

Why can you not fly over Borobudur or Prambanan?

Both are protected heritage sites, and the management requires written permission for any drone flight, which is generally reserved for official or documentary work. Indonesian national rules also limit flights over crowds and near airfields. Flying without permission risks the drone, a fine and the site’s goodwill, so we do not offer it.

Is flying at Parangtritis actually allowed?

In general, yes, within national rules on height and distance from people. The beach is a public area well away from the airports, though local managers can ask for a fee or restrict flights on busy days or during ceremonies at Parangkusumo. Our pilot checks the current rules before your date and keeps clear of crowds on the day.

What should we wear to stand out from above?

Solid, bright colours against the grey sand: red, orange, yellow, white or cobalt blue. Long fabric — a dress, a sarong, a scarf — adds shape and movement in top-down frames. Avoid grey, khaki and sand tones, which vanish on this beach. Many locals avoid green on this coast out of respect for the legend of the southern sea queen; we suggest following suit.

Can we get video from the flight as well?

The drone photoshoot delivers photos only — 15+ edited aerial frames. If you want moving footage, the drone video session gives a 60–90 second edited aerial film plus the raw clips, and is planned differently, with slower, continuous moves rather than set positions.

Same shoot elsewhere