Photography Tips for Tourists in Iran

While traveling, we are always obsessed with taking fascinating photos that can remind us of the memorable experiences we have had as these experiences reshape our personality, so taking photos becomes an indispensable part of our travel. Choosing Iran as a travel destination can satisfy the tourists’ desire for great photography opportunities that they face in Iran due to the variety this country offers. Iran, known as ancient Persia, is mostly known for its historical and archeological attractions with unique architecture. Tourists who travel to Iran in order to visit its historical sites encounter with a heavenly architecture that can mesmerize every visitor. Iran is home to blue mosques with beautiful decorations like tiling and muqarnas, which are fabulous for photography; Iran is the land of adobe structures, windcatchers, qanats, Persian gardens and so many other architectural masterpieces that absorb many photographers and tourists for their unique features. Besides these historical and architectural locations for photography, Iran attracts many photographers and tourists to its breathtaking nature. Iran has many picturesque natural attractions due to its climate diversity. Iran, as a for-season country, is the land of deserts, waterfalls, canyons, mountains, forests and two UNESCO -inscribed natural attractions named Hyrcanian Forests and Lut Desert. In addition to historical and natural attractions, tourists can take photos from Iran cultural diversity as Iran is home to many ethnicities, especially nomads. Their colorful traditional clothing and their traditional life style can make amazing photos. So, when you travel to this wonderland, do not forget to bring your camera; there is no obstacle or rule to prevent tourists from binging their camera to Iran, so you can bring your camera to take memorable photos; you are advised to bring external hard disk and flash drive as you would need to save tons of photos you have taken in this magical country. Just before taking any photos in Iran, you had better know some photography rules and conventions in Iran.

Many tourists are eager to bring drones to Iran to take nice aerial shots from this four-season country; however, there are various rumors around flying drones in Iran. The first point to consider is that bringing drones can only happen if tourist obtain permits from the embassy from which they are applying to enter Iran; in their permits, the locations they have planned to have aerial shots by their drones must be specified. After obtaining the drone permit, they can fly it in the determined locations without any problem; however, if tourists try to bring their drones without permits from the embassy, their drone would be confiscated in the airport and they would face the allegations of being a spy; as a result, do not forget to apply for the permit and if you cannot manage to do so, you are highly advised not to have any drones in Iran.

If you manage to obtain the drone permit, you need to keep a few points in mind before using it. There are few places in which flying drone is totally banned; for instance, you are not allowed to use your drone over military facilities and bases, police stations, nuclear plants, and the whole city of Tehran. Just keep in mind you should have a clear idea about places with drone restrictions; otherwise, you would face problems and ruin your travel.

As mentioned earlier, Iran has many ethnicities who have an interesting life style and clothing. Tourists are mostly excited on their first encounter with local people as they wear colorful traditional clothing unique to them; however, no one is allowed to take photos of them without asking them for permission because it can be considered an insult to them, a kind of privacy invasion. If tourists ask them, majority of locals are friendly enough not to decline their request, so respect social conventions while traveling.

Furthermore, being an Islamic country, Iran has always paid attention to the privacy of women, so if tourists find taking photos of Iranian women interesting, they are highly recommended to ask the women to see if they accept. As Iranians are all hospitable people, they try to make tourists have the best memories in their country; in most cases, women and all people accept the tourists’ request of taking photos, just tourists need to respect their social conventions.

Tourists can take photos on the street without any problems considering the formerly-mentioned restrictions. While holding the camera in hand, tourists can take as many photos as they wish, but weirdly enough they are not allowed to take photos on the street using a tripod. The other point to consider is not having a flash photography in museums and some historical sites. Similar to other countries, officials in Iran have forbidden flash photography in certain places as the flash of a camera can harm the historical objects, which are on display in a historical site. As you know, most objects on display are sensitive to light, so the lighting in a museum is a controlled one. Experts believe that light energy can make faster the chemical reaction that results in some damages to the objects, so tourists are highly forbidden from flash photography in certain places.

Some specific places that have strategic or political status are highly banned for taking photos; let’s look at it more closely. No one, including tourists, is allowed to take photos of buildings that belong to government; consequently, tourists are prohibited from taking photos of police stations and military bases. it can be said that taking photos of any place related to government should be forbidden; otherwise, the photographer would be punished either by fines or imprisonment. Therefore, if you are not certain about the place you are taking photos, you are advised not to take any even secretly because it is not worth ruining your travel. If you have any further question regarding this issue, you can consult Persian Trips experts through our email, WhatsApp, and website.