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How To Take The Perfect Salar de Uyuni Photo
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A woman stages a battle with a dinosaur in a perception shot taken at Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia.

How to Take the Perfect Salar de Uyuni Photo

Perception photos at Salar de Uyuni look so effortlessly fun but they are actually quite tricky to capture! In this post, I share tips learned for capturing the perfect Salar de Uyuni photo!

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At the time of writing, no landscape on Earth has blown my mind quite like Salar de Uyuni. I went there during the dry season. Upon entering the salt flat, I was engulfed by the breathtaking, desert-like landscape. The stark-white grounds which were quilted in a polygonal pattern stretched out as far as my eyes can see. The terrain was so perfectly uniform that it seemingly calls for perception distortion photos.

During the rainy season, the salt flat gets flooded with a thin layer of water from some nearby lakes. This in effect creates the world’s largest reflective pool. Though I haven’t experienced Salar de Uyuni during rainy season, you can bet your bottom dollar that I’ll have my camera in tow when I inevitably go during this time of year.

Though those perception photos are pervasive on any image search for Salar de Uyuni, they are actually quite tricky to capture. In this post, I share my tips on how to get that perfect Salar de Uyuni photo!

But first, context…

What is Salar de Uyuni?

Salar de Uyuni is the world’s largest salt flat. It is what remains of a dried up prehistoric lake. Today, Salar de Uyuni is a desert-like landscape comprising of bright white, salt formations and cacti-covered islands. The white crust that covers this area serves as source of salt and is VERY rich in lithium. It is estimated that between 50 and 70% of the world’s known lithium reserves are found here! Salar de Uyuni stretches out for over 10,000 square kilometres (3,900 sq mi) in area.

A landscape photo of a woman walking away in Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia - the world’s largest salt flat.
Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia is the world’s largest salt flat.

How to get there…

Salar de Uyuni is located in the southwest region of Bolivia. It is close-ish to Bolivia’s borders with Chile and Argentina, making it a perfect compliment to itineraries that include those countries. I highly recommend visiting the salt flat via a tour for a number of reasons (which I will explain in great detail in a subsequent post…) Most tours depart from the cities listed below.

Cactus in the middle of a bright white salt flat with blue skies in Bolivia.
Isla Incahuasi in the middle of the Salar de Uyuni is a prehistoric coral reef that dried up.

From Uyuni, Bolivia

Because of its proximity to the salt flat, most travellers start their tour from Uyuni. Tours departing from Uyuni can be booked in advance either online or from tour agencies in La Paz. You can also just arrive in the small town and explore your tour options in the main square which is packed with tourism agencies.

Tip: it is best to research tour operators online on sites like Get Your Guide. Uyuni tour companies have a bad reputation so I highly recommend reading up on what other travellers have to say about their experience with a company to see if they are truly reputable.

Day trips into the salt flat is only available via Uyuni. Alternatively, you can also embark on a three-day tour from here if you would like to see more of the wildlife in Salar de Uyuni.

A plane flies over Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia.
View from my flight into Uyuni as the plane is about to fly over the world’s largest salt flat.

From San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

Tours departing from San Pedro de Atacama is a great option for those who want to see the salt flat as well as Chile. Only three-day tours depart from San Pedro de Atacama because of distance.

From Tupiza, Bolivia

Tupiza is pretty close to Bolivia’s border with Argentina. This makes it the perfect departure point for those coming from that direction. Because Tupiza is over 200 kms away from Uyuni, most tours starting here are four days long.

Aerial shot over Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia.
Aerial shot over Salar de Uyuni.

Best time to visit…

Salar de Uyuni has 2 distinct seasons: the rainy season and the dry season. Depending on when you visit, both seasons offer conditions for the perfect Salar de Uyuni photo!

The rainy season is between December and April. During this time the salar gets covered in a thin layer of water which creates the world’s largest reflective pool. Visitors will get to enjoy the mirror effect of the salt flat with the skies above it in this season.

Cars driving over the Salar de Uyuni during wet season.
Photo by Boyan Lepoev on Unsplash.
A woman jumps over the water covered Salar de Uyuni during the wet season.
Photo by Ana María Alvarado Porras on Unsplash.

Tip: heavy rainfall between December and January often forces tour cancellations because floods make the salar inaccessible.

The dry season is between May and November. During this time, the water from the rainy season has mostly evaporated revealing the stark-white crust that covers the salar. The ground also hardens during this time and visitors can visit areas that are inaccessible during the rainy season. The dry season also presents the perfect conditions for those perception photos.

A group of tourists pretending they are about to get squashed by a giant woman in a perception shot taken at the Uyuni salt flat.
During the dry season, all the water from the wet season evaporate and reveal the stark-white terrain of the salt flat. Visitors flock here to take advantage of the flat terrain and take perception distortion shots.
A woman stands behind a puddle where her reflection is present.
I visited Salar de Uyuni during the dry season. If you ask, experienced drivers/guides could know about patches of the salt flat where water has not fully evaporated. Not as epic as shots taken during the rainy season, but I was able to take my own reflective shots during the dry season.

Tip: expect tour prices to go up between June and August which is high season for the salt flat. Farmers burn forest overgrowth around August and September which may produce smog over the salar.

Salar de Uyuni photography – ideas and tips on getting the perfect perception distortion shot…

Salar de Uyuni guides know that taking perception distortion shots are a big draw for visitors. For them, mastering how to take the perfect perception picture would be such an asset. These Salar de Uyuni photos are so pervasive on social media that they seem effortless but they’re actually quite tricky.

If you want to take your own pictures or if your shots aren’t coming out the way you envisioned, here are my tips for taking perception distortion shots.

A giant woman holds hands with a regular-sized man.

Photographer position matters.

Depending on the type of picture you are trying to take, how the photographer stands makes a difference as illustrated in the pics below.

A woman stands in the middle of Salar de Uyuni.
For this pic, the photographer was standing. Notice that more sky is captured in frame that it almost looks like a drone shot. This position is great for capturing the beautiful landscape that is Salar de Uyuni.
A woman stands in the middle of the Salar de Uyuni with the contrasting blue sky and stark, white salt flat.
For this shot, the photographer is crouching down. Note that you have about equal parts sky and salt flat within the frame. This position is great when playing with perception shots between 2 people.
A woman stands in the middle of Salar de Uyuni.
For this shot, the photographer set the car mats on the ground and took shots while being flat on his stomach. THIS is the best position to capture perception shots with a prop and people. The camera needs to be as close to the ground as possible. Note that the subject did not move her position between each of these shots; the only variation was the photographer’s position.

The greater the distance between subjects, the blurrier they are.

Subjects do not need that much distance between them when taking perception shots at Salar de Uyuni. The further away the subjects are from the camera, the harder it will be to capture sharp images of each within the same frame.

A woman walks on the Salar de Uyuni
The distance between the gentleman in the background and the lady in the foreground are actually not that great… While I can’t provide exact distance, we were still able to hold a conversation at this distance. Subjects within a perception shot at the Uyuni salt flat do not need to stand too far apart. The further apart the subjects, the harder it is for the camera to focus on both.

Beware of shadows.

Shadows within your Salar de Uyuni photo could give away the depth perception trick you are trying to play with your audience. I would recommend checking where the shadows lie within your shots to make sure that you are leaving with photos that you are happy with.

When I went to Salar de Uyuni, we started taking our perception shots late in the afternoon. Though at certain angles our shadows were long, realigning our position relative to the sun and having the camera as low to the ground as possible fixed that.

A woman walks towards the setting sun in the horizon on the Salar de Uyuni.
Aligning photographer and subjects with the sun is key. Long shadows within your perception shot may give away the optical tricks you’re trying to play with your audience.

Embrace how kitschy, ridiculous(ly fun!) this experience is.

There are plenty of Salar de Uyuni perception photos that are kitschy (cheesy? corny?) to be found online. Fact. But there are also many that are awe-inspiring and look so ridiculously fun. Also a fact. What makes a photo kitschy or awe-inspiring is subjective. At the end of the day, if YOU’RE happy with your photos then that’s all that really matters.

The awe-inspiring photos for me are the ones where the subjects obviously embraced how silly this photo shoot is and got ridiculous with it. Their impressions/body language made me buy into the fantasy that they really were being chased by dinosaurs or they truly feared being squashed by a giant.

When taking your perception shots at the salar, release your inhibitions. Don’t be afraid to get silly and messy. Have fun with it! When you’re genuinely having fun, the camera captures that and THAT is crucial for the perfect perception shot.

I was definitely the least shy of my group (context: we all met each other that day). My jumping shots and facial impressions definitely induced some laughs but at the end of the day I walked away with the photos that I wanted ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

A group of people scream as 2 toy dinosaurs appear to be chasing them on the Salar de Uyuni
To be fair to our group, this was our first shot taken at the salt flat. Each subject’s enthusiasm level can be easily gauged in this capture, I think. In my opinion, the best perception photos include subjects who were completely uninhibited and weren’t afraid to get ridiculous.

Create a list of Salar de Uyuni Photos you want to take.

If travelling with a group to Salar de Uyuni, you should be cognizant that other people want to take their photos too. Time could be saved if you show up with a list of shots that you want to try. Also, if you show up with 0 ideas, you risk missing your turn because you do not know what to ask of your photographer. And while the photographer/guide may have ideas, those ideas may not be to your taste.

Below are just some ideas with tips on how to take each.

Stage an Epic Dinosaur Battle

A woman stages a battle with a dinosaur in a perception shot taken at Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia.
How to get the shot:
  • Prop size matters! If the prop is too small, it will be hard to fit both prop and human subject into the frame. The human subject would need to be further away from the camera in order to fit. This would then create focus issues between the prop and the human subject. Pick a prop too large and both prop and human subject would need to be further away from the camera which, again, creates focus issues. Props that are (give or take) 30 cms tall are the ideal height.
  • Pack your desired prop to avoid disappointment. In a pinch, you can buy your prop at nearby Colchani.
  • Photographer lies flat on their stomach.
  • Camera needs to be on the ground or as close to the ground as possible.
  • The prop should be placed as close to the camera as possible. The closer it is to the camera, the clearer it and the human subject will appear.
  • Direct the human subject to walk away from the camera until the desired scale relative to the prop.
  • Alignment between prop and the human subject is a matter of timing if taking an action shot (i.e. jumping shots)
A woman is airborne on the Salar de Uyuni
Outtake: I have a bunch of these pictures of me jumping, kicking and punching the air. There was a misunderstanding between me and the photographer. I wanted to fight Godzilla, he thought I just wanted jumping shots… So glad I reviewed my pics before we left!

Ants on/in a Food Container

A tiny woman does the tree pose on top of a wine bottle on the Salar de Uyuni.
How to get this shot:
  • Tips found under “Stage an Epic Dinosaur Battle” can be applied for this one as well.
  • Other ideas: get your group to crawl out of a Pringles can, pretend you are about to get cooked in a pot or eaten off a spoon…

Attack of the 30 Foot Person

A giant man squats and picks up a regular sized woman as a group of people try to hold her down.
How to get this shot:
  • Photographer is flat on their stomach.
  • Camera is on the ground or as close to the ground as possible.
  • The “giant” stands as close to the camera as they can but should be standing far enough so that their entire body is in the frame.
  • Direct the rest of the group/Subject 2 to walk far away enough from the camera until they are at the desired scale relative to the “giant”.
  • Any interaction between the “giant” and the rest of the group/Subject 2 is a matter of alignment between photographer and the subjects.
A woman is being held down by a group of people as giant tries to pick her up by her arm.
Our photographer did a great job directing the alignment between the “giant” and the rest of the group.

Attack of the 30cm Person

A perception distortion shot taken at Salar de Uyuni of a man standing on a woman’s shoulder, whispering in her ear as she looks shocked.
How to get this shot:
  • You can pretty much follow the same tips from “Attack of the 30 Foot Person”.
  • Slight difference: the subject closest to the camera REALLY has to sell the shot with their facial impressions 😉

Jumping Shots

A man and a woman jump in the air and look like they are levitating above clouds in a perception shot taken at the Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia.
How to get this shot:
  • Photographer is flat on their stomach.
  • Camera is on the ground or as close to the ground as possible.
  • Ensuring subjects get maximum air is a matter of timing. Multiple shots to get the perfect one may be a good idea.

For more posts like this check out – Travel Guide: Palcoyo – The Alternate Rainbow Mountain in Peru.

A collage of perception shots taken at Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia.

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Do you have any fun shot ideas for the perfect Salar de Uyuni photo? I’d love to hear them in the comments below…

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