Concept for Michael Klinkhamer — nothing here is final, everything can still change.
KlinkhamerPhoto Tours Plan a tour
The towers of Angkor Wat at dusk, reflected in the moat

Home › Cambodia

Cambodia

Half a day in the back streets of Phnom Penh, or twelve nights across the country to the Thai border. Based in Phnom Penh since 2013.

What you are walking into

The country is easy to photograph. That is exactly the trap.

There is a classic line I use here: you can’t go wrong in Cambodia. The light is good, the people are open, and you will come home with pictures whatever you do.

Which is why almost everybody comes home with the same ones. The standard circuit runs Siem Reap for Angkor, Battambang, the islands and the killing fields loop, and it delivers the frames you have already seen a thousand times.

What we do instead is get off that circuit. The slums and the reality walks, the ferry to Areyksat, the Mekong villages, the rural roads that were closed off twenty years ago. I take care of the transport, the accommodation, the safety and the local habits, so the only thing left for you to do is look.

Every level is welcome. Professionals working toward a book, hobbyists trying to get past automatic mode, and people who mostly want somebody along who knows the place inside out.

A heavily loaded coconut cart in a Phnom Penh street, black and white

Phnom Penh, on the way between two locations.

Eight ways to do it

Tours and workshops

Half day Street food stall and motorbikes in a busy Phnom Penh street at dusk

Phnom Penh half day photo walk

The city from the inside, not from a guidebook.

We meet in the morning or early afternoon and walk. Markets, side streets, a pagoda, the riverfront, the ferry across to Areyksat village. Local tuk tuk between locations is included.

You start by setting up your camera for the light we will actually be working in. After that it is about seeing: spotting the moment and having the nerve to step close enough to take it.

Mornings 08:00-11:00 or afternoons 14:00-17:00

  • Local tuk tuk included
  • Beginner to professional
  • One or two photographers at a time
Full day Portrait of a market vendor in Phnom Penh, black and white

Phnom Penh full day

Enough hours to get past the first good picture.

The same approach as the half day, with the time to go further: the slums and reality walks, the Mekong and the floating villages, the Killing Fields and S-21 if you want them, and the neighbourhoods in between where nobody takes you.

Half an hour at the end goes to looking at what you shot that day, in the shade with a cold drink.

Starts 08:00, finishes late afternoon

  • All transport within the city
  • Image review at the end of the day
  • Street, portrait, still life, architecture
Evening Neon lit fountain and night traffic in Phnom Penh

Evening and night photo walk

Sunset, then the city turning into a different place.

We start at a high vantage point for the sunset skyline, take the Royal Palace square by night light and visit a major Buddhist temple. Then the side streets, the night market and the lit food stalls, and the old French colonial post office square with the harbour lights.

A tripod is recommended for long exposures. If you do not travel with one, you can hire a lightweight tripod from us.

Daily from 17:30, or from 17:15 for the sunset session

  • Tripod for hire
  • Cooler temperature, no harsh sun
  • Help setting up long exposures
Full day Black and white film portrait of an elderly Cambodian man

Black and white film workshop

Shoot it, develop it, scan it, take the prints home.

An introduction to why you would shoot film at all and how to choose between the stocks, then a day out shooting in and around Phnom Penh, lunch, and then you develop and scan your own film.

Bring your own rolls or buy a few from us. We can rent you a Nikon film camera if you do not travel with one.

On request, Phnom Penh

  • Develop and scan it yourself
  • Nikon film body for hire
  • You go home with prints
5 days Palms and waterfront buildings on the southern coast of Cambodia at Kep

Phnom Penh, Kampot and Kep

Down to the south coast, the Mekong and the salt fields.

Five days from Phnom Penh along the Mekong down to Kampot and Kep on the southern coast. Fishing jetties, pepper country, the ferry to Koh Tonsay, and the early morning light that made the Kep Raw book.

This itinerary came out of the Art for Kep artist residency in early 2026 and was added to the workshop programme after it.

New in the 2026-2027 programme

  • Accommodation and transport arranged
  • Daily image reviews
  • Digital and film
1 to 2 days Monk in an orange robe standing in a temple doorway at Angkor

Siem Reap and the Angkor temples

Sunrise over Angkor Wat, then Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm.

We make the plan the evening before and leave before dawn. Angkor Wat for the sunrise, then back for breakfast and out again around two for Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm in the afternoon light.

Yes there are crowds at sunrise. The park is big enough that you can get away from them, and I will help you do it. Optional: a hot air balloon for the aerial view and the delicate Banteay Srei temple.

Sunrise starts at 04:45, or as part of a longer tour

  • Sunrise and late afternoon sessions
  • Angkor Thom, Bayon, Ta Prohm
  • Optional Banteay Srei and balloon
5 to 11 days Photographer shooting from a viewpoint over the Cambodian highlands

Cambodia wide photo safari

The long one. For a body of work, not a holiday album.

Phnom Penh, the Mekong, Siem Reap and Angkor Wat, Phnom Kulen, and as far as Preah Vihear on the Thai border. Twelve nights and eleven effective shooting days, or a shorter six night version.

This is the tour for photographers working on a personal project, a book or an exhibition. Daily photography talks, editing time and progress reviews are part of it.

On request, year round

  • All teaching and guidance
  • Private car with local driver
  • Accommodation included
2 days Hand painted sign pointing to the Pol Pot cremation site in Anlong Veng

Preah Vihear and Anlong Veng

A cliff temple on the border, and the last Khmer Rouge town.

Preah Vihear sits on a steep cliff on the Cambodian-Thai border, with the countryside of two nations below it. We shoot the afternoon and the sunset there and spend the night in Anlong Veng.

Anlong Veng is on no regular itinerary. It was the Khmer Rouge stronghold until 1998 and it is now a dusty, friendly town. A moderate hike into the jungle hills gets you to Pol Pot’s hiding place and Ta Mok’s hand dug lake.

On request, as part of the longer tours

  • Not on any standard route
  • Landscape and reportage
  • Moderate walking

Practical

What is in the price

What is included

  • All teaching and photographic guidance, including the night sessions
  • Transport during the tour: tuk tuk in the city, air conditioned car or minibus on the road
  • Accommodation on the multi day tours
  • Daily image reviews if you want them

What is not

  • International and domestic flights to and from Cambodia
  • Entrance and park fees, including the Angkor pass
  • Travel insurance
  • Meals and drinks other than breakfast on the multi day tours
  • Personal expenses and tips

When to come

The whole year works. After the rainy season, in November and December, the landscape is lush and the rivers are full of life while the oppressive heat is gone. It stays comfortably warm at 25 to 30 degrees. November, December and January are among the best months to be in South East Asia. In the hot months expect 32 to 37 degrees with high humidity, which is why heavy camera bags are a bad idea.

Build me an itinerary

Tell me how many days you have, what you want to shoot and what level you are at. You get a proposal, a price and dates back.

Contact and booking info@cambodiaphototours.asia