Getting Permission
Commercial filming at Petra requires a permit from the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA). The application takes 2-3 weeks minimum. You need to submit a detailed shot list, crew list, gear inventory and a letter from your client confirming the commercial purpose. Drone permits are handled separately through the Royal Film Commission of Jordan and require an additional 2 weeks.
The permit fee varies based on crew size and duration. A 2-person crew for 2 days costs approximately $500-800 in permit fees. Larger crews with lighting equipment pay more. A local guide from PDTRA must accompany you throughout the shoot. This is non-negotiable and actually helpful .. the guides know which areas have the best light at specific times and which paths avoid tour groups.
Timing Is Everything
The Treasury (Al-Khazneh) is the most photographed structure at Petra. It faces east. Direct sunlight hits the facade between 9:00-11:00am depending on the season. This is when the rose-red color is most vivid. Before 9:00am, the facade is in shadow and looks gray. After 11:00am, the sun moves overhead and the color washes out.
We arrive at the site entrance at 6:00am when gates open. The walk from the entrance through the Siq (canyon) to the Treasury takes 25-30 minutes at a brisk pace. This puts us at the Treasury by 6:30am with 2.5 hours of empty space before the first large tour groups arrive around 9:00am. Those 2.5 hours are the entire shoot. After 9:00am, there are 200+ people in front of the Treasury and clean shots become impossible.
Beyond the Treasury
90% of Petra content on social media is the Treasury. But Petra is a 264-square-kilometer archaeological park with 800+ structures. The Monastery (Ad Deir) is larger than the Treasury and receives 80% fewer visitors because it requires a 45-minute climb up 800 steps. The Royal Tombs offer a panoramic view of the entire valley. The High Place of Sacrifice provides aerial-perspective views without a drone.
We allocate our 2-day shoot as follows. Day 1: Treasury at dawn (6:00-9:00am), Street of Facades and Royal Tombs (9:00am-12:00pm), break during midday heat, Monastery climb and sunset shoot (3:00-7:00pm). Day 2: Siq canyon details at dawn (6:00-8:00am), drone aerials from approved coordinates (8:00-10:00am), High Place of Sacrifice (10:00am-12:00pm), Little Petra in the afternoon (a separate site 15 minutes north with fewer restrictions and no crowds).
Gear Considerations
You are walking 15-20km per day at Petra. Minimum. On uneven terrain. In heat that regularly exceeds 35C from April to October. Every gram of gear you carry matters. We strip our kit to: one camera body (Sony FX3), two lenses (16-35mm and 85mm), a gimbal (DJI RS3 Pro), a drone (DJI Mini 4 Pro for weight compliance), 4 batteries per device, one compact tripod and water. Total pack weight: 8kg.
Leave the lighting equipment at the hotel. Petra is entirely outdoor and the natural light is the entire point. Adding artificial light to a 2,000-year-old sandstone facade looks wrong. The warm, directional sunlight creates the shadows and textures that make Petra photographs memorable. Work with it, do not fight it.
The Petra by Night Experience
Three nights per week, Petra runs a candlelit experience. 1,500 paper bag lanterns line the path from the Siq to the Treasury. It is one of the most visually stunning things we have ever filmed. The challenge: it is dark. ISO 12800 minimum on the Sony FX3. Aperture wide open. Shutter speed as low as 1/25 for video. A tripod is essential. Handheld is impossible in this light.
We shoot Petra by Night on a Sony A7S III (borrowed or rented for this specific purpose) because its low-light performance at ISO 12800 produces cleaner footage than any other camera we use. The resulting content .. warm candlelight on ancient stone, silhouettes of visitors, the Treasury glowing amber in the darkness .. is the most emotionally powerful travel content we have ever produced.