Beautiful Golf Course Photography: Heritage Bel Ombre Mauritius’ Stunning Views

Have you ever stood on a tee box, mesmerized by the landscape, and wished you could capture that feeling in a photo? You see the lush fairways and scenic vistas, but your pictures end up looking flat and uninspired. It’s a common frustration for many who want to capture the essence of beautiful golf course photography.

To capture professional-grade golf course photos, you must master lighting and composition during the golden hour—the period just after sunrise or before sunset. This soft, angled light creates dramatic shadows that define the course’s architectural contours, a technique essential for turning a simple snapshot into a stunning work of art.

Leveraging proven methodologies from award-winning photographers, this guide will provide you with actionable insights. We will explore the expert techniques needed to elevate your images, drawing inspiration from the breathtaking views of Heritage Bel Ombre in Mauritius. You will discover how to transform any course into a compelling visual story.

How Do You Capture Truly Beautiful Golf Course Photography?

Capturing genuinely beautiful golf course photography is an art form that blends the principles of classic landscape photography with a deep appreciation for golf course architecture. It’s about more than just pointing a camera at a pretty scene; it’s about telling a story. A professional photographer sees the course as a canvas, where fairways, putting greens, and bunkers are deliberate design elements. The goal is to capture the strategic intent of the architect, the mood of the environment, and the natural beauty of the landscape in a single, compelling frame. This requires a mastery of light, an eye for composition, and the technical skill to use professional equipment like DSLRs and drones to bring that vision to life. The result is not just a picture of a golf hole, but a piece of golf photography art that conveys a unique sense of place.

7 Techniques for Stunning Golf Photography Inspired by Heritage Bel Ombre

To achieve stunning golf photos worthy of a magazine cover, professionals rely on a set of core techniques. These methods go beyond simple point-and-shoot photography, focusing on how light, angle, and composition work together to showcase the golf course scenery. Using the award-winning Heritage Golf Club in Mauritius as our benchmark, we’ll break down seven essential golf course photography tips. Each technique is a building block toward creating more dramatic, artistic, and professional grade images. This section serves as a masterclass, providing actionable steps to help you replicate the breathtaking visuals found at world-class luxury golf resorts.

1. Mastering the Golden Hour for Dramatic Light and Shadow

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The single most important element for creating golf course sunset photos is mastering the “golden hour.” This is the period shortly after sunrise and before sunset when the sun is low in the sky, casting a warm, soft light. This directional light accentuates the contours of the landscape, creating long, sweeping shadows that give depth and dimension to the fairways and putting greens. Shooting at midday, by contrast, results in harsh shadows and flat lighting that washes out the vibrant colors of the course and fails to define its architectural features. As seen in photos of Heritage Bel Ombre, where the sun sets over the Indian Ocean, this sun-drenched light is what creates that cinematic and emotionally resonant feeling.

What You Need (Gear & Settings)

• DSLR or Mirrorless Camera: A model with good low-light performance and manual controls, like a Sony a7 series or Canon EOS R5.
• Fast Lens: A wide-to-standard zoom lens with a wide aperture (e.g., f/2.8 or f/4) like a 24-70mm f/2.8 GM to capture maximum light.
• Tripod: Essential for stabilizing the camera during long exposures in low light, preventing grainy images.
• Camera Settings: Start with a low ISO (100-400), an aperture of f/8-f/11 for landscape depth, and adjust shutter speed to properly expose the scene.

What To Do (Composition & Technique)

1. Scout in Advance: Visit the course during the day to identify signature holes and compositions you want to capture.
2. Arrive Early: Be in position at least 30-45 minutes before sunrise or sunset to set up your tripod and camera.
3. Shoot Towards the Light (Side-Angle): Position yourself so the sun is to the side, not directly in front or behind you. This defines the course contours with long, sweeping shadows.
4. Bracket Your Exposures: Take multiple shots of the same scene at different brightness levels (bracketing exposures) to ensure you perfectly capture both the bright sky and the darker landscape. This helps avoid overexposure in highlights.

Pro-Tip: Use a polarizing filter to deepen the blue of the sky and cut glare from water hazards or wet grass, making the colors of the lush turf even more vibrant. This is a non-negotiable tool for professional landscape photography.

2. Composing with Leading Lines from Fairways and Paths

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Great composition is what separates a snapshot from a professional photograph. One of the most powerful compositional tools on a golf course is the use of leading lines. The natural S-curves of a fairway, the sharp edge of a sand trap, or a winding cart path can all be used to guide the viewer’s eye through the image towards a focal point. This technique frames the shot, creates a sense of depth and flow, and makes the image more engaging. By combining leading lines with the classic Rule of Thirds in sports photography—placing key elements like the flagstick or clubhouse off-center—you create a balanced and visually pleasing photo that feels both dynamic and intentional.

What You Need (Gear & Settings)

• Wide-Angle Lens: A lens like a 16-35mm is perfect for capturing the broad sweep of a fairway and creating dramatic leading lines.
• Camera Grid Display: Enable the 3×3 grid overlay in your camera’s viewfinder or on the LCD screen to help with the Rule of Thirds.
• Camera Settings: Use a mid-to-high aperture (f/9 to f/13) to ensure deep depth of field, keeping both the foreground lines and the distant green sharp.

What To Do (Composition & Technique)

1. Identify the Line: Look for natural S-curves in the fairway, the sharp edge of a bunker, or a winding cart path.
2. Position the Line: Place the start of your leading line in one of the bottom corners of your frame.
3. Guide to the Subject: Ensure the line travels through the image and points towards your main subject (e.g., the flagstick, a dramatic tree, or the clubhouse).
4. Apply the Rule of Thirds: Place that main subject on one of the intersecting grid lines, not in the dead center, for a more professional composition.

Pro-Tip: For maximum depth, get low to the ground. This exaggerates the foreground and makes the leading line feel more immersive and powerful, a technique used to master architectural intent in golf course photography.

3. Creating Unique Perspectives with Aerial Drone Photography

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Drone photography has revolutionized how we see and capture golf courses. An aerial perspective reveals the strategic layout and grand scale of the golf course architecture in a way that ground-level shots simply cannot. From a panoramic overhead view, the intricate relationships between holes, water hazards, and the surrounding landscape become clear. A top-down shot of an island green or a complex bunker can look like an abstract piece of art. However, it’s crucial to operate drones safely and responsibly. Demonstrating professional grade expertise means always getting permission from course management before flying and adhering to all local regulations.

What You Need (Gear & Settings)

• 4K Camera Drone: A DJI Mavic series drone (like the Mavic 2 Pro or higher) is an industry standard, offering a great balance of image quality and flight time.
• Smart Controller: A controller with a built-in screen makes setup faster and more reliable than using a phone.
• Extra Batteries: Drone flight times are limited, so carry multiple fully-charged batteries to cover a large course.
• Drone Settings: Shoot in RAW format for maximum editing flexibility. Use automatic exposure bracketing to handle high-contrast scenes.

What To Do (Composition & Technique)

1. Get Permission: ALWAYS get explicit permission from the golf course management before flying your drone. This is a critical legal and safety step.
2. Plan Your Flight: Study the course map to plan your shots, identifying signature holes and potential hazards before you even take off.
3. Capture the “Top-Down” Shot: Fly directly over a feature like an island green or a complex bunker and shoot straight down. This creates a graphic, abstract image that highlights the course design.
4. Shoot “Low and Slow”: Create a cinematic video clip by flying low and slow over a water hazard or fairway, revealing the landscape gradually.

Pro-Tip: You don’t always need to fly high. Often, the most stunning aerial golf course shots are taken from a slightly elevated perspective of just 20-50 feet, offering a unique viewpoint that’s impossible from the ground but still feels intimate.

4. Highlighting Architectural Details and Textures

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While grand, panoramic views are impressive, a key part of what makes a course beautiful is the meticulous detail. A professional golf course photographer knows how to highlight the strategic golf design through close-up shots. Focusing on these details—the perfect rake lines in a bunker, the sharp edge where the green meets the fringe, or the subtle undulations of a putting green—portrays the quality and architectural intent of the course. These textural and detail-oriented shots provide a different kind of beauty, one that speaks to the care, craftsmanship, and greenkeeping visuals that go into maintaining a world-class golf resort.

What You Need (Gear & Settings)

• Telephoto or Macro Lens: A 70-200mm lens can isolate details from a distance, while a dedicated macro lens (like a 105mm) allows for extreme close-ups.
• Monopod: Helpful for stabilizing long lenses to ensure your shots are tack sharp, especially when capturing subtle textures.
• Camera Settings: Use a wider aperture (f/2.8 – f/5.6) to create a shallow depth of field, blurring the background and making your detailed subject pop.

What To Do (Composition & Technique)

1. Isolate the Subject: Use your telephoto lens to zoom in and fill the frame with a single, compelling detail. Don’t try to capture the whole hole.
2. Focus on Contrast: Look for points of contrast, like the sharp, clean line where the deep green turf of the collar meets the white sand of a bunker.
3. Capture Texture with Light: Shoot when the sun is low in the sky. The side-lighting will rake across the surface, revealing every ripple in the sand or every blade of dew-covered grass.
4. Get Close to the Green: Capture the perfect edge of the cup, the flagstick, and the smooth surface of the putting green for a classic, artistic golf shot.

Pro-Tip: In post-processing, use the “Clarity” and “Texture” sliders in Adobe Lightroom sparingly. A small boost can dramatically enhance the details in sand and grass, but overdoing it will look unnatural and solve dull colors in the wrong way.

5. Using a Polarizer to Enhance Greens and Skies

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If there is one tool that can instantly make your golf photos more vibrant and professional, it’s a circular polarizing filter. This simple accessory screws onto the front of your lens and performs two magic tricks. First, it reduces unwanted glare and reflections from surfaces like water hazards and wet leaves. Second, it enhances the natural color saturation, making skies a deeper blue and foliage a richer green. The effect is a more cinematic, clean, and polished image with colors that pop, all done in-camera. It’s an indispensable piece of kit for minimizing glare on water features and achieving those high-resolution, commercial-quality shots.

What You Need (Gear & Settings)

• Circular Polarizing Filter (CPL): Ensure you buy the correct filter thread size to match your primary landscape lens (e.g., 77mm, 82mm).
• Sturdy Lens Hood: Helps prevent lens flare when using a polarizer, especially when shooting near the sun.
• Camera Settings: A polarizer can reduce light by 1-2 stops, so you may need to compensate by slightly increasing your ISO or using a slower shutter speed (another reason a tripod is helpful).

What To Do (Composition & Technique)

1. Screw on the Filter: Attach the CPL filter to the front of your lens.
2. Compose Your Shot: Frame your image, focusing on a scene with a blue sky, water, or wet foliage.
3. Rotate to Adjust: Look through the viewfinder (or at your screen) and slowly rotate the outer ring of the filter. You will physically see the glare on the water disappear and the sky darken to a deeper blue.
4. Find the Sweet Spot: The strongest effect occurs when shooting at a 90-degree angle from the sun. Stop rotating when the effect looks most natural and powerful.

Pro-Tip: A high-quality polarizer, like those from PolarPro or B+W, will have better optical coatings that prevent color casting and loss of sharpness—a worthwhile investment for serious golf landscape photography. The PolarPro PMVND is often cited as a top choice.

6. Taking Advantage of Weather for Atmospheric Shots

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While blue skies are beautiful, professional photographers know that “bad” weather patterns often produce the most compelling and dramatic images. A misty morning can create a serene, ethereal mood, with trees fading into beautiful layers. The dark, brooding clouds of an approaching storm can add incredible drama and tension to a landscape. As the legendary golf photographer David Cannon proved with his iconic shot of Seve Ballesteros at St Andrews, even a rainbow after a storm can lead to an award-winning photograph. These atmospheric conditions create a unique mood that transforms a standard scenic golf course shot into a memorable piece of golf photography art.

What You Need (Gear & Settings)

• Weather-Sealed Camera and Lens: Protects your gear from light rain and humidity.
• Lens Hood: Essential for keeping raindrops off the front of your lens.
• Camera Rain Cover: For heavier rain, a dedicated cover is a must-have to protect your investment.
• Camera Settings: In mist or fog, your camera’s meter can be fooled. You may need to manually add +0.5 to +1.0 exposure compensation to prevent the image from being too dark.

What To Do (Composition & Technique)

1. Embrace the Mist: On misty mornings, use a telephoto lens (200mm or longer) to compress the scene. This makes the mist look thicker and creates beautiful layers as trees and hills fade into the background.
2. Capture the Storm: The moments just before or after a rainstorm often have the most dramatic light and cloud formations. Be ready to capture it.
3. Look for Rainbows: After a storm, be prepared to move quickly to position a rainbow over a key feature, like the famous ‘Hell Bunker’ shot by David Cannon.
4. Use Reflections: Freshly wet surfaces create beautiful reflections. Use puddles on cart paths to reflect the dramatic sky.

Pro-Tip: For atmospheric haze management, use the “Dehaze” tool in Lightroom. Moving the slider to the left will increase the misty, dreamy effect, while moving it to the right will cut through the haze for more clarity.

7. Choosing the Right Lens: Wide vs. Telephoto

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The question of “what lens for golf course photography?” is common, and the answer is that different lenses tell different stories. Each lens type portrays the course uniquely. A wide-angle lens (16-35mm) is perfect for capturing grand, expansive scenes and emphasizing leading lines. In contrast, a telephoto lens (70-200mm) is used to compress the landscape, making background elements appear closer, and to isolate distant details. Many pros, like photographer Patrick Koenig, rely heavily on a 70-200mm lens. Understanding the difference in wide-angle vs telephoto is crucial for developing a versatile portfolio that showcases both the grand scale and the intimate details of a course.

What You Need (Gear & Settings)

• Wide-Angle Zoom (e.g., 16-35mm): For capturing the grand scale of the landscape and creating leading lines.
• Telephoto Zoom (e.g., 70-200mm): For isolating details, compressing layers of the landscape, and capturing action from a distance.
• Mid-Range “Walkaround” Zoom (e.g., 24-105mm): A highly versatile option if you only want to carry one lens.
• Camera Settings: Adjust your aperture based on your goal: f/9-f/13 for sharp, wide landscapes and f/2.8-f/5.6 for isolating details with a telephoto lens.

What To Do (Composition & Technique)

1. Use Wide-Angle for Context: When you want to show the entire hole and its relationship to the surrounding mountains or ocean, use a wide-angle lens. Get close to a foreground element to add depth.
2. Use Telephoto for Compression: Stand back and use a telephoto lens (100mm or longer) to make distant elements (like background mountains) appear larger and closer to your subject (like the green). This creates a powerful, layered effect.
3. Isolate with Telephoto: Use a telephoto lens to pick out interesting details from afar, like a single golfer on a green or the texture of a distant bunker.
4. Start with a Mid-Range Zoom: If you’re new or want to travel light, a 24-105mm lens provides enough flexibility for most shots, from wide landscapes to tighter details.

Pro-Tip: Contrary to popular belief, many professional golf photographers use standard or telephoto lenses like a 50mm, 85mm, or 70-200mm more often than ultra-wide lenses. A wide-angle can distort the course and is often saved for when no other option will work.

Key Takeaways: Your Quick Guide to Beautiful Golf Course Photography

• Light is Everything: Shoot During the Golden Hour. The most critical factor for stunning golf photos is shooting just after sunrise or before sunset. This sun-drenched light creates the long, dramatic shadows and rich colors that define professional golf landscape photography.
• Composition Over Gear: Use Leading Lines and the Rule of Thirds. A well-composed photo from an iPhone is better than a poorly composed shot from a pro camera. Use the natural curves of fairways and bunkers to lead the viewer’s eye and place your subject off-center for a balanced, artistic look.
• Invest in a Polarizer and a Tripod. These two accessories will elevate your photography more than any new camera body. A tripod is essential for sharp, low-light golden hour shots, and a polarizing filter is the secret to getting deep blue skies and vibrant, glare-free greens.
• Tell a Story with Different Lenses. Don’t just rely on a wide-angle lens. Use a telephoto lens (like a 70-200mm) to compress the landscape and isolate interesting architectural details, a technique frequently used by professional golf course photographers.
• Get Permission for Drones. Aerial golf course shots offer a breathtaking perspective, but you must always get permission from the course management before flying. Safety and respect for the property are paramount for any award-winning photographer.

People Also Ask About Beautiful Golf Course Photography

What is the best camera for golf photography?

For professional results, a mirrorless or DSLR camera that allows you to change lenses is best. Models from Sony’s a7 series, Canon’s EOS R series, or Nikon’s Z series are industry standard. While the camera body is important, investing in high-quality lenses like a versatile 24-105mm or a 70-200mm telephoto will have a greater impact on your image quality.

What lens is best for golf course photography?

Most professionals rely on a 70-200mm f/2.8 telephoto zoom lens as their primary workhorse. This lens is incredibly versatile for isolating details, compressing landscapes, and capturing action from a distance. A wide-angle zoom (16-35mm) is useful for grand scenic shots, and a mid-range zoom (24-105mm) is a great all-in-one option for travel.

How can I take good golf course photos with my iPhone?

To improve your iPhone photos, focus on light and composition. Shoot during the golden hour, turn on the camera grid to use the Rule of Thirds, and manually tap to focus on your subject. Use the native wide-angle lens to create leading lines with fairways and get low to the ground for a more dramatic perspective.

Can you use a drone for golf course photography?

Yes, drones are an excellent tool for unique aerial perspectives, but you must get permission first. Many courses have restrictions, so always check with management before flying. Drones like the DJI Mavic series are perfect for capturing high-resolution top-down views of greens and bunkers that are impossible to get from the ground.

Why is golden hour the best for golf photos?

The golden hour provides soft, directional light that accentuates the course’s contours. Unlike harsh midday sun which creates flat lighting, the low angle of the sun at sunrise and sunset casts long, beautiful shadows that reveal the subtle undulations in fairways and putting greens. This creates depth, drama, and rich, warm colors.

How do you photograph golf courses in harsh sunlight?

If you must shoot in harsh midday sun, use a circular polarizing filter. This will help cut down on glare from leaves and water and will deepen the blue of the sky, adding contrast to your image. Also, look for shady spots or shoot subjects with the sun behind them (backlit) to create a bright, airy look, but be careful of lens flare.

What makes a golf photo look professional?

Professional golf photos combine perfect lighting, strong composition, and technical sharpness. They are typically taken during the golden hour, use compositional rules like leading lines, and are tack sharp from foreground to background. They tell a story about the course’s golf course architecture and unique sense of place.

How do you get clear shots of water hazards?

Use a circular polarizing filter (CPL) to eliminate glare and reflections from the water’s surface. When you rotate the filter, you can choose to either see through the water or enhance the reflection of the sky. For a deep, rich look, a CPL is essential for managing reflections on water hazards.

What are the best settings for landscape golf shots?

Use your camera’s Aperture Priority mode (A or Av) with an aperture between f/8 and f/13. This ensures a deep depth of field so most of the landscape is in focus. Keep your ISO as low as possible (100 or 200) to maximize quality and use a tripod to ensure a sharp image, especially in lower light.

Who is the best golf course photographer?

While subjective, photographers like David Cannon, Kevin Murray, and Jacob Sjöman are widely regarded as masters of the craft. They are known for their ability to capture the unique character and beauty of the world’s best courses. Studying their portfolios is a masterclass in composition and lighting.

Final Thoughts on Capturing the Beauty of Heritage Bel Ombre

Ultimately, creating beautiful golf course photography is a rewarding pursuit that combines a love for the game with the art of landscape photography. As we’ve seen through the stunning example of Heritage Bel Ombre in Mauritius—a course where every hole offers panoramic ocean views alongside a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve—the setting provides an incredible canvas. However, it is the photographer’s skill in capturing that beauty that transforms a simple snapshot into golf photography art.

By mastering the principles of light, composing with intent, and choosing the right gear for each specific shot, you can move beyond simple documentation. You can begin to tell the story of the course, highlighting its unique golf course architecture and the emotions it evokes. Whether you’re using a professional DSLR vs. a mirrorless camera or leveraging the unique perspective of a drone, the techniques in this guide are your roadmap to producing professional grade, breathtaking images.

Now it’s your turn. Take these tips, get out on the course early, and start seeing the game through a new lens.

What is the most beautiful golf course you have ever photographed or dreamed of photographing? Share your thoughts in the comments below

Last update on 2026-02-19 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API