Street Photography in Yogyakarta

Malioboro is the city's main shopping street, running north from the palace toward the station. By day it is shops and becak drivers waiting for fares. At night the pavements fill with street food stalls and buskers, and ooa revo found street artists painting canvases right on the sidewalk. Asian Itinerary suggests leaving the main strip for the alleys, with batik workshops and rows of becaks by old Dutch era buildings. Come at dusk. Frame a becak driver resting in his seat with the lit street behind. Watch your bag in the crowds.

Beringharjo is the historic market just off Malioboro, near the palace. Batik fills the ground floor, and upstairs herbalists sell jamu, traditional medicine, often a craft passed down for generations. Indonesia Travel recommends the morning for photography, when locals do their everyday shopping and the eastern building is busiest. Light comes in from the doors and gaps, so find a vendor near an entrance. Frame hands measuring herbs or folding cloth. It is busy and safe, but keep bags closed in the dense aisles.

The Kraton is the palace of the Sultan of Yogyakarta, still a working court. Inside, palace retainers in traditional Javanese dress and batik go about their duties, and cultural performances are held on some mornings. Opening hours are limited, usually mornings only, so check locally. Outside the walls, the Kraton district is a neighborhood of lanes and small mosques where daily life goes on. Walk the lanes after your visit. Dress modestly and follow the staff's rules on photography inside.

Taman Sari is the old royal water garden, a complex of bathing pools linked by tunnels. Asian Itinerary recommends 8:00 to 9:00, when crowds are thin and light filters through the stone openings in natural spotlights. The underground mosque, Sumur Gumuling, has a round well of stairs that is famous with photographers. Around it lies a residential kampung with murals and narrow lanes. Wait at the foot of the stairs for someone to walk into the light from above. People live in the kampung, so keep your voice down.

Alun-Alun Kidul is the southern square behind the palace. At night it fills with families and students renting pedal cars covered in colored lights. The tradition of masangin sees people try to walk blindfolded between two big banyan trees in the middle, which gives you candid moments of laughter and confusion. Come after 19:00. Use a slow shutter to turn the lit cars into streaks behind a still figure, or shoot the blindfolded walkers from the side. Street food stalls line the edge.

Tugu is the white monument at the north end of the city's main axis, which runs south through Malioboro to the palace. It stands in the middle of a busy junction and is a favorite night photo spot for locals. At night, people gather on the corners to take pictures of each other with the lit monument. Use the monument as a background and photograph the people photographing it. Traffic is constant, so shoot from the corners, never the road.

Kotagede, southeast of the center, was the capital of the Mataram kingdom and is known for its silversmiths. Narrow lanes run between old walls and traditional houses, and the traditional market is busy in the morning. Come early for the market, then walk the lanes toward the royal cemetery and mosque. Silver workshops often let you watch the smiths; ask before photographing inside. Frame a figure in a narrow lane between high walls. It is a residential area, so be discreet.

Prambanan is the great Hindu temple complex about 17 km east of the city. Asian Itinerary suggests walking past the three main temples to the quieter Sewu cluster, and coming on weekday mornings for fewer people. At sunset the spires look dramatic against the sky. On some evenings, the Ramayana ballet is performed with the temples behind. It is more monument than street, but visitors and school groups give you people to work with. There is an entry fee, and it is a popular tour stop, often combined with Borobudur.