Photoshoot in Istanbul: where to shoot, what a location costs and which rules apply

In Istanbul only the location has an official price, not the photographer. Milli Saraylar, the National Palaces administration, rents out the gardens of five historic pavilions for private shoots by the hour, while no state tariff covers the photographer's work: you agree the fee with the photographer directly. We found no procedure in official sources for permits for a private photoshoot on a street or waterfront, but palaces, mosques and drones have rules of their own.

How much a photoshoot in Istanbul costs

The price is made up of the photographer's fee and the location fee, if the location charges one. Fees are published only by photographers themselves and by aggregator sites; there is no official tariff, so we give no figures. The fees for the pavilion gardens are listed in the Milli Saraylar fee table (annex Ek-10); as of 7 November 2026, one hour of shooting costs:

• Küçüksu Pavilion (Küçüksu Kasrı) on the Asian shore of the Bosphorus: 40,000 TL;
• Ihlamur Pavilion (Ihlamur Kasrı) in Beşiktaş and Beykoz Mecidiye Pavilion (Beykoz Mecidiye Kasrı) on the Asian shore: 30,000 TL each;
• the Maslak Pavilions (Maslak Kasırları) and Aynalıkavak Pavilion (Aynalıkavak Kasrı) in Hasköy on the Golden Horn: 25,000 TL each.

A shoot shorter than an hour is charged as a full hour. If you cancel the application in writing, the administration refunds half the amount, and the date can be moved once.

Pavilion gardens: how to book an official shoot

The Milli Saraylar rules call this kind of photoshoot hatıra fotoğrafı, a "keepsake shoot": a shoot for an engagement, wedding, birthday, anniversary or other personal occasion, with no advertising. It takes place in the gardens of the five pavilions listed above, every day from 09:00 to 16:00. The application consists of a payment receipt, a petition and a written undertaking; the forms are posted on the service page, and you can send the set to etkinlik@millisaraylar.gov.tr, by fax, by post or in person to the administration's registry office.

No more than four groups work in one garden at the same time, and each may have no more than six people, photographer included; other guests buy an ordinary garden ticket. On days when the pavilion is open to visitors, the shoot must not disturb them. Küçüksu and Beykoz Mecidiye stand on the Asian shore of the Bosphorus, while Ihlamur is tucked away in a green valley between the hills of Beşiktaş, Yıldız and Nişantaşı.

Flying dress: where it is allowed and where it is not

Since 15 May 2026 you may not enter the palaces and pavilions of Milli Saraylar, including Dolmabahçe and Topkapı, in a wedding or evening dress, in costume or in clothing that looks like advertising. In the gardens, on the waterfronts and in other outdoor visitor areas, taking photos in such clothing is banned, even on a phone. A rented flying dress is in effect an evening dress (abiye), and the rules list it among the banned outfits. The rules do not say outright whether it is allowed on a paid keepsake shoot in the pavilion gardens, so ask about it in your application.

That is why such shoots usually take place on private rooftops and on café and hotel terraces with city views, where the owner sets the terms. According to the Tourdom.ru portal (December 2025), a rooftop near the Galata Tower is especially popular; tourists in the same report complain of queues lasting hours without a booking. We do not name specific venues: there is no independent rating, and terms often change.

The Bosphorus, a proposal on a yacht and the Maiden's Tower

The classic Bosphorus shot is taken on the Ortaköy waterfront: the official tourism portal GoTürkiye describes it as the spot where the Mecidiye Mosque of 1853, the Bosphorus Bridge and the strait itself fit into one frame. On the Asian shore the gardens of Küçüksu and Beykoz Mecidiye run down to the water, but shooting there is possible only with a paid application.

A marriage proposal on a yacht has no official price: we found no published tariff for such a service. How the city ferries, tours and yacht hire on the strait work is explained on the Bosphorus cruise page. The Maiden's Tower is photographed from the shore steps of Üsküdar on the Asian side, opposite the islet; for sunset in this area, see the Istanbul page.

Dawn without the crowds

Museums and palaces open in the morning on a set schedule (hours are on the place pages), and the pavilion gardens accept shoots only during the day, so at dawn you are left with streets, squares and waterfronts that need no ticket. Good spots for such a shot are the square between Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, the Ortaköy waterfront and the lanes around the Galata Tower. The light and the time of sunrise change with the seasons, so check the exact time in the weather forecast the day before.

Do you need a permit in palaces and mosques?

In the Milli Saraylar palaces, visitors may take pictures inside only with a phone, while professional shoots need a separate permit and a fee; more on this on the Dolmabahçe page.

For mosques we found no official procedure for photoshoot permits, either from Diyanet or from the Istanbul mufti's office. Worshippers are not photographed: this is part of mosque etiquette, covered on the Hagia Sophia page. A staged shoot inside can lead to a criminal case. In August 2023, according to Diken, prosecutors opened an investigation into a director and a model who had staged a fashion shoot in Ankara's Kocatepe Mosque, under the article on openly insulting religious values, and Diyanet filed a complaint against them.

How to find a photographer

In March 2026, the Istanbul chamber of professional photographers (İstanbul Profesyonel Foto Sanatkarları Esnaf Odası), in an interview with the Anadolu agency, advised choosing a photographer who pays taxes and belongs to the chamber, and signing a contract. According to the chamber's chair, Dilek Camcı, all the complaints it receives concern photographers found online. We do not recommend specific photographers, but the contract is worth checking on a few points:

• who pays for the location and submits the application, if the shoot is in a pavilion garden;
• how long the shoot lasts, how many edited photos you will get and by when;
• whether the photographer may publish the pictures on their own channels;
• what happens in rain or strong wind: a new date or a refund.

Do not make passers-by, other people's windows or courtyards part of the set; if a person in the frame is recognisable, ask for their consent.

Can you fly a drone?

Drone flights in Turkey are regulated by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (SHGM). According to the Alomaliye portal, a new SHT-İHA instruction came into force on 30 July 2026: the right to fly now depends on the category of pilot licence (P0 for hobby flights within line of sight, P1 for commercial ones, P2 for flights beyond line of sight), registration and permits are moving to the İHATTYS system, and in its "green zones" no separate permit will be needed. How these rules apply to a tourist with their own drone could not be checked: as of 7 November 2026 the SHGM website would not open. Do not fly a drone until you have confirmation from SHGM.

Drones are banned on the grounds of the Milli Saraylar palaces and pavilions. Aerial filming there is allowed only with the administration's permission and an SHGM document, no higher than the buildings and without leaving the grounds.

Photo: Calistemon · CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ortak%C3%B6y_Mosque_and_Bosphorus_Bridge,_March_2024_01.jpg)