Tianya Haijiao tickets: 81 RMB (low season) to 101 RMB (peak). Hours: 7:30am-6:30pm. Best photo windows: 7:30-9:00am and 4:30-6:00pm golden hour. Avoid 10:00am-3:00pm — queues in front of the "Tianya" and "Haijiao" rocks can exceed 30 minutes.
9 photo spots: ① "Tianya" rock front — the classic shot; arrive 7:30-8:00am, use a wide-angle low angle to crop out crowds above; ② "Pillar of the Southern Sky" rock — 45-degree side angle dodges people behind; ③ "Sea Cuts the Southern Sky" carving — carving as foreground, sea as background; ④ Love Stone — couples' hotspot, front composition; ⑤ Rocky coastline — walk 200m along the coast to find crowd-free rocks; ⑥ Coconut path — coconut trees as foreground with sea, full tropical vibe; ⑦ Shell Museum exterior wall — Instagrammable pink wall; ⑧ Tianya Tree — single tree + sea, ins-style; ⑨ Tianya sailing ship — vintage prop.
Gear tips: ① Wide-angle lens (phone 0.5x) for big scenes; ② Polarizing filter to cut sea glare; ③ White or blue clothing photographs cleanest; ④ Avoid fluorescent colors (they clash with seascape); ⑤ Bring flip-flops — some spots require stepping into shallow water. The park isn't large; 2 hours at a slow pace is enough. The priority is nailing the "Tianya" rock shot.