Jabarkan Pengambilan gambar dari Raiders of the Lost Ark

Pengambilan gambar bermula pada 23 Juni 1980. Pengambilan gambar berlangsung di tempat-tempat di La Rochelle, Prancis; Tunisia; dan Hawaii, and on sets at Elstree Studios Studios, England. Elstree was chosen because it was well-staffed with artists and technicians who had worked on Star Wars. On-location shooting cost around $100,000 a day in addition to crew salaries; sets cost an additional $4million. The production could only afford certain equipment for a limited time, including a Panaglide camera stabilizer for smoother shots, and a camera crane for higher angles. To maintain the tight schedule, Spielberg said he "...didn't do 30 or 40 takes; usually only four... Had I had more time and money, it would have turned out a pretentious movie."

Pengambilan gambar bermula di La Rochelle, dengan adegan yang direkam yaitu penangkapan Angin Bantu oleh U-boat Nazi. Watts borrowed a submarine from the war film Das Boot (1981) on condition it not be taken into deep waters. World War II German U-boat pens in La Rochelle represented the U-boat dock. An original coal-fired tramp steamer boat could not be found for filming, so an Egyptian boat found in an Irish port was decorated appropriately and sailed to France.

Produksi film kemudian berpindah ke Elstree Studios pada tanggal 30 Juni. Interior produksi termasuk adegan yang menampilkan seorang imam memecahkan sandi ketopong bajadan kuil Peru. Semasa melakukan pengambilan gambar terhadap adegan Sumur Jiwa, sering sekali terjadi penundaan disebabkan ketersediaan ular yang terlalu sedikit, kekurangan bahan penangkal racun, dan putri Stanley Kubrick, Vivian yang mengunjungi ayahnya di tempat pengambilan gambar The Shining— called the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) about the treatment of the snakes. The interior of Jones' school was filmed at The Royal Masonic School for Girls in Rickmansworth, near Hertfordshire; the exterior is the University of the Pacific in California.

Alih-alih melakukan pengambilan gambar di Mesir bagi adegan yang melibatkan tempat di Mesir, pihak produser menggunakan Tunisia sebagai gantinya. Spielberg menggambarkan fase ini sebagai salah satu pengalaman pembuatan film terburuknya: suhunya sering kali lebih dari 54 °C dan lebih dari 150 anggota kru menjadi sakit dengan disentri amoeba dari makanan lokal. Spielberg was one of the few to remain healthy because he ate food and water he brought from England. Lucas also suffered a severe sunburn and facial swelling. The Cairo village was filmed in the city of Kairouan. A day of filming was lost there because over 300 TV antennas had to be removed from the surrounding houses. Budget constraints impacted Spielberg's desire to have 2,000 extras as diggers; he had to settle for 600. Stuntman Terry Richards, who portrayed the swordsman nonchalantly dispatched by Jones, spent weeks practicing sword skills for an extended fight scene. Ford was unable to perform for long periods while suffering from dysentery, and it was decided to shorten the fight scene significantly. The Sidi Bouhlel canyon near the city of Tozeur is where a rocket launcher-equipped Jones confronts the Nazis for the Ark. Lucas had used the canyon in Star Wars to portray the planet Tatooine. During the scene, a fly crawled into Freeman's mouth during his dialogue, but he continued to deliver his lines.

Pada akhir bulan September, pengambilan gambar dipindahkan ke Hawaii untuk merekam adegan pembuka berlatarkan Peru. Logo Paramount yang melebur menjadi gunung alami merupakan improvisasi oleh Spielberg berdasarkan kebiasaan masa kecilnya melakukan hal yang sama semasa membuat film; gunung itu adalah Gunung Kalalea di Pulau Kaua'i. Meskipun adegan itu tampaknya berlatarkan satu tempat saja, tetapi pengambilan gambarnya dilakukan di 10 wilayah berbeda di Hawaii, termasuk Suaka Margasatwa Nasional Huleia. It was originally more elaborate and longer, featuring an added betrayal by one of Jones' guides, resulting in a fight, and it had more dialogue; this was deemed unnecessary and removed for a tighter paced sequence. The cave's exterior was considered a perfect location, though a nearby pool was a mosquito breeding ground; even with anti-mosquito equipment the crew was bitten. The donkeys used for the trek suffered lameness. It was difficult to find replacements, and eventually, a pair of grey donkeys were painted brown with hair spray and flown by helicopter to the Nā Pali Coast State Park to finish the scene.

Naskah yang terlalu rinci menyebabkan banyak improvisasi, ketika naskah menggambarkan tiga orang berbicara di sebuah ruangan, maka dalam film akan berlangsung di sebuah tambang bersama 500 pemeran tambahan. Adegan seperti gadis muda dengan tulisan "Love You" di seluruh kelopak matanya dan Marion yang mengenakan gaun untuk menyembunyikan senjata juga diimprovisasi. Allen, Lacey, Freeman, and Rhys-Davies sering menghabiskan waktu bersama di sela-sela pengambilan gambar untuk berbincang-bincang dan membahas watak mereka. Allen menggambarkan Harrison sebagai pribadi yang tidak akan membahas wataknya secara rinci dan butuh beberapa saat untuk beradaptasi dengan gaya kerjanya. Pengambilan gambar dituntaskan pada bulan September 1980 dengan menghabiskan waktu 73 hari. Lucas menggambarkannya sebagai film yang paling sedikit bermasalah karena kurangnya gangguan studio.