Category: Photography

One of the cameras I have my eyes on is the new Nikon D800. It just got announced earlier in the month and is slated to hit the shelves around the world in March. According to the local Nikon dealer they’re expecting to get the camera (if everything goes according to plan) by mid March. I’m going to upgrade my D90 to the D800 as soon as it’s released so can’t wait.

A reader took these pictures yesterday of paragliders flying over the Gulf Road celebrating National Day. I have to say the cityscape in the background looks pretty cool in this light.

Thanks Maro

I’m really excited to post about this place since it’s about damn time we get a specialized photography store in Kuwait. Over the weekend I was planning to order a Think Tank bag from Amazon. I didn’t go through with the order since I was planning to go to Dubai today and figured I would get it from there. My trip got cancelled and I was going to order the bag tonight when I found out on twitter about Alghunaim Photography. Talk about the perfect timing!

Alghunaim Photography just recently opened up in Baitak Tower. They’re a small store but they’ve got some very cool brands including Think Tank bags, Manfrotto tripods and bags, National Geographic bags, Hoodman accessories, Kata bags, Lenspen, LockCircle, Datacolor products, Black Rapid camera straps and more. They actually still have more brands on the way but even with what they have right now they’re already my favorite photography store.

The bag I was interested in was the Think Tank Retrospective 5. It’s a small shoulder bag that I wanted for my tiny Panasonic GX1 camera. It costs around KD40 on Amazon and with tax and shipping to Kuwait it was going to end up costing me at least KD50. At Alghunaim they’re selling it for just KD45! The owner is actually trying his best to match his prices to Amazon. With the Manfrotto items for example he told me his prices should be equal to that of Amazon which I think is great. They also have a lot of National Geographic bags although I didn’t spot the tiny one that’s popular with X100 owners.

Another interesting thing the owner is trying to do is create a used camera market. He wants to start displaying and selling used cameras in his store so if you have one you’re planning to sell you should pass by.

I really hope the store does well and I also hope the prices stay the same. They don’t have an online website yet but their store is easy to find and there is a ton of parking as well. They’re located in Baitak Tower in Kuwait City (facing Safat Square) and they’re on the ground floor opposite Starbucks. You can also call them on 99066601 or 90023334.

You could also visit their website [Here]

More pictures below.

Here are some photos from the 1977 National Day Parade that took place on the Gulf Road. All the photos are by mgmaniac.

Below are shots of me at what I think is the 1979 National Day Parade since I look around a year old in the pictures.

Sheraton looks pretty good in 1965. Supposedly it was the first Sheraton to open outside of North America. I say supposedly because I also read Sheraton Tel Aviv was first. Check out the much larger shot [Here]

I found a few old pictures of Kuwait on Magnum Photos which I thought would be fun to try and replicate today. I started off with two which I thought would be the easiest since they’re located next to my office.

The first photo I chose was a colored one from 1965. The building is still there although very slightly modified with less transparent glass and some minor change on the roof. The mosque though is not there anymore instead it’s a parking lot and a bit of greenery.

The second photo I chose was a black and white one of the KNPC building when it was still being constructed. The road in front of it is now slightly different but the building is pretty much the same and today occupied by Soor.

I have to say it’s not as easy as I thought it would be. I tried to stand and get the same angle as the original photographer had gotten but without knowing what lens he had used and the fact that everything is so different today it really makes it difficult. Will try and do more of these every now and then.

The Meteorological Department is holding a photography contest. If you want to participate you need to submit a photograph you’ve taken related to a meteorological phenomenon in Kuwait. First place prize is KD100, second is KD75 and third place is KD50. Fourth to tenth place will also receive KD30 each. Not very large amounts of money but it’s very easy to take part in and there are going to be 10 winners in total. Closing date for the competition is March 13th. Check their contest page for more information [Here]

I was going through Brett Jordan’s photos on Flickr and checking out some shop names in close up when I found this old Alshaya Construction office. According to the Alshaya website:

Between the 1960s and 1970s we expanded substantially, developing distinct businesses in real estate, construction, hotels, automotive and general trading.

According to Brett Jordan the photo was taken in 1960. I thought that was interesting.

The team behind photo documentary Kuwait Invasion: The Evidence is now in the process of putting together another project but this time on the Free Kuwait Campaign and they need your help.

In the coming weeks freekuwait.org.kw is going to be launched and they would like to hear from people who have videos of the Free Kuwait Campaign events that took place in London from August 1990 through February 1991. If you have anything please contact them on [email protected]

This is another important archiving project and whatever you have will prove to be very valuable in preserving this period of Kuwait’s history.

You can now view the entire collection of winning images from the 55th World Press Photo contest [Here]. There are a ton of great shots but below you can find some of my favorites:

Lucha libre at La Loba
15 June 2011
Masked luchadores at La Loba in the Chimalhuacán neighborhood of Mexico City. Lucha libre, the Mexican version of free wrestling, is probably only rivaled by soccer in popularity among Mexican people, and its cultural impact may be even greater.

Cliff-Climbing Polar Bear Attempting to Eat Seabird Eggs
30 July 2011

A male polar bear climbs precariously on the face of a cliff above the ocean at Ostrova Oranskie in northern Novaya Zemlya, attempting to feed on seabird eggs. This bear was marooned on land and unable to feed on seals–its normal prey–because sea ice had melted throughout the region and receded far to the north as a result of climate change.

North Korea
05 October 2011

A picture of North Korea’s founder, Kim Il-sung, decorates a building in the capital Pyongyang.

Occupy Wall Street
21 October 2011

Arrest of protesters in Harlem, New York, during a demonstration against police tactics and income inequality.

Here is a link to all the winning photos [Link]

I finally got my GX1 camera. I originally ordered it at the beginning of December but the camera with the specific lens I wanted started shipping end of January and Aramex just dropped it off to my office earlier today. The GX1 is a replacement for my Panasonic GF1 which was (and still is) one of the most enjoyable cameras I’ve ever used. So far the GX1 seems exactly like the GF1 except better although it’s still too early to get a first impression. I’ll be posting my view on it after using it for awhile.

I ordered the Panasonic GX1 with the 14-42mm x power lens from [Amazon]

I’m uploading and sharing a lot of photos on Instagram while I’m here on vacation and you can check them all out by clicking [Here]

I was just checking out some cameras for a friend and noticed Amazon has an incredible sale on the Panasonic GF2. They’re selling it along with the 14-42mm lens for just $350! That’s a really great deal. Here is the [Link]

The Kuwait Towers in Middle East by Eric Walker

Eric Walker, a blog reader sent me a link to a 360 Panorama he took at the Kuwait Towers. I thought he used some special equipment since the panorama is seamless and very well made but after talking to him it turns out he used just a regular camera with some accessories and software. Here is how he does his panoramas:

– He uses a regular point and shoot camera on regular tripod but he’s added a panorama tripod head mount (similar to these)

– He takes on average 40 shots depending on the scene. He prefers to have a tall structure nearby so that the majority of the panorama doesn’t result in just a plain blue sky. To get a clear shot of the ground below the camera without the camera shadow, he cheats and moves the camera back a bit and then takes the shot

– He uses the photo stitching software PTGui to stitch the photos all together. You can get that software from [Here]

– As a last step he uploads the final stitched image to his 360 Cities account where it is then reviewed by their council of reviewers. If they don’t find any stitching errors or other problems, the panorama gets published to their website and it can then be placed in Google Earth (360 Cities is the only panorama site that is partnered with Google)

Here are some other Kuwait panoramas Eric has taken:
Behind the Kuwait Towers
The Scientific Center of Kuwait
Mutla Ridge

Here are some Kuwait panoramas taken by other photographers:
Onboard Al-Boom Dhow
Hawally Park
Dhow in Souk Sharq
360 Mall
Kuwait Seaside Sunset
Heritage Souk
Salhia Complex
Water Clock in Souk Sharq Kuwait
Rooftop Swimming Pool

The Ministry of Information launched a photo election stream for the first time a few days back. The ministry is sending photographers to cover different events relating to the upcoming elections and then uploading their photos to their Flickr account. The photos are being uploaded every two days at full resolution and undoctored. They’re also allowing anyone to use their photos as long as you credit the source and not profit from the photos. You can check out the photos so far by visiting their Flickr account [Here]