Category: Photography

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]

A reader sent me the Kuwait timelapse he did above in which he used three Canon cameras, a 5DMKII, a 7D and a 60D to create. He also used a Kessler Crane Philip Bloom Pocket Dolly although I’m not sure if he had to move the camera manually or if it was automated using a motor and controller. It took him around 3 months of shooting which resulted in 40,000 shots and it then took him a month to edit the video.

Not all the scenes in the video above look great since the dull sky wasn’t helping but the ones that do work end up working really well. [YouTube]

Update: Below is a shot of his setup. Based on the shot his dolly was motorized.

Thanks Ali

Ok, the title is not true but more than once I’ve mislead Kuwait new comers into believing we were about to take the subway when walking down towards the Darwaza Abdul Razaq Tunnel in Kuwait City (pictured above). Even once you’re inside the tunnel and you realize it’s just a pedestrian tunnel, it’s still not hard to imagine a pair of escalators located in a corner that can take you further down below towards the trains. That’s why I always found that tunnel interesting and I don’t think there is anything else like it in Kuwait.

The Architecture of Kuwait blog has a bunch of pictures of this underground pedestrian tunnel and you can see them [Here]

Photography Exhibition and a Competition Announcement
Date: Tuesday, 10th January 2012
Time: 7:00pm
Location: Sultan Gallery, Sabhan

@SSHDesignClub and @Archofkuwait have organized a photography exhibition called Kuwait – Early 50 Years where they will be exhibiting old photos of Kuwait with some that might never have been seen before. At the photography exhibition they will also be announcing a competition called Kuwait 2061 which will be open to everyone to participate in.

The competition will be about how Kuwait might look like 50 years from now and you will be able to share your vision by any means possible as long as it fits onto a 50×50 board. The full details of the competition will be made clear on Tuesday at the event.

For now you can check out their Facebook page for more information [Link]

Is it just me or are all the new buildings in Kuwait City becoming light shows at night?

Photo by sharooopa

You’ve probably passed by this building a number of times but not really known what it was or what’s inside. It’s currently getting demolished which is why I thought I would share some pictures I took back in 2003. Back then the building was still open and me and my friend decided to explore it and take some pictures. Most of the shots I had taken were abstract (it was a phase I went through) but I did find some shots that actually showed some of the interior which I posted below. We found a room full of files that contained dates and times of ships passing through some dating back to the 70s and I’m sure there might have been some even older. I kinda regret not taking more photos and flipping through more files but this is still better than nothing.