Category: Photography

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.

The only camera I have with me right now on my vacation is the iPhone 4S and so far it’s been pretty great. One advantage the iPhone (or any phone cam) has over a regular camera is the fact you can share the photos instantly, kinda like Polaroid’s. I’ve been posting a lot of photos on Instagram and I just found a way to share them with none Instragam users using a site called Extragram. So if you want to check out the photos I’ve been taking on my trip just click [Here]

It looks pretty good in this pictures. [Link]

Update: I’ve been requested to remove the picture.

Picture above is before the roundabout was built. You actually drove through the gate! [Source]

Found this great black and white shot of the House of Parliament on Flickr. The photo was taken by interior architect Jeffrey van der Wees and he’s got a few more great shots he took while he was in Kuwait which you can check out on his Flickr page [Here]

A Flickr user uploaded two high resolution shots of the British Airways plane that was destroyed at the Kuwait Airport during the Iraqi invasion back in 1990. I had seen shots of the plane before but this is the first time it’s in high resolution. According to the uploader the shots were taken by his boss. [Shot 1] [Shot 2]

There is a local website called Photo Lenders which rents out photography equipment like lenses and cameras for reasonable prices. This concept isn’t new since it already exists in the States but it’s still great that someone decided to set up something similar in Kuwait. I’m sure all the local photographers are going to appreciate this and I’m personally waiting for them to start renting out cameras as well. Check out the website [Here]