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Multi ministry camera ban frustrates artists (Kuwait bans DSLR cameras)
The Kuwait Times ^ | 11/20/2010 | Abdullah Al-Qattan

Posted on 11/24/2010 4:18:37 PM PST by Yossarian

KUWAIT: After the ban three ministries placed on photography, most Kuwaiti youth are a bit confused about what to do with their cameras if they can't use them in public and why such laws were implemented in the first place. The Ministry of Information, Ministry of Social Affairs and Ministry of Finance recently came to the conclusion that photography should be used for journalism purposes only. This has resulted in the ban of Digital Single Lens Reflex Cameras (DSLRs) in public, on the streets and in malls .

What most Kuwaiti photographers have come to wonder is how such a decision could be reached by authorities, especially considering that digital cameras and cell phone cameras have the same abilities. What most people think of photography as a hobby has become a bit misguided due to the fact that the country has so little exposure to art. While using a DSLR, passersby may wonder if the camera is being used for the wrong reasons.

Mohammed Al-Eisa, who picked up photography as a hobby more than 10 years ago, said that he has decided to take photos of animals or still life due to the fact that these subjects don't mind having their picture taken and don't make a scene. "I started facing problems the very first day I bought my camera," Mohammed added.

What often happens is that a big black camera tends to worry people. Taking a picture of a stranger would seem like much less of an issue if you were using a more discreet camera or even a cell phone. Mariam Al-Fodiry said that she has faced similar problems with her hobby and that being a girl doesn't help at all. She said that in some cases it makes the problem even worse. "Switching to abstract and landscape photography was one the options I considered after getting into enough trouble," Mariam said.

Majed Al-Saqer said that sometimes people stop him while he is in his car with his camera, as if he were planning to kill someone with it. He said that he isn't sure what the real problem is, whether it is people taking photos of each other or the size of the camera.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: dslr; islam; kuwait; photography
More advancements in science, technology, and art from the Religion of Piece(s).

So may this serve as a warning to any NASA apparatchik who gets sent to Kuwait to make Muslims feel better about their contributions to the space program: You better not pack your best camera for the trip!

1 posted on 11/24/2010 4:18:50 PM PST by Yossarian
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To: Yossarian

Yeah people are often frightened by the size of my camera. LOL


2 posted on 11/24/2010 4:22:41 PM PST by cripplecreek (Remember the River Raisin! (look it up))
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To: cripplecreek
Yeah people are often frightened by the size of my camera. LOL

When I whip mine out, everybody stands back...

(Yeah, this actually is my setup, scarily enough....)

3 posted on 11/24/2010 4:29:47 PM PST by Yossarian (Heartfelt thanks, Tea Party Patriots! Despite slander and muck, you pulled through!)
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To: Yossarian
That's one heck of a camera!!
4 posted on 11/24/2010 4:39:08 PM PST by Ken522
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To: Yossarian

I’m thinking if we could get CAIR engaged on this in the US we might be able to do something about red light cameras.


5 posted on 11/24/2010 4:42:25 PM PST by Joe 6-pack (Que me amat, amet et canem meum)
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To: Yossarian
sure, with that window breaker lens shroud
6 posted on 11/24/2010 4:42:25 PM PST by Chode (American Hedonist - *DTOM* -ww- NO Pity for the LAZY)
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To: Yossarian

I’m thinking if we could get CAIR engaged on this in the US we might be able to do something about red light cameras.


7 posted on 11/24/2010 4:42:25 PM PST by Joe 6-pack (Que me amat, amet et canem meum)
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To: Yossarian

Its not the size of your camera but the magic in the lens.


8 posted on 11/24/2010 4:48:36 PM PST by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: Joe 6-pack

Yeah, start off with a test-case in Dearborn MI, and use that as nation-wide precedence...


9 posted on 11/24/2010 5:08:22 PM PST by Yossarian (Heartfelt thanks, Tea Party Patriots! Despite slander and muck, you pulled through!)
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To: Yossarian

***KUWAIT: After the ban three ministries placed on photography,...***

Momammed didn’t have a camera so cameras are basicly un-islamic.


10 posted on 11/24/2010 5:25:52 PM PST by Ruy Dias de Bivar (I visited GEN TOMMY FRANKS Military Museum in HOBART, OKLAHOMA! Well worth it!)
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To: Yossarian
Hmm. . . . used DSLRs on ebay will be cheap!

My set up!

11 posted on 11/24/2010 5:28:45 PM PST by Islander7 (If you want to anger conservatives, lie to them. If you want to anger liberals, tell them the truth.)
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To: Yossarian

Re your camera:

Is that a door-breaching hood on the lens?


12 posted on 11/24/2010 5:56:25 PM PST by Pearls Before Swine (/s, in case you need to ask)
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To: Yossarian
Back in the day, enforcing permit requirements on movie makers (and collecting fees from them) was easy because those big-ole cameras were easy to spot. DSLR’s are now being used in feature film and commercial production, so it's hard to tell whether the guy carrying one is a hobbyist or a producer. I wonder if that has something to do with this decision?
13 posted on 11/24/2010 6:20:32 PM PST by ArmstedFragg (hoaxy dopey changey)
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To: Yossarian

I was at a major football game last weekend and saw at least two monster cameras probably not much shy of 50 pounds. They had their own pedestal, and the lens apparatus seemed to be nearly 2 feet long.

I would guess that it would take at least 20 or 30 seconds to get the camera stabilized enough to make a shot. What is the utility of cameras such as these?


14 posted on 11/24/2010 8:07:59 PM PST by Fractal Trader
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To: Yossarian

We should have never meddled with Iraq when it took over Kuwait. Americans died to restore an Islamic despotic kingdom. As time marches on it looks more and more that the Bushes are buddies with fascist Muslims.


15 posted on 11/24/2010 8:13:28 PM PST by LoneRangerMassachusetts (The meek shall not inherit the Earth)
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To: Yossarian

We should have never meddled with Iraq when it took over Kuwait. Americans died to restore an Islamic despotic kingdom. As time marches on it looks more and more that the Bushes are buddies with fascist Muslims.


16 posted on 11/24/2010 8:16:36 PM PST by LoneRangerMassachusetts (The meek shall not inherit the Earth)
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To: Yossarian

What a shame. There are some talented photographers in that country:

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=Kuwait&w=all


17 posted on 11/24/2010 8:54:12 PM PST by Darnright (There can never be a complete confidence in a power which is excessive. - Tacitus)
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