This is what your regular Kuwaiti suburb looks like. I pass by this street every day on my way to uni. I’d normally hate it, except for the fact that both of my grandparents’ houses are across this street. I could always make a stop there if I didn’t feel like going to class. They don’t mind!
Note: This is the fifth in a series of six stories that are being done by participants of the HooHaa Holga Challenge. The rest will run through Friday. See information for the rest at the bottom of this post.
By Nada AlMarshad
My love for medium format photography began when I purchased my Holga back in early 2009.
I didn’t know much about film photography back then, and getting a toy camera felt right at the time. I instantly fell in love with this camera the minute I held it in my hands, and grew to appreciate it even more since then.
Each Tuesday, our local supermarket has sales on the fruit and vegetables section. Finding a parking spot on a Monday morning is almost always impossible. According to mom, either you go very early in the morning, or don’t bother going at all.
All of my favorite photos that I have taken over the years had one thing in common — they were taken with a Holga! The nature of this camera gave me room to experiment with film and techniques without being afraid to ruin it.
I used to be an avid photographer, always trying different styles of photography until I found the ones that suited me best. That was until I started university in late 2009.
I enrolled in Kuwait University’s civil engineering program, a very demanding major that requires a lot of hard work and dedication (even sleepless nights at times!) School took most, if not all, of my time.
Two years went by and I felt like I wasn’t improving as a photographer. I started to lose interest in photography all together, until the end of 2011. I read a quote by Henri Cartier-Bresson (my hero!) and it stuck with me forever.
Sharq seafront promenade. A cool place to chill and read a book (but definitely not in the summer, unless you fancy a sunburn!) For some reason, I always find myself coming to this place whenever I get a new camera and want to shoot a test roll. I shot my first Holga film at location three years ago.
He said, “Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.”
It all made sense to me.
I made it my goal to challenge myself as a photographer this year, and take whatever opportunity presented to me to try something new, and just keep taking pictures. Naturally, this challenge was perfect to me. Another reason I decided to do this challenge is to re-discover the beauty of my own town, something that I desperately needed in the midst of the political chaos my country is going through.
I’m mostly used to taking photos when I’m abroad, since it’s easier to snap pictures of people when you’re a tourist. Carrying my Holga with me wherever I go and taking it out whenever I see something interesting and worth capturing was a challenge by itself, since people here are a tiny bit sensitive about having their pictures taken by a complete stranger, which I totally understand.
A very popular fishing spot. These kids were very camera shy at first, but after I talked to them, they didn’t mind me taking pictures. The building in the background is a huge fish market.
Another one of the difficulties was using 400ISO film. I usually work with either 100, 160, or 200 ISO film. Fast films (+400 ISO) will always result in overly-exposed frames, since it’s almost always sunny outside.
Now, back to my home town.
Kuwait City is the heart of this country. All together, Kuwait is roughly about the size of the state of New Jersey — 17,820 km to be precise.
Kuwait City occupies about 200 km of the area. That’s about 1.12% of the country, so you can imagine how tiny it is!
More fishing.
From the famous Kuwait Towers, to the Seif Palace, to theNational Museum, to the tallest sculpted tower in the world (Al Hamra Tower, that is), Kuwait City is home to most of the country’s landmarks.
What I love most about Kuwait City is the mix of the old and the new, which is greatly reflected in the architecture.
You have high-rise buildings at one side of the city, and the old souks at the other, and somehow the two blend so well together.
I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them, even though I know they won’t do this beautiful city any justice.
More images from Nada’s challenge are below:
The Kuwaiti parliament, or as they call it, Majlis AlUmmah (House of the Nation). I absolutely love the exterior of this building (not so much a fan of what’s going *inside* though). Anyway, the building was designed by the great Danish architect ?Jørn Utzon? sometime in the 70’s. (Same guy who did the Sydney House of Opera. Awesome, isn’t?)
Since the temperature can reach up to 52C during the summer, it’s very common to see ice cream vendors roaming the streets. (And if you happen to catch one, always go for Barrid Lulu! Best ice-cream .150 fils could buy)
One of the alleys of Souq AlMubarkeya. Kuwait’s oldest, and largest traditional market. You can find pretty much everything at reasonable price there if you are good at bargaining. Beside the shops, the souk includes a fish market, farmers markets for fresh fruits and vegetables, and a gold market. Interesting combination, I know. Also, if you happen to be a street photographer, this place is excellent for you.
Dalag Suhail, a restaurant in Souk AlMubarkeya, where they specialize in serving traditional dishes. It’s usually packed during the winter, when they serve the tea kettle on a coal plate.
Restaurants in Souq Almubarkeya.
The front of a Bisht* store. The sign on the left reads “Worn by the grandparents. Inherited by the grandchildren. Made from the finest wool.” (*Bisht: a traditional Arabic men’s cloak popular in Arabia and some Arab countries. Mainly worn for special occasions.)
Marina Mall, the second largest shopping mall in Kuwait. Between all the shopping malls in Kuwait City (not complaining since I’m a bit of a shopaholic), this, by far, id the quietest.
See more of Nada on the web:
- Blog
- Tumblr
- Shoot-Film (contributing writer)
HooHaa Holga Challenge:
- Day 1: Totness, England
- Day 2: Waco, Texas
- Day 3: Geneva, Switzerland
- Day 4: Seattle, Washington
Day six of the HooHaa Holga Challenge is Thursday, with P.J. and Delhi, N.Y.
This was a really cool series. I loved it. For someone who doesn’t always use those speeds of film, these came out great. Love the ice cream man shot. Kuwait has also intrigued me for a long time. It seems like it would be an awesome place to see in person!
I totally agree with you P.J.
That was a lovely set of photos and I really enjoyed the write up as well.
These are lovely photos and I really enjoyed the words that went with them. This has been a great project.
well done nada! I love this.. and I love the first photographs. When I come back, we need to get togther and we do it together.
Shaima recently posted..Walkabout
Beautiful pictures!! I would love to visit Kuwait someday and your pictures just helped me remember why. Keep shooting!
Becky recently posted..The Fallout of Drunken Nonsense
A great edition to the My Town series, the photos offer a wonderful glimpse into everyday life in Kuwait City. I particularly like the image made of the alleyway of Souq AlMubarkeya.
The quote about your first 10,000 photographs being bad has a lot of truth to it. No one starts out taking great photos, sure some of it is intuition and the like, but a large majority of photography is created through repetition and practice. The more you shoot the better you get.