Job Discussion Forums

hehaheha · Joined: 10 Mar 2009 Posts: 47

I heard it is against law to take fotos of ladies.
But we still can take pics of ourselves. right?

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Be very careful about using a camera in public. Best to not even try.

Pikgitina · Joined: 09 Jan 2006 Posts: 420 Location: KSA

scot47's right about being careful, but that doesn't mean you can't take any.

I took pictures all over Saudi Arabia - without a hassle. Be discreet and if there are people in the background who you think may be offended, wait until they're gone.

Obviously, don't go and point your camera at women, especially not at Saudi women! Shocked

johnslat · Posted: Mon Apr 27, 2009 6:46 pm Post subject:

I can recall one teacher who had a camera that took pictures from the side. You'd be pointing the camera in one (innocuous) direction, but you'd really be taking a photo of someone/something else ninety degrees to the left.
Which struck me as ingenuous but very risky.

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

also possibly unethical....

007

hehaheha · Joined: 10 Mar 2009 Posts: 47

Many thanks to all! Your replies cleared some confusions in my head.
Actually I just want to take fotos for my daughter when we visit some special scenes, and am not interested in their ladies, government or military camps at all.

Neil McBeath · Joined: 01 Dec 2005 Posts: 277 Location: Saudi Arabia

The law on this one changed after the death of King Fahad.

Provided you do not take photos of "sensitive" areas - i.e. anything to do with the military, women and, oddly enough, water towers, you are quite safe.

When I was in Al Khobar I was toild that it was sudden death to take photos along the Corniche. So I went down at eight in the morning, took my photos, and was completely undisturbed. The only people around were some Indian labourers asleep in the shade of a tree.

I think what happened was that the Society for the Prevention of Vice etc. lost this battle after the development of mobile phones with inbuilt cameras. It became impossible to police, and real, obvious cameras are actually now less threatening. Anybody who is around can see what you are doing, and can generally work out what it is you are photographing.

cmp45 · Joined: 17 Aug 2004 Posts: 1475 Location: KSA

This rule seems really dumb, when 99.9% of the women are covered from head to toe.

You think anyone would recognize "her"?

Nonetheless, when in KSA best to follow their rules or face the consequences.

trapezius · Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2009 5:32 am Post subject:

Photography in public is perfectly legal. (made legal by a Royal Decree a couple to a few years back, and it made the top headline in Arab News!)

As other have said, just try to exercise caution.

I have taken thousands of pictures here, from moving cars, of [expensive] moving cars, while walking the streets, in malls, in restaurants, on the Corniche, in hotels, in Balad in Jeddah (old city... packed with a gazillion people 24 hrs a day), and more!

12 Monkeys · Joined: 06 Apr 2009 Posts: 82 Location: paradise lost

Only if you're a tourist.

also in saudi · Joined: 26 Feb 2006 Posts: 137

Be very careful. Police are much more concerned with picture takers than they are with removing extremely bad drivers from the roads.