Photographer and model arrested over nude photoshoot at ancient Egyptian temple
Sep 14, 2017
Dunja Đuđić
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, concerts, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
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From time to time, photography could get you in trouble. For Photographer Jesse Walker and model Marisa Papen, the trouble came while they were shooting nudes in an ancient temple in Luxor, Egypt. They tried hiding from the guards to take the shots, but they got busted. As a result, they faced extremely unpleasant situations and spent a night in a jail cell.
The Australian photographer shot the photos for Enki Eyewear back in April this year. But a couple of days ago, the backstory was published on the Belgian model’s blog. As it turns out, this wasn’t the first time they got busted. It also happened in other locations around Egypt, but they were able to talk their way out of the situation or bribe the guards.
In the Luxor temple, the guards caught them and called the police. According to Papen, Walker deleted the photos from the memory card, and they said they’d just tested the light and hadn’t taken any photos. This didn’t convince the officers, so they strip searched the photographer looking for another card. Papen believes they thought they were shooting porn and “they couldn’t see the link between nudity and art.” After this, as Papen writes, they were “sent from one police station to the other, to court back to jail, back to court.”
They spent the night in a police station that doubled as a jail cell. When they appeared in the court, they played “the role of stupid tourists” who didn’t know dancing nude on Egyptian ground was forbidden. Eventually, they only got a warning from the judge never to do it again. As soon as they got to the hotel room, Walker retrieved the deleted images and they are now published.
Nudity is beautiful and I have nothing against it, but it doesn’t mean you can strip your clothes anywhere. Whenever you travel abroad, I assume you respect the culture of the country you’re visiting. It takes only a little research to find out what’s allowed and what isn’t, and it doesn’t look like the photographer and the model did this research. Or they just didn’t care about the customs and laws, which is a more likely scenario. In my opinion, Walker and Papen acted disrespectfully to the Egyptian culture and probably even their laws. They broke the rules multiple times, so they should be happy they got off with just with a night in a cell and a warning.
I believe this case brings out some questions about respecting other’s culture, rules, and laws as photographers. Art is supposed to push the boundaries, that’s true. But in my opinion, this isn’t the way to do it. Other than obeying the law, I think we should respect other people and their culture when we travel and take photos. I follow the logic “When in Rome…” and try to comply with the rules of the country I visit, both from the respect, but also for my own safety.
I’m curious to hear your thoughts on this matter. Were they “pushing the boundaries,” or it’s just plain disrespect? What would you do?
[via 9News; cover image credits: Jesse Walker]
Dunja Đuđić
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, concerts, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
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42 responses to “Photographer and model arrested over nude photoshoot at ancient Egyptian temple”
Disrespectful
doing this without permission is disrespectful….
Depending on your view of the human body and what is acceptable to display? To some who are very comfortable in their skin it is very natural :)
thats not the question though…..its “where” its being done..
The ancient Egyptians didn’t always wear clothes? ? advocate
The temples they are doing it in have nude people carved on the walls…
“doing this without permission is disrespectful” Dude it’s the only way it would have ever happened, like they would get the OK to do it? Didn’t think that statement through me thinks.
Oh wait, when did we go back in time and found ourselves in ancient Egypt? That’s a poor excuse for an argument about this NOT being disrespectful. If the temple where you want to shoot is sacred or in some way protected and you really really really want to shoot there, then ask, if they say no, then don’t go behind their backs and just have a merry little photo shoot NAKED on your own, it’s just plain rude and disrespectful towards other people and what they find sacred.
its a perfectly sound statement…doing this without permission, knowing full well they would not get it, makes it even worse.
No matter what carvings they have on the wall…they knew they were doing wrong…simples
Duncan Knifton it’s only wrong in some people’s opinion. Others it’s perfectly fine. In ancient Egypt it was perfectly fine. To use the argument it’s disrespectful to the temple isn’t true, it’s not in agreement with the culture that happens to live there now. But those temples under strict Islam should be destroyed as they speak of god’s that are not “the true god” but they leave them alone because they are a massive tourist honey pot, and that helps support the economy. So if they really had stupid religious values at heart they wouldn’t let people near them… The are feigning offense with no valid excuse.
yeh .. disrespectful.
What is this a GetDataBack ad?
Popišaj se sam sebi u rulu majmune odvratni. Saznao sam ko si govedo jedno čobansko.
i was arrest once because i took a video in the kings graves :D
for 30 minutes :D
It’s funny that people go out if their way to be respectful to other culture’s, but not our own.
Most of our countries allow nudity. So… Maybe we are respecting our culture.
You wrote an article about it. Everyone who read it probably googled the model and the photographer. I’d say they got exactly what they were looking for after their night in jail…
When you’re a guest in someone else’s country, you follow their laws and customs. If you don’t intend to do that, stay home.
Disrespectful
If ever there was a culture that needs to learn some tolerance and respect for human rights, it’s any culture based on Sharia Laws.
Who’s being disrespectful?
No tolerance makes this a human rights case.
Have you even ever been to Egypt? Or just basing your opinion off other’s opinions?
That’s a completely different discussion.
Douglas Smith Egypt… first democratic election in their history, they vote in a terrorist network and the first thin the Muslim brotherhood did was suspend democracy and impose sharia law.
Now why in world would I EVER want to spend my money to travel to a country that would behead me the first time I open my mouth?
No thank you.
I’m going to Israel where I can film in relatively safe areas in a country that won’t jail me for ridiculous things.
It was probably intentionally disrespectful. Nude photography is used for two reasons- either to celebrate the beauty of the human body or to give the finger to others.
Disrespectful..
Not disrespectful at all
Thought they were alone, it’s not like the went out there to make a spectacle in front of a crowd.
Plus
The temples they are doing it in have nude people carved on the walls…
At the end of the day it’s people feigning offense based on quasi religious grounds that have no basis in logic, why be sorry for someone else’s small minded idiocy.
Disrespectful. Tasteless.
Hiding from the guards and deleting the photos from the card pretty much tells the story here doesn’t it? They knew.
Why not just photograph the background, and then photograph the model in a studio and combine the two in post? Why disrespect a culture and endanger yourself and your model? Any halfway decent photographer shouldn’t have a problem editing that shot to look natural in Photoshop, and it’s a lot less hassle than going through the Egyptian legal system. I think this “photographer” wanted to get caught just for the attention, which apparently the sensationalist media was all too happy to give him. It’s sad when adults can’t distinguish the difference between good attention and bad attention.
We were all born naked ;)
This is typical of the Anglo-Saxon countries. A naked woman and this is the scandal! But you are not disturbed by movies where 200 people are killed ! Wake up ! These are artistic photos!
Seems they looked around and realized all the possible photos of such places have already been made.
So add something no one else has done. Then the internet will declare us creative, influencers and artists.
Utter twats
Artistic is fine , BUT ,it is not an excuse to be disrespectful … We all have our rules / laws .. Just disrespect as far as I can see …
By all means disrespectful
If going to it you need spotter keep eye out and work out time with less people about a something cover model if someone comes around simple
Totally disrespectful and could lead to the banning of all photography in ancient sites.
So..when muslims come to western world – they have some habits that racists won`t tolerate. But then westerns think that when we go to muslim country – we can do whatever we like.
That is racism at its worst..I mean thinking, that we are somehow better and can insult others when and where we want.
And this is how terrorism starts. Insults after insults and then someone breaks down and fires a bomb.*
Terrorism is made in USA, bombing women and children to pieces in the developing countries starts hundreds new terrorists.
Most hypocrit religious americans have never seen their fathers and mothers or husband or wife naked. So there is nothing to boast about nudity.
A few aphorisms come to mind:
– Better to ask for forgiveness than permission
– Success belongs to the bold
– No pain, no gain
Disrespectful? If they were trying this in a church then I’d fully agree.
Just because it’s not *your* house of worship, it’s OK? Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Pretty low thing to do. Also means innocent youngsters having fun are far less likely to get off with a warning. Also wondering why this site included the link?