Egypt Wikimedians User Group/Activities/Photography trips
Egypt Wikimedians User Group organizes annual photography trips to various cities, events, or regions—whether historical, cultural, or natural—to explore and photograph landmarks and monuments. The aim is to enrich the images on Wikimedia Commons, providing a wealth of photos of the location or event, and to encourage volunteers to contribute their own images to the platform.
These photography trips are crucial to Wikimedia's goals. Their purpose extends beyond simply uploading photos. While many images on Wikimedia Commons are uploaded by ordinary people, most are for entertainment and tourism, or simply to capture the main landmark only. while Wikimedia volunteers have a different perspective, focusing on culture and knowledge. They capture images that express identity and meaning, highlighting aspects often overlooked by ordinary people, and taking rare photos that can benefit Wikimedia projects like Wikipedia.
The Photography trips are also closer to a comprehensive knowledge documentation trip. They are not only for taking pictures, but also involve discovering the place and learning about the culture, customs and folklore in a way that serves unrepresented groups or marginalized areas. There may be forgotten articles on Wikipedia about some cultural or historical matters. Sometimes audio clips of local dialects may be recorded in a way that serves the Wikiquote project. In the Egypt group, photography trips are employed to be more useful and comprehensive in order to serve knowledge.
What the User Group offers
[edit ]The user group offers volunteers who participate in the photography trip coverage for any expenses of the trip, including transportation, entrance tickets, food and drinks, and accommodation if the trip lasts several days. The user group does not provide any direct money to volunteers or rewards for contributing to the trip, nor does it fund any equipment or tools for photographers or participants.
Who join this Trips?
[edit ]The main requirement for attending any photography trip is that the participant actively contributes to the photography, not just participates superficially. Sometimes, specific areas are divided into groups to be covered by certain individuals on the trip in order to ensure comprehensive coverage of the location or event.
The people who can participate:
- Photographers: Professional photographers who are well-known to the user group and who have participated in the activities before, whether in photography competitions or otherwise.
- User Group Members the registered members of the user group can participate in photography trips, they should bring a camera (it does not have to be professional) or a phone. The presence of group members is important - especially editors - because they know what images and landmarks do not have pictures on Commons, and therefore all participants in the trip work to photograph the required images.
- Organizer Each photography trip must have at least one organizer to provide support and assistance to volunteers, cover any necessary expenses, monitor and organize the trip's activities, provide logistical support, and submit a report to the executives after the trip. For larger trips, there may be more than one organizer.
How can you join?
[edit ]The group announces its photography trips 30 days in advance via its mailing list, social media accounts, and group chats. A registration form is provided, and organizers also send direct invitations to some of the group's prominent photographers.
Trip participants are selected based on:
- their activity in Wikimedia projects.
- Active member of the group's activities.
- adherence to the user group's photography trip rules.
- the use are not blacklisted.
Rules
[edit ]Since these trips are funded by WMF, they must adhere to specific rules and policies, most notably Friendly Space Policy and Universal Code of Conduct. There are also rules for the user group to ensure effective participation and maximize the achievement of goals. These include:
- Every participant must have a Wikimedia account before the trip (in order to upload photos).
- There is no maximum number of photos, but it's best to photograph everything available to showcase our culture on Commons projects.
- Each participant must upload a minimum number of photos. Failure to comply will result in permanent bans from any future group photography trips.
- Rules regarding punctuality, adherence to the trip's schedule and itinerary, and following the designated route.
All of these points are outlined in the group's photography trip policy.
Trips List
[edit ]- Nuweiba trip 2015
- El-Fayoum trip 2017
- Al Ghuri Dome Photowalk 2025.
- Dendera Temple complex Phototrip 2025.
- Karnak Phototrip 2025.
- Luxor Temple Phototrip 2025.
- Mawlid Al-Ashi Phototrip 2025.
- Mawlid Sidi Abdel-Rahim El Qenawy Phototrip 2025.
- Medinet Habu and Colossi of Memnon Phototrip 2025.
- Photo trips in Luxor & Qena 2025.
- Temple of Hatshepsut Phototrip 2025.
- Valley of the Kings Phototrip 2025.
- Siwa Phototrip 2025.
- Grand Egyptian Museum 2025 trip.
- Al-Saliba Street Phototrip 2026.
- Salah al-Din Square Phototrip.
