Photographer captures pictures from top of Egypt's Great Pyramid of Giza

I don't think that these photos belong on dpreview, not just because they aren't great photos, but even more because they were taken in an illegal, unethical, and disrespectful manner.

A respectable web site like dpreview should not celebrate what amounts to vandalism of a national treasure.

There's a rich range of posts already up here, and I must admit that I haven't read them all so please excuse any redundancy.

It's obvious that the guy is an adventurer/daredevil, and not a photographer.
He deserves kudos for pulling off the stunt, but he'd get a better reception from photographers if his image quality matched his bravado.

The images are clearly authentic, any suggestion of photoshopping is just plain silly. Get off it, they did something fun. Before the 80s LOTS of young people did it.

ENJOY THE PHOTOS. Good for them for sharing such a fine adventure. That's what it's all about.

Photography is not permitted at many Egyptian monuments these days.
However, the 'guards' are only too willing to appear in your photos of said monuments or use your camera to take a picture of you alongside said monument - in return for a little baksheesh of course...

Banning activities like climbing on monuments or photographing them seems to be little more than a money making exercise.

Graham Hancock in his book Fingerprints of the Gods has a great description of him bribing the guards to allow him to climb the Great Pyramid.

Climbing The Great Pyramid will not harm it of course! What harms it is Kairo's dirty air, not a photographer.

As for Egyptian laws, well, I see no ethical matter not to disobey them if you dare. Because
1)This monuments were built by long-ago-extinct race, not by modern Egyptians, this does not harm anyone's religious feelings
2)That guards there are OFFERING everyone to climb the pyramids for some sum of money. Not to the top, but still they do. (I was there)

So, what can I say? Only - thanks for great pictures.

1. Kind of a jerk move
2. probably been done
3. Wonder is there's a mummy's curse that covers this?
4. Can't these guys still get in trouble?

Am I crazy, or are there Latin letters on the stone just under the one he's standing on? Look at the top picture, center bottom. There is something like "CRAYENL" written (or rather chiseled) on it.

These pyramids have taken some 4500 years of extreme heat and sandstorms, they can take the wear caused by the occasional climber. The problem is not the climber/photographer, the problem is the idiot who feels the need to chisel his/her name on the monument, or take a piece back home to put on the pile of "I don't know what to do with this crap" souvenir.

Oh no, it´s unlegal.
Oh no, it´s disrespectful
Oh no, they breaking one of the lovely laws in Egypt
Oh now,the pyramid suddenly is in danger to be destroyed of climbers, lol!
Oh no, many Egos want to complain
Oh Yes, they took photos that nobody else will do and spread them to the humanity.

Yeah, I'm definitely jealous of the fact that they got to climb the pyramid and sit at the top, and I'm genuinely impressed that they were able to evade the guards...but it doesn't make it any less wrong that they did it. Sure, four guys climbing the great pyramid isn't going to do much damage...but if four guys did that every night, who knows what kind of people they'd all be? Certainly there would be some disrespectful idiots in the bunch, and we'd wind up with graffiti (more than is already there at least) and people taking chunks of rock as souvenirs. Not cool.

I like night shots, I like traveling, I like huge buildings and ancient history. I like this pictures. The context is even more romantic for everyone who feels he/she is a photographer. How much damage these young guys have made? After all that rule is set just to prevent casualties and not for preserving the monument. Look at these pictures as to pictures, please, and not as an act of trespassing of a rule that somebody may decide to change tomorrow... Thank you.

Normally, I do not approve of posting controversial stuff here with the sole purpose of generating more traffic. But, to me, the images these guys took do not fall into that category.

There are countless images of Kilimanjaro, but only few of them convey the magnificence of a mount that "grows" right from savanna. Likewise, the view from the summit of Pyramid is so very special... BTW, it helps to truly appreciate what people did some four thousand years ago.

And guess what, I always wanted to climb it myself! Now these guys helped me to go where I myself cannot go. Isn't it one of those many things we all love photography for?

As always, your mileage may vary, but please do take a minute and think about it.

My Mum did that in the 60's when it was legal!

Old Denim Man himself, Zahi Hawass, will be having kittens now....

Way to go DPR for inspiring other IDIOTS to do the same! This site continues to go down hill quickly.

Beats me, why dpreview is supporting this kind of behavior by posting the pics.

What's next? Posting Fatali's pics torching Delicate Arch?

9 out of 10 photographers on DPR envy this guy, but would never dare to do anything like this in a million years. Hence the hate. :)

great pics but i'm going to temper this by saying this is clearly a very dangerous thing to do, not to mention breaking a host county's law as well as potentially adding to the slow erosion of the pyramids.

i see a number of ppl here who obviously think this is acceptable thing to do. it is not. to me, it doesn't matter if you take a superb shot if you must disrespect the subject to do so.

and then people wonder about photographs being arrested or more and more access being prohibited...

Seems like posting this is just encouraging more people to do the same and break more laws to capture "one of a kind" photos. Sure, the potential for damage from one group doing so is probably pretty small, but when you get 20 others thinking this was a great idea, etc..

The photographs are nice however dont for one second think that this was an act of anything other than selfishness and stupidity. There is a ban on people trampling over these monuments for a reason, and even one person climbing this can cause damage, albeit a small amount, but is it still worth doing, I dont think so. Also, how many copycats will this encourage, doing yet more damage.
I despair of the hero worship of people like this....just imagine that you owned an ancient monument that meant a lot to you and your culture, and some idiot trampled all over it just to get a photograph.....

Yes,
as it was already noticed here these guys have got balls and not only a**holes!
If you think about your personal security all the time hardly you would ever shoot real valuable pics.

Nice shots from a dangerous adventure. As always, the private initiative has brought the images which, with a little imagination of the Egyptian Ministry Of Turism, could have been photographed ages ago. This could have maybe also defused the urge to risk one's neck, back and freedom.
These pyramids are dangerous to walk about, because of the loose rocks moved every day by heat-cold exchange, never mind the climbing and the guard...
Anyway, it seems this was Vitaly's last visit to Egypt (using the same passport anyway)...

Why do people here always find anything to complain about ?! the photos are beautiful and thats it, thanks dpreview for sharing them.

I applaud DPreview for sharing this excellent story. The pictures are superb.

it's an old relic human tomb created by a dead empire, and robbed/desecrated long ago, and merely enshrined with greater importance than necessary in modern times.

people should get over 'trespassing it' as a bad thing (local laws are just self-serving). it's basic worth, is strictly as a 'human interest' for tourist dollars.

sdyue

Everthing is possible in Egypt when the "Bakshish" (tip or more bribe money) to the guards has the right amount. Even forbidden climbing on the pyramids. The people are poor and corruption makes everything possible.
Very nice photos indeed.

These guys are heroes. They made fantastic photos. I hope they will make a lot of similar projects.

Photos are nice

breaking the laws of another country as a tourist isn't.

Too bad today's rebels are tomorrow's gods. :(

My Rosember reply was deleted!
I said monuments built with SLAVE LABOR, to a false god not to mankind!

Rosember (5 hours ago)
How many people will follow these guys and put damage to these monuments of mankind?

Just saying. There is a reason why many people think photographers are creeps and places have camera restrictions.

Look who's talking, H1brid did you mean ice axes or tooth picks?
Rock climbers don't use ice picks & there has never been a glaicer on the pryramids!

H1brid (17 min ago)
Or to prevent further damage to the pyramid itself.
Imagine an army of MORONS with picks and what not climbing them.

I can easily understand opinions that disagree with the action of these boys. And I am not one of their supporters.
However, for everyone's judgement, I would recommend looking at their website. They took some absolutely awesome shots. And I would also recommend looking at the videos they took of themselves climbing on top of things. (look at earlier posts)
Politics aside, these boys have some balls.. :) and besides that, they do take good pictures.

Illegal to climb that pyramid? If I couldn't climb it there'd be no reason for me to even go there. And just how are my soft boots going to damage that granite? And what's that nonsense about injuries? Just post a sign "CLIMBING THIS PYRAMID IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS - CLIMB AT YOUR OWN RISK". Simple. And if stupid people die on it... so what! Not like we have a shortage of stupids.

Photographs showing unusual and beautiful sight that can take up one of these pyramids. The lighting and environment invites some good photos.
It was very accurate technique for thousands of years is build something of this magnitude. I enjoyed seeing.