Wool dyeing in the Souks of Marrakech

It was tough. Making photographs in Morocco wasn’t easy. The more I go through the films from Morocco, It is all coming back to me.

Here’s a shot from the Souks of Marrakech. These guys are dying wool that is used to make a lot of the Moroccan textiles. I remember walking past them and thinking how great it would be to get a candid shot of them doing their work.

I could see two possibilities. One was that they would agree, but the image would lose any spontaneity that I found attractive in the first place. The second option was that I would get my candid shot. I had no idea until this evening if I’d got something, and as usual, it isn’t what I expected, but in many ways, it’s much better than I’d hoped for.

What I like about this shot is that the main guy on the left has a very serious natural look on his face while in the immediate background his work mate is unaware of the camera. Notice the steam coming off the dyed wool. Compositionally, both subjects balance each other out and give the image symetry.

On a technical note, this was shot using the 50mm Mamiya 7 lens - that’s roughly equivalent to a 24mm in 35mm land. So it’s a wide angle. I normally shoot people shots with the 80 and it’s a real pain to have to anticipate which lens to have on the camera body most of the time. I don’t fancy the idea of having two Mamiya 7 bodies, because I’m really going to stand out. Which isn’t the point of street photography.

This is one of my favourite shots from the films I got back from Morocco. Situated in the north part of Marrakech, he was actually sleeping in a big metal wheel barrow when I came across him. The streets are filled with smells, sounds, activity - sensory overload. So I think I was drawn to him because he was stationary. Anyway, he was one of the most willing participants I had. Sometimes a photo just falls into place, other times it takes a while to get it right. This one just fell into my lap.

I’ve finished editing the Portra Morocco shots. I just need some time now to put them up on my site. They are similar to my Cuba and Cambodia shots. I just feel so much more happy about them compared to my previous Morocco shots. The colours are right this time, I’ve got a lot more portraits too. First time I went to Morocco I came home with a few sparse portraits because I hadn’t learned what it took to get them. The culture is difficult, people don’t respond to tourists like they do in Cambodia (warm, welcoming) or Cuba (discreet, proud). The Moroccan is a distant person, privacy is valued much more, highly religious, general culture make for very difficult photo taking and I’m not going to do candid shots because it’s so easy to offend someone.

Anyway, regarding film, my first shock was how grainy it is. After using digital for a few years now, it took a bit of adjustment to going back to looking at grainy film. But conversely, I had to do very little to the images - the colours were there, and that ‘texture’ or ‘3D’ look or ‘glow’. Conversely, digital is flat, you have to work at bringing the colours out, and when doing that, it really screws with skin tones.

It’s hard to describe, and I guess I shouldn’t need to. If you need me to describe the different look and feel that each medium has - then you can’t see it.

Fès : de la tradition et des talents

La médina de Fès est un authentique voyage dans le temps où l’on peut découvrir les activités artisanales traditionnelles tout en séjournant dans un riad raffiné. Elle date du XIIème siècle et est enregistrée au patrimoine mondial de l’humanité par l’Unesco. C’est l’une des villes emblématiques de la civilisation arabo-musulmane. Dans le dédale des ruelles, découvrez les métiers nobles comme ceux de la sellerie, de la marqueterie et du brocard. Mais laissez-vous surtout surprendre par les activités plus ancestrales comme l’utilisation des fours traditionnels pour la cuisson du pain et gâteaux ou encore les bains de vapeur, les fameux hammams orientaux.

Pour votre hébergement, de nombreux riads finement décorés vous ouvrent leurs portes. Dans ces demeures abritées de la rumeur urbaine, c’est un style de vie subtil et sophistiqué que vous allez découvrir. Certains possèdent un hammam ou un spa, témoignant ainsi de la tradition thermale de la région. Grâce aux bains de vapeur et aux massages associés, retrouvez tout votre tonus et votre forme, dans des ambiances inchangées depuis des siècles. Mais pour le voyageur en quête d’échanges spontanés avec la population, rien ne vaut une déambulation au gré des ruelles. Il y aura toujours un habitant ou une famille voulant lier connaissance autour d’un verre de thé à la menthe. Car le secret de Fès, c’est surtout une tradition historique de l’accueil et de l’hospitalité…

Camel - Agadir

Camel Rides in Agadir - Morocco

Agadir, Morocco

Flanked by a strip of fertilizer factories, a vast grain silo and sardine-canning plants, SAFI is not the prettiest of Moroccan towns. It does, however, provide a glimpse of an active, modern and working community and the old Medina in its centre, walled and turreted by the Portuguese, holds a certain interest. The city – it merits the name with a population of over 300,000 – also has a strong industrial-artisan tradition, with a whole quarter devoted to pottery workshops. These have a virtual monopoly on the green, heavily glazed roof tiles used on palaces and mosques, as well as providing Morocco's main pottery exports, in the form of bowls, plates and garden pots.

The main interest in Safi is in its Medina, the adjoining Dar El Bahar fort, and the Colline des Potiers, the potters' quarter on the hill northeast of the Medina. Further out, on the Oualidia road, is the main industrial quarter and the new port.

South of Safi, the coast is heavily polluted and industrialized, and for a beach escape you'll want to head north. Local buses #10 and #15 run to Lalla Fatna and Cap Beddouza from the Place de l'Indépendance. In summer there are also local buses to Souira Kedima.

Fes Morocco Spices