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Photography in Morocco
  • RobCowell
May 2019

Photography in Morocco

Travel with me on a journey across Morocco which starts and ends in Marrakech but includes the coast then across the Atlas Mountains to the dunes of the Sahara desert. This is a photography workshop so it’s a different experience to other adventures. Read more
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  • Trip start
    May 1, 2019
    RobCowellTravelerPhotography in Morocco
    Looking down from the corridor ourside my room

    First Night in Marrakech

    May 1, 2019 in Morocco ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    It was an early start this morning - tidying up, finishing off, checking lists, house checks etc etc but then it was time to start the journey to Gatwick South Terminal for a 12.30 drop off for the car then a BA flight around 14.30. I arrived at the car park at 12.20 - perfect!

    I think this was one of the smoothest airport experiences I have ever had and in no time I was boarding and accelerating down the runway. That'd be the plane doing the accelerating of course, not me! The flight was great (I think I slept most of the way) and all of a sudden I was in Marrakech and getting into a minibus with an an extremely friendly and helpful driver who charged less than the quoted rate.

    I am staying in a Ryad somewhere in the city of Medina. Marrakech has seven cities within it so maybe we'd call it the Borough of Medina. At least I hope that's right. My Ryad is small and cosy, as many are, with a little swimming pool next to the restaurant where I ate this evening. I had chicken in a stew like sauce with olives and bread and a small plate of chips. It was really nice.

    So why am I here? Photography of course but you'll have to follow along to find out what I get up to. Tomorrow I'm staying in Marrakech and will be sleeping here again tomorrow night, then moving on. But where will it be and what will I see?

    One last thing before I rest for the night: I'm not sure what sort of access I'll get to the Internet. Here it's fast, but it may be unavailable at times so I'll update this trip as and when I get chance.

    I hope you'll persevere and enjoy another journey with me. It's always great to have you along.    Read more

  • RobCowellTravelerPhotography in Morocco
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    Cool and Cloudy

    May 2, 2019 in Morocco ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    So the first proper day begins. The first task was breakfast of course, then afterwards I followed the staircases upwards to find the roof terrace of the Ryad. Oh, I thought, as I felt the chill of 16c, and oh again as I saw the grey skies. Should I have packed my waterproofs I thought. Mmm ... too much thinking I finally thought, and decided the weather forecasts can't all be wrong and surely it'll brighten up later. So I admired the view.

    It's a typical hot country old city scene with buildings that look as though they'll fall apart at any minute but have undoubtedly been here for a very long time. There's the hot city smell too, that gentle aroma of festering drains, though not overbearing you realise, just there in a comforting kind of way. You can see the way the tops of the buildings are used with most looking very weathered of course but some looking like they're used to dump everything that can't be dumped elsewhere. Such is the character of cities like this.

    Look for two things in this footprint's photos - the Jacuzzi on the roof here (not heated of course) and the rabbits. On the roof of the building opposite I counted at least six but I think there were more than that hopping around.

    I'm off for a wander in a minute but I need to be back here for 1pm.    Read more

  • RobCowellTravelerPhotography in Morocco

    Single White Male

    May 2, 2019 in Morocco ⋅ 🌫 18 °C

    The first stop was a cash machine to get some Moroccan currency as the Ryad only accepted cash and that wasn't planned for. I hadn't got 200 metres along the road afterwards when I was approached with the old story of "Ah hello, work at your Ryad and I show you around to the leather festival that stops at one o'clock. I not guide and you no need pay me. I show you. It's over soon." It wouldn't be he'd not want money and the chances are he never worked at the Ryad or had ever seen me before. But I had time to kill so why not?

    So he walked me for about twenty minutes to the tannery area where there are tanneries of course, and leather shops of all shapes and sizes. On the way I got to see how bread is made in ovens heated with cedar wood and had various schools and other buildings pointed put to me. It was all very I interesting to be honest, made better of course because he'd said, "no need pay me." His English was not so good but I kind've got the drift.

    I then had a free tour of a tannery which was very interesting too and very unexpected to actually be able to visit one, pong included. What a coincidence my guide happening to know the tannery guide so when the tannery tour ended I was ‘shocked’ to find that both expected to be paid. Wow, I say tutting in a sarcastic manner, I never saw that coming and I definitely never expected that between them they wanted the equivalent if around £70 for their time. It's a shame they do this because it tends to spoil things when you have to argue about their broken promises when I’d be more than happy to pay them a sensible rate for their time.

    And so it was as I walked the twenty minutes or so back to the Ryad. Time after time men came up to me to tell me about the festival, the gardens, the just about anything that might allow them, for no charge of course, to empty my pockets into theirs. Whilst I walked I realised small groups of tourists or couples didn't get hassled as much as me even though I had no camera gear with me to attract attention. But I was a Single White Male, a solitary tourist and to them an easy target.

    I enjoyed my time out and about though and got back to the Ryad about 12.30. Just right.    Read more

  • RobCowellTravelerPhotography in Morocco
    Some of our group photographs our local guide
    An ideal place for lunchView from the terrace where we ate lunch

    Street Photography

    May 2, 2019 in Morocco ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    I met with my group at the prearranged time. You see I'm on a Photography Workshop tour and there are ten of us including Katrina our tutor/guide. So after an initial meet up and a check of our cameras and settings, we headed off into the alleyways and passageways to try out some street photography. This isn't something I've really done in any sensible way before so I didn't know what to expect, especially given what happened this morning.

    We got back to the Ryad around 11.30pm having all got on really well and had a great time. It was challenging - Moroccan's don't like photographers, unless money is involved of course, so many photos were taken discreetly and literally from the hip. This led to some very random results with shots of people's legs or of nothing at all. The odd one worked though so maybe it's simply a case of more practice needed.

    Lunch was taken on the lovely cool roof terrace of the Museum of Photography where we had free access to look around afterwards. Then more opportunities to practice our street photography skills.

    The hooded person in the doorway is our local guide who at one point had to suffer the violent abuse from a young group who felt they should have the money being paid to an old guy with whom we'd agreed a price to take his photo. It got quite nasty, resulting in no photos being taken and no money for the old guy, who looked as if he needed it if we're honest. Our guide was fine but it was a shame this happened.

    We ended the day in the large square (Jemaa el-Fnaa Square) which you can see in the two photos taken not long after sunset. We photographed the sun setting whilst sipping drinks on a roof terrace overlooking the square then moved elsewhere to photograph from another terrace. Finally we ate in a small cafe before sharing taxis back to the Ryad.

    A good first workshop day then and quite a mixture of things on a common theme. Did I get some street photos worth showing? I think perhaps I might have but I think there’ll be a lot of rejects.

    Tomorrow we head to the coast.    Read more

  • RobCowellTravelerPhotography in Morocco

    Goats in Trees - Not!

    May 3, 2019 in Morocco ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Breakfast was a little earlier than yesterday as we needed to board our minibus to begin our journey to Essaouira to the west of Marrakech. Once we were out of the city the land became quite barren at times and not quite the palm tree and sandstone building landscape I expected. I wasn't unhappy at this and enjoyed the views, knowing I'd see those later in the trip.

    Mid-morning the bus pulled over so we could photograph the strange phenomenon of tree climbing goats. Yes, you did indeed read that correctly because we are talking about goats on sticks, a welcome change to birds on sticks I must say.

    To be honest, though it may seem a bit of a fairy tale or the after affects of a quick spell of sniffing suspicious substances, the spectacle of a goat, or a number of goats, up a tree is something I have actually seen before. I've seen them in Cyprus on the Akamas Peninsula - goats up a tree eating the leaves, in the middle of nowhere with no-one to be seen. So I knew it is possible for a goat to be in a tree.

    In Morocco of course, the idea of emptying tourists pockets to allow them to see and photograph grazing goats amongst the branches was too much of an opportunity to miss. So when we got out of the bus with our cameras there were no goats in trees at all, not until payment was agreed and one of the 'shepherds' grabbed an unsuspecting goat and stuck it in a tree, whether or not the goat thought it was a good idea. Mostly they didn't think it was and promptly jumped out, impressively I might say, landing gracefully (for a goat) on the ground. They weren't there for long of course, not with those goat herders around.

    Eventually we all pretty much got a photo of a goat in a tree so everyone was happy. We asked if we could have two goats in a tree but then suddenly all the shepherds ran away at high speed towards an arriving bus exclaiming, "Aah, quick, Chinese tourists, must go." Those goat herders could certainly smell the money, which is obviously much stronger than twenty goats on a hot day.

    We all agreed it was a bit of a disappointing experience. Did we see goats in trees? I'm not sure we did.    Read more

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    Arriving at Essaouira

    May 3, 2019 in Morocco ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Having left the goats, trees and Chinese tourists (or were they Japanese, who knows) we continued our journey with a couple of stop-offs on the way.

    The first was was at a co-operative making Argan Oil from nuts - nut oil if you will. Here, by placing cash in a small wicker bowl, you are allowed to photograph the women working the nuts and we all duly photographed the women at work. It looked easy to crack the nuts but it wasn't because the nuts are quite hard and how they do that, for hours on end, is anyone's guess.

    I caught the eye of one woman who then gave me a couple nice photos, but on the other side of the room the women all looked the other way, which is what happens when I attempt to photograph a horse - it immediately turns to face the other way so all I ever get is a horse's bottom. Fortunately for the nut women they were sitting on theirs so I couldn't tell if they had bottoms any more or less attractive than a horse. I'm afraid I neglected to take a phone picture whilst there but just imagine a bunch of women sitting on the floor working the nuts between their legs by hitting them until they crack open. I realise the picture I just painted may well have brought tears to the eyes of some readers but they were inside the coloured buildings in photo 2, if you're still interested.

    The next stop was a viewpoint overlooking the coastal town of Essaouira. There were camel drivers offering camel rides, which we all avoided, with many of the group snapping photos of the view to the coast but taking great care to in no way get even the slightest portion of any camel or driver in the shot in case money was demanded for the privilege.

    Finally we arrived in Essaouira where we found our various hotels and chilled out for a while before meeting later for our next photography workshop. My room was amazing, being on two floors as you can see, so it would have been nice to be there for more than one night. Essaouira is much more of a relaxed experience compared to Marrakech and, in my opinion, much better for it.    Read more

  • RobCowellTravelerPhotography in Morocco

    Blue Boats in Essaouira

    May 3, 2019 in Morocco ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Having chilled out for a while our group reassembled to begin a sunset photography workshop and an opportunity to see the blue fishing boats for which Essaouira is well known. You can see from the main photo in this footprint the option of sunset photography was no option at all - it was cloudy. You'd think we were in Britain.

    We wandered down to the port in any case and found a myriad of blue boats huddled, or more accurately squashed, together which meant finding a good composition for a photo was quite hard. We stayed here for a while but then Katrina said we must leave, which perplexed a few of the group because everything seemed fine - but it wasn't. As we walked away an argument broke out between some of the Moroccon fishermen then, as we looked back, people were shouting at each other and quite a large group on their blue boats were pushing and shoving each other and shouting in a very intimidating way. Katrina was right, we did need to leave.

    So we headed to the beach area to find photographic opportunities there and stayed until it was almost dark. Some of the group concentrated on beach parasol silhouettes, me included, and others photographed reflections across the beach. I wish I'd done that in the end because I felt I wasted too much time trying get get an image that wasn't really worth it. C'est la vie!

    We finished the evening with a meal together then went our separate ways to our various hotels. Tomorrow we start our journey across Morocco and towards the Sahara desert so, for me, the most interesting part of the trip is about to begin.    Read more

  • RobCowellTravelerPhotography in Morocco
    You see a hint of snow up there

    Crossing the Atlas Mountains

    May 4, 2019 in Morocco ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    It’s a long way to get to the Sahara desert from Essaouira so it was an early start leaving well before my hotel served breakfast, but I’d asked if they could help me out and as I left to join the others I was handed a small recyclable bag with breakfast to go. Appreciated.

    We collected together near the port area and soon our minibus arrived, our bags were loaded and we began the journey which would take us most of the way across Morocco via the Atlas Mountains and an overnight stop. The views were varied as the landscape changed from dry and barren to the green foothills before the mountains and the views they bring. The photos in this footprint give you the general idea as we climbed higher and higher. To be honest, there were no steep climbs really and you didn’t realise how high you’d got until we checked the GPS (phones are amazing aren’t they) and noted we were at around 7200ft. We were also interested to learn the road we were travelling, Tizi n’Aguelmous traversed by Route National 9, is rated as one of the world’s most spectacular (ok, we got that) and dangerous roads (what!) in the world, requiring strong nerves (aaarrrgh!) to negotiate it. To be honest, at this time of year it’s fine because it’s the winter snows which make it treacherous but soon, when the extensive roadworks are finished, I suspect it’ll simply be reduced to a pleasant drive whatever the weather. Shame that ... give me dangerous, that’s what I say.

    There were a few stops on the way which included a viewpoint overlooking the twisting road and yes, we had just come up there to where I took the photo. The last photo is where we had lunch.    Read more

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    Late Afternoon Storm

    May 4, 2019 in Morocco ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    After a very pleasant lunch we climbed back into the bus to continue our journey to Ait Ben Haddou for our overnight stay. There was also the promise of a chance to photograph the Milky Way and I was definitely looking forward to that opportunity.

    I got the impression the journey had taken longer than expected. It was around 6pm and we were travelling along a straight bit of road, the mountains far behind us, when Katrina asked the driver to pull over for some photography. I suspect we should have been at our hotels by then but the stop was worth it and the main photo in this footprint shows the sort of thing we were after. A storm was building and there were angry grey clouds forming in the distance, dropping their rain heavily. Then there were flashes of lightning.

    Photography here was a bit like playing chicken - this was a road after all, so we took it in turns to be photographers and lookouts to warn when cars or lorries were approaching. We stayed quite a while here, taking various photos, but no one managed to get lightning in their shot. Just before we left our driver and guide both decided to have a moment of madness, jumping high in the air for us to catch them at the highest point in their flight. Photo three is what I managed to get and in one take too, though to be fair it wasn’t taken on my phone - our driver is on the left and our Moroccan guide on the right. I’m not sure I could ever jump that high, but then maybe I’m a bit of a wimp.

     Finally we arrived in Ait Ben Haddou and checked-in to our hotels - we had a little time to ourselves before dinner, enough for a shower and to gather our thoughts, whilst outside I could hear thunder. There was no outside window in my room so that’s all I thought it was.    Read more

  • RobCowellTravelerPhotography in Morocco

    An Unexpected Meal

    May 4, 2019 in Morocco ⋅ 🌙 16 °C

    We met in the hotel lobby to go and meet the rest of the group. We knew we weren’t eating in a restaurant tonight but we didn’t really know what to expect to be honest. It was to be a surprise and all we knew was we had to bring cameras and tripods etc for an astrophotography workshop after the meal or, for the uninitiated, a workshop photographing the stars. We were a bit perplexed by this because when we arrived it was about as cloudy as it could get and from the lobby we could hear it was raining. So how was all this going to work then?

    Our first surprise was when we went outside, for whilst we had relaxed in our rooms it hadn’t just been thunder, there had been a massive cloudburst and the car park was now a lake. We did get to meet up with the rest of the group but we had to find a way to cross the car park which took several attempts, but we made it without getting wet. It even stopped raining as we walked to the meeting point. No stars though, not even one.

    Katrina then took us down narrow streets which meant our torches we’d brought came in handy but it was tricky at times because everywhere was flooded. Eventually, then, we made it to our Moroccan host where we discovered we were to eat home-cooked food in his house. This turned out to be a great experience and everyone enjoyed it tremendously. The food was excellent and afterwards our host demonstrated the ritual of making mint tea and showed us around is home. There was even a cake for one of our group whose birthday was today. Amazing.

    The photos in this footprint give you the flavour of the evening ... pun intended.    Read more

  • RobCowellTravelerPhotography in Morocco

    A Late Night After All

    May 5, 2019 in Morocco ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    It was a really good evening and such a privilege to spend it in the home of such a friendly person. We’d stayed a long time and it was quite late when we collected our things together and headed out into the darkness. We looked up - and there were the stars to greet us. It wasn’t perfectly clear though as quite a lot of cloud still hung around especially near the horizon where we knew the Milky Way was rising. We walked slowly through the town a little disappointed to be honest, with some of the group declaring they were actually quite tired and questioning if it was worth attempting photography. After a while it was decided it wasn’t and Katrina said we should call it a night. So that seemed to be the end of it then.

    Three of us were left: myself, Monique and her husband Nigel who had come to support Monique, the photographer of the two. Nigel knew the theory but had commented he still couldn’t take a decent photo because he simply didn’t have the eye for it. I was disappointed the evening has stoped without the night photography and Monique really didn’t want to give up either so after a brief discussion the three of us decided we’d head to the car park in front of our hotel and simply have a go. What had we got to lose? Only time - and sleep of course.

    So there we were, in the car park by the newly formed lake and setting up our tripods and having a go. I showed Monique how to focus her camera when it’s pitch black and we stayed up until the early hours taking photos. Not all that many to be honest but we each did get at least one we were extremely pleased with. You see, after a while those clouds drifted away and we were left to enjoy our galaxy on full display.

    Those who have followed my blog before will know that all the photos I post here are taken with my phone ... except the night sky photos of the Aurora and, tonight, the Milky Way. This is my image from Ait Ben Haddou which I took on the posh camera and processed after I got home. Enjoy.

    So was it worth persevering and losing some sleep? You bet your life it was!

    (That bright star is Jupiter in case you are wondering)    Read more

  • RobCowellTravelerPhotography in Morocco

    Confusing Times

    May 5, 2019 in Morocco ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    During the evening a fact came to light that none of us had expected even though, had we thought about it, a clue had been given when the various airlines we’d travelled with had sent emails notifying that the return flight times had changed. I never realised why, thinking it was simply a technical or logistics reason, and I know others never saw the implications either. You see, Morocco had decided to change their clocks but not when we’re used to at the end of March but now, in May, perhaps to coincide with the start of Ramadan. So what, I sense you are thinking.

    The problem was we didn’t seem to be able to get a definitive answer to whether or not the clocks were changing, by how much or in what direction. The clocks changing was one of the factors that led to everyone going to bed instead of staying up for photography because the rumour was we were to lose a hour of sleep. But I decided to stay up and get the photo anyway, as did Monique if course, and I set my alarm accordingly so I would be up in time for our early start for our continued journey to the Sahara. The alarm rang and I dragged myself out of bed, sorted myself out and took my things down to reception ready to meet the others, but no-one turned up and for me that was certainly a mixture of the strange and the slightly worrying. Why weren’t they down for breakfast?

    Whilst I waited I decided to have a look around. When we arrived last night we’d checked-in then gone straight for our meal and it was dark then. I wanted to see where we were and what was here but couldn’t go too far of course, because the others would be down any minute. But I only had to walk around the corner to be amazed at what I discovered.

    The photos in this footprint show what I saw, not only the gorgeous golden light of the morning but a sandstone city on the hill on the other side of the river. It was an amazing sight and so worth seeing even if it was so early ... and early it was because the clocks had gone the other way to what I expected, so I was up and about absolutely ages before anyone else. It was worth it though, and when the others arrived we had breakfast then climbed aboard our bus to continue our journey.

    Ait Ben Haddou was definitely a photographic opportunity missed. Can you imagine the possibilities here not only at sunrise, but at sunset and during the night for astrophotography? Maybe one day a return visit? Who knows. By the way, look out for the snow on the Atlas Mountains in the background of the second photo ... it looks like snow, I wonder if it is.    Read more

  • RobCowellTravelerPhotography in Morocco

    The Journey Continues

    May 5, 2019 in Morocco ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    There was still a long way to go to get to our destination today and here’s a few photos I took from the minibus so you can see the sort of views I saw, some of which are the kinds of landscapes I had in mind before leaving home when thinking of Morocco. I think it’s those palm tree valleys with sprinklings of sandstone buildings, but what I was surprised to see was the scale of some those buildings. Some look more like fortresses and for some reason I didn’t expect that even though, when I think about it, Morocco was an important trade route with caravans travelling across the country with precious cargos, including gold. These settlements, located where the palm trees grew indicating water, were important stopping points where caravans could be protected against thieves and bandits. Well, I think that’s the way it was - it sounds reasonable doesn’t it.

    The last photo in this footprint is one place we stopped on the way to see how rose water is made, though my guess was that rose petals and water might well be involved somewhere along the line, and funnily enough my intuitive guess proved correct. This was also one of our photo opportunities during the day but I must admit I wasn’t greatly inspired so the outside of the building is all you get to see. Apologies if you suddenly have a burning desire to see a thousand pink rose petals and now you’re all sad, especially when my guess is we saw far more than that - not that I want to add to your disappointment of course. Let’s move on.    Read more

  • RobCowellTravelerPhotography in Morocco
    Our driver and guide - both called Omar

    The Dadès Gorge

    May 5, 2019 in Morocco ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    The area we are in is generally known as the Valley of the Roses and the Dadès Gorge. Having done the rose component in the name, now it was time to see the gorge which was interesting on two counts - first it is really narrow and deep and you can see that from the photos I’ve taken. Secondly it was rammed with people enjoying the sunshine and relaxing in the waters of the river flowing through the gorge, not more than a few centimetres deep in places. People were having picnics and chatting, there were families and couples and everyone was having a great time. It was a really relaxed atmosphere here, a bit like the local park in Wolverhampton on a sunny day ... okay, nothing like that but I’m sure you get the idea.

    On the left hand side of the gorge is a narrow concrete road so you could drive through it but today it was mayhem with so many cars and buses (and our minibus of course) all trying to get past each other with some going up the gorge and others coming down. Everyone got out of our bus and I got off to take a phone photo for this footprint before going back to collect my proper camera. What I wasn’t expecting was that as soon as I alighted the vehicle it disappeared up the gorge to go and turn around ... and my camera went with it. Doh!

    Not having my camera at first seemed a bit of a disaster but in reality I found I didn’t mind after all. I took time to take in the scene and simply experience it for what it was with me as a tourist rather than a photographer. After a while Monique lent me one of her cameras so I took some shots for her, but soon our bus arrived back and we climbed on board where we sat and relaxed as our driver did battle with the other vehicles attempting to get back to the main road. Battle is the right word because within moments our minibus was bumped by another vehicle as they all tried to squash into too little a space along that road.

    Footnote: before writing this footprint I did a quick spot of Googling, as one does, and it appears there’s rather more to this gorge than we thought or saw. Have a look for yourself and discover why the road through Dadès is another of one of the most dangerous in the world. Shame we never experienced that - it’s further up the road from where we were.    Read more

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    There's Monique photographing everything in sightHow good is this?

    Choose Your Camel

    May 5, 2019 in Morocco ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Finally at around 6pm we arrived at our destination having seen the sand dunes increase their dominance within the landscape for maybe three quarters of an hour beforehand, maybe longer. None of us really knew quite what to expect - we knew we’d be sleeping in tents tonight, we knew camels were involved at some point, but how it all linked together was still a mystery.

    We arrived at a hotel somewhat travel weary, some gasping for a drink and others for a loo though thankfully both these needs were easily serviced! Then we waited for what would happen next, with some donning their tagelmust (traditional headdress, for Berbers often indigo in colour, which protects from the sun and inhalation of air-based sand) and others chatting or sorting out luggage. Then a pickup truck arrived and our bags were loaded onto that and finally we were ready. We were led a few hundred yards away from the hotel and to our awaiting transport - our camels sitting patiently in the desert sand. This is it, I thought, this is the beginning of the best part of the trip - right here, right now. I couldn’t wait to find my camel and get going.

    At this point I feel I have to make it very clear that these here camels were mighty fine specimens. Not only were they clean, as far as an average camel goes, but they were very mild natured, did exactly as they were told and simply got on with their task of carrying their extremely inexperienced cargo (us) across the dunes. At no point did I even see the merest hint nor thought that at any time a camel was thinking of taking a deep breath preceding some sort of gigantic spit, for spitting is something camels are known for and they don’t call them ‘Spit the Camel’ for nothing. Or was that a dog, I forget. No, these camels did not spit though I draw the line at calling them cuddly or even pretty, even though one camel had really pretty eyes. Pretty if you fancy a camel, that is.

    Our camel experience lasted for about an hour I think. I lost track of time to be honest because about half way we stopped to take photos of the camels being led around by our camel drivers. Okay it was staged for us, but we all managed to get some great photos before we climbed back onto our camels to continue to the camp. The light was fading now and the colours of the desert seemed to come alive as the golden light faded towards blue. What we saw as we moved through the dunes was stunning and I so much wanted to stop again to capture images of the dunes in this fantastic light. I would have needed my tripod though and that was probably already at the camp site now, but just being there was enough however. Just being there.

    When we arrived we realised this wasn’t the sort of camp site you get in Bognor Regis on a wet day in summer, oh no! This was camping on a grand scale - rigid tents with electric lighting and carpeted floors, separate washrooms for each tent and a tent dining room, with table service, electric lighting and an area for charging phones and camera batteries. Luxury! Even the sand was carpeted outside the tents.

    There was just enough time for sorting ourselves out before dinner and afterwards the Berber staff provided entertainment around a log fire until late into the evening, Brilliant. What an end to the day.

    Except this wasn’t the end but the beginning, for now it was time to get the tripods and cameras for our astrophotography workshop ... and the sky was simply stunning.    Read more

  • RobCowellTravelerPhotography in Morocco
    2

    There Were "Billions of Stars"

    May 5, 2019 in Morocco ⋅ 🌙 23 °C

    Those of you who have watched Professor Brian Cox talking about the solar system and the universe on the BBC will understand why I’ve chosen that particular title for this footprint. Okay, it’s not possible for the human eye to actually see that many stars, but when you look skywards from the inky black of a desert night you will believe you see that many. As the night progressed the Milky Way, our galaxy, rose from the horizon to become a magnificent spectacle spanning the entire heavens, its core majestically ablaze with the light from the billions of stars within it. That view, that awesome sight, is the reason I wanted to be here and the opportunity to try to photograph it was simply a bonus.

    The first photo of this footprint, all from my big camera of course, was taken from the campsite looking outwards to the south. The Milky Way is still low in the sky even though it’s not far off midnight, but from this position you also get the tents and the water tower to give a foreground perspective.

    Monique, Nigel and I ventured out from the camp into the dunes where we found the camels resting for the night. I must admit I’d be pretty fed up if my sleep was interrupted by people setting up three legged gadgets, talking while they did that, clipping funny looking things to the three legged things, talking, shining lights and going click every now and then. If it were me I think I’d have engaged full-on spit mode, but they didn’t. No, they remained calm, quiet and tolerant and watched these stupid people sitting in the sand amongst billions of camel droppings, for that’s exactly what we were doing and they were probably creating even more if truth be known. The second photo, then, is of one of those camels in the night and the only camel who chose to remain standing the entire time.

    Photographing a camel, at night, in the pitch dark is not the easiest of tasks on a score of one to ten, with ten being pretty much impossible. This was a ten! Why? Because the camel was alive, not stuffed, so it had a tendency to do what living things do, which is move! The camel’s body stayed remarkably still but its head kept moving, perhaps due to a combination if general inquisitiveness, frequent “tutting” at having its sleep interrupted or maybe an inner turmoil as to whether or not the odd spit, even a small one, would damage the excellent reputation the camels had carefully nurtured in the eyes of these very idiots. Anyway, it’s not the clearest photo in the universe, but this is what I managed to get. The second camel shot worked better because the camels were sitting - you can see that camel in the background still standing up.

    The fourth photo is the Milky Way in all its glory taken around 2am with the final one of this set taken about half an hour later when we got back to the camp. We eventually went to bed around 3am for a hour and a half because we wanted to be up again for sunrise. We should have stayed up however, because when we left our tents at just after 4.30am the predawn light was already bright and we’d missed that special time when darkness gradually fades towards the blue light we’d experienced yesterday evening. Hopefully we’ll get to see a brilliant sunrise.    Read more

  • RobCowellTravelerPhotography in Morocco
    1This was actually taken on the Canon cameraThe pick-up truck came to collect our bags

    Sunrise

    May 6, 2019 in Morocco ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

    When necessary, only 90 minutes sleep seems to be enough but even so I think we all had to heave ourselves out of bed and force ourselves to get going. I suspect not many of us got dressed either, not because we spent the morning running ‘round stark naked but simply because we slept in our clothes.

    We headed out from the camp and into the dunes where we’d been last night and from here we had a clear view towards where the sun would rise. There’s not much to say about all this really, it was a sunrise after all, so just enjoy the three photos I took as the sun brought the new day to life. It doesn’t look too bad does it - the colours are nice and it’s a bit moody I guess, but I was hoping for more earlier on to be honest, when sometimes the clouds can be a blaze of purples and reds. This didn’t happen today but it was really calming to watch the light change as the sun slowly climbed above the Algerian border.

    Once sunrise was over we all looked for compositions in the golden tones of this first hour or two of the day. After I’d taken photo four in this footprint I really struggled to be honest. I’d come here with a vision of an image I wanted to capture, of the long sweeping curves of sand dunes of the sort vaguely like photo four but much more striking and dramatic. In that photo the large dunes were too far away and nothing like that was on offer where we were so I found it really hard to find alternatives to what I’d fixed in my mind. I needed to learn from this: my mind needs to be more flexible and mould more easily to the situation on hand. Then Katrina arrived and having checked everyone else was okay, she then spent some time with me giving me ideas on how to look for something different ... without the tripod. This was just what I needed and in no time I’d captured an image that made the day a photographic success. You’ll get to see it in the final footprint of this trip - it’s of some grass in the sand ... sounds stunning doesn’t it so I bet you can’t wait to see it!

    The last two photos are of our up-market camp site which I took after breakfast just before we left. We’ve only been here one night but seem to have seen and experienced so much in that short time. It was definitely the highlight of the trip, so different to our normal routines and awe inspiring to spend the night in a location such as this. That sky was truly amazing.    Read more

  • RobCowellTravelerPhotography in Morocco
    That's Katrina, our tutor, in the middle

    Travelling to Marrakech

    May 6, 2019 in Morocco ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

    Our bags had been loaded onto the pickup truck together with one or two of the group who decided to return to the hotel, and therefore our minibus, on four wheels instead of four legs. They just couldn’t face riding the camels through the desert dunes not because of the heat, the driving sun or the undoubted craving for water ... no, they wimped out to save their bottoms, knowing we had at least an eleven hour drive in the minibus to get back to Marrakech. There was no denying that was going to be endurance so they had decided it was prudent to take the camel-free option.

    The rest of us, including Katrina (that’s her in the blue top in photo two) rode the camels attempting to take photos on the way. Just as on the journey outbound, this proved tricky because the suspension on a camel hasn’t evolved to the same sophisticated degree as its ability to survive without water in a desert. As a result, many of the photos I did attempt were out of focus and my inner thighs and bottom complained about my choice of the camel-inclusive option for at least 24 hours afterwards. I’m not complaining though because I really enjoyed being on that camel train and would undoubtedly do it again given the chance. I was gasping for a cold drink at the end though and also appreciated why the Berbers wear their tagelmust cloth headdress, because after a while you can pretty much taste the sand. On reflection, I think all this would have been a completely different experience had there been any sort of wind whilst we were amongst the dunes. Photography would perhaps have been a bit of a nightmare.

    Soon we were back aboard the minibus and starting the long drive home. I’ve included our last view of the Sahara sand dunes as we left and a snapshot of where we stopped for lunch. We did stop more often but only briefly to allow our driver to rest for a while and for us to get a cold drink.

    You’re maybe wondering why I’ve included a photo of a load of electricity pylons. It’s not the pylons which are of interest but that glowing thing in the background - the photo is of a solar power station and I’d seen something similar in southern Spain, but was amazed to see one here. It works because surrounding that glowing column are hundreds of mirrors which reflect the sunlight and focus it at the top of the tower. The heat created by this is used to generate electricity. How clever is that!

    There’s no denying this was a very long day. The last part of the journey was in the dark and was somewhat frantic as the road was now full of heavy lorries travelling in both directions. Our driver negotiated all this using his best Moroccan driving skills which meant at times it was best if you closed your eyes and hoped for the best. Hopefully our driver didn’t also do this.

    We were all tired when we arrived in Marrakech and I’m sure that, like me, everyone had no problem falling asleep when they finally got to bed.    Read more

  • RobCowellTravelerPhotography in Morocco

    Jardin Majorelle, Marrakech

    May 7, 2019 in Morocco ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Arriving at our hotels last night marked the end of our photography workshop with Katrina. As we separated to go to our various hotels there’d been the usual ‘goodbyes’ and ‘good wishes’ but for some, myself included, there is still the best part of two days left because of the way flights had been booked. I did wonder before I left how these ‘spare’ days would work for me but I’d got a guide book with more than a few ideas of how to fill the time. In the end everything fell into place because today some of us decided to meet-up at the Jardin Majorelle, about 25 minutes walk from the Ryad.

    So, most unlike me, here are some photos taken at the gardens which I must say were very pleasant and cool with plenty of shade, we also spent time in the cafe which was very pleasant I might add, but there was one highlight here I never expected.

    In the middle of the gardens was a building painted a deep royal blue with ornate bright yellow windows and doors painted in turquoise and yellow - the cafe was near this building. It was an absolute magnet for people to come to take their photos of each other, selfies too with many people taking them. The colours here made it perfect for a portrait and when three girls asked if I would take their photo with their phone, I responded by asking if I could also take a photo of them with my camera. They agreed, and so for a while our group took photos of the people having their photos taken. Never before have I seen so many stunningly attractive girls line up to have their photo taken. In reality we photographed only two or three and Monique took their contact details so we could send their photos to them afterwards. No photos here I’m afraid as I don’t have their permission, but you will see one photo taken just around the corner which didn’t require permission from the person featured in it.

    Our visit came to an end but we now all had a common need - no, not the loos, but to go and roam the souks and maybe make the odd purchase or two. We decided to take a taxi and we were once again reminded we were in Marrakech as we witnessed taxi drivers fighting over fares (who gets them) and asking outrageous amounts of money to travel even a short distance. I find it all insulting to be honest - this can in no way be described as the ‘character’ of Marrakech, it’s simply greed manifesting as offensive behaviour. There can be no excuses for it.

    We left the taxi rank and headed to a quieter place less than 200 meters away where we found a taxi and paid a reasonable rate.    Read more

  • RobCowellTravelerPhotography in Morocco
    Nigel, Monique's husband, in the shop where we all bought spices

    Last Evening in Jemaa el-Fnaa Square

    May 7, 2019 in Morocco ⋅ 🌙 29 °C

    Soon we were near the large square Jemaa el-Fnaa which is a must see location if you visit Marrakech. We’d been here at the start of the trip if you recall and I think we just gravitated here now because there are souks nearby, plenty to see in the square and reasonably priced places to eat in the streets leading from it. There’s plenty of food and eating opportunities in Jemaa el-Fnaa itself but it’s all just too much trouble to get into arguments over money whilst being forced to buy things you don’t need. According to Trip Advisor, several reviewers say stall #5 contains nothing but rogues and thieves who will threaten physical violence if you end up not making a purchase. True? I don’t know because we simply walked at our leisure, repelled all boarders and ignored anyone or anything that looked as though there was the remotest chance a snake or a monkey might be involved ... or any silly toy to be honest. One seller persisted/intruded for far too long trying to sell us a little wooden box with a spring loaded something or other in it, which jumped out in a limp sort of way when you opened a drawer. I’ll now regret not buying several because when I’m home my life will surely seem so bleak and miserable without one! Did you sense a mild amount of sarcasm in that last sentence? Yes, really?

    We spent quite some time in the souks though, where although everyone is keen to make a sale you do not have the feelings of being attacked as you do when walking the streets or in that square. Another bonus is the price of things, which seem a lot more reasonable, and less stress during the ‘negotiations’. I purchased spices for my daughter from an extremely friendly man who is standing next to Nigel in photo two. All I needed now was my fridge magnet and my mission would be complete.

    The other photos here give you the general idea of what we saw. I preferred the square as the day faded to night when for me the place came alive. It is worth the experience of visiting Jemaa el-Fnaa square but you need to be on your guard with your shields up. I never found it threatening nor felt unsafe at any time but you do need to keep an eye on your wallet or purse and keep your wits about you. Having said this I can think of many places in the world where the same would be true.

    We ended the evening, there were four of us left now, accompanying Nigel and Monique to their modern western-style hotel where we ate our meal in the roof terrace bar area. Sherilee and I shared a taxi back to our Ryad to end the last full day of this trip.

    What a lovely day.    Read more

  • RobCowellTravelerPhotography in Morocco
    1

    Success or Failure?

    May 8, 2019 in Morocco ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    At 3pm later today I arranged to meet Nigel and Monique to share transport to the airport but until then I had time to myself to sort myself out, pack away my camera gear (not a two second task) and complete my mission to purchase that fridge magnet. So, packed and ready to go I left my bags safely stowed in the Ryad and headed out in search of a magnet ... I wasn’t looking forward to this given my experiences a week ago. To my surprise something had changed because this time, somehow, I must have been different. This time I hardly got pestered at all and when I was approached with the offer to see ‘this’ festival or ‘that’ event I had magically found the confidence and words to swiftly deal with any attack. Or maybe it was simply the body language emitted by a desperate person on a mission to seek out fridge magnets, to boldly go where ... before I wasn’t so bold!

    I found my magnet and I also got lost amongst the backstreets of the Médina but no worries, with the help of Google Maps and the generous help of what appeared to be a ten year old child (who expected to be paid of course so maybe not so generous after all) I made it back to the Ryad then started my journey to the airport to begin my travel home.

    So was this trip a success or a failure?

    I pose this question now I’m back home and without doubt it was a success. How could it not be? Well, upon arriving home I wasn’t so sure because when I first checked my photos I was rather disappointed, as often I am when I see them on the computer straight out of the camera. I’d set my target this time at fifteen as the number of competition standard images I would bring back. At first look I couldn’t find half a dozen. I was sad.

    This trip was a success however and in many respects I’ve appreciated it more since arriving home. The people I travelled with were so warm and friendly and we all got on so well. Our photography skills were at different levels but we all supported and learned so much from each other and, most definitely, me included. There were several occasions when I was well out of my comfort zone, street photography for sure, but that can never be a bad thing. I learned a lot both about my photography and myself and thank everyone who travelled with me, and Katrina of course, for the experiences because without all of them it could never have been so enjoyable. Then there were the physical experiences of actually being out there in that landscape - the desert views, the towns and villages, the sand dunes, the camels in the desert and those night skies. Wow! What else can I say? Within just a few weeks I’ve been privileged to be in the arctic landscapes and temperatures of northern Norway and now the desert environments of Morocco. Wow indeed!

    So what about those photographs then? Well yes of course, once I sat down properly and looked through my images more carefully then there they were - a whole collection waiting to be processed. There were plenty of failures of course but a goodly number of great ones too and in this footprint are six which I thought you’d like to see, including the grass in the sand and the blue wall from the gardens. You’ve already seen the night sky photographs of course.

    I think this journey, for you as the reader, has maybe been very different to my others so I really do hope you’ve enjoyed reading about the trip. I guess it’s a little weird I was on a photographic workshop and there’s not been so many photos of the landscapes as I usually show you. I think that’s simply because my time wasn’t my own and the journey times, in proportion to the overall length of the trip, were huge. It felt like most of the time was spent in the minibus, but I guess that’s not really the case.

    I don’t yet have my next adventure planned but rest assured there will be another and who knows where. Whatever or wherever it is I hope you’ll travel with me again.    Read more

    Trip end
    May 8, 2019
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