Photo opportunities in Morocco - DPChallenge Forums

02/08/2005 11:03:33 AM · #1

I am planning to spend one week in Marrakech in Morroco at the end of April and I am wondering if any DPC'er would have some tips as to what kind of photo opportunities might await me there. Thanks a lot.

Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II

02/09/2005 03:51:27 AM · #2

bitfarmer

Nikon D70

02/09/2005 05:04:47 AM · #3

I've there 3 or 4 times, I live in Spain, quite near, and this a fabuluos country to photographers, really, there are may strange people around, colourfull markets, old building with strong colours... a dream.

First place you will walk on is the main place. Most of the people in the main place ("Jema el fna" or something similar), people with snakes, dancers, etc. will ask money for your shot, even if you think they didn't see you, they did and they will come for their "taxes", so asume it or you will lose the best oportunities. The more "exotic" but predictable shots are here.

Out form the place, you have the "medina", a big street market where they sell anythink. It is a more "real world" than the place, not so turistic, and full of oportunities... people in the shops are very kind, they will let you take any shot just to make you happy with the hope you'll buy something.

One important advise: At closing time, leave the medina inmediately, it is only safe as long as the shop owners are there to take care of the foreigners! It is time to go to the place again: At night it has a totally different life! A lot of "restaurants" appear in the middle of the place, they cook in-place everything, with smoke, lights, lot of people of all kinds (only half of them will be tourist). Take the most open lens there, not very lightfull but very interesting to take shots... and to have dinner, it is cheap and more or less "safe"... I used to have dinner there, and never had a problem, even with the snails! (but take a stomach healing pils to kill any infection you could have, ask in the pharmacy, and take one pill every night including 10 days after you arrive home).

Mediana is quite huge, you can spent more than a day walking in diferent zones of the medina: The shops zones are the most close to the place, but more into the medina you will find more interesting sub-places: The metal workers zone, the leather zone, etc. Thise are the places to look for! The more you walk into it, and you get lose, the more strange things you will see.

The official places, palaces on so, have little interest as usually you can't get in. The "churchs" are closed to foereing people. Anyway I was not interested in palaces a lot.

So any small street will be full of interesting things, just walk a lot in places out of the circuits. Walk and get lose, coming back is easy, just take a "small taxi" (peugeot 205 usually painted on blue, avoid "gran taxis" mercedes, they are expensive in comparation), they speak almost anythink! At closing time, remember to go to the main place or more turistic zones!

One thing that can be a problem is that people look scaring in general, but it is the way they look, they use to be very kind, talk to them and they will open to you, but anyway, some of them will tell you not to photo them... a good tele and sitting and wait can make you happy for hours.

If you make a trip to Fez, you can pay a boy to take you to the leather works, it is IMPOSIBLE to find by your self, it is a close place sorounded by buildings, but they will take you to gift shops from where -in the second floor- you can watch the coloured pools where the leather is tinted. Take a tele with you to this trip, the action is a little away from your position. May be you can ask to go down with the workers, but the smelling will prevent you from doing so!

Ask anything else you need to know, I will try to answer here.

Best-Buy Easy Point & Click

02/09/2005 01:56:38 PM · #4

Sergio, thank you for your tips, they are all useful. Have you gone to the Atlas mountains at all ? I am thinking of making a oneday/two days trip to the Atlas mountains, I have heard the views are spectacular...

dsb_mac

02/09/2005 02:51:32 PM · #5

AndrewTO I went to marrakesh last yr. First time my french came in handy outside of Quebec -I was amazed. That's a good place to go if you want something very different from North America and Europe.

I don't know how familiar you are with places like that. What I mean is that if you look like a bewildered tourist you're constantly bombarded with vocal offers for different "services" and products. Plus familiarize yourself beforehand on how much things cost as they will ask tourists outrageous prices and if you don't know how much it actually costs it's more difficult for you.

My best advice actually is to get a guide from the official tourist agency. This will SAVE you time and money. They're relatively cheap. I paid about 30-40 for 5-6 hrs. The marketplace is like a labyrinth and it's large. It's very difficult to find the interesting places on your own. No one will harass you if they see you with guide it's also easier to take pictures.

Most of the ppl will not want you taking pictures of them. They actually block their faces so candids are often difficult. There are the "taxes" to consider which you can expect to pay but some of the more aggressive ppl can try to price gouge you.

If you eat at the funky cold medina take the pills like farmer suggested. I ate there too and the 3 girls i went with got SICK a day or 2 later. I didn't. It turned out to be really fun to eat there cuz our guy in the stand was hilarious.

I also went to see the mountains. I didn't go to the mountain but on a hike in the countryside with the mountain is in view. It was guided with a home cooked prepared meal that was delicious.

In general there's a lot of cool things to photograph if you can figure out how to take them. I'm asian so I got a bunch of racial (not racist) remarks. But in retrospect it's definitely better than looking like a white american with all the wars going on. They have a more pronounced negative opinion of americans.

Message edited by author 2005-02-15 09:54:00.