Client Stories 2
Window of Opportunity © Carolyn Farren 2006
'Five fly off to Marrakech' sounds like an Enid Blyton title for a children's adventure story but this was a very real adventure for five photographers. 8 days away, five days exploring South Morocco. Gail organised our entire trip, and a sheet of useful words/phrases in French and Arabic (that the rest of us failed to use).
And so 'Ladies wot travel' bravely set off weighed down with camera rucksacks, tripods and a hundred useful items. Two ladies were using digital cameras and had brought along their Flashtrax, amazingly being able to download their day's images even in a basic desert inn, but not in a tent! So three of us were using film. Of course, digital won hands down in some low light situations but I'm happy with what I achieved on slides even if I only have a quarter the amount of images.
Marrakech is a bustling, noisy mass of humanity with many photo opportunities if you can fend off the traders or are happy to pay for the privilege of them posing. I failed to capture the colourful Water Seller in the main square but paid to shoot the Tooth Puller behind his little table full of old teeth and false teeth!
And so 'Ladies wot travel' bravely set off weighed down with camera rucksacks, tripods and a hundred useful items. Two ladies were using digital cameras and had brought along their Flashtrax, amazingly being able to download their day's images even in a basic desert inn, but not in a tent! So three of us were using film. Of course, digital won hands down in some low light situations but I'm happy with what I achieved on slides even if I only have a quarter the amount of images.
Marrakech is a bustling, noisy mass of humanity with many photo opportunities if you can fend off the traders or are happy to pay for the privilege of them posing. I failed to capture the colourful Water Seller in the main square but paid to shoot the Tooth Puller behind his little table full of old teeth and false teeth!
The same square, Djemaa el-fna, filled with hot food stalls after dark, exotic smelling smoke billowing into the night sky. Pity about the rain on our first day exploring the city, but little did we know then it was wreaking havoc further south with flash floods destroying roads. 'People pictures' is not particularly my bag and is difficult in a Muslim country. Also, it is impossible to photograph women. On the other hand, as female photographers we were accepted more readily in some situations.
Partaking of fresh bread and mint tea with an elderly Bedouin in his crude tent we were able to repay his hospitality with gifts of a tube of Nivea cream and a bottle of liquid travel soap (hardly ideal in an arid landscape with little water). I hope his wife was pleased for we barely saw a glimpse of her as she stayed well out of the way.
We did our bit wherever we went joining in the dancing, clapping, singing and playing on Moroccan drums. I can certainly recommend such an interesting trip. If photography was our raison d'etre then great humour and camaraderie was our tour de force. Clubbing was mentioned every suppertime but since we were often up before dawn to catch the early light we were stifling yawns by 9pm. Our offspring would have considered us pathetic; and would have died of embarassment had they seen us set off into the dunes beyond our camels like schoolgirls, with our torches, to find the equivalent of a bush before bedtime.
We did our bit wherever we went joining in the dancing, clapping, singing and playing on Moroccan drums. I can certainly recommend such an interesting trip. If photography was our raison d'etre then great humour and camaraderie was our tour de force. Clubbing was mentioned every suppertime but since we were often up before dawn to catch the early light we were stifling yawns by 9pm. Our offspring would have considered us pathetic; and would have died of embarassment had they seen us set off into the dunes beyond our camels like schoolgirls, with our torches, to find the equivalent of a bush before bedtime.
We visited souks and kasbahs, museums and open markets; were driven over mountain passes, roads with no edges and deserts with no roads. We saw gorges and oases, villages and towns, nomads and city folk, and sunrise in the dunes. We experienced heat and cold, laughter and tears (from too much laughing) and villages made from mud and straw; and much, much more! We had numb bums from 1300km in our vehicle and came home pounds lighter, in more than just our wallets, but we're all agreed, it was a fantastic trip.
©Carolyn Farren 2006
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