July’s guest photography

July’s galleries are now available to view via clicking on the photo. Jo and Lindsay produced some excellent abstract photos particularly at the non-touristic places.

Our photography holidays hopefully continue to inspire. At all levels there are techniques to learn as well as compositional approaches that come through practice and the benefit of looking at other photographers. Essaouira is the ideal compact place for intensive learning. Plenty of sun, texture, colour and oddities make this a paradise for photographers.

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Variety is the spice…Photography holidays 2013

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Dunes near Essaouira, Morocco

This summer’s photography workshops have sprouted some wonderful photos across a range of genres, on refection it’s remarkable how much photographic variety there is here in Essaouira.  Aside from the souks and the medina architecture with it’s rustic charm, there’s the faded industrial heritage outside the medina as well as the UNESCO port, the beach sports and the landscapes in the countryside of course; quite a mix.  The summer’s final photography devotee, Isabel who left today, made full use of these in a comprehensive week of photography.  She made great efforts to re-conquer the historic port here in Essaouira during the month of Ramadan, when the locals’ desire for daily fish is part of tradition.  Almost everyday she produced one or two new images, returning at different times of day to capture the rhythms and changing light, particularly focusing on the blue boats which are not so easy to photograph, but she succeeded. Then on Tuesday she produced our first gallery of kite surfing shots.  August is the premier month for Kite surfing and we were fortunate that a surfing instructor was playing to the camera and coming so close to shore.  The 70-300mm lens worked a treat.  Then on Wednesday we explored the rural landscapes and the dunes south of Essaouira. In all a fine week of learning (one hopes) and some excellent photos, food and relaxation.  Book now for photography holidays in 2013.  Isabel’s galleries can be seen here.kitesurfing, Essaouira

photography workshops in Morocco

Bring on the Night – photography workshops after sunset

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photography-workshops-at-night-images-in-the-sunphotography-workshops-at-night-images-in-the-sunPhotography is all about finding the light and here in Essaouira it’s usually in abundance but on a photographic holiday you want to explore the range of photographic opportunities. Night time photography offers something completely different when street lighting is the only source of illumination. Both Jackie and Ciaran were keen in the last week of September to take some photos of Essaouira’s atmospheric backstreets and alleys. The old fortifications combined with the night time sea air are suggestive of a town unchanging and of course this is part of Essaouira’s charm. The main challenge of night time imagery is firstly to be able to see what one is doing so at the very least always take a small penlight with you. Most DSLRs have an illuminated LCD screen but that can be tricky to see when your camera is positioned at head height so a torch will help you see the camera’s screen at the back. Of course you’ll also be using a tripod and this helps both steady the camera for slow shutter speeds and also slows down your working processes which can help you think about better compositions.

Many photographers always work with a tripod. It’s a much more Zen way of working. Whilst a tripod steadies the camera you’ll also need to use your self timer setting which also helps to eradicate image blurring as your finger is not engaged in pressing the button which can transmit vibrations. Secondly you may also have the option of mirror lock-up which can further prevent camera shake. In terms of exposure, cameras are set to give you an average reading so a dark subject will appear slightly lighter and a bright subject vice versa. To get naturalism and often the desired moodiness at night time, under-expose by a stop or so to see the shadows fall nicely into shade. Jackie and Ciaran came at for a photography holiday in the last week of September flying with Easyjet. Their galleries can be seen here.

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The Spice of Life

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Negotiating the local customs and craziness is all part of the creative photography holiday experience and surely it beats any photography course in the UK for a shot in the arm…

Cat and Linda were out this week and as far as activity holidays for ladies go this one surely provided no end of entertainment. Linda, well travelled had yet to visit Morocco and she enjoyed herself immensely, quite the adventurer that she is what with over zealous Hammans with the buckets of water and the kind-hearted attention of the local shopkeepers, her 7 days were full of spice.  The two ladies experienced a Henna tattoo each plus some beach photography in some of the strongest winds I’ve experienced here.  Linda also started her week with a cooking class.

Rather fittingly Cat was rather keen on the local moggies who aside from sleeping and receiving their generous fishy titbits are numerous in the streets of Essaouira. She also took a shine to Mika at Cafe SidiM’Bark. The cat calendar, which I keep threatening to subject past course attendees to, is nearing its best 10 images of feline dispositions within Essaouira. Cat is currently studying for a degree in art at Bolton University and the galleries here specialising in African art perfectly complemented her emerging photography.

The night with the Gnawa at the Malak Restaurant was one of the week’s highlights with the girls dancing their way into the memories of the staff followed closely by Cat being led astray at the Wednesday country market by one man intent of selling her a necklace. In a case of bad cop even worse cop, the man’s accomplice – he claimed his wife – was more persuasive shall we say. However Cat’s bargaining tools were a match and she snatched a good price for some local silver. 100DH (about £8). Linda and Cat flew BMI and Easyjet respectively and stayed at the Maison du Sud as featured in the Times in August.

Both their galleries can been viewed here.

September’s bright start plus an upcoming cooking and photography holiday blend

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photography-at-the-argan-cooperative-nr-essaouiraPost Ramadan and more galleries are coming together in the first few days of September.  Jay as seen left produced 4 outstanding galleries of photographs,  particularly in architectural subjects and at the fishing port here in Essaouira, probably the best collection of port photos yet.  His active participation at the Argan co-operative shows the perils of not using the histogram to check over exposure(note the hotspot on Jay’s shoulder).  No fault of Jay, but yours truly.  Jay’s work can be seen via this link. Jurgens also tripped into town with his wife and had a one-day workshop bringing a truly South African, fearless demeanour to his photography with the kind of interpersonal skills that the best doctors are renowned for.  He simply got closer winning people over with his enthusiasm. He also had a great eye for colour.  I was slightly envious of his Canon 7D and Sigma wide angle check but managed to put that to one side selecting a collection from the many great photos he took that day. His gallery can be seen here.

September sees the launch of our new course offering a week’s cooking and photography here in Essaouira Morocco. Moroccan food is a mild spicy delight and surely one of the world’s great cuisines. Using the best fresh ingredients from the fish stocks and locally grown vegetables around Essaouira  ensures the pastillas, tagines and couscous can all be cooked to taste perfection which I can certainly vouch for.  So now we’re combining a week’s holiday to include food and photography staying in the Maison du Sud.  The week comprises of 2 Moroccan cooking workshops and 4 Photography workshops.  Take a look at the page cooking with Naima under Offers for more details.