Variety is the spice…Photography holidays 2013
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.
Sonjai arrived in late April, our first American citizen, to begin a private tour with us. She decided on an itinerary that covered the High and Middle Atlas mountains and the desert region of Merzouga in Morocco’s south. In all she covered nearly 1500km taking in sights such as Ait Benhaddou, Todra and Dades gorges, the Kasbah trail, the fertile Ourgaine Valley as well as the dunes of Merzouga. A camel trek into a storm wasn’t on the agenda but Sonjai weathered it well emerging from her nomad tent the following morning into brilliant early morning sunshine and the vast endless dunes around her; magical. Sonjai travelled for 8 days in a Toyoto Prado 4×4 and stayed in her own private room. Her gallery of images can be viewed 
Since the last blog it’s been a busy time with photography courses in Essaouira, alongside cooking weeks and the launch of a new tour off the back of trip to Morocco’s south east…John and Clare Simmons came out and each enjoyed their own activity, John with a week’s cooking with Naima and Clare with myself and Shimona who’d booked through Goleranto for a week’s photography holiday. An extremely cool head in the kitchen John breezed through the week’s recipes.
photos. The waterfalls as Sidi M’bark have seen a better flow of water in the past but nonetheless the local boys and shepherds still took advantage of its natural beauty and grazing potential. Blue skies and an assortment of rich earthy colours typify the geology of this area south of Essaouira. Gazing at Morocco’s map will tell you that the Atlas mountains start in this region.
Morocco travel photography with a mixture of landscape photography, people, abstract and interiors, Peter, Val and Jason enjoyed some lovely scenery from the comfort of a Toyoto Landcruiser 4×4, hopping out to take photos at various locations. We had some fine weather for landscape photography; sunny days with some light clouds offering depth to the skies. Polarisers earned their corn on the trip and the kit was all Nikon, with Val and Brian committed enthusiasts from the Macclesfield Camera Club and Jason a previous course attendee here in Essaouira. Adding to their Morocco travel photography portfolios amidst a little bit of walking and the odd Hammam seemed the name of the game and the sun of course was a constant battle to avoid;-).
