Now here, somewhat above Chefchaouen, is a place where the military police shut us down with our quadcopter! I came into town with Anton and Ana from SmugMug to work on a promo piece. We had been already using Anton’s quadcopter all over Morocco, but when we got here, the taxi driver alerted the local military police that we had some sort of a “plane”! This caused a lot of worry and consternation (and, I should add, a significant amount of confusion). After we were there for half an hour, the military police descended on our hotel with a rather sour attitude. I’ve never had any success negotiating with the Moroccan military, and I had no success here either. I did put up a good intellectual fight, but I eventually acquiesced, mostly because of the size of their guns. Well, there was no gunplay… but I did see a lot of guns… which always helps one side win an argument. So, while I’d like to have had a proper shot from the air, it was not to be!

Not as High as I’d Hoped

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2014-03-05 06:59:23
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/30
• Aperture16
• ISO160
• Focal Length15.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

This is the basement level of an amazing hotel I stayed at in Chefchaouen. I wish I could remember the name of it, but it escapes me at the moment. Whenever I am at a hotel with a really cool pool, I often regret not taking time for a dip. I’m usually out taking photos like a crazy person, so the luxury of having a swim is a bit off the radar. I did, however, take the time to have a Hamam. It was my first one with a Muslim woman who was wearing a headscarf the entire time while I was completely nude. She basically removed the entire top level of my skin and left me bleeding and crying like a little boy. But it was still great.

Spa in Chefchaouen

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2014-03-05 05:59:13
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time2
• Aperture8
• ISO125
• Focal Length15.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

I started taking photos of all the different doors in this amazing city in Morocco because each one was completely new and perfectly maintained, in a rustic sort of way. It sort of reminded me of all the unique camps at Burning Man and how the creators take pride in all their creations. Anyway, my plan with all the doors was to make some sort of collage or something that showed all the different doors in one photo. But, about halfway through the project, I thought this sounded like sort of a campy idea, so I abandoned it.

Doors in Chefchaoeun

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2014-03-06 01:17:38
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/500
• Aperture9.5
• ISO160
• Focal Length14.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

In this perfect little mountain town of Chefchaoen, women dress lavishly with so many different colors. Everyone I saw seemed to have a lot of character and were simply just interesting to watch. Sure, of course, I took photos from time to time, but I mostly just walked around and watched people.

Not a Doll in Morocco

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2014-03-18 00:58:32
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/4000
• Aperture
• ISO100
• Focal Length
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

This is probably in my top three towns to get lost inside. And boy, is it ever easy to get lost. You’re never in any great fear of getting lost for days on end, so there’s a bit of a safety net there. You can always head downhill and you’ll find yourself at the base of the city, then you can work your way back up to your hotel or whatever. Seeing all these cool doors gave me the idea to take photos of about 50 doors and make a little collage. I never followed up on that idea, though, and got distracted by getting more lost!

Getting Lost in Chefchaoeun

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2014-03-05 06:07:51
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/60
• Aperture8
• ISO125
• Focal Length15.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

Two days in a row for Morocco photos! You can probably tell by now what a colorful country this is. It makes me think a lot about the west, and how drab and neutral-colored our homes can be. It’s not quite like that in Morocco, where they are not afraid of color! I have a soft-spot for that, of course, being the HDR-kinda-guy I am! 🙂

Chefchaouen in Morocco

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2014-03-06 00:25:23
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/350
• Aperture9.5
• ISO200
• Focal Length12.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

I tried to maximize my exploring in Chefchaouen to see every possible nook and cranny. It’s small enough where 10 hours on foot can get you to photograph the whole town, or at least, the colorful parts of it. The whole place is a soft powdery blue, so you can imagine my surprise when I found this pinky area!

The Pink Hood

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2014-03-06 01:58:33
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/750
• Aperture9.5
• ISO200
• Focal Length12.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

You may notice that I hardly ever take photos in the middle of the blue day. But I thought it was fitting here, as it was the same tones as this magical city below. This is in Chefchaouen — and if you ever get to Morocco, be sure to get here. It’s hella inconvenient, but you’ll be so happy once you’re actually there. Plus, you’ll be one of the only photographers. Well, except for all the other people that read this!

THE BLUE CITY OF MOROCCO

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2014-03-17 21:15:59
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/400
• Aperture5.6
• ISO80
• Focal Length16.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias+1.3

At night, all the colors of this little mountain town became much more intense. In the daytime, these were kind of a light powdery blue, but at night they seemed much more saturated and intense. It was pretty much like a Disneyland of colors — something new to see around every bend!

Night Streets of Chefchaouen

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2014-03-05 08:10:10
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time4
• Aperture8
• ISO200
• Focal Length13.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

I saw this gentleman walking down the middle of the roads slowly. He would occasionally hold out his hand slowly and the first time I did it, I put a small pile of coins into it. He then quickly slid the coins inside his jilaba. I saw him again a shade later and took his photo as he was walking right at me.

In the Streets of Chefchaouen

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2014-03-17 05:29:51
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/750
• Aperture
• ISO100
• Focal Length
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias