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

Here’s a photo I just finished and I really like the way it turned out. I was in Rabat, Morocco, and visited this tomb just as it opened. There was almost no one around, and I gave the “international signal” asking if it was okay to take his photo. He gave me a mustachioed nod, so I took a quick one. Believe it or not, I spelled mustachioed correctly the first time… I was waiting for the red squiggly.

Standing Guard in Rabat

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2014-03-01 21:04:30
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/200
• Aperture
• ISO100
• Focal Length
• 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

My memory is SO BAD. I really can’t believe it. I remember going to this amazing restaurant in Morocco, but I can’t remember the name, or even the city. There’s a 70% chance it is Marrakech, a 20% chance it is Rabat, and a 10% chance it is Fez. I’m pretty sure of that, although that’s like being sure of nothing. And, of course, I don’t remember the name of the restaurant, because it would be pretty easy to look up. Anyway, at least I got an interesting photo of a mysterious place!

Somewhere under Morocco

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2014-03-10 08:24:40
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time2
• Aperture8
• ISO200
• Focal Length16.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

When I was in Morocco, I decided I needed to get way out of town into the Sahara desert to really lean into it. I rode a camel and everything. Believe me, riding a camel is not fun at all. I thought it would be a bit like riding a horse, but it definitely wasn’t. I’ve now ridden on about five different camels in various countries (Morocco, Egypt, Oman), and I can tell you every experience was negative. I tried to have a good attitude about it and embrace the romance and adventure of it, but not even my positivity could overcome a continually negative experience. Just over those dunes there in the distance was Algeria. I almost crossed over, but my guides there warned me it was a bit dangerous.

On the Way to Algeria

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2014-03-08 06:48:40
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/250
• Aperture5
• ISO100
• Focal Length70.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

Well, all of Fez is old, but the oldest part is the labyrinth-like bazaar. There are a few entrances to this place, and this is one of the grand gates. It’s unbelievable how lost you can get inside the old bazaar! But there’s really nothing to worry about. Whenever I had four hours to go out and shoot, I would wander randomly for three hours and then leave myself the last hour to find my way out. Sometimes I’d end up at a completely different gate, completely turned around. But that was part of the fun! And, I typically have a Very Good Sense of direction… I think this is because I play so many first-person shooter games!

Entering the old bits of Fez, Morocco

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2014-03-03 23:46:52
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/1000
• Aperture8
• ISO200
• Focal Length16.0 mm
• 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

This is the second photo that I have edited from this tomb, and I believe I like this one better. It’s amazing how much better I’ve come to learn Aurora HDR in just the past few years. In fact, I can’t even remember if I edited the other photo from this tomb with Aurora or Photomatix. Man, my memory is the worst. THE WORST. I hope Google hurries up with their AI because my HI is really leaking like a sieve.

Mohammad’s Tomb in Rabat

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2014-03-01 21:24:43
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/5
• Aperture6.3
• ISO250
• Focal Length11.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias-0.3

There in the distance, you can see a small camp. Even though it looks remote, this photo does not capture the absolute remoteness of it all! Wow I was really in the middle of the Sahara desert. After riding on a camel for hours and hours, I was exhausted. Riding on a camel is much harder than it sounds, by the way. I used muscles in my torso I didn’t know existed. You might think it sounds like riding a horse, but it’s not. It’s kind of like riding one of those electric broncos in a honky-tonk bar. Even if you’ve never done that, you can imagine it.

Overnight in the Middle of Nowhere

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2014-03-08 06:44:10
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/250
• Aperture5
• ISO100
• Focal Length120.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias