I only spent one day in the capital of Morocco so I tried to get out there and make the most of it. I’m not sure why I went in the first place because it’s one of the less scenic towns in the country. I mean, it wasn’t bad, but I stayed out as much as I could to grab as many scenes as possible. Not long after this, I was in a car accident when my taxi t-boned another car. I got a little injured, but I could still walk. Then, all these angry Moroccans started yelling and there was a street fight. That was my cue to quickly jump out of the taxi and run away! 🙂
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.
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.
If you’re a Passport Member, then today is the day for a new how-to video! In today’s tutorial, you’ll see how I created this photo below. Passport Members have an extra little section that opens up so they can see behind-the-scenes and how-to videos. Enjoy!
New Presets Added to Passport!
For all you Passport people, as well as getting the new travel photography tutorial added back in November, my Aurora HDR 2019 presets pack is now included in your subscription. Go grab it now…
Making of the Rabat Shot
This was a very quick under-3 minute edit that I think you’ll enjoy! (And remember, the Presets section of Passport now includes the download of my Aurora HDR 2019 pack. Have fun!)
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.
I can’t figure out if this is creepy or kind of Japanese-cool. There is a town in the south of Japan called Nagoro where they place life-sized dolls of people that used to live there on permanent display. See the article here. Okay, maybe I’m leaning more towards creepy now that I look at the photos again. I’d like to go there and take photos at night.
Daily Photo – Not a Doll in Morocco
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.
I ordered it here in New Zealand, so I might be the Last Person in the World to actually receive it. But, no matter, I am beyond excited anyway. I don’t really buy stuff for myself… I’m the least materialistic person in the world. I drive an old pickup truck now. However, that car looks like so much fun (and so much more efficient) that I could not say no!
Daily Photo – Somewhere under Morocco
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!
Well, maybe you do… but I found this to be a complete surprise! It also reminds me that I should watch more TED talks!
Daily Photo – On the Way to Algeria
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.
When I was in Singapore, the local influencer we met up with was @Dotszoh and we spent a few days shooting together. One time to get out of the heat, we went back to process photos together. I decided to go ahead and record one of our post-processing sessions for you! Enjoy!
Daily Photo – Entering the old bits of Fez, Morocco
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!
I’ve recently added this to my book suggestions and I encourage you to get it if you are into post-apocalyptic fiction. I decided to read it, because it turns out I’ll be walking with the author, Hugh Howey, on the Camino in September. He’s one of an interesting assortment of about seven people to join the group!
Daily Photo – Getting Lost in Chefchaoeun
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!
That clever name was not created by me, but Stu up in Scotland. He’s the good lad that helps edit together all these special videos for Passport Members! Thanks Stu! Today’s special Passport Bonus section shows how I processed this image. Enjoy!
In this quick video tip I’ll show you how I post-process a 3 shot bracketed image using Aurora HDR 2018.
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.
