At the beginning of this year, in February, I went on a college trip to Morocco for photography purposes. At the time my camera hadn’t broken so I was still using the Konica Minolta 7D Dynax along with my wide angle ( 17-35mm ) lens and my zoom lens (75-300 mm).
We headed off on the 14th and were there for 4 or 5 days visiting three different parts of Morocco. First, travelling to Marrakesh, then Essaouira and finally going deep into the Atlas Mountains before returning back to Marrakesh for the final night.
I’d been once before on a family holiday to Agadir however we mainly stayed within the hotel complex so this time it was nice to experience the culture and see how the Moroccans lived their lives in the true heart of Morocco.
Marrakesh and Essaouira were far more ‘touristy’ than where we went in the Atlas Mountains although that was purely due to the fact that not many people venture into the mountains as they tend to stay in the main city where the hotels are, however there are hotels in the mountains.
The trip in to the mountains was an interesting one to say the least. 30 students packed onto a coach driving along a dirt track for what was possibly a good hour and a half was quite an experience. An amazing one at that. As we drove further and further into the mountains it became unbelievable as to how people lived in such a desolate area with hardly any transport apart from a mule. Every so often we would come across small little villages tightly built on to the sides of the mountains and it was quite eye opening to see the way people lived and worked in such a small community.
When we arrived at the hotel, we still hadn’t exactly ‘arrived’. We had a 10 minute climb from the coach up further into the mountains but luckily we didn’t have to carry our luggage. The Mules did this for us. Watching them carry our stuff I found quite sad to be honest, it didn’t seem fair that they had to climb all the way up carrying a good 60 kilos (3 suitcases – not all mine!) up the hill but I guess they’d been bred to have a life like that and they didn’t know any different.
The hotel had the most incredible views and it was so nice to be able to sit and eat lunch whilst looking out over the surrounding mountain faces. The area was a gem to photograph.
We stayed there for a couple of nights however if I’m honest it was good to get back to civilisation and the hustle and bustle of the vibrant city that Marrakesh is renowned for.
Everywhere you look, especially in Marrakesh Square, there’s bright colour. Colour everywhere from the clothes people wear to the interior design of buildings, everywhere was just filled with bright colours.
Marrakesh square was quite something to walk through, especially at night when the city really comes alive.
On the way to Essaouira we stopped off at an Argan Oil Factory. It was really interesting to see how they produced the oil from seeds and I enjoyed documenting this in my photography.
Essaouira was another tourist area however it felt much more relaxed compared to Marrakesh. We were lucky enough to stay at a hotel which faced right on to the beach which was beautiful.
The whole trip was definitely fascinating and photographically it was fantastic. Here are just a few photos I took on the trip. I would definitely recommend visiting such a beautiful country.
Below are just a few more photos I took whilst on the trip.
A x
Abigail Hobbs Photography 