Journeys Through a Lens
Photographic Exhibition
by Carolyn Hunt-Gouairat
Hamid accompanied one of my groups last November, so this was the first time I had used him as a model. The light was not fantastic, but the richness in the colour of his jellaba contrasted with the striking blue of his shesh. But it is the colour of the rope from the camel which matches the shesh which makes the image for me.
I have been fortunate enough to spend a lot of time in the dunes of Erg Chebbi. Over the years, I have experienced all kinds of weather in this region. And a number of sandstorms. I take a group of photographers there every year and we do not always experience ‘perfect’ light. It’s generally the early morning and late afternoon light that provides us with the best opportunities. This is a late afternoon shot, when there is still some great colour in the sky, but as the sun is falling it begins to cast the shadows.
Here I have tried to include a wider area of the dunes, but sought to keep the foreground sharp and throw out the background dunes, as if they are so far away in the distance. Once again this was in the late afternoon of a November day.
I visited the Medina here in Agadir, to see it for the first time and to take a look at its photographic potential. I was pleasantly surprised. I’d only taken one camera body and my 50mm lens, ideal for hand held. It was a very quiet Saturday morning in early May and I could wander easily through the small souk taking close up shots. I have included this image and to me it says ‘colour’, offering a mix of colours that fill the frame.
Taken also in the Medina in Agadir, I like the idea of filling a frame and making people look twice at the subject, if it’s not obviously clear the first time. And then when you look again – so obviously Moroccan.
I experienced some excellent light in July of this year. This shot was taken first thing in the morning. This shrine, the Koubba of Sidi Mamsur and the small graveyard with glazed tiles, are located on the very edge of the Medina right next to the ocean.
The white walled Medina of Asilah set against the backdrop of a perfect morning sky in July. I’ve gone in close on the corner of a house to portray the crisp fresh look of the white architecture against the blue.
I started shooting digitally in the Spring of 2006. This shot is taken on an early July evening from the terrace of the beautiful Riad Tafilalet in Fez. I wanted to capture the view of the Medina as the early evening illumination was beginning, but whilst there was still some natural light in the sky. Made all the more easier by the digital advantage – switching the ISO at the touch of a button.
I am very pleased with this shot. It was taken hand-held on the spur of the moment as I was heading out of the Medina. I had been taking pictures in the Koranic School, in the mid-day sun, quite unsuccessfully. On leaving the School , the rays of light as I walked up this street alighted the mixtures of colours and subject before me.
I have made many trips in the past to the Mausoleum in Rabat as I would always stop there with my tour groups. In July I took at couple of days to re-familiarize
myself with Rabat and do some photography. I was fortunate with the light and here I have tried to create a crisp image of a subject that to me says ‘ Rabat’.
