Morocco
21 Apr - 1 May 2024 : Available
21 Apr – 1 May 2024
From exquisite mosques to striking blue villages to the surreal and dreamlike desert. Morocco offers a unique combination of adventure and photography whilst experiencing the remarkable hospitality of the Moroccan and Berber people.
After spending 3 weeks in the desert many years ago Daragh Muldowney has been pining to go back, reconnect with his guides from before and compile a new photo tour taking in the best that Morocco has to offer. Why not join us for an exciting adventure in April 2024 capturing some truly unique images along the way?
Day 1 – Tour starts in Casablanca with a sunset shoot at the iconic Hassan II mosque by the coast. Many photographic options here from intricate detail, surreal minimalism and expansive shots of the tower.
Day 2 and Day 3 – We’ll shoot the stunning Rabat lighthouse for sunrise before heading to Chefchaouen, the blue town. A labyrinth of tiny streets all painted in multiple shades of blue. We’ll spend 2 nights here exploring different ways of shooting this village. Overviews from high up to walking the streets at early morning.
Day 4 – After sunrise shoot and breakfast we’ll drive to Fes and shoot a fantastic overview of this ancient imperial city.
Day 5 – No sunrise shoot but early breakfast then a guided tour through the souks and some of the most interesting locations to shoot in Fes, including a leather tannery, Madrasa Al-Attarine, Madrasa Bou Inania and the royal palace. Drive through the beautiful Atlas mountains stopping (hopefully) to shoot the cheeky Barbary Macaque monkeys. Sunset near Zaisa – some unusual huts and broken walls and trees in minimal space.
Day 6 and Day 7 – Sunrise view looking towards Midelt and the Atlas mountains.
After breakfast we’ll make our way towards Merzouga and check into our hotel. We’ll then have 2 nights in the surreal landscape of the Sahara. We will shoot 2 sunrises and 2 sunsets. A combination of wide scenes and from elevated views to explore abstract patterns. The colours change from white to yellow to red to brown depending on the light and all wonderful to photograph. We will organise a camel train for one of the sunsets. Clean sand, soft curvy lines with subtle light is the aim of the game here.
Day 8 – After sunrise and breakfast we leave Merzouga to go towards the Dades Gorge. There are a number of possible stops on route from Rizzani, to dried mud details, to city overlooks. We will shoot sunset overlooking the Dades Gorge and an extraordinary switchback road.
Day 9 – No sunrise…after breakfast we head out of Dades….a few locations on route before arriving at Ourzazate and Kasbah Taourirt. Great architectural detail to be had here. We’ll continue on to Ait Benhaddou and stunning village perched on a hill made famous in the Game of Thrones. We’ll shoot an overview at sunset.
Day 10 – We’ll shoot a view from outside at the dawn before walking the deserted small streets of this village. Clay buildings, old wooden rafters gateways all lend themselves to creating some stunning photography.
After breakfast we head towards Marrakech, check into the hotel and shoot Marrakech from an overlook at sunset.
There will be a webinar to help you edit your images post-workshop. You send your pictures to your instructor and a section will be edited live. The webinar will be recorded and sent back to you so you will have a route map to help you make the most of your images after the workshop. We will also offer discounted rates on our online photography courses plus we have a range of free courses you can access so you’re ready to go before you even arrive.
The cost of the workshop is €5950 for single occupancy. For this fee, you will receive : Hotel Throughout, Transport 3 per 4 x 4 wheel drive, 3 Meals per Day, Tuition, Location Guide
FLIGHTS are not included.
It is not advised to book flights until we confirm we have adequate numbers for this workshop to go ahead. In the event of the workshop not going ahead, we will refund deposits in full. However, we will not compensate flight costs.
- On Location Guidance
- Compositional Instruction
- Post Processing Instruction in Free Webinar
- Understanding Exposure Triangle
- Modes of Exposure
- RAW, White Balance and Filters
- Why is the angle of the sun so important – Understanding Light and seeing like your camera
- Using Graduated Neutral Density Filters
- Sharpness From Here to Shanghai – Understanding Depth of Field
- Choosing the Correct Shutter Speed to get the best Outcome
- The Importance of Composition – Using Lines and Texture
- Histograms ExplainedExposing to the Right for Maximum Details
- Spare batteries for camera if possible or the battery charger essential
- We will be shooting both wide angles and intimate details so focal lengths from 17mm to 200mm will be of use. Longer lenses essential and if you have longer than 200 or a tele converter this would be of use.
- Tripod (essential)
- Shutter cable release if possible but we can also use your timer if you don’t have a cable release.
- Camera Manual (just in case)
- Filters – Circular Polariser , ND’s and grad ND’s will be of use
- Expect warm temperatures so sun cream shorts and tee shirt
EASY TO MODERATE – There will be a good amount of walking on flat ground in the cities. Plus you need to be able to walk up to 30 minutes in the desert for the dune locations. There are also 2 15 – 30 minute walks to 2 city overlooks. Essentially you need a basic level of fitness for this tour.
Our team is dedicated to getting you the best images possible on every trip. We are an experienced team of leaders and always willing to go the extra mile for our participants. Ask our repeat customers. Most workshops have 50% or higher returning customers.
We will get you to the right place at the right time of day to maximize your chances of making great images. That’s the core focus of every trip. What drives us forward. We love the light as much as you do and our primary goal is always to give you the best chance possible of bringing home special images.
We have small groups and a really high teacher to pupil ratio. Most workshops are only 6 or 7 people. Our max is 9 and there will be 2 instructors. This means that there is always time to give advice and help when on location. It also means we always travel in comfort with 2 people to a 3 seat berth. We take your comfort seriously with single occupancy rooms with private bathrooms as standard. We also have a dedicated office team managing logistics so you have a point of contact for your arrival and departures or other logistical questions you might have around the trip.
Every workshop of 3 days or more comes with a free follow-up private webinar for the group. 2 hours of post-processing of the images from your trip. Recorded live and emailed back to you so you have a road map through the edit of the whole trip.
So why not join the adventure? Join the ExploreLight Community!
“On a workshop with ExploreLight, there are always laughs, but there are always great photographs too. Peter and his team go to great efforts to ensure everyone gets the shot they want at a location – whether it’s the continuous checking of local weather conditions, to in depth knowledge of each location, to prepping the group prior to arrival at the location by showing past shots, to walking among the group during the shoot, offering advice and sharing their own shots, total dedication to the client. I’ve taken some of my best shots while on ExploreLight workshops and that’s no coincidence.
The aftercare is second to none, with a private Facebook group where you are encouraged to share your shots (and where you can receive suggestions for improvement) to social nights out and emails on upcoming workshops, editing sessions, etc. Peter is building a community of photographers who return again and again.”
Barbara Tanzler
“Something deep within tempted me to attend an ExploreLight fundamentals workshop in the Wicklow National Park in March 2015. I remember coming home feeling invigorated, that a new world was about to open up for me. My photography has improved steadily so much so that I recently achieved my Associate distinction from the IPF but more importantly I have met fantastic people many of whom are now considered friends, I’ve attended many more ExploreLight workshops since and visited fantastic locations all under the expert guidance of the ExploreLight team. These guys are good and are at the top of their game and super professional. I recommend ExploreLight because they are the best Photography workshop and tour operators out there.”
Noel McIntyre AIPF
“I have been on several ExploreLight Workshops and have thoroughly enjoyed every one of them. The ExploreLight workshops are a perfect combination of excellent teaching, superb locations, and great “craic”. Your enthusiasm is infectious, even if it means getting up at 5am to shoot the sunrise, or staying out until 4am to shoot the aurora. I look forward to returning to many more workshops with you guys.”
Paul Byrne
Workshops 2024 – Click HERE
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Email info@explorelight.com if you require any further information
Regarding flights or other personal expenses, we cannot take responsibility for costs if a workshop does not go ahead. We suggest having insurance or a ticket that allows you to move dates. This is available with most airlines at the moment.
