Morocco remains an incredible destination for photography. When Terres d’Aventure offered me the opportunity to go there to do a scouting trip to give a photo workshop with a group of photographers, I was excited to jump on the plane. Here is how I prepared myself and the highlights of this expedition in this golden light country.
Since the beginning of my career as a professional photographer in 2001, I have made a habit of travelling without a checked luggage. This style of travel requires a lot of discipline in terms of minimalism. I have a variety of photos and hiking bags depending on the type of adventure and airlines I plan to use. Because it must be said, the tolerance on the size of the bags in the cabin varies from one company to another. For my stay in Morocco, since I expect to hike in the mountains and dunes, I'm opting for a classic 40-liter hiking bag and a PEAK DESIGN EVERYDAY SLING 6L V2 shoulder bag.
When it comes to camera equipment, travelling "carry-on" means having to make some tough choices. The advent of mirrorless cameras and stabilization have proven to be very beneficial for me in terms of space and weight. Sometimes I even go without a tripod, which will be the case this time. My photo equipment for Morocco is made up of:
Other essential "photo" accessories to my trip are the following:
- MacBook Air
- Portable hard drive
- Cleaning kit (essential for a photo trip in the desert)
- UV filter
- Note: Although I would have liked to bring my drone, Moroccan laws do not allow it.
Mathieu Dupuis
Canon EOS RP + Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM
1/125s | f/8 | ISO 250
Marrakech - At the Gates of the Moroccan Sahara
In 21 years of intensive travels, I have only twice missed my flight. The second time was during my stopover in Casablanca. Fun fact: I was travelling with Claude, my long-time friend, with whom I had missed my last flight 12 years earlier. So I'm going to start wondering...
The transatlantic flight left for Montreal late and my 50 min connection seemed tight. It's not surprising that I got stuck at the boarding gate. Fortunately, I don't have any checked luggage, and I manage to board another flight to Marrakech without too much delay. As soon as I arrived, I went to visit the city without any great photographic ambitions. I prefer saving a subject like Marrakech for the end of the trip. Just to be less tired and above all, a little more comfortable with Moroccan customs.
 Mathieu Dupuis |  Mathieu Dupuis |
After a good meal and a good night's sleep, Ziad (my driver) and Aziz (my guide) are waiting for me at my hotel door. The Toyota Land Cruiser is fully loaded. Let's start with the roads in lace of the High Atlas to reach the Ounila Valley. On the way, we make a stop to pick up Ibrahim, our cook, for our 10 days of exploration. As the vehicle takes altitude, the landscapes change. The High Atlas is very impressive. Aziz tells me that there are ski resorts in the area, but that unfortunately they are closed due to lack of snow. The High Atlas culminates at more than 4,167 m on the summit of Djebel Toubkal, the 8th highest peak on the African continent.
 Mathieu Dupuis |  Mathieu Dupuis |
After a tea break at the Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260 meters, we reach the region of Ouarzazate and the Ounila valley between Telouet and Aït Benhaddou. An obligated passage for the spice caravans. Here, Aziz, Claude and I leave Ziad and Ibrahim for a few hours of hiking. We will meet again for the dinner and to walk again until the end of the afternoon. This hike allows me to photograph magnificent small villages of compacted earth. But it is only at the end of the day that I find my subject: The fortified Ksar of Ait Ben Haddou. Located on the southern foothills of the High Atlas, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the most spectacular in Morocco!
Mathieu Dupuis
Canon EOS RP + Canon RF 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS STM
1/500s | f/8 | ISO 250
After a night in Riad and a supply of food and water in the small town of Agdz, we are finally at the gate of the Sahara and leave the road for 3 days of track.
Moroccan Sahara
 Mathieu Dupuis |  Mathieu Dupuis |
The desert cannot be explained, it just is to be experienced. That's what I had been told and what Claude and I observed. After several hours of walking in the dunes under a late-afternoon sun, we join our guides busy unloading the vehicle and establishing the bivouac in the hollow of a dune. After having rehydrated us with a sweet mint tea, we leave towards the top of these big dunes. The wind blows. We have to be very careful when changing lenses not to fill the sensor with sand. In spite of many precautions, it is almost impossible not to get some that penetrates in the objectives and the camera. But this does not prevent the pleasure of photographing these very meditative places.
Desert photography is above all an exercise in patience. Those who are willing to play the game and take the time to capture all these nuances when the light decreases will be rewarded. Sometimes yellow, these stretches of sand become ochre or pinkish. The sea of sandy waves changes in contrast. New perspectives are revealed as the shadows lengthen. Besides the beauty of these places, what is also really fascinating is to notice the difference in temperature between the sunny and shady areas. When the sun goes down, believe me, you have to have your woolly clothes at hand.
After a night walk under the moonlight and a magnificent sunrise, we have the breakfast in speed. Not a minute to lose, we wish to leave on foot before the sun is too high for a hike of some hours. Then, the 4x4 will pick us up at the point of meeting previously fixed on a map and we will continue towards the next bivouac. Aziz asks me my impressions on this first camp. It is with stars in our eyes that Claude and I explain to him how happy we are with our pictures... That's when he tells me, "Wait until you see the next place where we will camp, the dunes are even more magnificent." Which I find hard to believe. |
 Mathieu Dupuis
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 Mathieu Dupuis
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Reaching the place in question, Aziz was proved right. The dunes are even more gigantic. A little less as far as the eye can see than the first site, but we are near the Algerian border. Mountainous massifs offer a magnificent background. The dunes which surround us are covered with wrinkles created by the wind. This gives the place a very photogenic character when I use a 15mm wide angle. By positioning myself very low, I manage to accentuate the effect of what is beautiful with the contrasting evening light. After sunset, I have a hard time waiting for the next morning. I can't sleep and decide to go for a walk under the light of the full moon. A moment of great magic in tête-à-tête with myself!
Mathieu Dupuis
Canon EOS RP + Canon RF 15-30mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM
1/80s | f/8 | ISO 250
Mathieu Dupuis
Canon EOS RP + Canon RF 15-30mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM
1/80s | f/11 | ISO 250
After the crossing of the great dry expanses of the Iquiri Lake, we join again the road for a stopover in Taroudant also called the small Marrakech. It is with great excitement that we arrive in Essaouira. This port city has been on my list of photographic subjects for a long time. Formerly called the port of Timbuktu, the port of Essaouira is characterized by its numerous blue boats. It is in its Medina (fortified city) that we discover a world of flavours and colours. It is in lightweight mode, a single camera and two lenses (35mm and 50mm), that I decide to do street photography. For me, this kind of subject is the most unpredictable and exciting. It is with all 5 senses awake that I am in search of real-life scenes in an aesthetical imperfection.
Mathieu Dupuis
Canon EOS RP + RF 50mm f/1.8 STM
1/250s | f/4 | ISO 160
Mathieu Dupuis
Canon EOS RP + Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM
1/400s | f/5 | ISO 125
Essaouira also has several nicknames... Such as Mogador, or Bride of the Atlantic. On the graphical plan, Essaouira is also a city of doors. Each one more beautiful than the other... Here, it's easy to get confused between souks and small alleys that seem to lead to other worlds. Nevertheless, I can't resist admiring the lights of the sunrise and sunset in the port. With luck, the heavy weather creates a mist that spreads over the area. This enhances the mysterious character of the place. All I have to do is let my creativity carry me under the melody of the wind and the waves.
Mathieu Dupuis
Canon EOS RP + Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM
1/125s | f/9 | ISO 250
Marrakech
Mathieu Dupuis
Canon EOS RP + Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM
1/160s | f/8 | ISO 250
Back to the final destination of this trip. Claude and I say goodbye to Aziz, Ziad and Ibrahim. For our last evening in Morocco, we leave for the Jemaa el Fna square in Marrakech. Snake charmers, animated souks, and atmospheres that can sometimes be very intense, are all there for us to see. We take full advantage of the experience. After a bit of shopping in the shops of the narrow streets, I locate a terrace that seems to offer a magnificent view of the main square. It is with a glass of sweet mint tea that I immortalize this last moment in Morocco. One thing is certain, my travel notebook is full of notes for the next trip.
Mathieu Dupuis was invited by Terres d’Aventure in preparation for the photo trip Lumières sur le Maroc.
 | Mathieu Dupuis Professional photographer, books author and travel columnist for many years, I travel the world in search of subjects for my stories. From grandiose landscapes to substantive subjects, I multiply collaborations in order to discover and make people discover the world around us. My stock images are available for licensing for various commercial applications as well as for reproductions in the form of fine art prints. |
Other Blog Entries by Mathieu Dupuis
 MATHIEU DUPUIS Documenting a trip in the heart of the oldest desert in the world |
