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{Chapter 2} Tales from the Desert
SOMETIMES THE BEST THINGS HAPPEN WHILE YOU’RE WAITING…OR HALF ASLEEP.
Rubbing sleep from my eyes, we walk across the street from our hotel to set up for a shoot of Ait Benhaddou. Sometimes you’re so focused on a subject or the task at hand that it’s easy to forget about what’s happening around you.
Behind me, the sun is just starting to come up and the sky is magnificent. There is a small stream that runs between the ancient ksar and the modern town. Bathed in pastel, the cotton candy clouds melt into the water like a parallel world below glass. The sound of my shutter breaks the silence and before I know it, the scene dissolves with the light.
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{Chapter 1} Tales from the Desert
WITH BEN PIPE
I went on a photography expedition with Ben Pipe, an amazing British photographer I met in Marrakech, who has inspired me to get out of my comfort zone. I rarely wake up early for anything and he had me up at the crack of dawn almost every day that I’ve known him (about 21). I don’t want to wax poetic about him here because he reads this blog now and who needs another cocky photographer? ;) He’s pretty amazing though if all the editorial credentials and awards he’s earned doesn’t already confirm it. You can check his work out at benpipe.com and see for yourself.
So, we meet and set out to the desert, which Ben’s shot on a couple of other occasions. This was my first time in this kind of setting and I am telling you — it is unreal. You’re driving over rocky enclaves when all of a sudden the landscape changes underneath your feet and as you look out into the distance, you can see the powdery peaks and troughs of the dunes, which seem to spread out into infinity.
There is a still silence in the desert. Coming from a big city, this always takes a bit of getting used to. We were watching the sun set, sitting by ourselves on the top of one of these massive dunes, when Ben asked if it was everything I imagined. I said, “Yes. I guess I knew it would be. I’ve seen the photographs, watched the movies, and here I am. A proper adventure.” ”….Yeah, it is…”, he said back.
It is as awe inspiring as they say it is. I almost forgot that I was there to photograph it, sidetracked by the light changing the sand from a soft beige to vivid orange. I just wanted to take it all in for as long as the hourglass let me.
If you’re into photography and want to travel with Ben, I think he’s going back next year. I’m hesitant to tell you because I don’t want his dance card to fill up without me on it. I’ve only spent a week with him and I’m a better photographer for it.
Thanks with all of my heart, Ben. You’re the best! Now, if only we can get that hair under control…X
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{24 Frames} in Marrakech
{BELOW PHOTO}: There is so much inspiration that can be found in the souk and streets of Morocco. I.LOVE.THESE.COLORS. I think it would be great in my bedroom.
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A Wash of Pink and Blue, Marrakech.
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Light and shadow, Marrakech.
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The women in Morocco are quite beautiful (when you can see their faces, of course). Unlike New York, it’s quite hard to find women who don’t mind having their photograph taken. This is Amina. Doesn’t she have perfect skin? And those eyes!
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Two goldfish having an “OH SHIT!” moment. Marrakech.
Elsewhere