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NEW ARTIST FAIR FINALIST EXHIBITION - 21ST TO 30TH NOVEMBER 2011
I have finally picked my photos to exhibit at the Finalist Fair in London. I wanted to exhibit work from my recent trip to Morocco but had my work cut out a bit as I came back with 3650 photos! These were reduced to 584 good ones, then to 48, to 15 and then finally down to 8. It was really difficult to decide which ones to show but I think I’ve picked some good ones. Well, I hope I have! Above is one of my favourites from my trip.
Fez
Fez is an amazing city, a place I only just touched the surface of. Whilst walking around the Medina in Chefchaouen I thought I was in the real Morocco, turns out that was a ‘soft’ option compared to Fez!
The taxi driver dropped me off at Bab Guissa, the gate nearest to my accommodation and from there I was thrown into the throngs of the Medina. It was like stepping back in time. It was only a five minute walk to my house, but in that time I must have come across more than 20 donkeys and mules and countless porters moving things around in carts. There are no cars in the Medina, so the only way of transporting anything is either by porter, mule or donkey. It was fascinating to watch them go about their daily life although I must admit, at first, a bit daunting. Having come from the laid back quietness of Chefchaouen I wasn’t prepared for this!
But by the second day I was absolutely smitten. Yes the streets are a little dirty and crowded, yes at a moment’s notice you have to jump out of the way so as not to be hit by a cart or a mule, but the people were incredible and the atmosphere magic and I am so glad I chose Fez as one of the first places to visit in Morocco. I put my amazing experience down to the fact that I had a fantastic guide. Without him I am certain I would not have seen or experienced so much – I wouldn’t have met the man who for 8 hours a day throws sawdust into a fire in sweltering heat to keep the local Hamam going, or the three families that live together in one house with their 18 children still drawing water from their well in their courtyard, or the local baker who bakes everybody’s bread in the neighbourhood, the man who sharpens everyone’s knives or the men who come in from the country to sell their chickens at market. I could go on but you get the gist, I met a lot of people and this was only due to Hamido, my guide (Hamido – Tel 00 212 66 174 2464). He was born in the Medina over 50 years ago and knew it like the back of his hand. Without him I would have been totally lost.
When booking him I had been specific that I was coming to take photographs and I was not interested in shopping. Of course that was before I had arrived in Fez – I was told it was the world capital of Handicraft and I can see why, so many talented craftsmen making such wonderful things. Of course I succumbed, who wouldn’t? So much so that I had to actually throw things out of my suitcase to make room for my return journey!
Did I pay more for my purchases to account for the guide’s commission? Sure, but I paid what I was comfortable with and as I said, without my guide I wouldn’t have seen half of the Fez that I saw, so for me it was totally worth it.
The Medina was busy and it was hard for me to photograph, I completely gave up on using the Manual mode - by the time I had my camera to my face the person I had wanted to photograph was long gone and the streets filled with new people rushing around, there was no hanging around. It really was a challenge but I think (well hope) I have come back with some wonderful photos for my exhibition in November.
I stayed in a lovely house in the Medina, highly recommended – www.dar47.com – a 5 bedroomed dar with live in housekeeper (who was an amazing cook!). It was lovely having breakfast on the roof terrace every day overlooking the sprawling Medina and was a great peaceful retreat to come home to after the busyness of the day.
We walked for hours every day for 6 days and I really felt that I had covered quite a lot of the 9400 streets of the Medina. When I asked Hamido how many streets he thought we had walked he replied “oh about 300 maximum”. Ah, well seems I shall have to return another time to delve in a bit further…..
Chefchaouen is quite mesmerising. Every corner I go around I find another photo opportunity, it is taking me ages to actually get anywhere, especially if you include getting lost every 5 minutes in the Medina. It’s actually quite a small Medina so it’s fine but god knows how I will survive when I get to Fez and it’s 6000 streets!
Everyone here seems very friendly and it’s quite a chilled town. I really have wanted to take photos of the old men in their Djellabas - they look amazing and have such character in their faces. I have asked a few for permission and they have said no. I remember reading somewhere that some don’t like having their photograph taken because they believe the camera steals the person’s soul. I am not sure if this is the reason at all but wouldn’t, out of respect, even consider taking a photo of someone that didn’t want me to. So for now whilst I am in Chefchaouen I shall just stick to taking pictures of the beautiful blue doors and walls!
GRANADA
Granada wasn’t quite what I was expecting, it was much much larger than I thought it would be but you can’t deny the dramatic setting, with the Alhambra keeping it’s eye on the town and the mountains rising up dramatically behind.
The main draw is the Alhambra and quite understandably so. Walking around the General Life gardens is beautiful but it’s when you get inside the Nasrid Palaces that you are really blown away. We went to the Palaces twice, once in the night time and once in the day, both times totally totally crowded with tourists – oh if only I would be allowed to go in just on my own!
Tip: If you have pre-purchased your Palace Night Visit tickets, don’t wait like we did at the main entrance for 30 minutes waiting for it to open only to be told that the entrance to the palace is down the road!
Having a drink at sunset on the terraces at El huerto de Juan Ranas (by Mirador San Nicolas in the Albaycin) was another highlight of our trip – the mojitos were amazing. We then stayed for dinner and the food was delicious, especially the Lamb with couscous.
Another thing that totally blew me away was the stunning grafitti, there certainly is some talent there, here are a few of my faves.
