FOTOXPLORE MOROCCO, HOW IT ALL STARTED..

Giles and I first met in 1991 when we both enrolled in a photography and design course at Richmond upon Thames college in England.

25 years later, here we are running photography tours in the Amazigh territories of the Atlas Mountains, the Sahara Desert, the mediterranean and Atlantic coasts in Morocco. Though comprising distinct landscapes with challenging light situations, the are only half a day’s drive from one another and are populated by nomadic Imazighen, enduring winter snows and desert sand storms.

The mountain Amazigh nomads graze their goats in amongst the hard dry crags of the Atlas, where the rocks are coloured pink and green by mineral deposits and where they sleep in tents made from woven camel hair.

A little further south, the Jbel Saghro is a tortured range of twisted strata thrown up by vulcanism and geological upheaval. Here, volcanic plugs jut from ancient bassltic lava fields, and the dry, dusty winds from the desert meet the moist winds from the north and west in an infinitely changing kaleidoscope of blue and gold.

Then there is the Sahara itself, the dunes continually renewing themselves as the sand shifts with winds that only seem to rest during the magic hours of dawn and dusk.

Throughout, Imazighen eke out a living as they have done since prehistory. Their adobe architecture constructed from blocks of mud and dung, and their lives intimately connected to a landscape we have to visit carefully in 4WD vehicles.

Finally we arrive at Marrakech, ancient capital of Imazighen and still a hub for trade in spices, crafts, and carpets handwoven by Amazigh ladies (Timgharine) in all the different tribes. The main square, the oldest continuously used open air theatre, is still home to dance troupes, snake charmers and fortune tellers and is now a UNESCO world heritage site. Around it throngs the historical city, vibrant with the good humour and entrepreneurial spirit of the locals.

The itineraries will reward all levels of expertise. Technical,  practical and philosophical guidance is available from both leaders,  as required…

Giles Stokoe / Giles Stokoe Photography

Mohammed Kamal / www.fotokam.net

• Fotoxplore Morocco has 4 socially, culturally and photographically rich and exceptionally well thought circuits for the adventurous and passionate photographers who want to take their photography beyond the cliché folkloric and touristic snapshots… Our circuits are color coded in Amazigh names:
• Awragh=Yellow, Azougagh=Red, Azegza=Blue, Fazaz=Mountain.
• Amazigh is the free Man, the native indigenous people of Morocco.
• I, Mohammed Kamal, aka MK will happily share with you my passion and love for photography  through 20 years of hands on experience as a professional photographer in many facades of photography. My native knowledge of the Amazigh Moroccan culture, and the 16-year life journey in UK, Europe and the USA are what makes Fotoxplore Morocco’s expeditions a unique and unrivalled photographic experience in Morocco…

Please contact us for more infos on: [email protected]