What precautions to take shooting LF in the desert? (Morocco)

[Stephane]

r.e.
Always nice to travel, but this year it will be Svalbard in April and summer, and maybe Ellesmere Island in Arctic Canada (all work related). For holidays, it will be Israel in March, and I leave June open (probably northern Norway again, for the endless days, excellent fishing and breath-taking scenery).
As for pictures from Morocco, I would recommend very strongly this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Orientalist-Ph.../dp/208030089X
It is not just old photos, its excellent pictures on one side and on the other its the different aspects of life of Moroccans. A must have.

[r.e.]

Thanks for the reference to Eric Milet's book.

There is a privately owned photography museum, Maison de la Photographie, in the medina in Marrakech that specializes in historical photographs. It is quite good: http://www.ecomuseeberbere.com/

[Stephane]

Back to Morroco for the Xmas hollidays, and this time alone with few cameras. Got the tickets and car. I am in need for adventure! I guess it is that time in my life when need to do things I did 15-20 years ago...
Thought about taking the sinar norma 5x7 and wista 4x5 (besides two zeiss ikon). Not sure about 8x10 yet, probably not this time. I'll avoid cities as much as I can, except smaller settlements. So much need to be cut off that I'll keep my phone off!
2 LF cameras to shoot simultaneously: between the 18th to 26th, there should be enough moon light for long exposures. Straight south from Agadir along the coast. The "shipwreck collection" (kml goolge earth) shows a lot of shipwrecks along the shore, less than 1km from the road. I plan on roughing it up and camp while the cameras work.

No worries about dust, I wont have any shutter (mostly I will take meniscii lenses).
But for the night shots, I dont know if the softness of the meniscus would turn the whole picture into a grey mush. I guess I'll have to try different lenses and write it all down.

This post is not about boasting, but rather shows that I am in a turn in my life where I need to reflect on life and take pictures before its too late.

[Steven Tribe]

A very good project! Let's hope the moon/sun is in the right position, otherwise you will need waders or an inflatable!

[mortensen]

wow, that sounds very ambitious - the best of luck!

talking shipwrecks... I'm currently in Ahmedabad, India, and tried to obtain permission to the Alang Shipbreaking yard a few hundred kilometers from here - it's the world's largest. Had to give it up since it required a recommendation from my embassy in Delhi (obtainable) and an endorsement from the Ministry of External Affairs (obtainable, though it would take some time and a trip to Delhi)... and even though I would get all that, NO PHOTO under any circumstances! but, well, it seems that even Edward Burtynsky gave up and went for Chittagong instead. But check the 10km strip on Google Earth - very interesting. (200km south west of Ahmedabad).

[Steven Tribe]

As photos and docufilms from the ship breaking coast in India have led to many prolonged public debates about environmental and worker safety issues - putting both the EU and Indian regional and national environmental agencies in the dock - A refusal is the only response available! As impossible as getting permission to take some portraits of Aung San Suu Kyi (spelling?) in her home detention.

[mortensen]

haha, well put, Steven - but I of course had to try!
They gave me a free DVD about Alang... wonder what kind of propaganda that is - will see in a few months.

[Peter De Smidt]

Did you get shaken down leaving Essaouira? A good number of years ago, some friends and I visited Morocco on our spring break at St. Andrews. The mother of one of my friends was a Swiss diplomat stationed in Rabat.

One day we visited Essaouira, a very nice coastal city. On our way out of town, we were driving on a divided road, what we'd call a "highway" here in the States. About a mile out of town, a gentleman in a uniform was standing in the middle of the road. Holding up his hand in the universal sign for "stop," which we did. "Passport." He said. After I handed him mine, he said, "You were going too fast." I had been going about 30 mph. "How fast should I have been going?" I asked, as there hadn't been any speed limit signs. "You were going too fast! You'll have to come back into Essaouira. You can see the judge tomorrow." He said. "Could I pay my fine now?" "How much could you pay for your fine?" "What would the fine be?" "What would you pay?" Sheesh. I had no idea what the going rate for highway extortion was, and so I offered the local equivalent of $10. "Oh! That will be fine." He said. "I do have to walk back into town."

When we got back to Rabat, we were informed that I should've offered $1.

[jeroldharter]

...
When we got back to Rabat, we were informed that I should've offered $1.

I would say that the marginal $9 was well spent.

[Stephane]

I speak French and that helps, or so I hope. I am not as young as my first time 15 years ago when I got ripped off as soon as the boat docked in Tangier. I also appreciate the immense kindness only Moroccan people have. So sleeping alone in a tent somewhere in the desert will be more exciting than stressful (and the moonlight will keep me busy), and I will probably have to turn down local who invited me to sleep in their home. I also have already been in the Kalahari for 2 weeks without seeing anyone, so deserts I know. 5 more weeks from now...