Younes Bounhar Photography

Trippin’ Morocco, a diary.

Time has been a rare commodity since my return. Which is why you are only reading this mini-diary now. For my entire trip I really just wanted to share my excitement of just being there, in the middle of that rugged, yet magical place. The country of my birth, yet pretty much unknown to me, at least from this perspective…boy, this is getting a bit too poetic for my taste, so I’ll just cut to the chase and jump right into it (I’ve really mastered the art of seamless transitions as you can see by now).

Day 1:

The journey begins in the quiet valley of Ait Bougmez at the base of the High Atlas Mountains (if by base you mean an altitude of 1870m above sea level of course). For the first couple of days of this trek, I really wanted us to start comfortably and get a chance to acclimate to the higher altitude. So, we chose to stay in the very lovely auberge of Dar Itrane. From there, we took to explore the surrounding land of wheat fields, orchards…and goats. On this hazy day, we set out to climb a nearby hill, which provided a fantastic overlook of the entire valley.

The hill also happens to be the site of a communal granary dating back to a measly 700 years(!). The granary has long stopped serving its original purpose, and is now home to a nice fella who invited us into his modest digs for a wonderful glass of mint tea (you can’t turn down an offer to drink tea in Morocco). Mohammed got around to show us the place, quite fascinating with its little tunnels and individual grain stores, and topped it off with a sweet visit to atop the granary. What a view!

The haze continued to blanket the entire valley, so we decided to call it a day and headed back down to the village, just in time to catch a wonderful tagine for dinner.

Day 2:

The next day started bright and early (4:50am I believe) as we had decided we were to take the 45min climb back to the top of the hill. The morning was crisp and clear, and a few sparse clouds got me all excited about the promise of a great sunrise…That was without counting on my loyal bad light karma companions, of course! I am not exaggerating when I say that the very second with step on the top of the hill, this sea of clouds moved in like lightning, covering the entire valley in an instant! It took less than 10 min for visibility to reach next to nothing.

Not to be discouraged, I went for a nap. A much needed one at that, jetlag had not been kind to me. To my, and Atri’s, delight, we woke up to a radiant sun that warmed up our souls as much as it did the land around us. We spent most of the day  lazing around on the veranda, taking in as much of the sun as we could, enjoying the crisp, clean mountain air, the food and the view.

In the afternoon, we were to meet our guide, Abdou, for a little hike around the area. We went meandering among the fields and quickly found ourselves in open meadows of colourful wildflowers. It was truly magical. The light was still fairly harsh, but we indulged in taking some shots nonetheless. After a few hours of aimless hiking, we decided to head back to base. The evening light was bathing the entire valley in a warm golden sheen that contrasted beautifully against the shaded areas at the base of the mountain. As we walked upon the scene below, I just couldn’t help it and took a few more exposures.

As we made it to the Dar Itrane, it was already dinner time, but a quick glance out the window of our room made me forget about the hunger for little while. Just enough time to catch a few abstract glimpses of the neighbouring peaks, one last time before we were to head out into our high mountain trek the next day.

That’s for today, stay tuned for the next episode as we head out to explore the M’goun area.

Posted on June 15th, 2010 in Travel | 1 Comment »

Blowing smoke

It’s funny how much fun making smoke photographs can be…had I only known earlier…

I made this image as I am preparing a new magazine submission for next fall. Not only is it a blast to shoot, but the post-processing part is even more fun as you can let your imagination run wild. Love it!

Posted on June 9th, 2010 in Creativity Images | 7 Comments »

June Monthly Desktop Wallpaper

After close to a year of offering the monthly desktop calendar and wallpaper, I have opted for a slight format change. I figure that a calendar has limited appeal in that it puts a cap on how long you can use the wallpaper. As such, I have decided to drop the “calendar” portion and simply offer a desktop wallpaper that you can download and use at anytime, independently of when I post it on the blog. As usual, the image is offered in 3 sizes to try and accommodate most users.

This image comes from the Oulilimt valley in the heart of the Moroccan High Atlas (it’s about a 3 day walk from anywhere). As the valley narrows to its end, it gathers into a beautiful, red-walled gorge surrounded by odd-shaped hoodoos. As I was shooting sunset in the middle of the gorge, I was drawn by these shapes and the beautifully lit clouds overhead. I went for a simple silhouette that leaves all the focus on the shapes and colours. As usual, to download it you simply have to click on one of the links below, right-click on the image and choose “use as desktop wallpaper”.

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Posted on June 1st, 2010 in wallpaper | 2 Comments »

Morocco Gallery up

Well, as they say all good things must end (dumbest thing I’ve ever heard)…That means I am back on Canadian soil after what has likely been my most prolific photographic trip. Not only did I have the pleasure to witness some amazing scenery, but even the light gods (whom I thought had forever cursed me), decided to join the party and provide some spectacular light. The gallery spans my trip from Marrakech to the sand dunes of Merzouga, via the valley of Ait Bougmez, Ikkis n’Arous, Terkeddit Plateau, M’goun mountain and many other locations. You can check the gallery here or on my main page.

Posted on May 25th, 2010 in Images Travel | 8 Comments »

Postcard from the Country of the Setting Sun

My stay in Morocco (Al Maghrib, which stands for “the land of the setting sun” in Arabic) is winding down quickly as I am getting some much needed R&R with family and friends. It had been years since I had visited my country and I wasn’t sure how the trip would go. All I can say is I discovered a more beautiful country than I ever knew or expected. The diversity and beauty of the land is downright astounding. There wasn’t a day during the entire trek where I wasn’t blown away. A landscape that rivals or bests some of Americas most beautiful national parks.

However, if I were to pick my favorite moment of all, I can undoubtedly point to the sand dunes of of Erg Chebbi, a 50km long and 5km wide set of sand dunes that reach up to 350m.  I have been privileged to visit some amazing places since I have gotten into photography, but no subject has captured my imagination the way the sand dunes did. To put it simply, it is the single most sensual subject I’ve ever photographed. The light, the curves (yup, still a fan), the textures, everything comes together once to make a subject that is as beautiful as it is mesmerizing. More pictures to come soon as my Morocco gallery should be up and running by Tuesday morning (May 25), when I return home.

Posted on May 21st, 2010 in Travel | 5 Comments »

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