No Photographs Please. Marrakesh.

 

Marrakesh is a vibrant and vivid.  Souks and markets burst with colour, picturesque shops brim with silver, iron ware, bolts of satins and silks, clothes and leather goods, whilst exotic spices sweeten the air.     Carpets of many colours hang on multi-hued pink, sand and dune coloured walls or cover the inside of arches that lead to dead-end back streets containing ancient wooden studded doors.    A veritable paradise for photographers one would think, except that the locals do not like having their photograph taken (always ask before and expect a no) although there are some individuals who will ask for money.    This I can respect, but problems arose when trying to take photos of street scenes or of famous sights as there was always seemed to be someone in shot who covered their face and became offended.   Another difficulty was that many of the shop owners didn’t like their merchandise being photographed (apparently they think you are going to copy their designs).  So the  dilemma  became  how to take a photograph without offending the locals because it was so difficult to take any scene without someone walking, riding, biking into shot.   Despite a large amount of back street shots of walls, arches and doors I did manage to get some photographs without upsetting anyone – apart from one man who had a go at me for photographing the olives displayed in his shop!