Two women talking by a large wooden gate
Monochrome Madness,  Morocco,  Photographic techniques,  Street photography,  Travel galleries

Gallery: seeing the streets of Marrakesh in black and white

December 19, 2024 / 25 Comments

The marvels of daily life are exciting; no movie director can arrange the unexpected that you find in the street

Robert Doisneau

If you visit a city only to see its famous sights, you are missing out on much of what makes that city what it is. The people who live there may do so against the backdrop of its grand buildings, iconic monuments, parks and so on, but for the most part those things are of secondary importance to their daily lives. If you want to really get to know a city you need also to observe those people. How do they spend their time, what do they wear, what jobs do they do and how do they have fun? And what characteristics does their behaviour suggest? Gregarious, wary of strangers, care-worn, affluent, struggling … Use your eyes, and your camera, to paint a picture of daily life that will complement your images of those famous sights.

Marrakesh is such a colourful city it may seem contradictory to present it in monochrome. But as I’ve discussed before, removing the colour from a scene can often lead you towards the discovery of elements that you might not otherwise notice. Without colour shape, form and texture become more important. We might be more conscious of a person’s expression if not distracted by the colours of their clothing, or of the personality evident in the lines on a face. And often the background to a scene can be less distracting if in monochrome.

A note on street photography ethics

People here can be wary of having their photo taken, although you’ll see below at least one man who saw and was happy with my camera. For the most part these are therefore surreptitious candid shots. On one occasion I was spotted and asked, with some vehemence, to stop and delete the photo; naturally I complied. Street photography is legal in Morocco but that doesn’t mean it is always right. I followed my usual personal rules, namely:

  • I won’t photograph people in circumstances that could be considered degrading.
  • I won’t photograph homeless or destitute people without their consent.
  • If somebody spots me and indicates they don’t want to be photographed, I will respect their wishes. I put my camera away and if I’ve already taken their picture, I will delete it if they ask me to. But I do try hard not to be spotted!

So here for this week’s theme-free Monochrome Madness are some street scenes from Marrakesh, all edited with Silver Efex Pro. You may have seen some of these images before but I think only in colour, and at least it makes a change from California! My feature shot was taken outside the Medersa Ben Youseff.

Two men in Arab dress talking

In the Jemaa el Fnaa

Woman, crouched, sifting dried leaves

In the Place des Épices

Donkey cart in a narrow street with men passing

Traffic on the Rue Riad Zitoun el Jdid

Man with straw hat covering his face

Near the Bahia Palace

Old woman with a sack

Seller in the Place des Épices

In the Place des Épices

Man in Muslim clothing passing a carpet shop
Man in striped thobe passing a shop

In the Rue Riad Zitoun el Jdid

Again in the Rue Riad Zitoun el Jdid

(this street linked the riad where we stayed to the Jemaa el Fnaa so we walked it a lot)

Man on a bicycle passing a carpet shop
Looking through a stone arch at a small shop with two men

Through an arch to the Rue Riad Zitoun el Jdid

In the Rue Riad Zitoun el Jdid

Man seated in doorway of a carpet shop with thumbs up
Man seated on kerbside with a large tin of fruit for sale

In the Northern Medina

I last visited Marrakesh in September 2016 when all these photos were taken

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