Street Photography: Rabat, Morocco - The Challenges and Rewards

    Capturing the essence of a city can be a beautiful, enriching experience. It can also come with its challenges. One minute, you are capturing a candid moment between a doting mother and her child, or some random person dressed in eccentric attire who eats up every second of attention you give them (oftentimes at the expense of some spare change). The next minute, you are being cursed and screamed at for daring to acknowledge and want to capture a person’s uniqueness in a sea of ordinary, and so…ultimately, must make the painful decision to delete what was probably a gem of a moment frozen in time forever—now forever gone. They just don’t appreciate it the way you do. 

    Nevertheless, you make connections with people whether you ever speak to them or not. Seeing humanity go through its day just as you do - having moments we’ve all had that conjure feelings of nostalgia we’ve all felt - and being stricken with the shock and awe of the random, the hilarious, the chaotic situations of everyday life drive us as photographers to get out there and take those gambles time after time. 

     It takes guts, because you will get caught, and a bit of skill through lots of practice to pull off street photography, and no other country I have been to has proven more challenging in this capacity than Morocco. Do not get me wrong. I love Morocco dearly. I have called Morocco my home for years and have met some of the most hospitable, kindest people on the entire planet. In short, I cannot say enough good things about the kingdom of Morocco. However, like with any place, it has its drawbacks—the inevitable cons to the many pros about it. For Morocco, none is more true than simply taking out your camera and snapping off some shots of one of the most beautiful experiences you can hope to have.

  The vibe on the streets is unlike anything I have known. It’s as if the world has no problems- not real ones anyway. The smell of meat cooking on the shawaya (grill), the common yet exotic aroma of a spice shop fills your senses as you walk along the streets observing patrons sitting in their favorite coffee shops watching the world go by. It truly does make you feel disconnected from the outside world. Horns are honking almost constantly. It’s beautiful. You want to share these moments with the world to the fullest extent of your reach as a photographer/content creator, or at least take these moments home with you to share with your friends and family!

    Yet, they seem to have this internal radar that immediately alerts them that a camera is in the vicinity. They can and will spot you immediately—and that easy going vibe changes in an instant. You can feel the eyes upon you, never glancing away for a second for fear of…what, I may never know for certain. I do suppose it has come with some degree of people taking photos simply to point out to their social media followers the bad things that no one wants aired out. Again, every place has its faults and Moroccans are very proud. 

   I will also say that learning even a little bit of Darija goes a long way, especially learning how to say, “Don’t worry, it’s not with you.” (direct translation). To put that in writing here will do you no good unless you have an understanding of the Arabic alphabet. In Rabat, at least knowing French or even some will give you much more enriching experiences for sure. It can ease some tensions when you can make those connections with them on their terms.

    Mohim (pronounced as it’s spelled - it means “anyway” or any term used to redirect back to a main topic), my primary goal in street photography are those candid moments. This is where I feel the real beauty and ugliness live. That’s where the truth of a person can be seen. When we think no one is watching. The external walls that hide the pains, the worries, even the pure joys not meant for everyone to know exist concerning any one thing or another—they disappear in the absence of any need for social etiquette or some perceived effort to ensure the privacy of our deepest self.  In those moments, the mask is off.  While I am certainly not looking to invade on privacy or intrude on an otherwise private moment, I do feel it is an artistic expression (and a necessary one at that) to capture us as human beings in those vulnerable (but safe) moments we all have every day… in public.

To see the everyday moments caught on the streets of Rabat, click on the "Travel" tab at the top of the page! For a more in-depth look into my interpretation of these moments, simply click on the image for title and perspective.