Not knowing a great deal about the country beforehand, it came as a huge surprise the diversity of landscapes in Morocco. Obviously I had done some research on Marrakech, where I would be based for my time there, but not really looked outside the city.

Within a few hours of Marrakech you can be on the Atlantic Coast to the West, or through the High Atlas Mountains in the south to vast empty deserts. Landscapes that look like you are on Mars, and hidden green valleys fed by rivers and waterfalls. It is like no other place I have been!

As I love Kodak Gold, it was an obvious choice for the trip, and a small selection of tried & tested cameras - The mju II for discreet city shots, the Canon EOS 500 for outside the city and the Kodak 66 because why not!

This was a hot day in the desert - not hot by Moroccan standards, but 36°C was enough for springtime in Ait Ben Haddou looking north to the distance Atlas Mountains. The Kodak 66 struggled here even at maximum speed and smallest aperture at ISO200 due to the very bright conditions. The pylon is a bit annoying, but I don’t edit my film images and like to show a scene as it really is.

Ouzoud (the tallest waterfall in Morocco) is like an oasis in the arid surrounding landscape, with refreshing spray coming off the thundering falls. I did shoot way too many frames here, but will probably never return, so had to make sure I got a good one. As it turned out there were loads of good ones, but from different angles.

After days in the dusty heat of the interior, the windy cooler coastal city of Essaouira made a welcome change, and it is such a beautiful little city. With quaint little streets, and a much more chilled atmosphere than Marrakech a few hours away. The landscape on the journey here changed from city, to desert, and even through argon forests and quiet towns before reaching the coast.

Photographing the hustle and bustle of Marrakech is not an easy task, between avoiding motorbikes, donkeys and crowds of people plus being mindful of Moroccan customs of photographing strangers in the street. I didn’t shoot much within the Souks, but chose to just observe and take it all in.

A couple of hours south of Marrakech the road winds through the Atlas Mountains offering incredible views, and villages where time seems to have forgotten. This is one of the high points at Tizi n’tchiki - at 2200 meters the views are spectacular. I did shoot this view with every camera I had!

Being springtime, not every day was blue skies, but the weather gods were smiling down on this morning. With an early pick-up - still pitch black - its wasn’t until the dawn broke that the clear sky was revealed with the sounds of burners blowing hot air into the balloons - it is a sunrise I will never forget. Silently soaring over the landscape watching the sun appear from behind the mountains, before gently touching down in the middle of nowhere.

What an incredible way to end an unforgeable trip…

Morocco with Kodak Gold…

Early digital…