Marrakech and the D80

I've just introduced myself in the new members section, and I want to share with you some shots from my last trip to Marrakech last April. It's a wonderful place to go to enjoy our hobby. Let me take you to a quick walkabout.

This is my first serious travel with the D80. If you visit my gallery or read my posts in other forums you can see that most of the shots published are taken with the great Lumix FZ series, but know I'm completely surrended to the magic of the great combo that is the D80 and the ultra-versatile 18-200 VR.

I carry all my stuff in a Lowepro Slingshot AW100, the D80 with the 18-200 VR attached, the 50 1.8, flash SB-600, replacement batery EN-EL3e and 4 x AA batteries for the flash. With a few gadgets more the total weight is close to four pounds, a limit that I've imposed to myself because I've suffered a lot from the back in the past and I don't want to ruin a trip.

After 3 days there, 630 shots and 519 photos stored in 2 x 4GB 150x Transcend SD cards and backed up one card in my 80 GB HD installed in the great Digimate III. Quite secure solution, but let's go to the shots.

I mostly use Aperture Mode, Auto ISO limited to 1600 and shutter speed limited to 1/15 sec, I've come up with this combination and found that it really works very well for me with the help of the VR.

People from Marrakech doesn't like to be photographed and I like alot portraits, so I have had a problem. I've tried to come across with a little of imagination, letting my arm straight down to my knee, the camera firmly held and trying to figure what's in the viewfinder. The streets of the "Zoco", the little shops and artcratfs in the old town are really narrow, but I've come out with some some nice shots:

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Hope you've liked the small tour, if you want to see more, you can visit my gallery where I've uploaded a bunch more.

 

Though Rabat is the capital of Morocco, Marrakech is a one of the main cities of this country in the north west of Africa. You can figure out where it is in this little map.

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We made a four nights trip to this beautiful place during last Easter, from april 4th to 8th and we spent all nights in the city. We only moved from Marrakech to Ouarzazat, a city that resembles like an extension of Hollywood. In the Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah you can still see the remains of the movie "The Jewel of the Nile", with Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner, for example.

To get to Ourzazat you must cross the tallest mountains in Morocco, the Atlas. Maybe you've seen these mountains in the movie "Babel" with Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. It's like going to nowhere, a place full of intimacy.

It's really hard to do the trip to Ouarzazat in just one day as we did, it's a 4-5 hour bus journey so I recommend going there and scheduling a night in Ouarzazat, so you can enjoy the beautiful surroundings.

But going back to the city of Marrakech it's like a heartbeat, intense and full of life. People are really kind and it's a very secure city, you can get lost at night - and you will - and won't have any problems at all.

 

Glad you liked it TKO,

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This is one of my favourites and a perfect example of how VR really helps. Handheld at night, 1/15 sec and using Auto ISO it went up only to 450.

I think it's also a complex lightning situation that the D80 handled really well. I always shoot NEF so I can correct the White Balance in images such as this.

In fact, one of my main complaints about the D80 - and digital in general - is the bad management of white balance with lights falling below 4000º. I'll try to read about it in the forum and if I don't find a post I'll open a new one.

 

Thanks to everybody for your nice comments. They encourage me to go out and take more... Right now I feel like a junkie, just waiting for the next destination.

I'll try to post more photos for C&C. I cannot guarantee the frequency because I don't have so much time for taking photos and process them, but I'll try to be here on a regular basis.