Dunes of Merzouga Photo

Photographer’s Note

Continuing the travelogue in Morocco, afterwards the short break in the homeland in order to celebrate my first year of aniversarry in TE, will visit today the dunes of Merzouga.
The dunes are 30Km away from Merzouga village and we went there with Land Cruisers.You can see here
the 'road' until there.

Merzouga,is a small village in southeastern Morocco, about 35 kilometers southeast of Rissani, about 45 kilometers from Erfoud, and about 20 kilometers from the Algerian border.

The village is most famous for Erg Chebbi, a Saharan erg, and it is for this reason a part of the itineraries of many tourists visiting Morocco. Merzouga also has the largest natural body of water in Morocco.

In 2006 Merzouga experienced devastating flash floods, displacing 1,200 and resulting in some deaths.

Erg Chebbi (Arabic: عرج شبّي) is the sole Saharan erg in Morocco.

The erg is 22 km long (North-South) and 5 km wide. Its dunes reach a maximum height of 150 meters. It is located roughly 40 kilometers south-east of Erfoud. The local center for tourists is the village of Merzouga. Supposedly, the locals believe that these dunes were sent as a punishment for turning away a weary traveller from the desert. They say that after they sent away this traveller, the gods made the dunes pile up right outside their town; to teach them a lesson and to never send away weary men and women ever again.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

plimrn, Didi, avene, carper, zmey, portmanndominic, xavshot, German74, Truja, siolaw, AiresSantos, Budapestman, PixelTerror, COSTANTINO, azaf1, Muse, dip, clio, elmec, steliosk, kiwi_explorer, stego, syd1946, ifanik, jhm, cunejo200, TopGeo, bertolucci, flory, gurselerdener, meltemi, thiv56, saylan-cb, riclopes, josepmarin, pablominto, rigoletto, shevchenko, salvator, kdialyna, ChrisJ, Angshu has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

carper (64962) 2007-12-05 8:28

ah Danos your my neighbourgh
a fine shot, I like the idea from the shadows, good pov and very orginal composition, very nice photojob here, have a nice day.
gr. jaap

avene (11044) 2007-12-05 8:37

nice photo, Danos, the scene is exactly as I remember it from your trip to Merzouga almost two years ago. love the textures on the sand, and I quite like the composition you've chosen, the caravan constrasts nicely with the silhouettes in the foreground.
two things that I personaly am not sure about - the pink signature and the frame, but that's a matter of individual taste and has nothing to do with the quality of the shot :)
best,
Kristine

gneufeld (15175) 2007-12-05 8:49

Hi danos,
I like the view and feel of this place as you have captured it. The colors are very nice and the composition is good but I have taken a liberty to show a panorama view in a workshop. I didn't take the time to add the wonderful frame that you put together for your presentation. Very nice work and I look forward to more fine shots from you. TFS. Gerald

[workshop] [compare] +

ARGI (3418) 2007-12-05 8:51

Γεια σου Δανο
Τι ομορφο καδραρισμα ειναι αυτο!!!
Φανταστικα χρωματα . Εξαιρετη συνθεση
ΜΠΡΑΒΟ
Αργυρης

jurek1951 (26002) 2007-12-05 9:02

Hi Danos,
this is a fantastic landscap photo. the color and the composition of the picture was successfull. congratulation to this photo
Georg

zmey (7260) 2007-12-05 9:09

hello, danos! love this image: part still life (with two shadows and a shadow of what appears to be a chair) and the caravan :) brings nice merzouga memories too. did not know about the flash floods though... we were there in 2006 too (in February). what time did the flash-floods happen? anyway, a great picture, appropriate to celebrate your anniversary here. TFS.

kristaps

portmanndominic (2388) 2007-12-05 9:29

Danos kalispéra sas

Good and original POV , I like the shadows on the sand with , brilliant soft colours ,
TFS

regards
Dominic

xavshot (62567) 2007-12-05 10:09

Bonsoir Danos
jolie lumière et beau jeu d'ombre dans cette photo. J'aime bien la compo et le cadrage de cette photo.
amicalement
Xavier

jaywalker (12190) 2007-12-05 10:36

Hi Danos, A very nicely captured photo, the light & colours are very good, the cast shadows from the people & (what I think is a chair?) are superbly clear, wonderful texture & the train of camels is a beautiful scene, great shot & TFS, kind regards Wilson.

German74 (771) 2007-12-05 11:03

Hola Danos, buen momento de la vida cotidiana el que capturastes, la composición quedó muy bien, así como los colores y los tonos...

Abrazos...

UnTrained (0) 2007-12-05 11:33

Kalimera Danos,
shadows in the desert have often an appealing touch, especially shadows of people. Good to have the caravan and they are at the right position. Fine textures of the sand and good colours and contrasts. A hot shot!
Workshop: Nice capture of your "road"! Looks more like trenches.
Lieben Gruss, Ulf

bracasha75 (22145) 2007-12-05 11:34

Hi Danos
Great view on Sahara live...
TFS
Cheers,Braca

Truja (4948) 2007-12-05 13:39

Bona nit Danos,
j'aime le jeu lumières et ombres de la photographie effectués avec une grande maîtrice. Fantastique la composition, austère et directe. Les tonalités des dunes et le sable sont brillants et contrastent avec le ciel bleu. Moment magnifique et meilleure photographie.

Salut, Jordi

cuneyt-sb (6559) 2007-12-05 22:41

Hi Danos
Great self portraid and ver good compo.
Morocco travel goes well i think

Congrats/TFS/Kind regards

siolaw (25780) 2007-12-05 22:49

Iassou Danos,
Had a good time in Morocco!
Nice caravan compo here with inclusion of shadows a good idea. Good colors and detail sharpness too.
It looks like a busy desert!
Xairaitismous apo to Parisi
Laurent

AiresSantos (42244) 2007-12-05 23:13

Hi Danos
Very nice picture from Marrocos and desert. Great colours and light.
I like the shadows and how you framed it
Thanks and greetings
Aires

hatti52 (12654) 2007-12-06 1:20

Hi Danos,
fantastic shot
great idea that to add shadows of your and little knoll
bravo

Budapestman (42084) 2007-12-06 2:17

Hi Danos,
Fascinating landscape and the composition is splendid. I like the shadows in the foreground and the gorgeous lights, atmosphere is fantastic. Very well done! Have a nice day
George

PixelTerror (86234) 2007-12-06 2:59

Hi Danos,
I can feel the warmth radiating from this picture, nice colors of the desert, I like the foreground shady part with the silhouettes for its contribution to the depth of the picture.
Have a nice day JY

COSTANTINO (22793) 2007-12-06 7:12

Geia Dano,
eksairetiko kadro kai entupwsiakh sunthesh ,
me katapliktika xrwmata thw erhmou kai tis silouetes tvn anthrwpvn na diadgafoun mian allh nota ,
Sugxaritiria,
Xairetw,
Costantino

Muse (31013) 2007-12-06 10:14

Hi Danos,
A very pretty sight of the dunes and this superb landscape. The shades give a very beautiful effect and the colors are superb. A very animated and well tallied sight

Excellent evening
Denise

dip (12596) 2007-12-06 10:17

Geia sou Dano,
Polu omorfi fotografia,to kadrarisma polu kalo,mou aresei pou fainonte oi skies sas sto proto plano,yperoxa xromata kai kali oksutita episis,
Xaireto,
Dimitris.

clio (22813) 2007-12-06 11:23

Geia sou Dano,
Beautiful image of the desert and its sweet and warm undulations. I like very much the shadows of the caravan of dromedaries, but, I agree with the WS of Gérald, the shadows in front of interfer with my glance. It is a personal opinion naturally and the photo remains magnificent!
Filika
Diane

elmec (12194) 2007-12-06 13:53

Hello Danos!
Interesting shot!
I like shadows in the sand of You and Ypur frend and chair!
Great catch!
Bets regardS!

Scharan (13951) 2007-12-06 14:19

Olá Danos

Como sempre esta também é uma foto formidável com belíssima composição e cores. Ótima luz e sombras interessntes.
GA
Vera

kiwi_explorer (12195) 2007-12-06 15:31

Hi Danos,
The expansive barren landscape makes the people in this photo looks so insignificant in the comparison to the total scale of dimension. Nice POV with the inclusion of the shadows. Well captured with image and color quality also good. Well done! tfs
Cheers,
Renier

steliosk (4784) 2007-12-06 15:43

File Dano kalhspera,
An kai h syn8esh sou einai ksexwristh kai th sebomai, 8a se stenaxwrhsw kai 8a diafwnhsw me tous prolalhsantes legontas oti 8a protimousa ena sfixto kadro opws auto sto workshop tou "Gerald Neufeld" estiazontas stis kamhles thn erhmo kai ton ourano ka8ws oi skies kleboun thn parastash pou paizei allou sth skhnh sou.

Oso afora to onoma sou de kserw kata poso xrhsimo einai na paizei rolo sth syn8esh apotelontas ena stoixeio auths, omws ais8anomai oti de xreiazetai ekei.
Sth 8esh sou an h8ela na to anaferw 8a egrafa "MERGOUZA By Danos" h 8a ebaza sth mia pleura ton titlo kai sthn allh to onoma me th xronologia px "Danos Kounenis (c) 2007"

Bebaia einai mono mia protash kai fysika h tapeinh mou gnwmnh. 8a htan pio eukolo na pw, a 8aumasia h fwtografia kai thats it, alla antikeimenika 8elw na ekfrazomai eleu8era kai na krinw symfwna me th gnwmh mou, th logikh mou kai ta synais8hmata mou.

No hard feelings I hope!

Filika Panta
Stelios

stego (22360) 2007-12-06 18:53

Hi Danos,

It's an original but effective compo. I like the balance between the shadow of the dune in the FG and the camel caravan (most probably for tourists, I guess). The shadows of yours and who ever was near you is also interesting.

This brings me back some fond memories. The sand desert was quite an impressive experience for me and I don't understand why I didn't return there yet, being a relatively nearby place to me.

The day I arrived in Merzouga I was in a rather poor shape, after two days of high fever and diarrhoea that I caught in The Moyen Atlas. Even so, I went sleeping "in the desert", under the stars with no tent and had the unique experience of seeing the sunrise alone, on the top of a dune. I don't know if it was a coincidence, but on that morning I was completely cured and the only suffering I had was having to wait to arrive to the little guesthouse with the pompous name of "Hotel Yasmine" to get a huge breakfast.

I didn't know that this is the only erg in Morocco. I thought that South West of it there were some more.

Regards, José.

vincz (19043) 2007-12-06 21:38

Very interesting picture. I love the composition with the shadows. Gives a very good depth.

syd1946 (17913) 2007-12-06 23:08

Γεια σου Δάνο,
Πραγματικα πολυ ωραια φωτογραφια που μας δειχνει την καθημερινη ζωη στην ερημο.Τα χρωματα της ερημου γραφουν πολυ ωραιο μαζι με το φωτισμο.Φροντισες να αυξησεις κατακορυφα το ενδιαφερον με την αλλη σκηνη μπροστα,αυτη με τις σκιες σε κοντραστ με το καραβανι.Εξαιρετικη!

ευχομαι μια καλη μερα,
Θωμάς

ifanik (20542) 2007-12-07 0:39

Kalimera Dano
Poly omorfh synthesh wraio kadrarisma.
Xrwmata kai fws teleia
Mia poly omorfh fwtografia
Xairetw
Nikos**

azaf1 (15547) 2007-12-07 0:39

Dane kaispera
Foveri fotografia! Dio se ena xoris kathrefti, o fotografos ston iskio, pragmatikos iskios ton gegonoton, kai to thema tou polixromo, opos prepei katdrarismeno kai xromatika prepon
Apla sigxaritiria
Argiris

evanrizo (456) 2007-12-07 0:44

Πωωωω φανταστική εικόνα, μαζί με τισ σκιές στο πρώτο πλάνο γίνεται ΚΑΤΑΠΛΗΚΤΙΚΗ.
Μπράβο Δάνο για αυτήν την υπέροχη δουλειά.
Καλό βράδυ.
αύριο...

jhm (82679) 2007-12-07 4:10

Hello Danos,

I like the shadows in the foreground and the gorgeous lights, atmosphere is fantastic.
Nice idea with the shadows, good POV and very orginal composition. Very well done.
Thanks for sharing.

Have a nice weekend,
John.

cunejo200 (7159) 2007-12-07 5:06

This is sweet Danos. Very attractive. The curves, the silhouette of the photographers, and tech details are all admireable. A good one. Greetings! Danilo

TopGeo (21877) 2007-12-07 5:44

Γειά σου Δανέ!
Σε ζηλεύω για την απίθανη εικόνα που είδες και φωτογράφισες! Καταπληκτική σε χρώματα και
σύλληψη, όμορφη σαν σε παραμύθι η έρημος και το καραβάνι,σε συγχαίρω και εύχομαι και σε άλλα ταξίδια ονειρεμένα!
φιλικά
Γιώργος

Fis2 (45923) 2007-12-07 7:35

Witaj Danos!
Curious place. I like the frame and colors. Interesting shadow. Very impressive picture.
Good work.
Regards
Krzysztof

emilbo (9439) 2007-12-07 7:56

Allô Danos!
Magnifique photo de désert qui me rappelle mon aventure dans le désert du Sahara en 2005. Belle prise de vue et bon rendu des couleurs. Pour ma part je préfère le WS #2, en panoramique. Belle prise de vue et bonne note.
Félicitations!...
Emilius

mesutilgim (36898) 2007-12-07 10:58

Hello dear Danos, my friend,
Very nice compo; good pov and amazing colors. I liked specially the shadows in the foreground. Very good info's as well.
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

bertolucci (11976) 2007-12-07 13:27

Kalispera Dano,
The erg, the dunes, fascinating place !....and I like the way you portray it with the tourists (?)on the camel and the well rendered textures. Your shadow self portrait is a nice add. And of course a belated congratulation with your first TE anniversary!
Have a great weekend,
Bert

flory (4804) 2007-12-07 22:17

hello dear Danos,
you return in Morocco;)
the quality of your photo is good!
i'm not sure with this shadow of the dune in fg.in fact,have myself an image with a house in a shadow and don't look so nice;)in this case,narrow the view..bengadoom!see now that someone make it a ws.....mean are two different sceneries and our eyes go to the camels and return to shadow..;)
expecting to see what happened in this trip..
thanks and good week end!
Flori;)

gurselerdener (972) 2007-12-07 22:46

Kalimera Dear Danos
Wonderfull composition and great capture.
Cadrage, colours and sunlight are very excellent in this photo.
Congratulations
best wishes from Ankara
Gursel

Graal (58103) 2007-12-07 23:16

Hi Danos,
interesting reportage from Marocco. Interesting scene and complementary photo in WS. Unusual travel. I like it.
Gr., Aleksander

anducina (8101) 2007-12-08 6:20

Excellent and original compo, those shadows are great ! Nice colors, textures and combination of curves. A different approach of the desert.

TFS and a nice WE to you too !

Andreea

Silvio1953 (41941) 2007-12-08 9:35

Hi Danos, superb shadows in a fascinating desert composition with splendid light and wonderful colors, very well done, have a good week end, ciao Silvio

gbeli (2026) 2007-12-08 11:28

Geia sou Dano
To pio omorfo se auti ti fotografia einai oi skies sto kato meros tis, dinoun mia euxaristi nota sto skiniko.
Xereto

meltemi (9746) 2007-12-08 23:06

Geia Sou Danos,
the composition is very well done, it has such a great exotic and very north African feel.
The colors of this photograph are superb, a splendid landscape. I like very much your composition with the camels in front of the tipical dunes. Beautiful clarity!
It seems that you had an unforgettable experience. Have a good day,
Stella

jemaflor (39457) 2007-12-09 0:50

Hi Danos,
Well composed with shadows, good ligft to give a nice colours for the sand, well seen.

thiv56 (1454) 2007-12-09 1:29

Kalimera Dano,

Excellent composition, bright colours, a travelling spirit very well depicted! TFS.
I also like the shadows. Like a hallucination!

saylan-cb (12726) 2007-12-09 3:21

Kalimera Danos
This is a fantastic image and great POV,light are very good.
Excellent work.
TFS/Regards

Uhu (7392) 2007-12-09 5:22

The man, the woman, the chair and the desert. Interesting photos, as well as the shadows!

riclopes (33007) 2007-12-09 8:17

Olá Danos, very beautiful image of the dunes with a funny and creative foreground. I would say that you were sat on the belly of the desert and stand up to take the picture ;-) I can even see the navel in the upper part of the curve. May be you were waiting for the caravan passing by, so you could include it in the picture. If so, very well done ;-) Wonderful lighting making the colors stand out.
Best regards,
ricardo

josepmarin (33831) 2007-12-09 10:34

Hi Danos,
Excellent light and nice shades in this picture, where the caravan of camels moves the tourists, in a caught well image.
The shades of the photographer and of his accompanist, and a chair!, they are a fantastic and very funny touch, I like it and have made me smile.
Good work, with an elegant and attractive accomplishment.
Best regards,
Josep

jmcl (13919) 2007-12-09 20:14

Hi Danos,

Tremendous .. what a chair .. that shadow of a chair turned into the focal point immediately for me .. why is it there? in a desert? very unique .. beautiful .. and tremendously effective.

take care,

John

Didi (36182) 2007-12-10 9:28

Hi Danos
Very interesting shadows on the forground with a chair in the middle of the desert.
Interesting POV on the caravan.
Well done.
Cheers.

markstaples (15670) 2007-12-10 10:32

HI Danos
Love the shadows of the hill and the two people and chair in the bottom half of the pic. They make the shot original. The sharpness and the colours are spot on. Nice work.
Best wishes
Mark

plimrn (19682) 2007-12-10 10:48

Hi Danos,
unique framing here with the caricatured shadows against the classic camel caravan travelling along the dunes in an attrac tive diagonal.
HLJ, Pat

pboehringer (770) 2007-12-10 17:03

Danos,
a very artful shot with the caravan passing by and the two people documented as shadows looking teh movement and even shooting the scene. The chair must be a necessary element for the long waiting to get the right ccomposition.
Regards, Peter

pablominto (40788) 2007-12-11 0:41

Hello Danos,
This is a great way of depicting the photographer and the motif!
Creative work and well executed, and a well composed presentation!
Greetings,
Pablo -

rigoletto (26326) 2007-12-11 15:09

Your photo made me seek for Merzouga on the Internet, Dano.
If i ever happen to go to Morocco one day, this place seems to be the perfect setting for dune photography.

And, another thing is the surreal visions with that chair and the climbing lady next to you! Did you have an ornamented chair with you in order to watch the caravans passing by? How come? LOL!

Ta leme,
Deniz

shevchenko (9964) 2007-12-11 18:11

Hi Danos,
Creative shoot to include the shadows of others visitors, interesting composition of camels accrossing here, nice color, distinct image, well done.
Ally

salvator (18819) 2007-12-12 6:25

Yasu Danos,
Superbly composed with great sharpness and superb colors. It is a simple yet very strong composition. The placement of the round shadows at the lower end of the frame, the blue sky and the desert's colors are superb.
Se xereto. Salvator.

kdialyna (3068) 2007-12-12 11:42

Όμορφη η φωτογραφία σου Δάνο που το έντονο φώς καιτα όμορφα ζεστά γήινα χρώματα, χαρακτηριστικό της περιοχής, δίνουν την αίσθηση στον θεατή της ερήμου και της ζεστής άμμου.
Όσον αφορά το θέμα της σκιάς, που συμπεριέλαβες στην σύνθεση σου, κατά την γνώμη μου χαλάει λιγο την μαγεία της σκηνής και την ομορφιά τη φαντασίωσης. Αυτό βέβαια είναι η προσωπική μου γνώμη χωρίς απαραίτητα να είναι και η σωστή.
Χαιρετώ
Κώστας.

ChrisJ (70299) 2007-12-16 1:04

Hi Danos

Looks similar to the Gobi in Mongolia, only the red colour is more intense in the Sahara. I like the unintentional shadow self portrait. Superb sharpness & composition. Tfs!

chrisnet (20376) 2007-12-17 10:19

Hello Danos,
I like the shadows of the persons in the foreground, you have captured a nice and warm light too, well done.
Regards

jrj (34779) 2007-12-18 2:13

Interesting and fun compo Danos. The camels and riders out there should be enough in itself, but then the shadow further increase our interest for this work. Creative under a good idea.

Angshu (33737) 2007-12-18 19:53

Hello Danos
A fine image, especially you included the long shadows of yourself & the other person in the FG. The train of camels is always a treat to watch, wonderfully captured in sublime colours. Great depth and an excellent photo.
Regards
Angshu

pastadog (12821) 2008-02-05 13:29

Hi Danos... a classic of the spot and the highlight here undoubtedly IMHO - the shadow that suggest a dune, and the couple of silhouettes, esp. the dynamic one... regards, Daniel

jafadabret (39757) 2008-11-01 6:08

Kalispera Dano.
J'aime ce premier plan avec l'ombre de la dune et celle des personnages avec la chaise.
Les dunes et la caravane sont d'une grande beauté.
Jacques