Morocco Photography Guide

Best locations and light

Chefchaouen's blue-washed lanes photograph most beautifully at first light, before the day-trip buses arrive from Tangier and Fes — shoot the indigo doorways, stairways and potted plants of the upper medina between dawn and mid-morning while the lanes are empty and the light is soft. The warm light of late afternoon brings the blues to life again. The Spanish Mosque, a short uphill walk east of the medina, is the classic vantage point for the whole town: arrive for sunset to watch the white-and-blue houses glow against the Rif, or at sunrise for clean light and solitude.

Within the medina, the prettiest scenes cluster around the steep alleys above Plaza Uta el-Hammam, the cascading blue staircases, and the ochre kasbah walls that contrast against the indigo. The Ras El Maa spring at the eastern edge — where locals do their washing — and the riverside Akchour and God's Bridge canyons give you flowing water and dramatic rock to balance the town's geometry.

Medina etiquette and photographing people

The single most important rule in Chefchaouen: ask permission before photographing people, every time. The blue lanes are so photogenic that visitors forget residents actually live behind those doors. A shopkeeper, a woman carrying bread, children playing on a staircase — each deserves the choice, and local women in particular often prefer not to be photographed. The Arabic to use is 'mumkin sura?' (may I take a photo?). Many will say yes with pleasure; some will ask for a small fee — 5–20 MAD is fair; some will decline, and that decision must be respected without argument.

Candid street photography sits uneasily in a small, conservative town like Chefchaouen, where the same residents see camera-toting visitors all day. Long lenses used to shoot people unnoticed cause real friction here. Lean into what the town does best instead — the doors, walls, staircases and pots of geraniums make extraordinary images without a single person in frame. When you do want a portrait, take the time to talk first; the connection shows in the picture.

Gear and practical notes

Chefchaouen's lanes are narrow and steep: a versatile zoom (24–70mm equivalent) or a wide-to-standard prime is far more useful than a long telephoto, and a genuinely wide lens helps in the tightest blue alleys. The strong blue cast can fool your white balance — shoot RAW so you can recover natural tones, and watch for blown highlights where sun hits a whitewashed upper wall. On the Akchour trail, expect spray and dust near the falls, so bring a lens cloth and a weather-resistant bag.

• Bring extra batteries — cool Rif mornings and long shooting walks drain them faster than expected.
• A small tripod or gorilla pod pays off for blue-hour medina scenes and Spanish Mosque sunsets.
• Phone cameras handle Chefchaouen's blues beautifully — don't feel obliged to carry heavy gear up the steep lanes.
• Go out at dawn: the medina is empty of day-trippers, the light is soft, and the blues read truest before the midday sun flattens them.

Drone rules in Morocco

Drone operation in Morocco requires authorisation from the Moroccan Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC). Flying without a permit is illegal, and drones have been confiscated at customs and in the field. The process for obtaining authorisation is bureaucratic and time-consuming. For most travellers, the advice is to leave the drone at home — Morocco's landscape is extraordinary enough at ground level, and the legal risk is not worth it.

Frequently asked