Saturday 19 November 2016

Travel Writing? Take Photos, Sell Stories

Take Pictures, Sell Features ©Solange Hando

What images do editors want?
Original
Colourful
Telling a story
No need for sophisticated equipment,
 Just be ready and capture the moment


Getting up Close, Taking Photos ©Solange Hando

What else should you aim for?
Variety
Close ups and distance
People and scenery
Action shots
Landmarks? Take the usual view and an unusual angle
The more, the better, you never know what you will need
Think multiple markets and multiple sales


Sweet Tooth in Kathmandu ©Solange Hando

Have you seen this anywhere?
Probably not
Original, colourful and a cheeky monkey

Be prepared
Look around
The unexpected is always best


Ladakh Scenery, India ©Solange Hando

Scenery?
Great
But most magazines like to add a semblance of life
Could be
a human being, cattle, sheep, a bicycle, a rucksack, a book on a bench

Top Tips 
Don't be so obsessed with the camera you'll miss what's going on right behind you
Have pictures of yourself on location, someone will ask you for that
Make sure the images you send match your chosen market, just as the words should do


Would you like to know more?
Here's everything you need to Be a Travel Writer 







Saturday 5 November 2016

Morocco Popular Film Locations

Ait Benhaddou in Morocco ©Solange Hando

Clear skies, scenery and light, Morocco is a magnet for film producers and cinema fans, with locations spreading from exotic towns to Berber villages, from ocean to mountains and deserts scattered with rose gardens and ribbons of palms.

Clinging to a barren hill mirrored in a red river, Ait Benhaddou is a World Heritage site as well as a top movie location, featured in Sheltering Sky, The Mummy, Gladiator, Jewel of the Nile and many more.


Film Studios in Ouarzazate ©Solange Hando

At 1160 metres, Ouarzazate enjoys a privileged location between mountains and desert, at the meeting point of two rivers. First brought to the fore by David Lean, the studios are among the largest in the world.

Cleopatra, The Living Daylight, Babel, The Man Who Would Be King included scenes shot in Ouarzazate.


Marrakesh, Djemaa el Fna Square ©Solange Hando

At the foot of the Atlas mountains, Marrakesh guarantees an authentic atmosphere in the most exotic setting.  Gleaming palaces and bustling souks, palm groves and ramparts, it's all you expect it to be but most exciting is the Djemaa el Fna Square where the daring Bill from Mamma Mia was seen racing his bike.

The old imperial city also appeared in Brideshead Revisited, Alexander and The Man Who Knew Too Much.


Dawn in the Moroccan Desert ©Solange Hando

Drama, romance, adventure, Morocco has seen it all but in the deep south, you can still imagine Lawrence of Arabia riding into the desert, just as he did in the legendary film.