Being here this time feels different.

Not because I haven’t been coming back regularly. I have. Three or four times a year, for work, for friends, for pleasure. But this time I am here with intention. I am not staying with friends, not slipping into familiar rhythms, not trying to carve out a few stolen hours for myself between social moments. I am here with time. Real time. And that changes everything.

It is unusually cold. The sky has been grey. I caught a proper cold within days of arriving, which doesn’t help. There is something almost ironic in falling ill in a city I once associated only with heat and light.And yet, beneath the weather and the fatigue, something else is happening.

Last night I shared a bowl of harira with the night guardian at the riad. We spoke about family, about exile, about the fine nuances of darija. Here, even “aunt” and “uncle” are not simple words. They shift depending on whether they belong to your mother’s side or your father’s. Language maps belonging with extraordinary precision.

I keep thinking of something someone once told me: look at the people. Without them, nothing has meaning.

The monuments, the light, the colour of the walls, they are not the soul. THE PEOPLE ARE THE TEXTURE. They give depth to the surface. They carry the layers.

Perhaps that is what feels different now. Less about revisiting places I once knew by heart, more about sitting inside conversations, letting them unfold without rushing.

I have been coming back for years. But maybe this book is not about returning. Maybe it is about learning how to be here differently. Learning how to see again.

@riadalmassarah
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#marrakechphotographer #riadalmassarah #gauderartresidency

I was 26 when I moved to Marrakech, certain that I had found something extraordinary.
More than twenty years later, I’m writing a book about that relationship and about everything it has become since.
This is not a nostalgic tribute.
Nor a guide.
It’s an attempt to understand how a city transforms us over time, and how we, in return, reshape the way we see it.
I no longer live there full time, but I keep going back.
Each return reveals something different.
I’m gathering voices across generations, natives, expats, younger Marrakchis, to explore what the city means today.
Because places don’t stay still.
And neither do we.

Leaving this week for a new artist residency @riadalmassarah , open to whatever the city might show me now.
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#marrakechphotographer #travelphotography #lifestylephotographer

When the light hits just right, and "flâneries" are plotted with @mariemersier over something sparkling
When I’m both directing the frame and stepping into it
@hotelballu always makes an excellent stage
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#lifestylephotographer #condenasttraveller #travelphotography

Such a peaceful oasis @farmhousemarrakech
A place that brings together everything I love : raw textures, warm light, generous spaces, that quiet sense of retreat.
I loved capturing it. Slowly, instinctively, letting the atmosphere guide me.

And I can’t wait to discover their new Ranch House with seven suites...
From what I’ve seen, it promises to be something truly special.

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#lifestylephotographer #travelphotography #marrakechphotographer

Not just a house @havenhouse_experience
A space designed for shared time, slow mornings, long conversations, creative retreats, meaningful gatherings.
Premium, yes, but rooted in authenticity and connection.
What makes this place truly singular is the approach of its founders. Their vision goes beyond aesthetics. It is about creating spaces that feel generous, thoughtful and deeply lived in.

I approached this project the way I always do, looking for the light, the textures, the quiet details that make a place feel alive.

Because what interests me most isn’t only how a space looks, but how it feels to inhabit it.

Branding identity @inspire_paris
Interior design @sophie_debuisson

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#lifestylephotographer #travelphotography #marrakechphotographer