Beni Mellal Blur: A Freelance Photographer's Messy Snap Journal

i stepped off the bus in beni mellal with a backpack full of lenses and a half-charged battery, wondering if the light would be worth the trek. the town sprawls under the *Atlas like a lazy cat, with cobblestones that trip you if you’re not watching. i dragged my camera bag up the hill to the kasbah overlook, where the wind smacks you with the scent of dry earth and diesel. according to my phone, it’s 13.14°C and feels like 12.34°C - a crisp that bites through a sweater if you’re standing still too long, humidity 70% making everything feel just a little damp. i set up my tripod and caught the sun sneaking behind the minaret, the shadows stretching long and skinny.

wandering the souq, i got lost in lanes narrower than my widest lens. the vendors hawk spices, leather, and knock‑off soccer jerseys. someone told me that the best mint tea in town is at a place called “café del floor” where the floor is covered in mosaic, but i was too busy chasing a pigeon that stole a fry from a kid. i snapped a few frames - the light was flat, almost boring, but i forced myself to overexpose a bit and the colors popped like candy. if you’re looking for a quick bite, check out the stall with the lamb tags - it’s a TripAdvisor favorite. also, yelp says the couscous at “le‑roi du grain” is decent, though i found it a bit dry. i’ll take the local’s advice: always order extra sauce. i heard a rumor that on sunday mornings, the horse market near the river turns into a surreal parade. i went, and sure enough, there was a man on a pink horse wearing a top hat - i’m not kidding. i fumbled for my camera and shot a burst before the horse tossed its mane. the bridle was encrusted with tiny mirrors that caught the low winter sun. i included that shot below, even though the composition is a little off - the horse’s eye is half‑blinking, but the vibe is pure magic. someone whispered that the guy with the pink horse is a local eccentric who claims to talk to ghosts in the stables; i didn’t stick around to verify.

later, i trekked out to the date palm plantations on the outskirts. the air smelled sweet and rotten at the same time - ripe dates fermenting under the sun. an old man grinding grain in a stone mill told me i should visit meknes if i needed a change of pace, it’s just a short drive east through the foothills. the mill’s shadow made a perfect leading line for my next shot. i also captured this close‑up of a horse’s bridle - the leather was cracked, the metal tarnished, but the craftsmanship screamed stories of centuries. it’s funny how the smallest details hold the biggest memories. the pressure read 1024 hpa, which apparently means good weather for photojournalists - low chance of rain, high chance of dust in the lens.

as dusk approached, i climbed back up to the kasbah to catch the city lights. the view from the hill was worth the hike - streets like glowing veins, the mosque minarets punctuating the sky. i took a deep breath, my fingers stiff from the cold, and set my aperture to f/2.8 to bleed the lights into soft bokeh. the result? a hazy, dreamy panorama that makes me want to move here. someone warned me that winter nights can drop below freezing, so i packed a blanket and a flask of sweet tea. if you ever make it this far, remember: bring spare batteries, a lens cloth, and an open mind. the humidity might be 70% but the vibe is 100% raw.

wrapping up, beni mellal isn’t the place you see on glossy postcards. it’s rough around the edges, with stray dogs that bark at nothing and street kids who want to be in every shot. but that’s what makes it real. i sifted through my memory cards and found about 2,000 images, most of them out‑of‑focus, but the good ones? they’re the kind that make you miss a breath. i’ve also bookmarked a few resources: the Morocco Travel Forum has threads on the best photography spots; Yelp lists the hidden bakeries; and a local blog where they occasionally write about the horse market in more detail. if you go, don’t forget to say hi to the guy on the pink horse - he might just lend you a bridle for a photo op. and if you get bored, ouarzazate* is only a couple of hours south, a straight shot through the desert.