My World: Far from the maddening crowd...

[fahim mohammed]

A personal journey through the streets that few tourists see..the glitz is no more.

The daily grind takes hold. Strangers are eyed with extreme suspicion..

It is very safe ( for me ), but uncomfortable.

How else would you get to know the people?

 

[fahim mohammed]

One travels alone. As a person. As an individual with a personality.

Staying, eating, mixing, shopping and meeting where all who come to visit go, I am a tourist.

Here, alone, in these lonely streets, I can tell them I am one of them. I share their values. I understand

their feelings. I live the way they do. I did not have a brick house. I did not have food.

This allowed me insights and experiences that a thousand visits would not otherwise present a traveler.

To know the people. To gain a small amount of trust. That to me is what my travels are all about.

 

[Cem_Usakligil]

Hi Fahim,

A personal journey through the streets that few tourists see..the glitz is no more.

The daily grind takes hold. Strangers are eyed with extreme suspicion..

Bring it on! Looking forward to seeing more of these, thanks so much for sharing them.

...It is very safe ( for me ), but uncomfortable.

Why would you say you felt uncomfortable even though you knew you were safe? Was it an instinctive feeling? Or was it at a conscious level? No need to answer if you don't want to!

 

[fahim mohammed]

Cem, a big thank you for stopping by.

Maghreb is a very safe country to be in. Physical safety should not be a concern for anyone.

I, however, was uncomfortable when in purely local areas because I knew that they knew I did not come

from here. One can feel it. A local would immediately sense I was from somewhere else. I knew that

sense. I had it too.

Other than that, there was a continuous nagging feeling that it was a hard place to make a living.

Best regards.

 

[fahim mohammed]

Retirement is far away...

 

[fahim mohammed]

Hard life starts early...

 

[Jerome Marot]

I like this one:

and this one too:

But in all these pictures, I see that the people did not want to be photographed. I understand why they did not want that, but I have a problem with pictures taken under those conditions. Not that I am criticizing what you did, but for me taking pictures under those conditions would be a problem.

 

[fahim mohammed]

Jerome, I am with you on this.

But I am not photographing people, but an environment. Even then I have made a very conscious

effort to have a person as unrecognizable as possible.

I am trying my utmost not to post anything that would be objectionable. A very very few sudden faces

appeared at the time of image capture. Even then you shall not see many images of those here.

I have many images of families in their homes; along with my own. I shall not be posting those.

When I purposely want to photograph a person, there is no doubt that they are being photographed

for that sole purpose.

An example from my visit to Maghreb..a person who has since become a friend..

or let's call this Han Solo and Chewbacca..

These images are intentional, with permission and full knowledge.

Kind regards.

p.s. comparing my posts from other parts of the world to those from the Maghreb shall show the difference.

But a question to be answered is, how do you make others of human suffering? The homeless, the

diseased, the starving, the poor, the war effected ?

PJ and documentary work needs humans to be shown, however they might resent it on a personal level.

The difference is to show it with the utmost respect and dignity to/of those that are being portrayed.

 

[fahim mohammed]

The last one from a remote Berber village in the Atlas mountains. A day's visit turned into a three

day visit staying with a family. We did not leave as we had come. Came as strangers..left as more than

friends!

 

[Charlotte Thompson]

Fahim

love all of them!!
just so wonderful how you can capture all the places most of us will never see-
thank you-

Charlotte-

 

[fahim mohammed]

Charlotte, thank you.

on another note, we do not have a clear demarkation of the 4 seasons...

Passions..yes; lots of it. Autumn, yes in name. Autumn Passion lasts all year round!!

Hang loose girl.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Fahim,

Thanks for extending our reach again! I particularly like the images where someone is looking into a space. Then there's the beginning of a story.

Asher

 

[Mark Hampton]

A personal journey through the streets that few tourists see..the glitz is no more.

The daily grind takes hold. Strangers are eyed with extreme suspicion..

​

It is very safe ( for me ), but uncomfortable.

How else would you get to know the people?

stunning.. yes

 

[fahim mohammed]

Asher, Mark...grateful to you folk.

Regards.