The 30-year-old photographer, writer and blogger, Ali Berrada, is certainly one of the most famous Moroccan photographers who managed to shine bright bringing together two of the things he loves the most : travelling and taking photos. Fascinated by the Asian culture, the young man was able to attract Moroccans with his magic exhibition «Look Back», collaborating with Amine Benboubker in 2010. Since then, Ali has been working on multiple projects. Travelling to India, the Casablanca-native spoke to Yabiladi about his love for photography, his passion and recent project «Yoga fouk Stah». Interview You are a Casablanca-native who's in love with photography. When did it start ? Born in Casablanca, it was after a trip to Japan in 2009 that I decided to experiment with photography. I don't think I had a particular style : I photograph things that I like and it can range from a surreal scenery to the shadow of a tree. Photography is after all a passion for me; it is my way of seeing things, even though sometimes I get paid for it but I have never considered it as a job. Whether it is for money or not, at the end of the day, I take photos with the same intention and the same amount of love. Ali Berrada./Ph. DR And when was this love for photography born ? I still have my first camera that my father had offered me when I was… maybe 15 years old. I remember back then, that I was already taking photos of everything and anything, and then it happened that I became more and more interested in photography. I did not study it as a discipline or in the academic meaning of the word but I spent hours and years trying to understand the mechanism of cameras, reading the history of photography and of course the best way for me was to get out of my room and practice as much as possible. Ph. Ali Berrada Do you travel only for photography purposes ? To travel for the sake of taking photos would be to go against the principles of travelling, that is to say, trying your best to discover new horizons and to reconnect with oneself. During my journey, I always carry my camera but there are moments tha, I believe, deserve not to be photographed, moments that are meant to be stored in a memory that is not digital. Did travelling change the way you look at Morocco ? I currently live in Casablanca even though I travel a lot outside Morocco. I have been everywhere and I continue to say that this country is incredibly beautiful; you just need to get out of the city to realize it. What about your future plans… I have been working on a project entitled «Yoga fouk Stah» for almost a year with a friend of mine who is a Yoga coach called Tamara from Dar Yoga. We followed people who practice yoga on top of the roofs of buildings in Casablanca. The goal of this project is to show that you can travel without necessarily going very far. It is really impressive to see this can help you escape the stress and noise of Casablanca only in one hour. There are also video projects coming soon. Ph. Ali Berrada So, you are also interested in Yoga? With travel and photography, spirituality is something that interests me on a personal level. These are three things that are very related to me. Each trip allows me to take photos, open myself to others and thus know myself better. It is by deciphering new cultures and religions that I can understand the one in which I live.
