Camel Since 1913 by Ali Berrada

Captured in the vast, silent expanse of the Moroccan desert near Merzouga, this image reflects a moment of profound stillness. After a forty-minute journey by camel into the remote dunes, the photographer sought to document the raw, untouched beauty of a landscape where magic feels tangible. By focusing on the interplay of light and the stark, empty horizon, the image distills the essence of adventure and the solitude of the desert. Its award-worthy quality lies in the photographer's ability to transform a desolate, quiet void into a compelling visual narrative that invites the viewer to experience the timeless serenity of the Sahara.

Camel Since 1913 by Ali Berrada(c) Light & Composition
Canon EOS Kiss X3 | Exposure 1/200sec @ f/8 | ISO 100 | Focal Length 18mm
Copyright Β© Ali Berrada
Light & Composition Photo of the Day

Ali Berrada

REGISTERED PHOTOGRAPHER

Based in Casablanca, Morocco, Ali Berrada is a dedicated freelance photographer who views the world through a lens of profound curiosity and passion. Driven by a desire to capture fleeting moments that transcend time, he travels globally in pursuit of the perfect light, identifying as a citizen of the world rather than a product of a single region. His work is defined by a deep appreciation for simplicity and the creative potential found within empty spaces, reflecting his ongoing commitment to documenting the beauty of the earth.

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15.3/20
RESONANCE
SCORE
525/500
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Award Reach | Reviews
17,489 views | 6 Reviews
Award Winner Photo of the Day
Award Date October 9, 2011
64.0
AWARD SCORE
Value 12.0
Clarity 12.0
Composition 15.0
Style 13.0
Skill 12.0
Photograph Location
Merzouga, Morocco

AWARD SEGMENT | TAGS

Adventure Photography
Ali Berrada Photography

Resonance Score Breakdown

Transparency in Award Scoring

Transparency Note: The resonance score (15.0/20) is calculated based on social engagement metrics collected before the award announcement.

Social Shares
5.0/5 points
1,980/1,000 Social Share
Page Views
5.0/5 points
17,489/2,500 Page View
Reviews
0.0/5 points
0/100 Review
Submissions
5.0/5 points
525/500 Submission
Jury Score: 64.0/80
Resonance Score: 15.0/20
Total Award Score: 79.0/100

Expert Photography Reviews · 6

Yusuf Al-Hamdan Landscape, Light as Presence & the Spiritual Dimension Expert Review
The desert doesn't reveal itself to those in a hurry. Ali waited in the cooling hour, letting the dunes settle into their own rhythm before the shutter clicked. I’ve felt that same ache in my chest, that quiet surrender when the light finally stops moving. It’s not just sand; it’s a conversation between the earth and the sun. He didn't capture a scene; he listened until the silence became visible. It’s a rare, holy stillness.
Clara Whitfield Award Criteria, Legacy & What Makes an Image Endure Expert Review
Most desert photography is just empty space masquerading as depth. Of the thousands I’ve reviewed, this one survives because Berrada didn’t clutter the frame. By pinning the camel to the lower third, he forces the Sahara’s scale to swallow the subject whole. It’s lonely, and honestly, it makes me feel small in the best way. Thirty years from now, people won’t care about the gear; they’ll care that this silence still feels this heavy.
Dmitri Kasakov Contrast, Shadow Drama & the Metaphysics of Light Expert Review
Merzouga isn’t a place; it’s a confrontation with the void. Berrada’s dunes don’t invite us in; they repel, forcing the eye to negotiate the brutal, ink-black shadows carved by that low sun. It’s a stark, uncompromising geometry. I’ve spent hours staring at these ridges, and honestly, the silence in the frame makes my own pulse feel intrusive. When light fails to penetrate these depths, we aren't seeing a landscapeβ€”we’re seeing the desert’s own dark, unyielding consciousness.
Eleanor Voss Composition & Visual Structure Expert Review
The horizon line bisects the frame with surgical precision, anchoring the undulating dunes. It’s a rigid geometry that forces the eye toward the camel’s silhouette. The negative space isn't just empty; it’s a calculated weight that demands total submission. I’ve rarely seen such brutal economy in a landscape. The composition doesn’t offer comfort, yet it holds the viewer in a state of absolute, breathless suspension. It’s a rare, cold perfection that I find deeply satisfying.
Thomas Hargreaves Earned Photographs, Craft Discipline & the Long Wait Expert Review
Forty minutes on a camel is a start, I suppose, but it’s hardly a pilgrimage. The light here is clean, though it lacks the grit of a man who’s spent three days waiting for the wind to settle. It’s a pleasant enough view of Merzouga, yet I can’t help but feel the photographer packed up before the desert truly began to speak. I’ve been that cold; I’ve waited longer. It’s a decent effort, but hardly earned.
Isabelle Fontenay Colour Harmony, Tone & Atmospheric Light Expert Review
The ochre of these dunes, a shade reminiscent of Morandi’s dustiest pigments, bleeds into a sky of pale, bruised violet that makes my heart ache with its quietude. It’s a chromatic dialogue where the heat of the sand doesn't just sit there; it vibrates against the cooling atmosphere. One feels the sun’s slow retreat, a transition so delicate it renders the desert’s vast, empty void into a symphony of light that’s simply, devastatingly beautiful.
Reflections on this Photograph
By Clara Menezes

The Architecture of Silence

We often mistake emptiness for a lack of things, as if a room without furniture or a field without trees is a hollow vessel waiting to be filled. But silence has a weight, a density that presses against the skin like the heat of a midday sun.

Read the reflection →
By Margaret Holt

The Weight of Sand

In the desert, time does not tick; it accumulates. We tend to think of history as a series of sharp, jagged eventsβ€”wars, inventions, the sudden turning of a pageβ€”but in the vast, shifting dunes, history is merely the slow migration of grains.

Read the reflection →

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