Morocco photoshoot: locations, seasons, permits and what to plan before you fly
Morocco gives a brand four landscapes within a day’s drive of one airport: a medieval city, a stone desert, snow-capped mountains and an Atlantic port. The shoots that go well are the ones planned around three constraints: light, travel time and permissions.
“Morocco photoshoot” is searched about 3,600 times a month from the United Kingdom and the United States (Google Ads, October 2026), and most of what comes up is mood boards. This is the production side: what is actually close to what, when the light works, and what you need permission for.
Where to shoot: six locations and what each one gives you
| Location | What it looks like | From Marrakech | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marrakech medina and riads | Courtyards, zellige tiles, carved plaster, rooftops | You are there | Riads are private: you hire them, by the hour or the day |
| Agafay | Pale stone desert, rolling hills, the Atlas behind | About 45 minutes | Not sand dunes. Most of the land belongs to camps: shoot with one |
| Atlas valleys (Ourika, Imlil, Ouirgane) | Terraced villages, walnut groves, snow in winter | 1 to 1.5 hours | Mountain weather changes fast; keep a spare day |
| Essaouira | White and blue port town, ramparts, wide beaches | About 2.5 to 3 hours | Windy most of the year: hair, fabric and audio suffer |
| Ouarzazate and Aït Benhaddou | Earthen kasbahs, palm oases, film-set country | About 4 hours over a mountain pass | Plan an overnight stay |
| Sahara dunes (Merzouga, Erg Chebbi) | The orange dunes people picture | 9 to 10 hours by road | A two-day journey each way, or a domestic flight to Errachidia |
The most common planning mistake is the last line. Brands book three days in Marrakech and expect dunes. If you need real sand dunes, budget the travel days, or accept Agafay’s stone desert, which photographs beautifully and saves two days.
Chefchaouen, the blue town, is in the north: closer to Tangier and Fes than to Marrakech. It belongs to a different itinerary.
When to shoot in Morocco
- March to May and late September to November are the comfortable months almost everywhere: mild days, clear air, long golden hours.
- June to August: Marrakech and the south regularly pass 40 °C. Shoots move to sunrise and the last two hours of the day. The coast stays cooler.
- December to February: crisp light, snow on the Atlas behind the city, cold nights in the desert and short days.
- Ramadan moves about eleven days earlier each year. The country works shorter hours, restaurants close during the day and evenings are busy. Shoots are possible, but the schedule is built around sunset.
Whatever the month, midday light is hard and flat. Plan interiors, lunches and travel between 11 am and 3 pm, and keep the exteriors for the two ends of the day.
Permits and permissions
Commercial film and video
Professional film and commercial video shoots in Morocco need a filming authorisation from the Centre Cinématographique Marocain (CCM). It is requested through a Moroccan production company, which is one of the reasons foreign crews work with a local partner. Allow time for it: it is not a same-week formality.
Stills
A photo shoot on private property (a riad, a villa, a hotel, a desert camp) needs the owner’s agreement and usually a location fee. Monuments, museums and gardens set their own rules. Several of the best-known sites in Marrakech do not allow professional shoots without prior arrangement, so ask before you put them on a shot list.
People
Ask before photographing anyone. Many people in the medinas will say no, and some will ask for payment. For commercial use you need signed releases, as anywhere else. Do not photograph police, military sites or official buildings.
The drone rule
This one catches visiting crews every year. Bringing a drone into Morocco without prior authorisation is prohibited, and customs hold them at the airport. Aerial footage is shot by local operators who hold the authorisation for a given place and date. If you need aerials, say so at the briefing stage, not on arrival.
Bringing equipment
A photographer with a normal camera bag passes without paperwork. A full production kit is different: larger crews travel with an ATA carnet, which Morocco accepts, or rent locally. Lighting, grip and camera bodies can be hired in Marrakech and Casablanca, which is often simpler than flying cases in.
Local crew, visiting crew, or both
| Fly your whole team in | Local producer + your photographer | Fully local team | |
|---|---|---|---|
| You keep | Your usual people and habits | Your eye, their access | The smallest travel budget |
| You need | Someone on the ground anyway, for permits and locations | A clear split of who decides what | A precise brief and a remote approval routine |
| Fits | Large campaigns | Most brand shoots | Hotels, product, content for social media |
What to send a Moroccan crew to get a real quote
- What the images are for: e-commerce, campaign, social media, a hotel’s booking pages.
- Stills, video, or both, and the formats (horizontal, vertical).
- The number of final images or the length of the film.
- Three reference images and the locations you have in mind.
- Dates, with a little flexibility if you can.
- Where the images will run and for how long: that sets the usage rights.
- Whether you bring models and stylists or need them cast locally.
We are a studio based in Marrakech and Rabat. We shoot photo and video for brands, hotels and products, and we handle the locations and permissions that go with it. See our photo and video production page, read the Marrakech location notes, or send us your brief for an itemised quote.
Questions
Do you need a permit for a photoshoot in Morocco?
Commercial film and video shoots need an authorisation from the Centre Cinématographique Marocain, requested through a Moroccan production company. Stills on private property need the owner’s agreement; monuments and gardens have their own rules.
Can I bring a drone to Morocco?
Not without prior authorisation: drones are held by customs on arrival. Aerial footage is shot by authorised local operators.
What is the best time of year for a photoshoot in Morocco?
March to May and late September to November. Summer is very hot inland, and winter brings short days and cold nights in the desert.
How far is the Sahara desert from Marrakech?
The sand dunes of Merzouga are nine to ten hours away by road. The Agafay stone desert is about 45 minutes from the city and is what most Marrakech “desert” shoots use.