First, let's get the name of the site out of the way.  Tizi pronounced تيزي in Arabic with a soft  ت not with a ط is a word from Tamazight.  Tizi in Tamazight means a mountain pass, a passageway between two peaks or an access valley between steep cliffs.  Tizi as a word and marks North African topography and adds a meaningful descriptive term to the names of hundreds of locations.  Use this word as a search term in google maps for Morocco and Algeria and check out the results.  

My name is Rachid Idir Aadnani. I have been fascinated by color and light since I was a little kid growing up in the Atlas mountains of Morocco. My family did not have much, in terms of material wealth, so, growing up, photos and cameras were a luxury that we could not really afford. Fortunately I had access to a phenomenal public library that saved my life on many different levels. Indeed this library, through the power of words and literature gave me a chance to visualize horizons beyond mine. I am grateful to have wonderful parents who understood the importance of education and who put it at the top of their priorities. They made sure my sisters, brothers and I got the education they never had the opportunity to get. I am grateful for the gorgeous Atlas mountains, the big skies, and the cedar, oak and pine forests that helped let my imagination loose.

I did not own a camera until I came to the United States in the 1990s when I finally could buy one for myself. My first serious camera was an Olympus SLR 500 series. Since then I have upgraded to an E-3 and then a Canon 5D. I use both cameras for different shooting needs.

Everything I do in photography today, I learned on my own through trial and error. I know I have a great deal more to learn and I am looking forward to that. Most of my time is devoted to my teaching and research at Wellesley College. My academic work is focused on the languages, cultures and literatures of North Africa and the Middle East. Whenever I get a chance I do try to work on some photo projects I have been thinking about for years...

This site is mostly a way for me to archive my work and make the process of retrieving specific photos easier. Zenfolio, my hosting website and software platform, does not directly sell photo prints but, luckily, it has agreements with third party professional photo printers that make it possible for visitors to obtain prints of their favorite photos.

I will do my best to keep this site current and up-to-date.

Thank you for your visit. Please drop me a line if you have any questions or suggestions.

Peace,

R-I-A