It was just after dawn. I was on the bank of the Bou Regreg River, looking into the far distance at the 12th century crenellated wall surrounding Rabat’s old city. I wanted to erase all traces of our time, and take the viewer back to the medieval world. This wall was built nearly a thousand years ago, at the time of the Crusades, protecting the Almohad dynasty from the attacks of both European armies and pirates. I used a 750mm telephoto lens to reach across the river and stress the pink tinged walls. The image acquired a painterly effect, due in part to the low light, which caused me to use ISO 400. The electronic static or noise at ISO 400 works in my favor here, creating a mottled texture in the walls, grass, and sky that makes the scene less real, and more of an illusion. The pink light and textures recall a time of fire and blood. I felt as if I was looking directly into the past.