WHO?
I was born and raised in Athens, the capital city of Greece, where I still live. I studied Economics and I worked in that field for a few years. My love affair with photography started when I was nine years old and I discovered a camera-shaped water gun. Later, when I was struggling to choose between photography and studies in economics, I chose the secure career path in accounting.
An unexpected health issue some years after became the reason to return to the things that speak to my heart. Photography was, of course, my priority. I dare to say that I have a truly purebred love relationship with photography, “all that goes with photography”. The beauty in this connection is that whatever happens in a picture, it actually happens in me. The world that is enclosed in the frames has always been the deafening silence of our inner voice.
WHAT?
Someone could say that street photography is like a “bipolar recording” for the photographer, since it includes the visible and invisible of the field vision and the conscious and the unconscious of the soul. So, I wonder if I choose the frame or if it actually chooses me. I probably take a more conscious approach, I think I compose a shot, so it can sometimes show movement even if there is seemingly inaction. The photographs here are mostly conceptual and are part portraits, so they are certainly conscious.
WHERE?
I believe that the location plays a key role in the portrayal of a frame, because when I take a shot the vibe, the colors, the lines and the form of the location are a great inspiration for me. I think of the photography as a white canvas where I will create within it. I prefer to choose locations with an abstract background, where I add the serenity of my soul. Also, I try to avoid the hard light of the shining sun. Instead, I go for the soft light of a cloudy day.
WHEN?
Photography is my therapy. The fast city vibes don’t help me to slow down and have quality time in my everyday life. Photography helps me to stay connected to my inner universe. In my very own world, photography is the reality and my safe place when I need to express myself.
WHY?
Photography made me wonder if there is a certain type of reality and if I should reach it. Thankfully, I avoided the illusion that I take a photograph of the reality early enough. I tried to study each frame, while I was looking at its context. But there were so many realizations, some of the outside the frame and some inside. Afterwards, I realised that whatever I put in my line of vision is the true and pure reality of my very own world. What is included or left out while composing a picture, mirrors the soul of the photographer that moment.
You express yourself with images, so there can’t be a picture if you, as a photographer, don’t want to share something. However, the illusion of photography is that it promises an ideal reality that reminds me the ideal part of love. When you take a photo, you don’t speak using words, but your images speak your words. The reality is everything that is included in your photos. Each composition is a continuous pursuit that, eventually, comes to an end in your unconscious.
