The New Normal
The curfew measures imposed by most governments have started getting lifted across the world and with them, a new reality unfolds.
Only time will tell if this “new normal” is good or bad and how long it will stay. What matters is that it’s shifting how our society works, and its important that we as photographers, document this (probably) pivotal change of our society for future reference.
Photographs of the New Normal in Thessaloniki
It was tough, it was strange but we came out of it.
The curfew measures imposed by most governments have started getting lifted across the world and with them, a new reality unfolds.
A new reality with masks, gloves and lots antibacterial hand gels. International travel has been to put a pause. Events, meetings and educational seminars have quickly adapted and moved into digital form.
It still seems surreal, considering how fast this all happened. The world around us has changed and I am eager to see how long this change will last.
Only time will tell if this “new normal” is good or bad and how long it will stay. What matters is that it’s shifting how our society works, and its important that we document this (probably) pivotal change of our society for future reference.
Hair salons were the first to open after the quarantine and barbers were some of the first to face the new reality of having to wear a mask while working.
Children started going out again, enjoying the lovely weather that our city offered for the first days after the quarantine.
Churches are open once again but disinfections have to be carried out to keep places of worship clean and safe.
My little sister taking her school classes through Zoom. Digital video calls became the new normal, replacing traditional school classroom lessons.
A fast-food restaurant employee, looking at the camera. People who work in restaurants and cafes are some of the ones affected the most, as they have to wear masks through long shifts, while working in conditions with high temperatures.
A woman feeding stray cats. People who fed stray animals played an crucial role in keeping cats and dogs on the street alive during the curfew.
Believers sitting on plastic chairs outside of the church of Agios Demetrios to hear the Sunday chant.
Antibacterial hand gels are everywhere.
Many small businesses were brought to their knees during the curfew, seeing their revenue drop to almost zero. Others face the unfortunate possibility of permanently going out of business. The full economic impact of COVID-19 on the Greek economy though remains to be seen.
Many people still to choose to spend time outside by themselves to avoid possible infection or spreading of the disease.
Shoppers have to face long lines outside of almost every shop in the city center.
Two women look at the sunset while keeping a safe distance from each other
Lovers met again, some after 2 months of quarantine.
As the risk for another lock-down continues to stay imminent, I am curious to see if these images will become a relic of the past, reminding us of an odd situation we all faced or become something else, become the new normal.
P.S. A big thank you to my friends at RAW Society for inspiring me to do this short photo essay and helping photographers worldwide develop their skills and visual thinking.
Photographic Diary - City terrace
The nights we live for.
City Terrace
A barbecue with friends on a terrace overlooking the city as the sun goes down.
The primordial, raw pleasure of feasting with others around a fire.
Some alcohol to make the worries go away.
These simple but meaningful moments make time fly away and force us to forget the past or future as they teach us to appreciate what's around us in the present.
It's moments like these we live for.
The Scotchman - Photographic Diary 1
A short story behind one of my favorite photographs from Scotland.
The Scotchman
He grabbed my attention as we were hiking towards the summit of a hill.
He told me that he comes at this spot twice a week to clear his mind and appreciate what nature has given to us.
It was cold and windy but there he stood, shirtless, gazing at the marvel that laid in front of him. Lakes, mountains and the ocean playing with the clouds on the horizon.
It seems like that Scotland's landscape has enough beauty to keep a man's heart and body warm even in the harshest weather conditions.
One Day in New York
A 24-hour visit to New York. Follow along in the journey as we travel through the streets of New York and watch photographs from one of the most iconic cities in the world.
Urban and Street Photography in New York
This summer, StartupBus, an entrepreneurial competition that takes place on various buses across the USA hired me as their official photographer to document the experience of taking part in a project like this and create visual and textual content for their social media accounts. It was a fascinating professional experience both in terms of photography and marketing and I got the chance to finally travel to a country that has been on my travel list for some time now, the USA.
More about this amazing professional experience on another dedicated article since there is much to say and show. This article is about what I saw and how I felt after spending 8 hours in one of the most impressive cities in the world. New York.
After an almost 11 hour plane-ride from Athens to New York, I reached my destination, still not fully believing that I was in the USA and would soon witness the emblematic city of New York with my own eyes.
I took the airport-shuttle and metro, straight to Brooklyn since the National Director of StartupBus, Madalena Mak had agreed to host me for a couple of days until the project began.
Arriving in New York - The first glance
Like many other people, I also wanted to travel to New York for a long time. I had seen so many images from this city through movies, photographs, and magazines and now I was finally here.
It was already evening when I arrived and Madelena wanted some help with a few posters for the project that was about to begin 2 days later, so there was not much time to go out that day.
Nevertheless, the ride on her car to the print-shop offered some images that I will never forget. The first time I witnessed the cloudy, Manhattan skyline while crossing Brooklyn bridge is an image that got imprinted in my mind and will probably stay there forever.
The skyline of Manhattan on a cloudy day.
I have traveled a lot throughout Europe during the past few years, but that scenery was unlike anything I had ever seen before. As we approached Manhattan, going towards Chinatown to reach the print-shop, my eyes sparkled with excitement. The photographer in me was aching to get out, grab the camera and photograph this otherworldly urban environment. The heavy rain and moody atmosphere only enhancing my need to photograph the scenes I saw along the way.
We arrived at the print-shop and the rain was pouring heavily, acting as good suppressant to the need I felt to shoot everything around me. After spending some time at the print-shop, chatting with the people who worked there and me looking around like I am in some sort of a playground it was time to grab the posters and head back to Brooklyn.
A photograph I managed to snap from the inside of the print shop before heading back to Brooklyn.
We started heading back to Brooklyn, looking at some equally exciting views along the way, enjoyed some incredibly tasty tacos (the best ones I have had so far) and went back home.
Brooklyn
Before calling it a day I decided to take a short walk around Brooklyn and see how this renowned neighbourhood looked like at night.
A man walks by an artistically decorated cafe in Brooklyn.
The subway exit seeming like a passageway to another world.
A woman enjoying a joint after finishing her shift at a nearby bar.
Street art everywhere, dark streets and wet roads playing games with the reflections from the surrounding lights. Most places I passed by were too dark to be captured bu the camera without getting tons of noise but still, I felt good with the few shots I got and the girl I met at the photo above.
It was getting late, it was a long, tiring day and I needed some rest. After all, tomorrow I was going to have the full morning and afternoon free, so I could roam around until 7 p.m. when I had to photograph an event for the kick-off of the Advancing Black Entrepreneurs bus, a project by StartupBus dedicated to empowering black entrepreneurs.
Manhattan
The next morning I woke up at 7.00 am, went out for a quick run, prepared my camera and headed out to grab something to eat. After tasting the famous bagel from New York I was ready to go and explore Manhattan. I took the subway which by itself can be a stand-alone photographic project, offering some incredibly candid and intimate images of the people who use it daily to commute to work.
The tired face of a woman gets reflected on the window, as a man is sleeping on her right.
A woman playing games at her phone as she waits for the train in the New York Subway.
The clock was ticking so I couldn’t spend more time in the subway if I wanted to see Manhattan. I got off the train, climbed the stairs and there I was, standing at the centre of one of the most iconic cities in the world, looking around me like a child who sees ice-cream for the first time.
Manhattan in black and white
I don’t usually shoot in black and white but in this case, I chose to take some of the images without color to show the intertemporal feeling that New York imbues to someone who visits it for the first time. It’s a city I have seen countless times in movies, TV, books and magazines since I was a child and although it was my first time there it felt familiar. It was the turning point in many photographer’s careers and countless other people embarked on a journey into uncharted waters to reach the shores of New York to pursue a better future.
Through the absence of color I was able to focus more on the stunning architecture of the city and the interesting characters that are a part of it to freeze time and create photographic moments that I haven’t created before.
A giant skyscraper above a hot-dog stand, an emblem for the street-food culture of the city.
Steam rising from a manhole is another iconic symbol of the city as it is being used to clean the dishes in a New York restaurants, sterilize hospital equipment, and heat up cheese curds in artisan shops.
A man smoking a cigarette as he takes a break from work.
A man sitting in solitude.
The imposing New York World Trade Center Station.
A woman reading her book just outside of the New York World Trade Center Station.
A man riding his bike between the giant buildings of Manhattan.
I felt like the buildings in Manhattan have their own characters, as they look down on you with their imposing presence .
On the way to the American dream.
A taxi driver at dusk.
Men walking on the streets of New York.
A man crossing the road. He looks a bit like Putin, doesn’t he?
Black and white street photography was and still is something very new to me but after looking at the shots from Manhattan I feel happy that I made this decision.
Manhattan in color
Going back to familiar waters, I continued the second half of my stroll taking photographs with color, still feeling totally mesmerized by the vibe of the city and its imposing buildings.
“I have a dream”.
The raging bull of Wall street surrounded by hundreds of tourists who want to get a photograph with him.
Brooklyn bridge, with its metallic cables looking like a spider’s web.
Helicopters are flying constantly above the skyline of New York.
Williamsburg bridge
The iconic yellow, American school bus was something I definitely wanted to capture while I was in the USA.
The symbolic Statue of Liberty standing vigilant at New York’s skyline, welcoming those who reach its shores.
The iconic skyline of New York, everchanging, expanding and developing. The Empire State Building can be seen at the left of the image.
Time is running out
I felt overwhelmed and inspired. I wanted to explore more; see more; capture more. To roam around the streets of Bronx, Brooklyn and explore New York by night as the sun started setting down. But as the daylight was slowly fading so had done the free time I had left. It was time to head back to Madelena’s house grab my gear and photograph the first event for the rigorous 4 days StartupBus hackathon that was about to come.
I was around New York for only a few hours but despite of that, I felt full. My camera didn’t have time to capture many pictures but my eyes did. I felt grateful for the professional opportunity I got, allowing me to see one of the most unique and atmospheric cities in the world. I entered the subway, asking for directions like a typical half-lost tourist and finally found my train with the help of some very helpful construction workers from Ecuador. I sat down and looked out around me, inhaling deeply, taking in the moment and feeling excited for the next days that were about to come.
As I got off my stop and climbed the stairs, reaching Brooklyn I looked back at the subway entrance one last time feeling an urge to go back and photograph the precious, simple moments it offers endlessly. I took one more big breath and promised myself that I would be back as I turned my back and started walking in the wet, dark streets of Brooklyn. It was time to go.
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Georgia, the best travel destination so far?
A 7-day journey to Georgia, traveling through some of its best locations. Come along on the journey and watch photographs from Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Tskaltubo and the Caucasus mountain range.
Georgia, The Best Travel Destination So Far?
Having been a fan of Mitchel Kanaskevich for some time now I have been watching closely his work and journeys from all over the world.
In one of his articles, he said that while traveling back from Mongolia he passed through Georgia and fell in love with the country. I made some quick research and quickly discovered the breathtaking landscapes of the Caucasus and the rich cultural heritage of this country. That was enough to get me intrigued.
A few days later I was lucky enough to find a round trip ticket with just 30 euros, from my city, Thessaloniki to Kutaisi, Georgia. I booked the tickets immediately.
I started organizing my trip to Georgia and for my accommodation, I chose to use Couchsurfing. The first time I used was while traveling to Madrid with a friend after my Erasmus and had gotten a taste of the way it can enhance your journey. Since then I always try and help travelers through Couchsurfing and even host some people when I have the time.
So, after sending some requests I found hosts in both Kutaisi and Tbilisi.
And that was the only thing I had planned. I decided to truly go with the flow in this journey and not make detailed plans beforehand on what to visit and how much time to spend in each place like I usually do in other journeys.
So with my bags packed and everything ready, the day of my flight arrived.
Four hours before the take-off and while going to the airport, my host in Kutaisi sends me a message. He said that he will be my flight’s pilot.
My mind was blown. I couldn’t believe it. I knew he was an aviation professional but what were the chances of something like this happening?
I said hello to him as I entered the plane and he invited me to the cockpit. The journey had started and I already had one amazing experience. A beautiful story to share.
Arriving in Kutaisi
We arrived at Kutaisi, took his car and went to his place to leave my luggage then immediately went out.
Kutaisi from my host’s balcony.
The locals were incredibly welcoming and wanted to find out where I was from, inviting us to drink chacha with them, a traditional Georgian drink with lots of alcohol. They were curious about my camera and many asked me to photograph them.
A couple in Kutaisi posing happily for my camera.
Another man I met in my first hours in Kutaisi, posing happily for the camera and inviting me to drink chacha with him.
Men, sitting at a butcer-shop, drinking chacha, smoking and discussing about the daily news.
The town had a big street market selling a wide variety of fresh vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, tea, spices sweets and anything else you can imagine. A utopia for everyone who loves tasting new things, I felt the need to try everything.
We sat down for some Hinkali and beer at a local restaurant. Hinkali is the most typical Georgian food and it is a dumpling stuffed with meat, potato, or cheese. It’s delicious. After filling our bellies we continued our walk to the city as the sun was slowly setting down, changing the colors of the city as the night lights were slowly turning on.
Some bizarre fairy-statues just outside the Georgian parliament in Kutaisi.
Tskaltubo
The next day my host suggested that I should go visit Tskaltubo. I made a brief research and immediately got interested.
Tskaltubo is a former Soviet Sanatorium, a place where people went after getting permission from the government, to relax and blow some steam off. The park has therapeutic hot springs and offers a beautiful view of the surrounding nature. Around the park you can find huge Soviet buildings that were used as lavish hotels but are now abandoned and silent, as nature is starting taking over, enveloping the concrete giants.
Photographs from Tskaltubo: An abandoned sanatorium.
Photographs from Tskaltubo: Two cats looking melancholically outside of the window in an abandoned sanatorium.
Photographs from Tskaltubo: The entrance to one of the biggest sanatoriums in Tskaltubo. People were living in its interior.
Photographs from Tskaltubo: An old playground in the middle of the park.
As I walked near the concrete giants I felt a slight melancholy. There was a certain silence in this place that it’s hard to describe. After walking around a few more buildings I noticed clothes hanging from the balconies, cats and curious faces looking through the windows. The sanatoriums were now being used by refugees who had to fled from the region of Abkhazia once Russia too over in 2008. Making the most out of what life has thrown at them, they have brought life back to the grey giants creating a post-apocalyptic atmosphere that gets carved in your memory.
Photographs from Tskaltubo: A man is working with his tools in one of the abandoned sanatoriums of Tskaltubo.
Photographs from Tskaltubo: Colorful bed-sheets hanging from the balconies of the grey, concrete giants.
After hours of walking around it was time to go. The sun was setting and I had to catch a bus back to Kutaisi. I left Tskaltubo with a bitter-sweet feeling of melancholy in my mind and an absolute certainty that I will come back at some point. One day at this place was surely not enough to properly photograph its concrete giants and the people who live there.
When I came back my host proposed that we go to eat something at a local restaurant he knew. I can’t describe the food we ate that day and I hoped I had taken some photos to help me do so. Khinkali, chatsapuri, saslik, river fish, salads, dips and a tasteful Georgian black wine. We tried almost everything there was on the menu and the price was probably about 1/5 of what would someone pay in most European countries. It was stunning.
As the wine was ending and the head started becoming heavier I felt excitement. Excitement for how great this adventure already was and for what laid ahead.
Tbilisi - The Rise of a New Photographic Interest: Street Photography
The next day it was time to visit Tbilisi. After a 4-hour bus ride and a 10 lari ticket (around 3.5 euros), I arrived at the capital. Life here immediately seemed much different than the one in Kutaisi. The city was bustling with life, tall buildings, cars, lights and traffic.
I started walking towards my host with my camera on hand, trying to capture pictures of what I show on the way.
My hosts, Laura and Martin were two amazing people from Latvia that made me immediately feel welcome at their place. After chatting and getting to know each other it was time to sleep and wake up fresh the next day to start exploring the city.
I woke up at 9.00 am had breakfast with Laura and Martin, picked up my camera and went out for a walk.
One of the first things I noticed while going around Tbilsi is how many clothes Georgians hang from the balconies. It’s almost like a form of decoration, transforming the otherwise boring, grey houses into mosaics of textiles and colors.
Clothes hanging between houses in Tbilisi, Georgia..
The streets of Tbilisi, like the country itself, is a mix of contradictions. People selling all kind of products and trinkets on the street, open markets and narrow corridors sit beside huge modern monuments, breathtaking gold orthodox churches and all that gets embraced by Tbilisi’s river, Mtkvari and the surrounding mountains and hills.
Tbilisi’s river Mtkvari, at sunset.
Another view of the Mtkvari river and the beautiful views of the city it offers.
The majestic statue of Mother Georgia (Kartlis Deda) is always watching gracefully the city underneath, decorating the urban skyline with its imposing presence. The statue was erected on the top of Sololaki hill in 1958, the year Tbilisi celebrated its 1500th anniversary.
The statue of Mother Georgia from afar.
The imposing statue of Mother Georgia from atop the hill.
It is truly a must to go up the hill of the Statue of Mother Georgia as it offers an incredible view of the whole city and its surroundings. As I was making my way up the hill where the statue resides, a soft grey mist was enveloping the buildings below covering the whole city in mystery.
Tbilisi at sunset.
Some guys enjoying the view on top of Sololaki hill.
Tbilisi at dusk.
When the night lights around the city started slowly turning on, it started transforming into a gem, shining brightly in the dark horizon. Glamorous Orthodox churches, skyscrapers, houses and modern monuments lighting the night sky with their beautiful and diverse colors.
A young couple enjoying Tbilisi by night from a nearby hill.
Bridge of Peace in Tbilisi, Georgia.
A girl with a yellow coat standing out in Tbilisi’s subway.
It was a long and very fulfilling day and when I thought it couldn’t get better Laura and Martin asked me if I wanted to join them at a friend’s house party.
I said yes and an hour later we arrived at a flat full of people from all over the world. I met some incredible individuals that night and oddly many of them could know how to speak Greek. Some had been Erasmus students in Greece, others had Greek boyfriends/girlfriends. Whatever the case it was very interesting and pretty bizarre to meet so many people that knew Greek, in a flat party of a guy I didn’t know in Georgia. After a considerable amount of beers and lots of “Nice to meet you”, we headed back home. It was a long, amazing day and I needed some rest.
After 2 days in Tbilisi and quite a lot of photos, my photographic taste started getting focused on what was truly unique and beautiful about this city. Its streets. As I said before, they teleport you in a different era, one that you seldom see nowadays in Europe.
So the third day I woke up and knew what I wanted to capture. The streets of Tbilisi and its people, to show the intimate and kind of vintage moments that this amazing city has to offer.
I don’t usually shoot in Black&White but I thought that street photography in Tbilisi is ideal for that and a street-market I stumbled upon with my friend Raminta that day was ideal to put this idea to the test.
To be honest, I loved the Black & White look on the photographs from the streets of Tbilisi and it was the point in time where two new photographic interests were born: Street Photography and Black & White Photography. With the absence of color I could see emotions and moments with more clarity, especially in a busy environment like a street market and the man street vendors of the city felt like they were meant to be captured without color.
The Caucasus
The last but definitely not least part of the journey was a trip to the Caucasus mountain range. As a lover of landscapes and nature, I couldn’t leave Georgia without visiting at least one of its beautiful mountains so the next morning we woke up and we decided to hitchhike to Gudauri, with my host, Laura.
The last time I hitchhiked was in Spain, as I was traveling there with a friend after our ERASMUS in Portugal had ended. Our experience there was not so good since we wanted to go from Vitoria to Madrid and had to wait for hours until somebody picked us up. Even when this happened we only managed to reach a small town 200 km outside of Madrid and had to take a bus because there was no place to stay for the night.
Hitchhiking in Georgia couldn’t be more different than that. We reached a mall close to a highway, just outside Tbilisi by bus and there, just after waiting for 30 minutes we got picked up by two awesome guys who were going to a place to Gudauri. They offered to take us to the village and while going there we spoke up Georgian culture and the guys constantly stated the love they have for their country. After 5 days in Georgia, I could understand why, as I had also been enchanted by the beauty of this country and the hospitality of its people. Just before reaching Gudauri we stopped at a local restaurant to recharge our batteries.
According to the guys who took us in the car, the restaurant there had the best khinkali in all of Georgia. I only tried khinkali from 3 restaurants while I was in Georgia, so I can’t say for sure if that was the best in all of the country but it was the best I tried during my stay. We accompanied the khinkali with a beer and of course a couple of shots of chacha and after 5 minutes of almost begging them to let us pay for at least some of the food we ate, the guys paid for everything saying that: “you are our guests and the guests in Georgia mustn’t pay.”
After one more incredible example of hospitality by the Georgian people and a 20-minute drive, we reached Gudauri.
The ski-resort in Gudauri.
The Caucasus mountain-range had been on my travel list for a long time now. and I was finally there. We bought a coffee from a nearby shop and sat at the balcony to enjoy the view of a nearby peak. Every breath was like a pure dose of clean oxygen. The face felt refreshed as the light mountain breeze caressed it softly and the body felt rejuvenated as the sun started to warm us up. A place where all the senses felt pleased.
One of the most photogenic peaks we saw in Gudauri.
After enjoying our selves on this balcony for almost an hour we took the lift to go a bit further up the mountain and see the view from up there. Endless white mountain peaks sprang across the horizon all around us as the clouds were playing hide and seek behind around them. Skiers and snowboarders were enjoying the fresh snow at the mountain slopes. I couldn’t help but feel the need to stay there for days or weeks, to explore the nearby peaks and villages.
A Siberian husky with one injured eye looking at the bypassers.
Two skiers walking close to one of the peaks in Gudauri.
In ancient Greek mythology, Caucasus was a shepherd who lived close to the region and helped Zeus against his father, Kronos. Enraged by that, Kronos killed him and Zeus named the area where he lived (the Caucasus mountain-range) by his name. it was the place where the leader of the Greek gods would later tie Prometheus in chains for giving fire to men. His punishment? An eagle would fly to him every day and eat his liver, only to grow back the same night for the punishment to continue the next day. Zeus imposed this punishment for 3.000 years but Hercules saved him after 30, receiving immense praise by mortals.
Another beautiful peak we had the chance to see.
The beautiful sunset we saw as the day was coming to an end.
A journey comes to an end
As the sun started going down and we began to look for a way to go back to Tbilisi I realized that my journey was also coming to an end. This was my last day in Georgia as the next one I had to go back to Kutaisi and catch my return flight.
We struggled a bit to find a way to go back but eventually, someone agreed to give us a ride back to the city. Hitchhiking in Georgia had again proved to be an easy and enjoyable feat to accomplish.
As I laid down to bed I felt grateful for all the great experiences I had, the amazing people that crossed my way and the breathtaking landscapes I saw that day.
The next morning I bid farewell to my hosts, thanked them for the warm hospitality, had a brief coffee with my friend Raminta and then took a transport to Kutaisi. While riding the Marshrutka, this famous remnant of the Soviet area used as a mini-bus, I thought about the journey I had and how I felt about Georgia after these 7 days.
It’s hard to give a specific answer about Georgia since there are so many things to say.
Georgia is a stunning canvas of so many different landscapes, cultures and people that need much more time than just 7 days to be explored.
The Georgian hospitality though can be felt from day 1 though, with the locals welcoming you to their country with every opportunity. It’s a country with tons of history and it’s one of the places that Homo Erectus roamed the Earth from the beginning of the Paleolithic Era.
Its cuisine is something out of this world. As a Greek, I have tasted tens of of amazing dishes from my country’s local cuisine so it’s hard sometimes to get impressed. In my visit to Georgia though, I was stunned. The variety of recipes they have is remarkable and all of the ones I tried left me impressed. I will not start speaking about Khinkali because I can talk about the taste of this amazing thing for hours.
It has one of the most diverse landscapes, combining sea, lakes, desert, and mountains going up to 5.193 meters.
Its cities are a cocktail of flavours, smells and colors with the local markets selling every possible thing you can imagine.
So what is Georgia? It’s a country of warm people, breathtaking landscapes, incredible cuisine.
A country for every taste and pocket and one that I already miss and will be visiting again soon.
PS: I want to say a big thank you to my hosts Jurian, Laura and Martin for letting me stay at their couches and offering me tons of guidance, help and some unforgettable experiences!
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A photographic journey to the villages of Grevena, Greece
A short photo-documentary of my journey to one of the least populated villages in Grevena, Greece. Authentic people, stunning landscapes and wild horses are some of the things we encountered on this beautiful journey.
A photographic journey to the villages of Grevena
I have been looking for some time now for the article I wanted to start the blog with. I knew it had to be something that had to do with travel photography. I thought of writing about one of my past and most exotic travels, my trip to Morocco or maybe the amazing experience I had in Scotland, since the photographs from these countries are some of my favorites.
But a recent trip to a place not far from home changed all this.
A journey begins
For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you will have seen the recent trip I had at the villages near Grevena, Greece.
Located at the Western part of Greece, Grevena is a small city of approximately 14.000 residents. While the city itself does not offer any spectacular sights, the nature around it is truly breathtaking, offering some amazing opportunities for anyone who is interested in travel and nature photography.
My friend’s parents come from a village up the mountains near Grevena called Lavda so when he told me he wanted to visit his grandparents I immediately agreed to come with him. We had been at the place a few years ago and I remembered that the landscapes around the village were staggering.
And that was the main reason I wanted to go there. To capture the breathtaking landscapes that the mountain ranges of Pindos had to offer. I wasn’t disappointed.
The mountain peaks were playing hide and seek with the clouds.
The mountain ranges lay in front of us showing us their beauty.
We saw landscapes covered with fog.
Stone bridges and rivers with emerald waters.
A night sky full of stars.
Beautiful wild horses, living free on the mountains of Pindos.
After all these beautiful scenes we saw I thought that my photographic appetite had been sated. Our stay in the village though, made my lens get interested in another subject. One that I didn’t have to go far to capture, nor climb mountains or hike for hours. That subject was my friend’s grandparents and the life they led.
A new photographic subject - travel portrait photography
He has told me a lot about them and the following 3 days I spent time observing them, looking at how they live their lives. Their habits, traditions, opinions.
They are simple people, that live from the earth, growing their own fruits and vegetables. They have their own goats and sheep, taking care of them and using their milk, cheese, and meat to live. They have no need for fancy cars and clothes. A couch by the fire and a warm plate of food are enough to make them happy.
Being nighty years old they have lived in an era that we can’t even imagine and faced difficulties that we probably never will. Their hands are hardened, full of scars from the hardships they had to endure to make a living in this inhospitable place.
The people
Grandma Chrisoula is 82 years old and yet she is one of the most sharp-witted individuals I have ever met.
Being able to make jokes, give suggestions, advice, and comment on modern social issues she truly amazed me with her clarity. Be it the clean air or the pure, drug-free food they eat, there is definitely something that has helped the people of these villages retain their cognitive status.
Always kind, warm and inviting she made our stay there unforgettable. She wears a glove on her right hand because she had a stroke 15 years ago and she can't move it anymore. That makes her story even more inspiring since she is still able to do all the chores that are needed to run the house. Clean, cook, feed the animals, help Grandpa with his daily chores and after all that she still had the mood to make jokes and conversations with us. This incredible woman is living proof that age is just a number, not an excuse.
Grandpa Euthimis is responsible for the house's heavy-duty jobs such as cutting wood for the fireplace and carrying heavy bags of supplies for the winter. He may look rough but he is kind and warm, always inviting us to join him at the table and share stories from his service in the army.
My friend's family used to own almost 300 hundred goats and sheep and grandpa Euthimis was responsible for taking care of them, guiding them up the mountains to find fresh grass to feed. Being 90 years old now, he can't do that anymore but that doesn't stop him from still being active and having the ability to do most of the chores that are needed to run their home. I was actually amazed, by how much strength and energy he had, having seen other elders of his age.
Hardened and strong this man was and still is the muscles of the house.
Grandma Zacharoula is the sister of grandpa Euthimis.
As it was typical in these years you had to get married to leave your family home and start your own.
Grandma Zacharoula didn't find a husband so as tradition required it, she lived her life with her brother and his wife. Her calm presence was always welcome and this photograph of her portrait is one of my favorites so far.
Their life
One of the house’s rooms filled with family pictures and traditional greek hand-woven textiles.
Old metal heater, also used as a stove.
The metal heater is the heart of the house, located at the living room and constantly burning wood to keep the house warm. It is also used to boil water for tea or cook food and can be seen in many traditional houses in the villages of Greece. The family gathers around it to watch TV, discuss or greet guests.
An apothecary built by the family to store supplies for the winter.
The house’s apothecary used to store food, tools, and supplies.
Onions left to dry in the apothecary.
Grandpa Euthimis takes his small herd of 5 goats around the village so the animals can feed on fresh grass.
Grandma Chrisoula, watering her plants.
Wood, stored for burning through the cold winter that is about to come.
Grandma Chrisoula with her grandson and my friend, Euthimis.
We spent three amazing days at the village of Lavda in Grevena, Greece. Three days that made me further realise how much I love travel photography and its necessity in sharing the beauty around us. The beauty of nature through landscape and wildlife photography and the unique stories of the people you meet along your journeys.
I hope that through my photographs you experienced how life is in these Greek villages which are lost in time and whose people lead lives very different from our own.
This is the first of many articles to come, about the places and the people I see and meet in my adventures, as I use photography to capture the world’s beauty, one shot at a time.
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