Getting lost in Santorini

Hello everyone !

Since the analogue shots from my day trip at Bansko has a great impact, I decided to share with you some of my favorite photographs derived from my greatest vacation so far; the summertime in the island of Santorini. Santorini, or Thira, is probably the most famous greek island, the Queen of the islands, located in the south of the Cyclades complex. It had been years since my last visit - I had been living there for 3 years when I was young - and I always wanted to return. A last minute decision last summer flew me and my two best friends in the island of the astonishing natural beauty. I can't name the things I love the most; maybe the sharp cliffs, the overwhelming view from Fira and the bare volcanic terrain? Or is it the amazing alleys with the wonderful white built in the stone houses, the tasty food with the traditional traits, the amazing sunset at Oia and the unique beaches that cast their spell and keep me captivated ? For all those reasons -and a thousand more- Santorini is the ultimate destination for me. Had I to choose, Santorini would be on the top of my wish list.

Aspects of the volcano in different days

The majestic view of the volcano through a wonderful cafe at Caldera

The Caldera cliffs with Oia as seen from Fira

Taken whle on board during our route from Black Sand beach to Kamari beach

My two best friends, Margarita and Apostolos

Vlichada beach

Underwater analogue shots

Water analogue selfie at Kamari beach!

Life in Village: Day Trip to Bansko

Hey everyone!

This post is all about some analogue perspective of my daytrip to Bansko, Bulgaria with my father, during our holidays in my hometown. As mentioned in my previous post, my hometown is located in Northern Greece, sitting on lands full of crops, forests and rivers. I enjoy spending a part of my holidays there because, although I don't have any friends there, I can ride my bike and visit proximal nature sites with no human presence or activity. Besides, sometimes it's beautiful spending some time alone, isn't it? You can find analogue photos of my excursions to the surroundings of my village in my previous post (Life in Village: the Daily Life).

Bansko is a world renowed winter destination, ideal for winter sports and hot chocolate in wooden logs (that's so me!). We visited by car, so I had the chance to take some shots of traditional villages we passed by. Bansko is beautiful in summer because it doesn't attract the crowds of winter sports lovers amd the temperature is ideal. On the other hand, winter in Bansko is massive and freezing cold, and I was not prepared to deal with it, as my body remembers for sure. Anyway, it was absolutely worth it!

An old semi abandoned house at a village on our way to Bansko, Bulgaria. The living conditions must be really poor. I can recall a memory of an old man working on the garden. I guess he lives there alone or along with his wife.

Some delicious (and extremely cheap) lunch we enjoyed at Bansko !

I had captured this block of flats in my very first film, 5 years ago. It was nice to capture it again !

An abandoned bus

Perspective of the central - and most touristic - alley of Bansko 

Some snow !

Children playing

Life in Village: The Daily Life

Hey everyone !

   About a month after having my latest films developed, I decided to post some analogue shots. I am running a series of "Life in Village", which is going to be about my hometown located in the outskirts of Drama at Northern Greece. This first part is going to be quite massive since I want to show you how I spent my days in my hometown as well as all the proximal sites I visit with my bike. I have included some unpublished shots from my last year's excursions which mainly focus on my nature loving side - horses, the river, the lush full-of-annoying-insects forest and some beautiful details I noticed during my bike walks. Having such walks on my own alleviates every bad thought and refreshes my mind. Unfortunately, my analogue camera broke down during my latest bike walk this summer and I couldn't capture anything. That's why I'm solely leaning on my last year excursions. What I noticed though is that time flies tremendously slowly in the countryside and nothing had really changed in the one year period between my two visits.  

   Except for the shots I take during my bike walks, I am including some details from my grandfather's garden, which is full of crops, beautiful flowers, some pollinating flying insects and grapes. Shots in this chapter are partly derived from my last year trips to my hometown too.

   In general terms, I just can't express how much I love photography and how much it has helped me overcome difficult situations. After 4,5 years of active involvement, I am now sure that I am never going to give it up. This is my personal castle, my refuge which I only have access in. People browse through my photos and express their feelings but they are never going to understand how I felt while taking them, what feelings arose in my heart, what kind of memories are recalled and what's the feeling behind the scene. It's something I only share with myself. Most people tell me that there's a melacholic tone in most of them. I couldn't agree more.

   2nd part is going to be about my day trip to Bulgaria, some beaches shots from Kavala and a devastated bus I came across. I also visited the top of the proximal mountain and took some analogue shots of the cows, but all of them turned out either blurred or of low quality. Nevermind, I will just keep them in my mind !

This road leads where the heart is.