Many photographers or people in close relationship with photography would argue that the presence of a subject is a crucial matter in every frame made. Indeed, a well-defined subject can elevate the meaning of a frame, more so when we are quite familiar with the selected subject. However, this is not the norm in fine art photography, at least not for me. In my photographic works, I am almost never (if ever) trying to connect an image with an actual scene and quite often I cho

copy the tools, not the craft...

Over the years, I've met many types of photography characters, many aspects and views on photography and of course, many misconceptions on subjects related to photography. This blog post is not a regular article per se. It is more about some quick facts that almost everybody accepts but few will declare so in public. Under the consensus that taking care of our public profile is a serious issue, we often do many (silly) marketing mistakes. Apart from that, there are also some

​ Some visitors of this site may wonder why I haven't received any photography awards during the past years. The reason for this is because since the start of my involvement with fine art photography, I have made a profound decision not to participate in such contests and this is related to 2 issues: The first one has to do with the fact that over the past years, the world of fine art photography is being stormed by contest platforms that claim to be of high quality in judgin

beautiful agony - Loudias estuary, Greece In many photography circles, there have been many talks and debates on the necessity of placing borders on a finished photo. Some say that they even seem to detract from the value of the artwork or even add a pseudo value to a mediocre photo. Other photographers find the use of borders/frames to be essential in the final presentation of a photo. As many of you have already figured out, I'm a big supporter of placing frames/borders aro

"geist" - port of Agia Triada, Greece Recently, I had to give a honest answer to someone's well put impression that my photos look fabricated, that is, they are designed and edited in such a way that the final result seems to be far from reality. Even more, there was the impression that in no way these photos can be real photographic captures. I had to think over this more thorough before answering and found out that these impressions usually had to do with many people facing

"the big hush", Makrygialos - Greece, 2014 Many times in the past I've come across varying opinions on whether a fine art photo should bare a title or not. Some approach the matter from a technical view, others from an aesthetics view. For me, a photographic artwork is considered to be complete only when baring a fitting title. On the contrary, the general consensus is that a photo should usually be left untitled as a title can often render the photo "biased" in its meaning a

a tool to help us realize when it is NOT the right moment to take a shot...

People presence, who wouldn't agree that it's one of the most powerful elements in a photo, isn't it? or isn't it? If you look carefully at my portfolio, you'll find that no human is present in any of my photos. This may come as a surprise to many since a huge percentage of the photos worldwide include, or, should I say, rely on the human presence in a photo. Excluding people from my artworks was one of the most profound decisions I've made while molding my photography style

After a short conversation with a fellow photographer on the rules of composition, I decided to write some lines on this highly debated matter. His pose was that placing a subject straight to the center of the frame was wrong and against the well-known "rule of thirds". So, I asked him "should expression be constrained by rules?" and I got no answer... This is a common outcome of similar conversations on framing and composition. Following the rules blindly and without questio

Boats are everywhere in my galleries, I love having them as a subject for my artworks. To me, the boat signifies the soul of the photographer as it can vividly evoke a message, an emotion or a thought. I prefer them to be in a state of decay, leaning to their sides, standing still for eternity. Boats can blend in a poetic way within a long exposure shot or even in a shot taken with creative effect lenses. Depending on the direction of the boat, different meanings can be relat

Most of the photographers out there agree with the stance that a photo that isn't shared, does not exist (in other words, if you are not willing to share/show a photo, you better not make it at all). Well, I belong to the minority and think that this stance isn't necessarily true. Indeed, we capture moments, yet we don't do this for the likes of others or for public appreciation but for our own sake. Primarily, a photograph is a form of visual contemplation, a creation closel

Almost all photographers know for a fact that the essence and quality of light in a picture is one of the most important of its elements. Indeed, bad light could ruin a shot and good light will surely enhance it. The main difference in the quality of light is its definition of "diffused" or "directional". To me, useful light means diffused light. Be it a long exposure shot or a distorted one, I always prefer to shoot under cloudy/overcast conditions. Apart from the technical

It is quite common these days to see terms being misused and photography genres suffering from "mutation" due to devious marketing. One specific genre that seems to meet these attributes is "'fine art photography" or as some fellow photographers call it "artistic photography". In order to define what is fine art photography, we first need to define what it isn't. Well, for starters, when you see classic landscape shots, portraiture, photojournalism or street photos under this

More often than not, I stumble upon quotes derived from workshops or even acclaimed photographers as they talk about "being different" in what we shoot, that is to be able to capture something that no one else has, to take photos that no one did etc. We are totally beaten by a trend of "don'ts" and "nevers" and we are hard pressed to think (or even invent) of different kinds of photos. The strange thing is that almost no one talks about the importance of "truth" in a photo. F

I'm mostly a fine art photographer (term used in its general form) and what I read most at the upper-level tutorials regarding creativity, is that the so called factor of "difference" and being distinguishable is the photographer's holy grail. The goal is to make photos that one will look at and say "hey, this was surely taken by X, I know his style". This might be my personal opinion but I have to say that looking for such an attribute in thousands of photos taken by both pr

After presenting much of my artworks made with the selective focus technique, I received a message on why I leave so little in focus while making moody photos. Well, my intention is manifold. One is to setup the frame on the basis of a single point of interest and drive the observer's eye effortlessly to it. This specific point holds the whole message of an artwork. Even though the viewer is able to feel the psyche of a scene, there is always a selection of outmost interest w