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from the Balkan photography
interviewed by Vicky Markolefa 1. Please describe your relationship with street photography. Took me a while to contemplate this one. My thoughts jumped between words such as obsession, desire, passion and attraction. Having glanced at the curated shots I quickly realized that my need to express myself through photography is an emotional concoction of the aforementioned psychological ingredients. 2. Take us on an imaginary photo walk. Each walk is an experience of its own. Given the mood of the day, the final outcome will be dictated accordingly. Black and white usually prevails over my choices. I like the bareness of the grayscale. It strips an image clean of noise and superficial perceptions. It helps emotions surface over a visual plethora of distractions. The first half an hour, maybe even the first hour or two nothing usually happens. The camera is lingering on its strap over my shoulder. My fingers are occupied rolling tobacco and pushing the lighter trigger each time my smoke goes out. I walk. It takes time to see the world free of colour. It takes time to get used to the silence of the walk amidst a bustling city centre. I walk until my soul is calm. I walk until my mind is clear. I always walk alone. I never know for sure what I’m looking for. There is never a brief. Some days will be loaded with images upon my return. Others will be barren but that's OK. There is always learning involved even when not a single click has been heard from the shutter. 3. Choice of equipment. Kindly share a few thoughts. Being a man of extremes I have a tendency to shoot as such. When street walking/shooting I only bring two lenses with me. An 8mm fisheye and my 80-200 zoom. The latter is the one I use in 90% of the cases on a normal street walk as it allows me to distance myself from my subjects and leave a moment undisturbed by my presence. The fisheye serves me “same same but different” as they say in Asia. I choose a spot where I will set myself up long enough until I mingle in with the surroundings. Once I become part of the scenery then I start shooting. When I shoot BW film (which is often the case) I will only bring along the 43-86 zoom lens coupled with a Nikon F2. 4. Are there connections between your commercial and personal work? Definitely yes. I'm constantly on the look for the clicks that will emphasize the humane aspect of a shot. Sometimes people tend to forget what goes on around them in the heat of the moment. I ‘ll never forget a client who called me up at 1am in tears after having seen the pictures and video of her daughter’s christening. “Thank you for being there” she told me. “I didn’t realize how happy we all were”. 5. Is there a piece of advice you wish you had in your early years? I wish someone had slapped me in the face 15 years ago, forcing me to pursue my dream of professional photography sooner than I did. Contact details www.jorgedonios.com Instagram: @themomentsnatcher https://www.instagram.com/themomentsnatcher/ Bio Made in Greece Model No: 28 / 04 Year of Production: 1979 Photography was supposed to be a one-night stand for me. Perhaps something you try just to get a kick of awesomeness right after a break-up rips your world apart. Heartbeats were soon replaced by shutter clicks and as life would have it, what was meant as a fleeting encounter turned into love at first sight. From street photography in Barcelona, to festivals in Asia, to voluntary humanitarian missions in Africa, my lenses have been my eyes and my camera my best travel companion ever since. I’ve never considered myself much of an artist. Some people like fishing, others love hunting – I belong to the group of folks who are dazzled, inspired and driven by photography’s ability to change the world. To stop age at 20. To keep a smile resonant and beautiful forever. To preserve a feeling or an emotion until it’s thawed and relived once more by the warmth of a familiar gaze. To inspire travel, induce exploration and shape public opinion Γιώργος Δόνιος
Χώρα Κατασκευής: Ελλάδα Έτος Κατασκευής: 1979 Μοντέλο: 28 / 04 Η φωτογραφία για ‘μένα ξεκίνησε λίγο πολύ σαν φλερτ μιας βραδιάς. Πιθανώς κάτι που δοκιμάζει κανείς όταν αποζητά μια γερή δόση ενθουσιασμού όταν ένα πολύ σημαντικό (συνήθως άσχημο) γεγονός γκρεμίζει τον κόσμο του και ψάχνει κάτι, κάπου, κάπως να πιαστεί. Στη δική μου περίπτωση τα επιπόλαια χτυποκάρδια μετατράπηκαν γρήγορα σε έρωτα με την πρώτη ματιά κι η φωτογραφική μου μηχανή έγινε ο πιστός φίλος και συνταξιδιώτης μου κάθε φορά που έβγαινα να εξερευνήσω τη μαγεία του κόσμου μας. Ποτέ δε θεώρησα τον εαυτό μου ως καλλιτέχνη. Σε κάποιους ανθρώπους αρέσει το ψάρεμα για παράδειγμα, και σε άλλους το κυνήγι. Εγώ ανήκω στην κατηγορία εκείνη των ανθρώπων που συναρπάζονται, εμπνέονται και κινητοποιούνται από τη μοναδική ικανότητα της φωτογραφίας να επιφέρει αλλαγή. Να σταματήσει το χρόνο στη νιότη. Να διαφυλάξει ένα χαμόγελο φρέσκο για πάντα και να το ξαναζωντανέψει από τη θαλπωρή ενός γνώριμου βλέμματος. Να εμπνεύσει ταξίδια, να μορφοποιήσει την κοινή γνώμη και ωθήσει βήματα αλλαγής. Άλλαξε η ζωή μου με τη φωτογραφία για να είμαι ειλικρινής και ο λόγος ήταν ότι η συνεχής αναζήτηση «κάδρου» άλλαξε τον τρόπο που βλέπω τον κόσμο γύρω μου. Όπως είχε πει ένας διάσημος φωτογράφος «Φωτογραφία είναι η ικανότητα να ισορροπήσεις τη ματιά, την καρδιά και το μυαλό» κι αυτό μου έδωσε μια νέα οπτική στην καθημερινότητα μου. Σαφώς έχω πολύ δρόμο μπροστά μου και πάρα πολλά να μάθω αλλά όπως με τη φωτογραφία έτσι και στη ζωή κάθε μέρα μας κάνει κι ένα κλικ καλύτερους. Comments are closed.
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