French Ambassador to Greece Laurence Auer for Kappa Magazine cover
Some portrait assignments are about documenting a person. Others are about representing an institution. Photographing the French Ambassador to Greece, Laurence Auer,, for the cover story of Kappa Magazine belonged firmly to the latter. The assignment unfolded inside the recently restored French Embassy in Athens, where architecture, diplomacy and portraiture became part of the same visual narrative.
Every editorial assignment offers a different challenge, but some stories carry a significance that extends beyond photography. My recent commission for the cover story of Kappa Magazine (Kathimerini) was one of those occasions. The assignment brought me inside the newly renovated French Embassy in Athens where I photographed the French Ambassador to Greece, Laurence Auer, for a feature exploring the building’s restoration, its history, and its continuing role as a symbol of the long-standing friendship between France and Greece.
As a portrait photographer Athens, I am always interested in creating portraits that reveal character rather than simply documenting appearance. An ambassador is more than a business representative. They become the visual embodiment of a nation’s values, culture and diplomatic presence. Every portrait therefore carries a symbolic responsibility that extends beyond the individual. Every gesture, every room, every object and every photograph contributes to communicating the values, history and identity of an entire nation. This understanding shaped the visual approach throughout the assignment.
This is what I enjoy most about corporate portrait photography at this level. It is about understanding the responsibilities, personality and public presence of the individual while creating images that communicate authenticity and trust.
The French Embassy itself became an essential part of the narrative. Recently restored with great respect for its architectural heritage, the building combines historical elegance with contemporary diplomatic life. Rather than treating the interiors as a backdrop, I wanted the portraits to establish a dialogue between the Ambassador and the spaces she inhabits. The architecture, the artwork, the carefully restored rooms and the natural light all became visual elements that supported the story instead of competing with it.
This project is another example of how editorial photography can bridge portraiture, architecture and storytelling into a single visual narrative. It reminds us that the strongest portraits are often those that communicate something larger than the individual in front of the camera—they become portraits of institutions, ideas and history itself.
Being selected as the photographer in Athens for this cover story was both an honour and a creative responsibility.
Dionisis Grammenos for Grand Bretagne Magazine
One of the most rewarding aspects of working as a portrait photographer Athens is the opportunity to meet and photograph people whose work shapes the character of the city. My latest editorial assignment brought me to a portrait session with Greek contractor Dionysis Grammenos for the upcoming June 2026 issue of Grand Bretagne Magazine, where the photographs will accompany an interview by journalist Panagiotis Koustas.
The assignment called for a series of portraits that would illustrate both the professional identity and the personality of the interviewee. Rather than relying on a single image, I developed a variety of photographs that could support different parts of the editorial narrative. The goal was to create a visual story that would complement the written interview while maintaining the refined aesthetic associated with the publication.
As a specialist in corporate portrait photography Athens, I always aim to move beyond traditional portraits. Every individual brings a unique presence, and my approach is to create images that feel authentic, confident, and approachable. During the session with Dionisis Grammenos, we explored different locations and visual settings, producing a collection of portraits that ranged from formal editorial headshots to more environmental images that connected the subject to his professional world.
The photoshoot included close-up portraits, and wider frames that incorporated elements of the surrounding urban landscape of Dionysis Grammenos birth City Athens.
Projects such as this demonstrate the importance of high-quality corporate portrait photography Athens for editorial and communication. Whether the final images appear in magazines, annual reports, social profiles, or digital publications, strong portrait photography creates a meaningful connection between the audience and the person being featured.
Working on this assignment for Grand Bretagne Magazine was a pleasure, not only because of the opportunity to photograph an accomplished professional, but also because to create and offer a unique content for the magazine’s profile and visualize the story of the one that being featured. The resulting photographs will be featured in the June 2026 issue alongside Panagiotis Koustas’ interview.
As a portrait photographer Athens, I continue to enjoy creating portraits that combine editorial storytelling with professional presentation, supporting individuals and organizations communicate their identity through authentic imagery.
Chios & Oinousses — Maritime Education
Chios and Oinousses are islands where the land seems to breathe with the sea and shaped by the lives devoted to it. Here, the horizon is not distant it is a direction. As a corporate photographer based in Athens, Greece, I moved through this maritime long term educational event following an invisible thread. A living network of maritime training, where each stage of learning flows into the next like a tide in motion. Created for Kathimerini’s Topoi Mas, this photographic tribute turns its gaze toward the human landscape of the shipping world—where discipline takes form, knowledge becomes practice, and the sea shapes those who choose it.
In Chios, I photographed the Merchant Marine Academy of Engineering (AEN Chios), a core institution in Greece’s maritime education system. Here, seafarers train in a highly technical environment, working directly with machinery, tools, and large-scale mechanical systems. Alongside this, I documented vocational schools such as EPAL Vrontados, EPAL Kardamyla—and TEENS and Maria’s Home of Maria Tsakos foundation, spaces that host educational events and daily training activities for students preparing to enter maritime professions. I also spent time in student housing, where young people from across Greece begin shaping their future within the global shipping sector.
Each of these environments carries its own visual identity. What connects them is a clear direction toward careers in maritime and shipping industries, where many students arrive seeking opportunity and a structured professional path.
The project continues to Oinousses, a place where this educational ecosystem becomes even more concentrated. There, I photographed the Merchant Marine Academy for Deck Officers (AEN Oinousses), along with the maritime EPAL and the student boarding house. The island operates almost entirely around maritime education. It is a living environment shaped by the rhythm of seafarers life, where learning extends far beyond the classroom. What stood out immediately was the intensity of this setting. Daily life unfolds within a tight radius: cadets move between dormitories, classrooms, and training facilities in a continuous cycle. This proximity creates a strong sense of community, while reinforcing the discipline required in the maritime profession. As highlighted in the article, this routine prepares students for the structured, enclosed environment of life at sea—an essential aspect of working in shipping.
Photographically, Oinousses became the core of the project. I focused on repetition, structure, and presence—corridors, uniforms, gestures, and small details that reveal how individuals evolve through training. There is a quiet concentration in the way cadets interact, already adapting to the expectations of a maritime career.
A phrase often heard locally—“from sheep to ship”—captures the transformation of the island’s identity. Within the academy, this transformation is ongoing. Students from diverse backgrounds gradually integrate into a system that reflects the precision and demands of the global maritime and shipping industry.
Across all locations, my focus remained on how space shapes behavior. These are environments built on discipline, repetition, and responsibility—qualities essential not only in education but also in corporate and maritime contexts. The images reflect this approach: structured, observational, and grounded in real moments.
This work is part of my broader practice as a photographer based in Athens, Greece, specializing in corporate and maritime photography projects. It explores how identity is formed within working environments—especially those connected to the sea, where tradition meets modern industry.
In Chios and Oinousses, everything is interconnected: people, places, and purpose. The sea may not always be visible—but within the world of shipping, maritime training and cadet life, it is always present.
The research and main text made by the editor Giannis Papadimitriou.
Hellenic Army Academy Evelpidon for Kappa Magazine
For this documentary photography assignment for the Greek magazine "Kappa" of Kathimerini News, I spent a full day inside the Hellenic Military Academy "Scholi Evelpidon" in Vari, Athens, on the occasion of its anniversary founded on December 21, 1828. The visit offered a rare opportunity to look beyond the institution’s formal image and vissually explore how one of Greece’s oldest military schools is redefining itself for the future.
What becomes clear almost immediately is that today’s Evelpidon is no longer an isolated, inward-looking military environment. According to the Academy’s Commandant, Major General Anastasios Polychronos, openness and international engagement are now central pillars of its philosophy. Cadets participate in international exchange programs, including Erasmus initiatives and visits to European and NATO institutions, allowing them to train alongside peers from abroad and develop a shared professional mindset within a global framework.
The Academy now operates as both a military and academic institution. Its modern campus—spanning approximately 68,000 square meters—resembles a contemporary university more than a traditional barracks. Lecture halls, laboratories, and research facilities support a demanding curriculum that ranges from humanities and engineering to artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.
Most of the Cadets that taking the decision to get in to Evelpidon is driven by personal motivation rather than career certainty alone. Some others by their family tradition in military career. Cadets describe the experience transformative, equipping them with skills that extend far beyond military service. Female cadets emphasize that while expectations are high, opportunities are equal, and progress is based on merit rather than gender—reflecting the Academy’s evolving culture.
One of the most striking aspects of the Academy today is its multicultural character. Students from Greece and countries such as Armenia, Tunisia, and various African nations train and study together. International cadets highlighting Greece’s history and culture as key reasons they chose Evelpidon. The Academy becomes a meeting point of different backgrounds united by shared discipline and ambition. Physical training remains a core component of daily life. From obstacle courses and climbing exercises to long-distance running. Cadets training has evolved as well. Programs are now designed using scientific methods with personalized exercise routines and nutritional planning tailored to each individual’s needs and performance.
Between history and innovation, national tradition and international outlook, discipline and education. The Hellenic Military Academy stands as an institution that honors its past while actively shaping the officers of tomorrow.
A summary from the original article and cover story printed and published in 21 Dec 2025 written by George Robollas.
Culture Waks in Athens for Greece is
On a photography assignment in Athens for Greece Is magazine, I embarked on a culture walk in Athens that transcended the usual tourist route. My camera traced hidden alleys, bold street art, and architectural dialogues between ancient and contemporary — a visual narrative of a city in constant evolution. The resulting reportaz ties together art, memory, and modern identity, through a lens both curious and observant.
Starting from the pulse of Syntagma and the National Gardens, the walk led me through neighborhoods where walls speak louder than guides. Graffiti, murals, fragments of modern sculpture — all part of Athens’ living canvas. In this journey I was particularly drawn to EMST, the National Museum of Contemporary Art, whose curatorial vision anchors Athens’ dialogue with international art discourses. The museum, housed in the former FIX brewery, hosts a permanent collection of 172 works by 78 Greek and international artists, including Costas Varotsos, whose glass “Varotsos Runner” sculpture punctuates the cityscape with spectral motion.
My lens captured how Varotsos’s The Runner (Δρομέας) seems to sprint through urban time — a fitting symbol for a city always in flux. At one point, I paused in front of its fractured glass plates, letting light refract into visions of Athens’ past and possible futures.
Among the highlights was a striking work by Athens-based artist INO, whose large-scale graffiti injects social commentary and a bold visual identity into the city’s urban fabric
Throughout the walk, I also reflected on how the journalistic and cultural ecosystems intersect. My images will accompany the Greece Is story, contributing to its immersive quality, while I aim to engage larger audiences—readers of Kathimerini will recognize the city’s ongoing conversation with culture and reportage.
Katerina Evangelatos for GB magazine
Every portrait carries a story, a summary about the one you have in front of your lenses. My recent photoshoot with Katerina Evangelatos was one of those moments where art, personality, and space came together seamlessly. Photographing her for Grand Bretagne magazine of Grande Bretagne Hotel at the Athens Epidaurus Festival — a space she has shaped with her vision was not just about capturing an image, but about reflecting the depth of her artistic and technical knowledge.
Katerina Evangelatos is one of the most dynamic figures in contemporary Greek theater. As Artistic Director of the Athens Epidaurus Festival, she redefined what the festival could be: a living dialogue between tradition and modernity, a celebration of drama, music, and performance that speaks to the present while echoing the past. In our conversation and during the shoot, I could sense how deeply she embodies both the intellectual rigor and the aesthetic sensitivity that theater demands.
What fascinated me most was her ability to hold together the vastness of the festival — productions ranging from ancient Greek drama to experimental contemporary works — while never losing her focus on the human side of performance. She spoke in her interview about theater as a “breath of fresh air and a provocation,” and I wanted to let that duality shine through in her portraits: the calm determination, the youthful energy, and the elegance of someone who leads with both mind and heart.
For me, photographing the portrait of Katerina in the festival space was like placing her back into the canvas she herself has painted over the years. The architectural lines, the light, and the history of the Athens Epidaurus Festival became a frame to highlight her presence — a woman of vision, aesthetic clarity, and technical mastery.
As a portrait photographer in Athens, Greece, my aim is always to connect the environment, the subject, and the inner story. With Katerina Evangelatos, this connection happened naturally. Her portraits are not just images of a director, but reflections of a woman who has reimagined how Greece tells its stories on stage, and who continues to inspire with her balance of strength, creativity, and elegance.
Hellenic Naval Academy for Kappa Magazine
I was commissioned for a photojournalistic cover story for Kappa Magazine of Kathimerini, with the privilege to spend a day at the Hellenic Naval Academy in Piraeus, Greece, capturing intimate portraits of cadets training to become officers in the Hellenic Navy. In this exclusive photo journey, the academy emerges as a powerful intersection between Athens, navy discipline, and the youthful spirit of Greece. As the article notes, you can spot “nineteen‑year‑old freshmen laughing and letting a childish carefree spirit show” . In the brief pauses between drills and lessons, these moments reveal the human side of life at the academy.
Operating for 180 years, the academy is truly “the nursery of officers for our Navy” kathimerini.gr. Here, cadets follow a strictly timed schedule—morning drills, academic lessons, athletic breaks, and at-sea training aboard vessels like the General Support Ship Prometheus. According to the article: “cadets face real conditions at sea and are called to solve problems as they happen, under supervision” . As a portrait photographer, capturing these cadets in action meant finding the balance between formality and spontaneity. My goal was to frame them not only as disciplined officers-in-training, but as young adults with dreams, humor, and resilience. From their naval uniforms to their shared laughter, every shot expresses a unique story.
Words by Vasilis Nedos
Photo editor: Ioanna Chronopoulou
Will Dubai save the pistachio trees?
Two weeks ago, I was invited to photograph a feature story for Kathimerini that touched me deeply—not just as a photographer, but as someone who has spent years working with Greek landscapes and specially in Aegina Island which is my homeland.
Written by Alexia Kalaitzi, the article explores a question: “Will Dubai save Aegina’s pistachios?”
“Getting off the ship at the port of Aegina, one of the first images you see is the queues of visitors forming in front of the kiosks selling the famous Aegina pistachios. The frenzy with Dubai chocolate – a chocolate bar with a filling made of kadayif/kataifi and pistachio – has not left the Saronic island, which has given its name to the most famous variety of pistachio in Greece, unaffected.”
“You have to love the pistachio tree, the other person will not love them as much as you do. He will not be as interested,” said Eleni Kypraiou. The 88-year-old moved permanently to Aegina in 2006, just after completing her career in journalism, and since then she has been dedicated and passionate about her pistachio estate”. I photographed in one of the most emotional moments of the assignment—arms wrapped around a tree she’s tended for decades.” said grower Eleni Kypraiou, who I photographed in one of the most emotional moments of the assignment—arms wrapped around a tree she’s tended for decades.
Nikos Kounadis, supervisor of the Aegina Agricultural Cooperative of Pistachio Producers, was in an empty cold storage room when he told me, “We have nothing left for this year.” He explained that milder winters in recent years—with decreased rainfall and fewer cold days, but more warm and sunny days—have caused the buds of the trees to fall prematurely.
“However, climatic conditions are not the only issue,” said Kostas Peppas, president of the cooperative. He shared that it has been years since a new pistachio tree was planted on the island. “In Aegina, pistachio trees no longer grow – houses do,” the 81-year-old noted, adding that not only is there no longer any room to plant new trees, but existing ones are also being uprooted to build holiday homes, many of which are rented out as Airbnbs.
According to the cooperative’s estimate, since 1980—when the last assessment was made—approximately 30,000 trees have been lost, corresponding to 247 acres of land.
In one of the last images from the story, a building’s concrete frame rises from within a pistachio grove. Construction driven by tourism has led to a significant decline in pistachio trees on Aegina.
Maria Papadopoulou
This photoshoot with Maria Papadopoulou took place at the modern offices of Ant1 Group in Athens. The project was created for ACCA’s AB Magazine, accompanying an inspiring feature about women in business and leadership. Maria Papadopoulou’s story, published under the title Leaning In, highlights her role in the media and finance world, and the valuable perspective she brings to both fields.
Authentic and professional portraits of a woman in her natural working environment. The Ant1 Group offices offered a bright and structured backdrop that reflected both modern business culture and the personal strength of the subject. Through careful use of natural light and thoughtful composition, the portraits aimed to balance a sense of authority with a human, approachable tone — the same balance that defines women leaders like Maria.
Photographing women in business roles is always an opportunity to create portrait photography that moves beyond the surface. In this commercial woman photoshoot, the focus was on Maria’s presence and personality as much as on her professional identity. Every detail — from the background to the lighting and her expression — was chosen to highlight her role as a decision-maker in a competitive and evolving industry.
You can see the full feature article and read more about her professional journey in AB Magazine’s February 2025 issue here.
This woman corporate photoshoot was designed to capture not only the face of modern leadership but also the essence of women shaping the future of business.
Summer Wine Memories
Summer Vacation Wine List is a visual storytelling project for Oinochoos Magazine of Kathimerini News that blends the flavors of fine wine with the essence of summer and the poetry of memories. Picture a serene Greek island, where sun-drenched days stretch lazily into golden evenings.
At the heart of this narrative is a vibrant, free-spirited woman in her early 30s, savoring the simplicity of a summer escape. Her love for wine is more than a taste—it’s a connection to the moments that shape her journey. A chilled white wine mirrors the crisp morning light as she strolls barefoot along the shoreline. A bold red accompanies the laughter of an intimate sunset gathering. Each sip becomes a chapter, every title a memory, blending emotions and flavors into a sensory tapestry of sun, sea, and time well spent.
This project invites the viewer into her story, where wine is not just a drink but a companion to life’s most cherished experiences—an aromatic bridge between taste and memory, weaving summer’s essence into moments that linger long after the season fades.
From the magazine’s intro
“What does it take to create the ultimate wine list for the summer? A team consisting of sommeliers, master sommeliers, oenologists and journalists, taste and recommend a mix of 50 Greek producers. High quality wines from different varieties, winemaking styles. Wines with unique characteristics. We wrote short stories about them for the summer”.
Special Thanks to all the contributors
Chief editor Nena Dimitriou
Set Design & styling Rosa Karac
Girl Eirini Galani
Assist Antonis Kavouris
Production & Location Nasia Diamantidis
And all the friends and family members from Aegina Island that opened their homes and hearts to us. Athina Pikioni & Aris Sorris, Anthe Loizos, Kaiti Giannouli, Panagiotis Marinis.
