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Domaine Hatzimichalis Wine Campaign

With all the support from Leonidas and Panagiotis Hatzimichalis, I followed the wine route in Domaine Hatzimichalis for this greek wine photography campaign. From the Valley of Atalanti, the vineyards, its grounds and the winery until bottling. Every space the human element turns it into a space of creation and defines it. The richness of the natural environment, the value and respect of the ecosystem are highlighted. In this campaign I felt that I followed and captured the steps of our ancestors, from the past to the present.

The producer Dimitris Hatzimichalis is the creator. He is the one who determines the entire production process. He is the one who takes care of quality in all its stages. He is the one who envisions, who chooses, who evolves, always with the aim of the taste, the aroma and the perfect experience of a wine. He made his first wine in his backyard at the age of 19 and several decades later he had excelled the process and became one of the top wine makers in Greece. When Dimitris Hatzimichalis first visited Atalanti Valley he was amazed by its unique ecosystem and fertile land; without second thoughts he bought his first vine hectares in 1973. Today, his privately owned vineyards have reached 220 hectares (520 acres).

In the wine photography process, Hatzimichalis family ties emerge through the relationship with the land, cultivation, passing of wine philosophy from generation to generation. The man who envisioned and made winemaking a reality in the  Koilada Atalanti Dimitris Hatzimichalis and now his sons, Leonidas and Panagiotis, welcome a new look and all together continue the tradition and expand its borders. Both of them are passionately contributing to the family business with their modern mindsets. They work hard to keep the tradition of the winery and maintain their father’s legacy. Their vision, is to expand the brand further and enter in new markets abroad. Lastly, their mission for the winery is to make it even more environmentally sustainable, by reducing wastes, energy/water consumption and by using recyclable materials.

Every year at Domaine Hatzimichalis, the harvest and pruning periods are performed by a group of skillful and experienced women. This was a deliberate choice, as Greek women are known for their caring, patient, and tender character, in addition to their overall courage and strength. These women are who Domaine Hatzimichalis trusts in our tradition of hard work. Dimitris Hatzimichalis always been amazed and inspired by their care for the vineyards, which is essential for the quality of the wines and the brand’s success.

The photography campaign will accompany brand's ads worldwide, exhibitions walls, press releases and magazines presentations.

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Let There Be Light

Interview By Alexia Amvrazi | July 21st, 2022 about MYRMIΔΟNES to Greece-is.com

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In an ode to his native island of Aegina, the photographer talks to Greece Is about its people, its light, and the experiences that shaped his book.

It took 20 years and over 2000 photos for Dimitris Vlaikos to decide it was time to place the soul of his work into the body of a beautiful hard-cover coffee table book that could grace homes around the world.

Titled “Myrmidones” after the name given to the inhabitants of his native Aegina (the introduction aptly explains the various possibilities of where the name originates), the book is composed of images depicting an extraordinary blend of local characters, landscapes and everyday details. The book is mostly anthropocentric, because Vlaikos has honed the art of capturing his subjects’ personal essence without guidance, a talent that has gained him a great reputation as a portrait artist and numerous assignments to photograph well known personalities.

 

Leafing through the book was a deeply touching experience. The way in which the photographer has captured the essence of his subjects – human or not – makes it an ode of sorts to his home island, rich in emotion, but characterized by stark realism.

Vlaikos spends half of the year in Aegina, chiefly during the summer months, and the rest of his time travels to and fro between various work projects. By creating this book, it seems as if he has established an unbreakable bond with the Saronic island’s people, land and elements, regardless of where he finds himself.

It’s apparent by looking at your book that you harbor a great love for your island.

There are amazing people living there, and it is multifaceted in a way that I’ve rarely witnessed elsewhere. Also, what I love about Aegina is that you can be sitting at a café where there’s a minister drinking coffee and at the table next to him, a fisherman – and the waiter will treat each of them with the same courtesy – or the same rudeness! Some people have described the island as ataxic. You feel and see that.

I think that has a lot to do with the fact that most of the island is flat – so all houses are on the same level, and everyone has the same access and right to light. It’s the same with the sea. There aren’t some beaches that are more exclusive than others, anyone can go to any beach, or rock, and swim. Overall, Aegina seems to bring out a life force in people, and if you’re the kind of person that wants to evolve, it offers you that possibility.”

How did the book project evolve?

 

The Myrmidones reached a very high level of civilization in antiquity thanks to the elements of their land – the rock, the light, the sea, the raw materials, their drive to create. And until today, these elements remain essentially the same. So the book was my way of juxtaposing the Myrmidones of the past with those of today.

I also wanted to create a book that is like an art object, a beautiful memento to have in one’s house. I put a lot of care into every aspect – including the use of only black ink, which is very rare. I collaborated with a very good friend, the graphic artist Dimitris Makaratzis, who created the cover, as well as Despina Giannouli, who wrote the texts (in Greek and English) and is my wife and writes and directs theatre plays. My professor Vasilis Artikos, whose exhibition “In drum and dance at the rock-cut churches of Lalibela” is currently on show the Byzantine and Christian Museum in Athens, provided much advice and support, as well as other close friends.

How does the light of Aegina and influence your work?

 

In my research, I centered on the various elements of light. [In the book, Despoina Giannouli writes: “Thanks to the geomorphology of the island, almost all of its inhabitants can savor the light from sunrise to sunset. The paspara, the white stone and the fine-grained soil reflect the sun’s rays intensifying the colors of nature.”]

 

It’s not by chance that Nikos Kazantzakis lived there for 20-30 years, or Giannis Moralis, for most of his life, or Christos Kapralos, or the poet Katerina Anghelaki-Rooke, and they all produced their work there – it wasn’t their place for holidays but for creative work. And today the island is home to over 100 artists, so this land, and especially its light has something special that has drawn so many creators from antiquity until the present day. Light is my tool, it’s what made me want to evolve my art.

Apart from light, what do you feel are the other strong elements that inspired this work?

I think the energy of the land plays a significant role, but that’s not something that I can define with words. In the book’s introduction to the origin of the name Myrmidones, one of the ways they’re defined is that they were “the people of the “myriad vibrations,” as Aegina was considered to be a region of strong and sacred energy vibrations, a place fertile for spiritual development.

 

How did you put the book together?

An important part of this book is the rhythm one follows as one turns the pages. I wanted it to create in the viewer a musical rhythm, a transition from image to image through a story of sorts, like a journey.

Hand of a farmer, Mesagros. © Dimitris Vlaikos / "Myrmidones" book cover. © Dimitris Vlaikos

What will become of the rest of the photos you’ve taken?

They will remain in my archives, and maybe I’ll use them in future. I have a space in my studio/gallery space in Aegina where, upon appointment, one can come and see exhibits.

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Central distribution of “Myrmidones” is at “Lixnari Aegina” Bookstore. E-mail: lixnari@otenet.gr. Tel: +30 22970 26424. Shipments are made throughout Greece and abroad.


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MYRMIΔONES - Αναπνέοντας το φως της Αίγινας

MYRMIDONES_dimitris_vlaikos_photoΟι «MYRMΙΔONES» αποτελούν το αποτύπωμα της αναζήτησης του Δημήτρη Βλάικου στο νησί της Αίγινας, τα τελευταία 20 χρόνια. Έχοντας ως κεντρικό του άξονα τους ανθρώπους, ο φωτογράφος βαδίζει μια διαδρομή παρατήρησης και κατανόησης των στοιχείων που συνθέτουν τον τόπο, όπου γεννήθηκε και μεγάλωσε. Το φως, βασικό εργαλείο της δουλειάς του, γίνεται αντικείμενο μελέτης αναφορικά με την επίδρασή του στο χαρακτήρα, την αντίληψη, τη δημιουργικότητα και τη χάραξη πορείας ζωής, τόσο των κατοίκων του νησιού, όσο και του ίδιου. Μέσα από το φακό του επιθυμεί να ανακαλύψει τον τρόπο με τον οποίο τα βιώματά του έγιναν η μνήμη που επηρεάζει και διαμορφώνει τις επιλογές, την οπτική του και την αισθητική προσέγγιση του έργου του. Οι εικόνες του βιβλίου παρουσιάζουν στιγμές από την καθημερινότητα των κατοίκων, πορτραίτα ανθρώπων που αλληλεπιδρούν με το περιβάλλον τους και όλα εκείνα τα στοιχεία, που συνθέτουν την κουλτούρα που εμπνέει, προκαλεί και αγκαλιάζει τους Μυρμιδόνες του χθες και του σήμερα.

 

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Χαρακτηριστικά λευκώματος

Έκδοση: 1η έκδοση

Εξώφυλλο: Σκληρό εξώφυλλο

Αριθμός σελίδων: 178 σελίδες

Αριθμός εικόνων: 89 εικόνες

Διαστάσεις: 28cm* 29cm

Γλώσσα: Ελληνικά και Αγγλικά

 

Συντελεστές

Φωτογραφίες  © Δημήτρης Βλάικος

Κείμενα © Δέσποινα Γιαννούλη

Επιμέλεια κειμένων: Νατάσσα Ντούμα

Μετάφραση: Δωρίς Μπρούμα

Σχεδίαση: Δημήτρης Βλάικος

Ψηφιοποίηση φιλμ: Filmora Lab

Σύμβουλος έκδοσης: Τάσος Παπαχαραλάμπους

Εκτύπωση: Smart Print

Εκδότης: Dimitris Vlaikos Gallery

ISBN 978-618-00-3754-8

 

 

Κεντρική διάθεση : Βιβλιοπωλείο «Λυχνάρι Αίγινας»

Στοιχεία επικοινωνίας και παραγγελιών

e-mail: lixnari@otenet.gr

τηλέφωνο: +30 22970 26424

(Αποστολές σε όλη την Ελλάδα και το εξωτερικό)

 

 


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MYRMIDONES photo-book release

MYRMIDONES_dimitris_vlaikos_photo"MYRMIDONES" is the imprint of Dimitris Vlaikos' search on the island of Aegina for the last 20 years.
Focusing on people, the photographer walks a path of observation and understanding of the elements composing the place where he was born and raised.
Light, a key tool in his work, turns into an object of study in terms of its effect on the character, perception, creativity and course of life, both of the island's inhabitants and of himself. Through his lens he wishes to discover how his experiences have become the memory which influences and shapes his choices, his perspective and the aesthetic approach to his work.
The images in the book present moments from the daily life of the inhabitants, portraits of people interacting with their environment, and all those elements that make up the culture which inspires, challenges and embraces the Myrmidons of yesterday and today.

 

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Myrmidones_photo-book_vlaikosCredits

Photos © Dimitris Vlaikos

Texts © Despina Giannouli

Text editing: Natassa Ntouma

Translation: Doris Brumma

Design: Dimitris Vlaikos

Film scanning: Filmora Lab

Executive editor: Tasos Papacharalambous

Print: Smart Print

Published by: Dimitris Vlaikos Gallery

ISBN 978-618-00-3754-8

 

Album features

Edition: 1st edition

Cover: Hardcover

Number of pages: 178 pages

Number of pictures: 89 pictures

Dimensions: 28cm* 29cm

Language: Greek and English

 

Central distribution : “Lixnari Aegina” Bookstore

Contact details and orders:

e-mail: lixnari@otenet.gr

phone number: +30 22970 26424

(Shipments throughout Greece and abroad)

 

https://youtu.be/oRceXQTAJTE

 


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Bureau Veritas Campaign 2021

The project was to show with commercial photography and specially portraits in action, how BUREAU VERITAS proves value of inspection technologies on ocean bulk ship.  An Oceanbulk vessel was the Bureau Veritas testbed for different types of remote inspection technologies and techniques (RIT) as BV, Oceanbulk and Glafcos take the lead in using robotic solutions for ship inspections.
Bureau Veritas (BV), a world leader in testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) has directed and supervised the testing, establishing ‘proof of concept’ and operational purpose, for remote inspection technologies and techniques, including an aerial drone, a miniature remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and magnetic crawlers, on an Oceanbulk double-skin supramax bulk carrier, built in 2008 and classed by BV.
The remote tools were supplied and operated for the purposes of the photoshoot by Glafcos Marine, a Greek technical services specialist, which has been developing and refining the marine application of these technologies for many years.The tests were conducted under the same conditions and, to secure the necessary information, were required at an ‘intermediate’ survey for a bulk carrier of the age of the subject ship, between the second and third class renewal surveys.

The photoshoot of the advertising campaign took place in Syros shipyards Greece where the vessel, making a short visit, was inspected during a recent call to the Neorion shipyard in Syros for work on the stern that required a specific ballasted condition.

 

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Saronic Magazine Cover

As the summer days are passing by and we are welcoming autumn, some of the summer feeling are still fresh and alive to our minds and souls. We cant forget them. It’s the realization of the escape we need. We called it “vacations” it’s one of the reasons to dream, to live and enjoy the precious moments of life. A dive in blue, a new beginning, a sort trip and an unforgettable joy, are the precious words that communicates the Saronic magazine cover. The well-known location of the port of Aegina Island was the ideal spot to capture this great moment of the young athletes arriving with their sups in the port of Aegina Island.

 

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Periklis Koskinas

Periklis Koskinas from the age of 19 he travels non-stop "plowing" the continents in search of new experiences, different cultures in England, France, Scotland, Spain, America, Canada, Venezuela, Athens.
Through the prism of the seasonality and locality of the ingredients, the quality, the rules and the limits set by the Greek cuisine, it shaped its techniques, philosophy and course in the world of cooking.
Subtraction and moderation determine his food.
Tireless traveler and uncompromising cook. Philosophical theoretical knowledge and knowledge of the social sciences are considered essential tools for him in his profession. The images of his wanderings, the memory and the man mark his food and not the recipes. For him, cooking is the art of everyday life, it is what is left on the table, after a Sunday meal. In 2014, he opened the restaurant Cookoovaya, in the Hilton area, as a co-owner with 5 other top chefs. Cokoovaya in its fifth year, is still among the top restaurants in the country and full every day.
I had the pleasure of working with him many times and being part of his projects. His headshots portraits follows.

 

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El Sistema Greece "The orchestra of life"

El sistema Greece, The orchestra of life for Kappa Magazine Cover.
«In 1975, conductor Jose Antonio Ampreu created the first youth orchestra to develop at El Sistema. Believing that music is primarily a factor of social development and integration, he tried to remove the poor children of Venezuela from the streets and protect them from the various dangers they faced in the slums, including them in music and more. Thus, he was inspired by the pioneering educational program of El Sistema, striving to offer children more than just learning a musical instrument – cooperation, self-expression, discipline, ambition. All of this, summed up in the famous slogan of El Sistema “Tocar y Luchar”, meaning “to play music and to compete”, remain the goals of the organization, which now has branches around the world. As Panagiotis Tsiridis, pedagogical director of El Sistema Greece, says, “the object of our work is not music, but the child. Our goal is to lead each child to creation, with music as the main tool “. El Sistema Greece has been operating in our country since 2016, offering free lessons of violin, viola, cello, horn, trumpet, flute, clarinet and percussion, lessons in choir, music kinetics and music theory, “to children and young people regardless of origin, language and religion». The photoshoot took place at Maliaras private school. Text by Myrto Katsigera.

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Ermis for Kappa Magazine Cover

Ermis Music composer for the cover of Kappa Magazine of Kathimerini

Styling: @iro_tsou
Interview: @vlasis_kostouros

"I am self-taught on the piano. My older sister, Eleni, had started classes and so we bought a piano at home. I was excited, I was experimenting on my own and at 13, after endless efforts, I wrote my first melodies. One of the first pieces I wrote was about a theatrical performance of "Glass World" at school. It was a subtle and fragile sound. At the same time I wrote another piece, which my friends encouraged me to send to the Ministry of Tourism, because it reminded them of ouzo and Greek summer. I sent in a random mail that I found the piece and a letter and they immediately replied that they like it very much and they want me to write them one more. I went crazy. It was the first time someone showed acceptance for my music. Eventually these songs played in the Visit Greece campaigns."

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Leoni Thanasoula

Do you have a great story to tell? Did you or your ancestors live a full life that you want to share? Are you looking for your roots? Leoni Thanasoula and her Precious Tree helps you keep and transfer your experiences as a legacy of wisdom and love to future generations.