Kappa Magazine Archives - Dimitris Vlaikos - Visual Director & Portrait Photographer Athens Greece

French Ambassador Laurence Auer for Kappa Magazine by portrait, corporate photographer Athens Dimitris Vlaikos

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.

Working on editorial assignments like this reminds me why I continue to pursue documentary-inspired portraiture. The best photographs are created through conversation, observation and patience. They invite the viewer to look beyond titles and positions, revealing the human presence behind them while respecting the importance of the office they represent.

Being selected as the photographer Athens, Greece for this cover story was both an honour and a creative responsibility. Collaborating with the editorial team of Kappa Magazine to document Ambassador Laurence Auer and the renewed French Embassy was an opportunity to create photographs that speak not only about architecture or diplomacy, but about cultural dialogue and shared European values.

What remains with me after every editorial assignment is not simply the published photographs, but the conversations, the atmosphere and the people behind the story. Photographing Ambassador Laurence Auer reminded me that the strongest portraits often reveal more than an individual, they speak about the institutions, histories and values that person represents. That is what continues to inspire my approach to editorial portrait photography.

Interview by Panagiotis Koustas

by Dimitris Vlaikos

Hellenic Naval Cadets Academy_kappa_greek_navy_school_piraeus_Kappa_Magazine_by_portrait_photographer_athens_greece_Dimitris_Vlaikos-1

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