Our Photographers
Stefanos Samios
Stefanos was born in Athens. He studied Economics at the Athens School of Economics and Business, was awarded a DEA in Scientific Management at the University PARIS IX -DAUPHINE and a Ph.D. with honours in Economics from PARIS IX – DAUPHINE. With an interest in Photography since his teens Stefanos decided it was time to study Photography at PARIS VIII – St. DENNIS. Later on he also acquired an M.A. in Applied Photography at MIDDLESEX UNIVERSITY. Upon completing his Ph.D and returning to Athens he never went back to Economics. He decided instead that Photography would become his life long love and subsequently his career. He started off as a Photographer at GRAMMI Publishing and proceeded by founding the Studio PHOBIA a very successful Advertising and Fashion Photography studio which has dominated the Greek Photography scene for almost 20 years. Currently he is the artistic director of Grey Images. As a teacher of photography Stefanos has held the position of Vice Head of the Department of Photography at AKTO College, the most prestigious private Photography School in Greece. He teaches Fashion and Advertising Photography at BA and MA level.
He has participated in photography exhibitions both in Greece and abroad and works with artists from several fields on experimental projects. His photographic work was part of the bid folio for the Athens 2004 Olympics as well as of the presentation brochure of the Olympic trademark. His work is published in magazines and books in Greece and abroad and has been awarded several distinctions and prizes. Stefanos still participates as a speaker in Economics and Business Conferences.
Nikos Kokkas
Nikos Kokkas was born in south-western Germany, near Stuttgart in 1972. He grew up in Thessaloniki but his family immigrated to Germany for a second time when he was 15 years old. That functioned in a way as a “new beginning” in his life and that was the point where he started expressing a growing interest on travel and photography simultaneously. He bought his first SLR camera, a Minolta X-700 by the age of 16 and started discovering the endless aspects of light, in colour and B&W. Carrying a camera on a daily basis, it started being obvious how his life would proceed. Self taught and having already travelled a lot in Europe, “camera in hand”, he returned to Greece in 1995, to Athens, with only one aim: to start working as a freelance journalist and photographer.
With a growing economy in the press at the time, and speaking three foreign languages, English, German and a little French, Nikos started producing and publishing his own subjects. His topics which drew inspiration from Greece and other parts of the world ranged from architecture and interior design, to travel and social issues. So far he has produced and published over 60 travel and social issues from Greece, Spain, France, Switzerland, Italy, Sweden, Germany, U.S.A., Israel, Panama, Zambia, England, Ireland, Oman. He was a member of the Greek edition of National Geographic Magazine, having produced 6 subjects from different places in Greece with a certain point of view. A few years ago, he also developed an interest in portraiture making it a very important part of his work until today. He has collaborated with numerous major Greek magazines and newspapers. Part of his work can be seen on his website www.nikoskokkas.com , on facebook Nikos Kokkas and the facebook group Nikos Kokkas’ Pictures.
He lives in Athens.
Menelaos Myrillas
Born in Patras, Menelaos was attracted to photography in a young age. He traveled the world and was lucky to learn the fundamentals about photography by some of the best in the field. He cooperated with the most important Greek Magazine titles and quite a few international ones. He is known for the storytelling character of his work that derives from his need to add both past and future references in present moments. Although inspired by the masters of photography Menelaos is often using modern techniques in order to accomplish a contemporary result.
He was influenced by: John Loengard, Richard Avedon, Robert Doisneau, Dave Hill, Federico Fellini, Orson Welles, Karl Barks, Alfred Hitchcock, Karl Marx and Marx Brothers, DaDa, by flemish painters especially by Johannes Vermeer and some others...
Top tip: Proffessionals talk mainly about the money and prizes, amateurs mostly about the equipment. Real photographers talk mainly about the light.
Joanna Skiftou
Joanna was born in Athens and studied in London, where she attended the BARKING COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY and received a DIPLOMA IN DESIGN AND PHOTOGRAPHY with a focus in ARTISTIC and TECHNICAL photography. Joanna’s major in her studies was in AERIAL photography, enjoying the thrill and challenge of taking shots from small planes and helicopters.
She spent a few years in London where she expanded her photography skills by working in the fields of mass media, news correspondence and photojournalism. While in the UK, Joanna trained with REUTERS Television on Master Control Room Operation, news and broadcasting management. Also, she worked as an assistant radio producer for the Greek Section of the BBC World Service, as well as a photographer and correspondent for several foreign magazines in London.
After her return to Greece, Joanna joined SKAI Television, as the station's helicopter news head camera operator, providing video and still coverage of daily news.
All through her years in Athens, Joanna has been working as a freelancer and occasionally teaching. Joanna has taught photography at LYKOURGOS STAVRAKOS School, cinematography and video at CAMPUS COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES as well as short photography courses at INTERGRAPHICS.
Joanna has done significant work in industrial photography for major oil & gas clients based in Greece, such as Hellenic Petroleum, EKO, ETEKA and CORAL GAS. Although putting on safety gear and climbing up high in an industrial tower in a refinery can be exciting, this does not mean that Joanna does not enjoy working on more tame subjects and assignments, ranging from food photography, to live events and expos, as well as on her own favorite takes, which are landscapes and bits and pieces inspired from her regular walks in the historical center of Athens.
To this end, we also support and promote small-scale tourism, and we have developed our photography vacations along the principle that every single detail is of the utmost importance.
Accommodation is in beautiful lodgings of regional architectural style; freshly-prepared meals will give you a taste of the finest local cuisine; photo locations are hand-picked by our professional photo instructors. And i am there throughout your Greece Photo Workshops vacation to ensure that all arrangements run smoothly.
