After the first meeting with Nikos, I felt my photos and the way I thought about them were too old and ordinary. Nikos shared some of his hints with me and the other guys, and as a consequence I started to feel more comfortable with my camera while taking pictures in different situations: I thought my images were improving and were becoming more interesting. Then, after all the reviews I attended, I saw my pictures and suddenly they were old and ordinary again. I was completely upset. But now I am realizing that day after day and picture after picture, his advices led me to start finding a new way – my own way – to take photos. Ok, probably this is just the beginning, but it’s a good start. Thanks Nikos!

My sincere thanks for the exciting workshop in Istanbul. I really enjoyed the time with you and the other participants. It opened my eyes for things I have been looking for (getting away from boring pictures). I certainly have lots to think about and practicing to do for some months now and I am sure I will produce better pictures in the end.

I’ll get straight to the point, the “On The Road” workshop I attended in Istanbul was the single best photography class I’ve ever taken. Nikos is an inspiring teacher who perfectly combines a nurturing, generous spirit with a rigorous critical eye and revealing analysis of each student’s work. He pushes each participant to look harder, go deeper, shoot better. Over the course of the week, I greedily collected the pearls of wisdom he would drop about everything from composition to lens choice to how to most effectively approach shooting in the street, and I realized that I was learning as much from what he had to say about my classmates’ photographs as my own. Through it all Nikos imposes no single viewpoint about what photography should be, but instead pushes each student to fulfill his or her own vision. I felt I made a huge leap with my work. Finally, “On The Road” is a fantastic way to experience a new city, and to have seven glorious days with the luxury of thinking about nothing except photography.

I had the chance to participate in one of Nikos Economopoulos’ photographic journeys-workshops. The unique and very particular way that he has in guiding you without giving you recipes, while respecting your personal worldview, turns the whole photographic experience into a broad aesthetic and intellectual experience, as well as pure joy. Within just a few days, I discovered that the chaotic world around me has balance and poetry.

This is my third workshop with Nikos. It has been very helpfull to me in order to discover what kind of photography I want to do in the near future and to begin to www.ontheroad.grelop my own style. I think Turkey is a great place to take pictures and I have the intention to go back several times and make a solid photographic portfolio of the country. The atmosphere, participants, place…all have been great.

All along this workshop, I’ve learnt and understood many many things, photographically and personally. My vision of photography has considerably changed. After these eight days, I feel really motivated to carry on learning, practicing and enjoying photography. This experience was very fruitful and positive. Moreover, I appreciated that you give a chance to every person. Thank you for all that !

This week was, by far, my best spent time concerning photography over these last few years.
I was trying to clear my mind, to find the right approach to photography, and this workshop was a stepping stone, taking me to another level of understanding.
Staying late each night, patiently going through other participants’ work, as well as my own, answering our questions, explaining choices we did not understand in the beginning, helping us to see the good and the bad elements in a photo, pointing out good content and good intention.
All these things and more, Nikos did in a very honest way, sharing his thoughts and his knowledge with each of us. A great photographer, and a really inspiring mentor.

I guess the first thing I would like to say is that I really enjoyed the whole experience. I liked the relaxed structure of the workshop, it was flexible and we were free to make our own plans for the day and to shoot pretty much whatever we chose. (…) In terms of the effect it had on my work, I feel I learned a lot and I feel more confident in my photography as a result. I don’t show many people my work, but all my friends and family have seen my Istanbul folio.

I have been an avid photographer for the past few years and moved to Greece from New York only a few months ago. Greece is my homeland but has experienced many changes during my 9 years of absence and I am eager to use my camera to tell the present story. Attending the workshop was a no brainer, being on the spot and needing a serious incentive to get me on the streets of Athens. What I got in return was much more than I had bargained for!!! I met Nikos and discovered a person who went far beyond small technical issues, discussing what photography is really all about and using his own experiences as examples. The topics were endless and his willingness to answer every question and clarify every blurry notion was remarkable. I was very impressed with his openness and how friendly and giving he was. Sharing our knowledge and our experiences is most important and it is what helps us and those around us grow. And Nikos certainly does that. Furthermore, I was very happy that Nikos encouraged participants to go off on their own to shoot. We need to www.ontheroad.grelop our own vision and make our own mistakes. In short, thank you Niko for an amazing week and I look forward to future workshops and more guidance from you!

…The workshop in Istanbul has been a great experience for me. Some points I got from it are the following: I trust myself a little bit more and now I think my personal view is as valid as any other to describe a city or a place. I have to work much on this subject: What do objetivity and subjetivity mean in photography? Moreover, Istanbul is a fantastic city to make oneself questions such as: What do contemporaneity mean? I have become more motivated to go through the work of different photographers…

 I would like to say how very much I valued Nikos’ perceptive, insightful and supportive comments. While just starting out in photography the workshop was a really valuable guide on how I should be thinking about it. I really liked the emphasis on looking for the humanity in the image, the unusual, the abnormal, the avoidance of the simply descriptive, the banal, the obvious and cliché. Not to mention the need to be very selective, paying attention to backgrounds, the value of geometry in composition, finding interesting elements and locations, the need to concentrate on simple forms and shapes and avoid clutter. The workshop was a genuinely supportive and helpful experience.
So thank you Nikos for lots of really helpful advice and I hope to see you on future workshops.

4th time on Nikos’ workshop – be careful, it can become addictive! Seriously, like most people who have followed him on his workshops, I keep being impressed with how effective these workshops are for bringing the best out of everyone : I am thinking how difficult it would be in my job to deal with apprentices at such different levels of skills, from completely amateur to accomplished professional: Nikos manages to pull the trick every time – his natural humbleness and humanity and interest in people make it seem effortless. And the interactions between the team and Nikos is always one of the best things about the course – how you always end up meeting interesting people and getting close to them.

I sometimes felt like a first year violin player in a master class. I do not mind feeling a bit stupid at times and think I profit a lot by learning of the best. I have learned a lot and will continue to do so for quite some time. And hopefully, I will be able to join other workshops (…) I liked the approach very much – giving advice on the one hand and letting the participants find their own way on the other. And then, of course, the voyage was marvellous, extraordinary in the purest sense of the word.

This is the second time I joined Nikos workshop and it keeps getting better and better. What amazes me about Nikos is the joy good images gives him. He is always excited when we achieve good pictures. He inspires us to enjoy the search for better images. Looking at people, faces, expressions, positions, backgrounds, and light becomes more important and somehow different from before. At the end, everybody is enjoying the challenges of producing interesting images. Nikos ‘s workshop is not a commercial course to make people believe that taking good pictures is easy and that being a good photographer is easy too. This workshop is for people who are passionate about photography and want to www.ontheroad.grelop a personal approach and style. It is hard because ultimately you realize that you have to find whatever your are looking for by yourself. At the end it is all worth it and incredible rewarding. I wish I had had Nikos as a teacher 20 years ago. No body has taught me as much as him in one week. It is amazing. Thank you again Nikos for being our photographic inspiration and for sharing your knowledge with us. See you in Iran!

As a passionate photographer I was looking for a workshop that was not about pixels, gear and academic lectures.
Coincidentally, I discovered Nikos’ on the road workshops. The participants’ work immediately caught my eyes – and shortly after I found myself at the Istanbul workshop. It exceeded by far my expectations: Nikos’ joviality, patience, his guidance and incitement to try new ways and discover what might be dormant in oneself was incredible! It was manifest everyday in the pictures we “brought home” after long and exhausting walks in this staggering city. The vespertine meetings were fun as well. Thank you, Nikos, for your effort and thanks to all participants for the great atmosphere!

First of all I would like to tell you that I’m very happy that I had the opportunity to attend your workshop. It is still making me reflect on photography (…) I’ve been reading and watching images and documentaries about history of photography. I was very curious and excited to see where your advice would take me when I started shooting in Porto. There was a kind of freedom in restriction: type of project, one camera, one lens, only color, same ISO.
Because I challenged myself to meet people with the camera, I felt that photography is not such a solitary act. I agree with you that this connection is something beautiful about photography, as it is beautiful about dance.
I also approached color differently. Before it was something that was there, naturally, as part of the reality. I became more sensitive to it, even when I wasn’t shooting, and I also became more conscious of it as one more element to consider in composition.
One of the most important things for me during the workshop was to hear your comments about the images, ours and yours. What caught your eye and why. What makes a photograph a good one. I realized that photography is possible to be read. This is something that I would like to continue to practice, so I can trust my judgment about my own photography.
Spending so many hours dedicated just to photography made me realize how time is important to achieve a good work, even as an amateur photographer.Since I started photographing, I feel it is an important part of my life. Maybe one day I’ll find a way to take it to another dimension.

During the workshop, I was deeply inspired by Nikos and his work especially the reason why he takes photos – that it simply gives him joy, not for fame, recognition, or any other reason. He encouraged us to find our own style and reminded us not to try too hard to prove something or mimic someone else’s style. This had a profound effect on me. I felt “liberated” to take photos of moments that speak to me instead of photos that I think would be appreciated by others. I felt I was “allowed” to explore my own style and express myself through photography. I am normally shy and afraid of people but I slowly opened up and pushed myself with the help of Nikos’ and the group’s guidance and encouragement. It also helped that Athens has a unique character and most Greek people are charming, open, and kind – it was challenging yet inspiring to photograph there. The workshop changed how I see photography in my life and gave me a clearer sense of where I want to take my photography next.