This was my third trip with Nikos –I believe it is called “voting with your feet”. One of the nicest parts of these courses is the chance to meet interesting and intelligent people from around the world. What is however truly amazing, is that despite the daily struggle to improve, there is no competitiveness (or at least, that was my feeling) – something that would have impossible, but for Nikos’ amazing warmth and interpersonal as well as balancing talent. What however I really relished, was the -almost linear- improvement in the quality of photos I took during the course. There is a big difference between photographing while traveling andtraveling in order to take photos. In the first case, photographing in a secondary (albeit important) part of your trip: In the heart of traveling is understanding and learning. A traveller wants to explore (and, occasionally, photograph what he sees) – while a photographer is (exclusively, obsessively) interested in producing photos. The difference is anything but academic. Meeting someone like Nikos, a person living, breathing, dreaming photography, makes the difference obvious. Like most things in life, the amount of effort correlates directly with the results. During a week in this workshop I felt that the quality of my photos improved dramatically. It is not easy to explain it: It is partly related to different day-planning (waking up early and going around during dusk to take photos), partly choosing where to go on the basis of its photographic potential, partly being constantly exposed to amazing photos from and interacting with the other participants, but most importantly, having a daily feedback and being stimulated daily by someone with a passion for photography that is still not blunted, someone who has kept his enthusiasm after all these years. The genius photographers are people that are different from the rest of us: They breath, eat, live, drink and live photography. For them photography is a demanding mistress – jealous and harsh: You cannot treat her to the second row, you cannot give her just your spare time. The trip is a light immersion (a “preview”) into this strange and wonderful world.

The best aspect of Nikos workshop for me was to realize that a good photo can be best produce by liberating oneself from codes and rules. Seeing everyday each participant become visually freer and freer was revealing. Nikos has a passion for images and this workshop was all about sharing with us this passion. We were all motivated and thrilled by everybody’s images, comments and discussion about what makes an image better than others. Nikos gave us freedom, feedback and love for photography beyond imagination. Thank you. It was truly a unique experience.

“Ethiopia was my second workshop with Nikos, at the end of each workshop I wish to be everlasting. Being in photographically gorgeous places with fantastic people in group and of course Nikos’s pragmatic approach to photography was a wonderful experience. I fell i made a big step up as a photographer. I would like to thank Nikos not only for his marvelous mentorship and guidance but also for his friendship. Looking forward to next workshop with a big enthusiasm.”

It was a great trip and although I worked really hard, I still had a lot of fun wandering the streets and trying to hone my eye.
It seemed to me that Nikos explained more in this workshop (as compared to the others I’ve taken with him) and I think that is a good thing. Even when it’s something that we think we know, it is always good to be reminded and guided. I really enjoyed hearing his thoughts on so many aspects of photography and I personally needed a nudge in being reminded to look at the work of the great photographers. I had slacked off in that department over the last few months. I also love how he meets each student at his/her level and encourages them.
And, as usual, what I learned will continue to resonate with, and direct, me for months.

The workshop in Ghana was my first with Nikos. It was a great experience because Nikos is not only an excellent photographer and teacher, but also a really wonderful person to be with! In Nikos’ teaching methods I loved especially that he let everybody go his own way and let us www.ontheroad.grelop our own visions. He was not imposing his own style or anything else, so each participant was free to photograph whatever he or she wanted to. In the evenings we all met for long and very interesting editing sessions. Then Nikos went carefully through all the photographs we offered him, regardless if there were only a few or even a hundred. He gave each of us excellent feedback on our daily work in a direct and honest, but always very friendly way. With this we learnt how to avoid common traps or clichés, how to recognise easy tricks, and avoid making boring and badly composed pictures. So he carefully guided each of us and helped us day by day to improve our work. Thanks a lot for all this Nikos, you are a great inspiration and I already look forward to being with you again in another workshop! Thanks also to all the participants for the great time we had together!

Ethiopia was my 4th workshop and i feel like it is already more than a workshop but seeing a good friend, travelling around and having good time. It’s more like learning more about life not only photography. So if anybody still have doubts about attending one, go, be yourself and let Maestro show you what you actually are.

Honestly Nikos – your workshops are really amazing. Again, I’m so taken with your warmth and generosity, it’s something that is not all that common in people and really a gift to your “students”. You are really inspiring with how you speak about photography, not only in terms of composition, framing, being careful about the light, but also in terms of having feelings for the people or things that you’re photographing. It has really made me think a little differently about how and what I would photograph.
I also wanted to mention how much I enjoy meeting the other participants and that so many of the participants are such talented photographers, it makes the editing sessions so informative and enjoyable. Watching you edit, process and discuss the photos are really a good learning experience for me.

“Loved loved the workshop. Nikos is a great teacher. The way he offers feedback is fantastic, it helps you grow from day to day and see things in a different way from day to day. Really liked the daily edit session and learned a lot from looking at each other’s work. It was an honor to be part of a group of so talented photographers. Hopefully will be able to join another workshop in the near future.”

I would like to say how much I enjoyed the Istanbul workshop, from all the photographic advice and guidance that you gave me to the pleasure of exploring the city and walking through areas that I might not have visited on a normal ‘city break’ trip. The maps and descriptions of the various neighbourhoods proved very useful and it gave me a focus on how to structure the day. I always looked forward to the editing sessions in the evening and all the feedback you were able to give. Each day I tried to refine my photography, taking into account what you had said the previous evening. By the end of the workshop I could see my technique improving and I was very happy with the final edited sequence. I feel that the experience was very positive and the effect it has had on my photography is that I have the confidence to get closer to the subject and also to dig a little deeper and not just take the obvious ‘tourist’ type of photograph.

Every evening, after a busy day of wandering the streets and shooting, I was rewarded with the pleasure of looking at the interesting and beautiful pictures of my fellow students in the workshop. In doing so and by Nikos‘ wonderful and empathetic teaching and the ensuing discussions, I learned so much in terms of visual perception and the transformation into a good picture that I can see more clearly now than ever before the direction, in which I want to move and on what I need to focus on. Thank you, Nikos for yet another enriching experience and thanks to all of you for the pleasant time we shared during the week in Istanbul. It was marvelous!

This is the third time I participate in a Nikos’s workshop. Everybody comes back! Cuba was amazing. The people, the place, the backgrounds, the light, everything was perfect and of course Nikos’s passion for photography, his sharp vision, his keenness to find great images in our work made us produce and achieve great results. His comments are always truly useful and make us see in a different way. This is not a didactic class, this is an awareness journey, this is a personal search of style and meaning for our images. He does not tell us what to do. We ultimately discover it by ourselves and this is truly amazing. It looks like an impossible task but after a few days every body’s work becomes stronger, more compact and meaningful. Nikos is friendly and affectionate to everybody, he tries to understand the needs of every participant. He is generous with his time and he is always ready to help during the day. If he feels somebody needs extra help he immediately proposes a private meeting in the morning. The evening meetings are a delight. To see so many good images, talented photographers trying to improve their work is incredible motivating. I am planning to come to Iran in May and looking forward to it. Thank you Nikos for organizing the workshops and for your enthusiasm in our work. We do appreciate it, hugely.

As a professional photographer for 25+ years I thought this would be a pleasant little holiday, it turned out to be so much more. Whoever said you can’t teach an old dog new tricks had the wrong teacher. Be inspired and energised by one of our greatest living photographers. Thank you Nikos for reigniting my passion.

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!

Reflecting on the workshop in Varanasi I can first of all say that I am happy that I joined the workshop and that I am satisfied with the whole experience. The structure really suited my way of going about things. Being free during the day to go and photograph wherever an whatever I wanted and not necessarily going out in groups is something I could appreciate and enjoy. It forced me to look around me, find my subjects and focus on how I would translate what I saw and felt into a photograph. Keeping in mind that an editing session followed added that extra bit of positive pressure. And those editing sessions in the evening were of course crucial for the learning process ! The setting with the terrace, some food and beer was great. Your projection setup is really great. Listening to your comments was most enriching. I found it particularly interesting when you analysed all the elements that make up an image. I learned a lot from those remarks about form, content, balance and trying to go beyond whether it concerned my images or those of the other students. That is why it was very important and interesting that we did the editing and image evaluation as a group, these were moments of sharing and contribution (sometimes also moments of confrontation with oneself). We all benefited from the image critiques, guidelines to improve our skills and image quality. About the stay I can say that I liked the fact that we stayed enough days in Varanasi so we could really get in touch with this very special Indian city. But maybe one day less in Varanasi and one more day in Delhi might be a suggestion … (I also did find photographing in Delhi a lot more difficult and tiring). The total workshop duration of 9/10 days is perfect. As far as I am concerned I found the choices for accommodation really fine. The hotel in Varanasi did not only have a great terrace but it also matched the Indian scene we found outside the hotel. Personally I don’t like to find myself in “golden cages” in these countries, it does not correspond with how I see traveling and experiencing those parts of the world. I enjoyed the company of the group too (about the right size). For communication it is never obvious when a nationality or language group is in the majority even if all know that the workshop language is English however towards the end when we all got to know each other better it worked out alright. Anyway, I was really happy to be able to combine my interest in India with my interest in photography.

The expertise and clear vision of Nikos criticism is the best gift for any photographer attending his workshops. The last few years I had lost motivation for photography and all i was hoping from this workshop was just to awake my “eye” and to feel the magic of the photographic process. The “mission” was more than accomplished! Until the end of the workshop i felt falling in love with photography again and got the thrill of grabbing my camera and go photograph the action. Nikos guided me through this process and with his generosity shared precious “secrets” of big photographers. The end of the workshop meant a new start to my photographic projects. I continue photograph the city and feel the influence of this workshop on my work. THANK YOU! I am really looking forward to the next photographic workshop with Nikos!

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!

It all sounds not enough when I think of the incredible two weeks that I spent traveling with Nikos to Nepal and India. Those two weeks were filled with beautiful moments captured by all the participants, all inspiring each other and supporting our effort and common goal. We all bonded beautifully and hopefully created life-long friendships. The workshops are demanding but it is through the effort and hard work that we achieve results that we can be proud of. Nikos pushed each participant to create the best work possible and I think that the results speak for themselves. I returned home feeling inspired, stronger as a photographer and as a person. I look forward to traveling with Nikos to Ethiopia and india in 2015!

I’ll never forget that week. It was like a revolution for me. Nikos and his point of view really impressed me and that workshop opened my eyes and showed me new worlds and possibilities. Words can’t express how great everything was. I felt so much free in Istanbul and I was so close to people who I didn’t know very well. It was much more about changing my ideals than my photographic view.

I have been on several workshops with Nikos. I keep coming back because, not only Nikos is an amazing person, but he is also a great teacher. Nikos manages to get the best out of all of us. The transformation of some of the participants is just amazing. I like the simple words he uses to “critique” images, his directness and honesty. He always challenges us to do better every day. He is very engaged in editing our photos whatever the level of the participants. I also love coming to his workshops as I always find the attendees friendly and interesting people. With a lot of them, we have continued to keep in touch and communicate regularly. His workshops are a truly unique experience.