(…) During this workshop, (the) edition pointed clearly that the kind of connection I establish with people and the environment while photographing them reflects on the kind of photography i make. Thus through photography I got an interesting connection with istanbullus, with the city and with myself. In that intense week I went hardly into the search for the purest photographic substance in Istanbul, photographing street scenes the whole days in different neighborhoods with a fixed 35mm in hands and no specific subject or assignment, but the mission to get very few shots, among hundreds, of these very dynamic moments in which things get right in the frame at the right time. At the end of the days, I think the editions had very high standards and at the same time were didatic, with helpful comments and good discussing with the participants – a very stimulating group, with people I really enjoyed meeting. After the workshop, I’m satisfied with the portfolio I made. And feel inspired to keep producing my personal work. Besides, with your edition and coordination the photography workshop potencialized the warm experience I had at my first time in Istanbul. (…) They’ve been very helpful and showed me a different path to follow in my photographic work.

“It’s a unique opportunity to push yourself a step further in photography. Challenge yourself! Leave all you know (or might know) about photography behind you. Face the reviews in the evenings and go out the next morning and try to do better than the day before. Thats what I did and since then I know that good photography is more then just colors, lines, structures and shapes. I look forward going to the next workshop with Nikos and to try to push myself once again a step further.”

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.

My experience in Beirut, participating in a photography workshop with Nikos was not only BRILLIANT and AMAZING, it was something more! The daily editing sessions were key to learning more not just about my own work and what direction it might take, but I learn’t so much from everyone else too and what you taught us in those sessions. I now look at a photograph with critical eyes and less emotion, I want the photo to tell me a story, in and of itself. I compose differently, I use my camera more effectively (I think &amp hope) everywhere I look I am trying to compose a photograph, not just when I feel it intuitively but when it might not be the ideal situation photographically. I am more patient with myself and the elements around me. But something that I took away from the workshop in Beirut, you said it a number of times but especially towards the end of the week. You said “Take pleasure in what you photograph” and that is exactly what I am doing more so than ever and I am loving every moment of this new enlighten journey I am embarking on with my camera!

I think for me the best things about the workshop were to hear opinions for my own work (and for others in the group) from a master photographer, to learn better how to distinguish between bad, good and great photographs, to pay importance to details which can make a big difference (either in the good or bad way), to avoid some bad practices or approaches when taking photos, to raise my expectations for my own work and be more selective. When taking photos I remember the critique words from Nikos which help me take decisions to get the best results out of a scene, and at the end of the day I have confidence to delete the photos that are definitely not good and keep only those which are potentially good.During the evening meetings when the participants presented their work to the group, there were always surprises when I would think a photograph was good but Nikos wouldn’t select it or the other way around.But when a photo was chosen even though I didn’t consider it a strong one, that’s when I was mostly surprised and happy. That was I think a moment when I realized I learned something new. I’m glad I attended to the workshops with Nikos. I’m definitely a better photographer than I was before meeting him.

Working with Nikos is an unforgettable and very educative photographic experience. Nikos is a great teacher, a person who finds the good points in everybody’s work and gives you the way to take the benefits of it and arrive at a higher level. During the workshop I found myself seeing things differently, from a photographic point of view, and he stayed beside me, pushing me towards finding a more creative way, educating my photographic eye and explaning to all of us always with patience, why a photo is not strong enough, why an other is powerful, what is missing and what is important. So everybody was going deeper and deeper everyday. I saw also the other participants’ work and I had the feeling that this process was working for all of them in a creative way.

This workshop provided me with a new prism at taking photographs including more sentiment and injecting more thought and content to my work. As a newcomer to “Street photography”, the workshop allowed me to quickly get into a pace and experiment with this new to me approach, producing some fair results quite quickly. Invaluable was the fact that I gained a lot from the positive evaluation by Nikos of my other coworkers’ work. This evaluation demonstrated to me things to avoid once I get further down in my own journey and also experience paradigms of good quality work that I could try and experiment with. Things that take ages to discover, are presented to you during one week’s teamwork. Absolutely a positive experience with a lot of new friends that I really enjoyed!

Dear Nikos,
I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude for all of the guidance and support you have provided me as a www.ontheroad.greloping photographer.
Your expertise in composition and storytelling has truly helped me to www.ontheroad.grelop my photographic eye and to think more deeply about the messages and stories that can be conveyed through photography.
I have appreciated very much, the way that you take the time to review my work, editing each picture and explaining every detail. Whether we have met in person during workshops or through Zoom sessions, your feedback has always been gentle yet constructive, pointing me in the right directions to further www.ontheroad.grelop my skills.
You have taught me that every picture must stand on its own in terms of composition and that each one should tell a complete story.
Your own masterful ability to create complex situations or to focus on a single subject always triggers empathy and astonishment in the viewer, and I am so grateful for the way you have taught me, to hopefully do this in my own work.
Thank you for being such an extraordinary teacher and mentor, and for sharing your wisdom and expertise with me. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from you and to grow as a photographer under your guidance.
Lookin forward to continue our journey together.
All the best

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.

For me as a professional photojournalist, to be with Nikos takes me back to photography where surprise and curiosity are key elements, instead of telling the story as specific as possible – as many editors seek today. Working in a fast moving newsflow, photojournalism needs surprise to stop readers, and Niko’s photography does exactly that. It intrigues us and plays with our imagination. It moves us from the world of realism to the world of surrealism.
And a workshop with Nikos is a vital reminder of photography at its best: to show us the world in a way we don’t see it ourselves. And to be formulated by a teacher, not only extremely talented, but also a friendly and charismatic travel companion.
I’m already looking forward to my next workshop with Nikos Economopoulos.

The workshops of Nikos Economopoulos are a great teaching experience. For him there is no “must” or “don’t”. I was suddenly confronted with all my past choices in a way that forced me to go backwards and look for all those things that I had previously discarded in order to re-assess them. At least I now feel closer to the truth. And I thank him for this and for everything else.

Nikos family name has something to do with economics. But don’t be mistaken, he is more the kind of person always happy, without any sense of saving its time, to be involved 200% in its works as a…. what? Teacher is an understatement for an attitude towards the rest of the world which helps you in advancing at a fast rate towards the excellency. Always saying what he thinks, if there is something he does not like, and helpful in finding the good sides to be www.ontheroad.greloped.

The workshop with Nikos, was a unique experience. He opened a new door to the world of photography for me. The tips he gave me were extremely useful and his advises clearly changed my photography approach. Finally I want to thank the whole group that made the experience unforgettable, and I am looking forward to taking part in my second workshop.

I feel privileged for having the opportunity to join Nikos’s workshops two times in six months. Seeing the way that he is present during the workshops and providing his continuous availability for sharing not only technical, but also esthetic and photographic language with different materials and stories makes me understand more the reason i felt always close to his photography. I remember several key inputs, which I see now how to reflect my view to my frames. I hope to hear as usual Nikos’s open and constructive comments in the next workshops as well, which help my www.ontheroad.grelopment a lot. Meeting so diverse cultures during the workshops is another pleasure which enriches it with no doubt!

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 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!

The Varanasi workshop was clearly the highlight of my India visit. Nikos’ advice after our first editing sessions that I should use only my 50mm lens and shoot only black and white was very valuable. After that I felt more relaxed and focused and could produce more consistent and better images. After coming home I have re-examined the Varanasi photos and I must say that I am pleased with the results. I would also like to thank for the great company during the workshop. During the daytime each student could work individually with her/his own problems. In the evenings we gathered together to discuss the results. This scheme worked out very well: you could see how the students progressed during the week. I felt that Nikos’ comments, even the critical ones, were to the point and always supportive. A specially memorable evening was when Nicos showed and discussed some of his own iconic images. I felt privileged to see and hear his thoughts on style, photography, art and life in general.

“This is my third workshop with Nikos and even though I should know what to expect, it was still such an intense journey from agony, elation through awakening, without any bullshit. It was like a much needed spiritual cleansing to expel the bad habits for a simple goal to make a better photograph that’s visually valid. Nikos, thank you for pushing me further – I know my next workshops with you will be just as rewarding.”