photography Archives - Sylvia Kouveli Fotografía

IVSA Conference – Évry, France

Posted on June 28, 2018February 16, 2019 by sylvia

International Visual Sociology Association Conference
University of Paris-Saclay – University of Evry, Evry, France

In June 2018, I had the pleasure to present a paper I worked on with Cultural Manager Violetta Tsitsiliani:
“Suitcases: A comment on voluntary travel vs necessary dislocation”.

Photographs I had taken of different types of travelers (tourists, marine workers, migrants and refugees) in Greek ports were used as a means to examine the semiotics of suitcases. These ports constitute a common space that holds a different meaning for each user, although the use is the same for all: travel. The essential difference lies in that of choice or need to travel through this port.

“One advantage of photography is that it’s visual and can transcend language.”

Lisa Kristine

Photos by Nigel Brunsdon

More information on the IVSA: https://visualsociology.org/

APhF18

Posted on June 8, 2018February 16, 2019 by sylvia

Athens Photo Festival 2018 Exhibition at the Benaki Museum, Pireos str. annex.

DURATION:
07/06/2018 – 29/07/2018

This is the photo that won an Honourable Mention in the “Invisible City” category during the 12hr #AthensPhotoMarathon.
I was so pleasantly surprised to see that they actually included 2 more of my photos (so 3 out of my 4 submissions!) in the exhibition, in smaller prints.

It was such a thrill to have my work exhibited in this prestigious museum! For more information on the Athens Photo Festival and the Photo Marathon, click below:

Home

4 themes:

My photo in the “Monochrome” exhibition

Posted on March 4, 2018February 16, 2019 by sylvia

One of my black and white photos (the one you see above) was selected in an international photography contest to be part of the “Monochrome” exhibition at the Blank Wall Gallery in Athens. Apart from being very excited about the distinction, I am also very proud to be exhibiting alongside some truly talented photographers from across the globe.

At the opening night I happened to overhear a conversation that resembled that of a friendly wager for the location at which my photo was taken. One person was saying that it must have been at a sports stadium, another was sure it was at an ancient amphitheatre. In fact, they were both wrong!
I approached them to ask what led them to believe that it was taken at either of these places and they pointed to the steps reflected on billboard surface. While one was seeing bleachers suggesting a stadium, the other was seeing the round shape of the stairs alluding to an ancient theatre.

Sometimes when you see something it’s difficult to unsee it. I had snapped this photo in Rome, more specifically, in a tunnel while exiting Vatican City. Obviously, having been at the actual scene, I had never noticed the roundness of the steps that were a mere result of the converse surface they were reflected on. This gave me a new perspective on this photo and made me reflect upon the different ways one can see and interpret an image based on their personal experiences. 🙂

The exhibition runs until March 8th and it is really well curated, so make sure to stop by and travel through the black and white prints of many fantastic photographers from around the world.

55 Fokionos Negri Street
11361 – Athens – Greece

Surprising Underwater Fashion Photos

Posted on September 7, 2016September 12, 2016 by sylvia

Beautiful underwater fashion photos with a prop that will surprise you.

At one time or another, you must have come across beautiful underwater photos of ethereal models, their long dresses flowing with the sea current.

Take a look at the photos below. They were taken this summer in the Cyclades, a beautiful and popular vacation destination in Greece.

What do you see?

My beautiful, patient and highly cooperative volunteer models are not using lavish fabrics for their poses. Instead, they are using objects found in the very waters they are swimming in.

And what’s that?

Garbage. Trash. Rubbish.

That’s right. Unfortunately, these objects that are part of the beautiful photos you see, are nothing more that trash, collected from the bottom of the sea, near the beach, some tangled in seaweed, others approaching the shore floating in from a different country.

Take a look at this photo.

See the crystal clean waters? The flawless bottom? The white rounded pebbles?

This photo was taken at a marvelous deserted beach that formed part of an astonishing landscape.

Unfortunately, at less than 5 meters from the shore there were massive amounts of trash that had floated there from -possibly- hundreds of miles away.

It’s easy to detach oneself from this and simply say, “I never throw my garbage onto the beach, it’s not my fault”, but we are all part of this problem. We must all make a conscious effort to prevent any objects from ending up into our seas and oceans.

We can all definitely make sure we leave nothing behind when we leave the beach.
We can pick up any garbage we find around us.
We can spread the word and make the people close to us aware of this.
We can influence our local officials through relevant groups and organizations.
We can do things about it!

No one wants to swim in a sea of garbage. But guess what… we already do!

Summer Photo Cocktail Recipe

Posted on August 11, 2016September 12, 2016 by sylvia

Ingredients:

5 ripened Greek women
2 ripened Spanish women
5-7 bikinis
1 summer hat
1-2 pareos
plenty of turquoise sea water
sunshine

Instructions:

Mix the ripened women with the bikinis and place on a beautiful Greek island
Add 1 dash of turquoise waters
Sprinkle with sunshine
Maintain temperature between 28-35°C
Allow for the mix to rest and soak up the sun
Serve with a salty twist
Garnish with the summer hat and pareos
Place in front of a camera
Enjoy while hot