Participants’ photos

Click on the photo for a slide show

Participants’ comments

I want to thank you for eight days of ups and downs, of believing and disbeliveing in the own skills and for your remarkable approach in pushing us gently forward but never hiding something or letting something be unspoken.

You treated us with your admirable respect in every human being and your humanity which let me felt comfortable in every situation of the course.

Thank you for answering all my questions with so much patience. I learned so much from you - professionally and personally. The only thing i'm angry about is that  you did not let me pay the taxi to the airport ;-)

I hope to see you again.

Jan Gott, Austria

I came to the workshop feeling dissatisified with what I was doing with my photography and hoped that the workshop would help me find a more definite direction.

I was particularly impressed with your ability to look at the work of the members of the workshop group, assess where we were up to photographically and individually give us feedback and suggestions based on this and on the work we did progressively throughout the workshop.

The practical information you gave us (eg about 'visual impact', about taking care with all elements that fill the frame of a photograph - not just the main subject, etc), I also found useful. As well, I enjoyed the 'journey' of the workshop itself - seeing everyone's work each evening and hearing about our different explorations of Istanbul (particularly those to areas away from the tourist hordes). 

However, the main overall impact of the workshop for me was that it made me realise and accept that, if I am to continue seriously with my photography, I do need to change my focus. Doing things the same old way is no longer an option. It will take me some time to properly work out what this should be, but the workshop has given me the impetus to make a start, as well as some constructive ideas.

I am very grateful for that.

 

Michael Fuery, Australia

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 !

Cecile Barou, France

Thank you again for that week in Istanbul.

I had a realy good time. All was great, the workshop and the city.

At the beginning, when you saw my previous work, i received "a bucket of cold water on my head".

And that was exactly what i needed.

My aproach to photograhy has changed totally.

The way I look at photography now is more mature.

During a week spent at the workshop i feel i achieved something I'm proud of.

The only bad thing is i start loving this city and now I'm planing to go back there and do some more work..

Once more big thanks for all.

Jacek Piaseczny, Poland

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.

 

Leif Sandberg, Sweden

(…) For me personally, it was a very strong photographic experience.

Upon my return to Cyprus, I have caught myself turning away from previous photographic preferences and looking for something different, with more depth(…)

Marios CHristofi, Cyprus

I wanted to thank you so much for your dedication and for offering all help possible for all the participants.  I can't forget that you stayed up one class time until 2 a.m. reviewing & editing my work.

The workshop was one of the best hands on learning experience that I had since I took interest in photography. Mainly because we watched you daily critique and edit every participant's work right after a full day of shooting.  This process has pushed me to think seriously about my work and the changes needed to make in order to improve. It allowed me to compare my work with others and this gave me new ideas for future projects and ways to improve.  Not only that, we had discussions on equipment and why some of us use certain cameras or laptops.  Which was really useful for someone like me who never cared for the technical side of photography.

 

It was hard to go back to work and my usual routine because I will not be photographing as much as I did during the workshop even though one of my main tasks at my work is photography.  Photography as full time job is not the same as the photography we did during the workshop which is the kind of photography I dream of pursuing one day.  As a result of this workshop, I am more focused about my personal photography goals inside Kuwait and I am planning to commit myself to planning photography trips outside Kuwait.  I am trying to commit myself more to my personal photography.  I forgot how much joy that used to bring me and that workshop was a great reminder.

Thank you especially for being tough on me!  I didn't come all the way to hear what I would like to hear.  I wanted someone to push or dare me for a change and you did!  Honestly I haven't put my 24mm on the side.  But I am crazy over the 35 mm. And that is a great start.

Fatma Khamis, Kuwait

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 & 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!

Aisling Murray, Ireland-USA

(…) This sounds so cliché (…), but this

workshop has changed my life!

The 35mm has not left my camera and I am really enjoying composing in a way that is more interesting.  

(…) A few things that you said about my photography really shocked me but shocked me more to realise that you were right... still amazes me that you have made an observation that was so right from looking at my photos alone.  Thanks..

In terms of feedback, I think the workshops in the evening were really enjoyable, especially being to learn from other participants' work and your comments of them.

Your help with interesting things to do prior to the workshop was also very helpful.  

The only thing that I would ask is for you to be even harder with your critiques and provide perhaps some sort of direction as to where each one of us could go...through each evening discussion as well as at the end of the workshop.  

I think your guidance to each of us is very valuable and we could do with more of it, well I could at least.

(…) Not sure where photography is heading for me, but I have been loving every moment of it so far!  

I have learnt more in Beirut than I have in the last 2 years!

Liz Loh-Taylor, Singapore-Australia

I've been thinking the past two weeks, trying to re-evaluate my photos with a better, more critical eye.

Seeing how you evaluate each photo, examining each element, their relation to each other, and how they come together to make a photograph changed the way I look at photographs now. And I think this is what I gained most from the workshop: I can already see that your comments were pretty much spot on about the portfolio I presented, but I'm still a long ways from being a decent editor.

I've already started heavily studying the works of other photographers and I'll probably do a re-edit of that portfolio in six months to see how much I've progressed.

The other benefit from the workshop was that I'm more focused in shooting. You saw this change during the course of the week, so I don't think I need to elaborate more. Now I just need to work harder to make good photos.

(…) Completely changing my photography in a week is almost impossible, but I think you've pointed me in the right direction. The real

benefits of the workshop will come months from now if I follow through on two things:

1. 1.learn to recognize a good photo and
   

2. 2.put what makes those good photos good into my photos (but not in a way that I'm copying).
   

It was a fun and helpful week. I'll work to make better photos now!

James Wellence, USA

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.

Andrew Fraser, United Kingdom

…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…

 

Fernando Retuerto Pineiro, Spain

The workshop was great. The city, the reviews and your advice helped me out to feel more confident and find a different approach to photography.

Roc Herms Pont, Spain

I work as a photographer for the United Nations, my perception of photography and photographic style has been somewhat different to the one of Nikos Economopoulos.

The workshop was amazing, it provided me with a new, fresh look.  My way of seeing has changed significantly since then.  

The organization was great and Nikos has been an excellent teacher and mentor (and hopefully a friend).  His comments throughout the workshop encouraged us to try harder and not only to reach our limits but also go beyond them, to take photographic risks and try and see the world around us differently.  We were encouraged to go beyond the simple record of places, people and moment.

At the end of the day, you do not usually get a MAGNUM photographer to spend a week with you and your photos, and seriously help you develop your way of seeing, but Nikos did exactly that.

The number of participants was the ideal one, not too small and not unmanageably big.  Interaction and comments were encouraged and indeed helped us all to see our own photos in a different way.  

Nerris Markogiannis, Greece-Sudan

The workshop with Nikos was a great experience and a wonderful event. The evening reviews were inspiring as Nikos proved to be not only a gifted photographer but also a patient teacher and reviewer.

He truly possesses the didactical skills to explain what elements are required in building up a good photograph.

Naturally the workshop was frustrating at the same time as one comes to realize what skills are required in order to perform photography at this level.

Nonetheless, it is definitely learning process that I want to experience again, so I’m studying my agenda and Nikos’ website to try to decide when I can sign up again.

Margreeth Vroom, Netherlands

(…) 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.

Luis Ushirobira, Brazil

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.

Mehri Jamshidi, Iran

My name is Seungwoo Chae. I'm working as a photographer for a newspaper in Korea. I was feeling that something was missing in my photography. I wanted to know what I needed.

Consequently, it was great idea to participate to Nikos' workshop. He told me and showed me what was 'photographic'. I felt to return to beginning. I think I could start again.

Seungwoo Chae,  Korea

I've learnt loads of things and I met very nice people who hopefully i'll see again. I improved my way to get close to the city people, who allowed me to capture intimate moments.

This workshop also helped me in how to become honest to myself taking pictures and how to capture the humanity of the moment. Anyway, my conclusion is that I knew less than I thought, which motivates me a lot. Now I see how to work.

Thank you for show me things that its no possible to find in books and to guide me in the road of my way of life, photography. 

Carolina Santos, Spain

Two words about something I don’t understand. About something that has been in me for over a decade. A tale that I had made up in my mind (…) In September 2009, I packed two changes of clothes and two cameras and came to Istanbul. Expectations? Countless. Reservations? Even more. ‘Fairy-tales do not exist’ I said to myself. But what I experienced in a week was more than I ever expected or even imagined. (…) I have been in a photographic frenzy ever since. I carry my camera with me all the time, everywhere. (…) Can no longer do otherwise.

Giorgos Savakis, Greece

I liked very much not only the editing process but the general discussions we had about photography, and the way you challenged everyone and frankly shared your opinions. In my opinion, the more opinionated, the better. (…) I liked the way you emphasized the idea of creating the portfolio from pictures with a similar approach. I feel I am on the way to developing a style. 

Matt Kamholtz, USA

The workshop was a great experience for me and I indeed agree that it brought together people who otherwise probably would have never met.  And for me, that is what life is all about! 

(…) The number of people participating in the workshop was perfect.  I think the small group is essential to having the opportunity to sit together and give enough time to each person to evaluate and discuss his or her photos. I liked the right mix of freedom and direction.  (…) I really feel that I got to know the many faces of the city with its many diverse photographic opportunities. I think presenting other photographers’ work and meeting local photographers contributed to the quality of the workshop. Your honesty and way of critique was constructive and helpful.  I feel that I walked away from the workshop with specific ‘phrases’ that I will think about in the future when photographing.  (…)

Overall, while it might be quite obvious, I learned that photography is very hard work and that you have to take many pictures to have only a few good ones.  In the past, I think that taking lots of crappy pictures often discouraged me to go on.  This workshop taught me what to look for and what elements in a shot make a good photograph. I also think that I became more comfortable to connect to people through photography.  Before this workshop I sometimes felt that I was in a way ‘stealing’ pictures, but when you share a cup of tea with some fishermen and they let you photograph them it feels that our paths have crossed and both sides gave something to the moment/experience.  I was inspired to learn more about photography and then focus on a specific project where I can photograph with a specific aim.

Josie Bicanic,  Bosnia

 

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.

Lisa Gilby, Australia

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.

Monica Trachsel, Switzerland