My trip to Ghana was my third with Nikos Economopoulos. As always the workshop is very high quality, and a total eye-opener to photography. Nikos is one of the best photography teachers out there, and the general level of the participants leveled up daily. Ghana was very beautiful, and the resort absolutely stunning.
Bonus info: best African food in Cape Coast with fresh fish on a daily basis.

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 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 have enjoyed so much the workshop in Athens. My photography has become more compact and coherent and I have been able to focus on something more specific in photographic terms -there are even some good portraits in my portfolio! New questions arise such as the contradiction between reflecting the misery of the people and have pleasure of taking pictures of it. I can see a background in my photos of emptiness, artificial spaces, simulation, loneliness, people with strange feelings…Everybody reflect their own personality in their pictures.

I participated in the workshop in Athens and I was so thrilled about that.
Nikos Economopoulos is a unique and authentic photographer and an inspired teacher.
He doesn’t only speak about the importance of the background, the proper light in photography, and the way to make a good composition, he puts his views of life across in meetings, and speaks about the importance of freedom in everyday life.
He guides you along the photography to your inner self, and tries to reveal the most important elements of your personality.
In simple words it’s not only a workshop in photography, it is a workshop how to make your life more inspired by keeping the most important things and put them onto your frame.

Ethiopia’s workshop has been a wonderful experience for my photography.
Nikos guides you on a very precise path: one camera, one lens, one format between black and white and color, and focus on the image. Just relax, react to what you see, without too much thought or preparation.
This may sound obvious, but it was not for me at the beginning: I’ve passed from confusion, feelings of inadequacy, to be more and more confident and able to enjoy the process, and it’s been amazing for me to see my pictures improve day by day, become more interesting and less ordinary.
Niko’s passion is contagious, he’s able to criticize very precisely and firmly but always in a positive and constructive way.
I still have l a long way to go, but I can only thank Nikos for giving me back enthusiasm and directions to improve my photography.
I really look forward for the next workshop with Nikos!

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.

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!

My feedback is very positive. First of all, the management of the booking and preparation for the workshop is helpfully assisted by your assistant Dimitri. Second, you have been a very nice and empathic person all around, and this means a lot because apart from photography we are all human beings and have human beings’ needs, therefore being around nice people is something that comes before, and really helps, learning and participating. Third, I feel that your editing sessions during the workshop, and all the general interaction with you and the other participants, have helped my understanding of photography. All in all, I have come back after the workshop with lots of new creative energy and ideas, and I believe this is all because of the unique environment of your workshop. Your comments of our work feel objective and are often revealing, and your advice is at once simple and effective. I cannot but very highly recommend your workshop to anybody that has interest in photography.

The more workshops I do with Nikos the more I want to come back. Every place is different as the challenges to encounter. The good thing about coming back, is that he already knows how much we can achieve so he pressures us accordingly, and I think we most agree that our results get a bit better every time.
Like each new workshop is like starting from scratch, each day of it is also starting from scratch. In every meeting he would choose a few photos but the next morning we start again from blank. The days are long and intense, but for me it’s just pure joy. We have some good days but others we hit the wall. It’s inexplicable the pleasure we have when we manage to go over that wall. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t. But as Nikos well said: “We can have good days and bad days. But that is not important. What really matters is that we never lose the great feeling of wanting to go out and take photos. That, it is very important.” And I do hope, to never lose that feeling.
Niko, thank you again, and I am already looking forward to Argentina next month.

 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.

First of all, I am very happy to know a person like Nikos. Even if we worked until late hours, I enjoyed every minute of it.
I guess my adventure of photography will be divided into 2 before Nikos and after Nikos and I am very excited to use what I learned from Nikos on my photography.

Joining Nikos’ workshop has become a yearly must-do event for me. Why? Because his workshops are, for me, the ideal way to travel, if you’re serious about photography. Nikos always offers a destination that promises to be photographically interesting. He ensures we get to immerse ourselves in the place. There’s always someone who has done the ground work, and yet the itinerary remains casually open and flexible. On top of that, he has a way of challenging you to perform better and improve, but never to the point of creating competition. So far, in the three workshops I’ve attended, the participants have been a generous, agreeable, and encouraging bunch, which really is the effect Nikos’ personality and method of mentoring. Finally, in Uruguay, we had the uncommon experience of seeing some of Nikos’ images shot during the workshop, as well as some unpublished work, which left us in awe. That was special.

To go on a workshop with Nikos is one big learning experience. It means to challenge yourself in ways that at least I don’t do in my everyday life. I really appreciate his strong opinions and straightforwardness. To talk about photography and show your daily work to him is very rewarding because of his profound knowledge and total honesty. I strongly recommend anyone interested in this type of photography to go on a workshop with Nikos. I’m truly grateful for what I have learned from him and of course I will return for another workshop.

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.

The Trapani, Sicily workshop was the first I had with Nikos. The group was mixed with novice, very amateur and also more experienced photographers. Being an amateur photographer made me feel nervous in the beginning of the workshop. Rather than embarrassed on the first day I was quite happy and ready to go the next day. This feeling was related on how Niko created the environment, how he explained the portfolio and what he wanted from the novice participants in his workshop. The workshop really helped me to understand and feel the street photography and so it paved my path to a kind of photography which I really like. Niko’s does not go out with you and photograph with you, he let your instinct and mind to guide during the day while helps you in the afternoon during which he selects and edit the photos. The way he describes the art of photography was very helpful for every one of us and helped us to grow and to see the world in a different perspective. You always have something to note or keep in mind even if that comment was directed to a more experienced photographer.
“On the Road” helps every photographer to create new goals to achieve and also give to you the critical viewpoint for the photography. 
Another skill that you learn or handle better is the editing and the creation of a portfolio. Every day when you sit with Nikos to see and edit the photo he shows how a portfolio is create and is managed. Or maybe how a picture is edited. I am a black and white photographer and the workshop helped me to give the right tone and contrast for the photo in the editing process. In the end, Niko shows to everyone what he expects from them. Ending my comment I would suggest this kind of workshop not only for the accuracy Niko’s chooses the place, but even more of how he treats the participants (we spend quite a lot time together discussing as a community), how he treats photography and how it expresses and helps you gain at least a new level. Niko’s workshops help you to find a goal and work to achieve it but in the same time it gives to you the feeling of wanting to go to a new one. So, you can show to him if you have mastered the goal he posed before you. Looking forward to catch another wonderful and very helpful workshop with Niko very soon.