nikos pavlakis photography: 2004 – The year I made true contact with my inner self

Ok, this year had a lot of action. I got married, my honey moon, Olympic Games in Athens, EUROVISION 2004, EURO 2004 champion was Greece. What a year!!! Photographically speaking, this was a colorful year. I was drawn to colors, sunsets and simple frames, but I was always seeking for advice. Internet had many resources to look things up, but not so many nobble users. I kept things to myself as I was afraid of criticism. Not many chances to learn what others saw through my photos and I didn’t seem to care because I was afraid of not being liked. I tried to learn everything by myself, so it took longer, I even lost opportunities to learn things others wanted to say and I needed to learn.

This year was the beginning of a sad period for my photographs, a period of rejection and poor equipment. But I managed to learn something even from this low position. I drifted from style to style and from proposition to proposition, changing my photos, my view and my vision together with my post processing, but it was not something I wanted. I was looking for my style, but I was looking in the wrong place. My style had always been in front of me, but it took me a while to understand what people were saying and what I was listening to (and who!).

In the far end, I managed to contact my inner vision, I learned how to respond emotionally to things I didn’t like and unkind (and unjustified) criticism. I debated for excuses and asked for justifications through the same criticism. I made friends who understood what I was talking about when I said “MY PHOTO IS ABOUT…” and I learned new things every day (I am still learning!). I am almost glad this year passed in depression!