Fotograaf Vasilis Liappis

—Ten eerste - wie beschouwt u als de beste fotograaf in Athene, Griekenland? :)

—There are many talented wedding photographers in Greece, and in Athens particularly. Not trying to be politically correct, it is just the truth. I have to pick from so many. One of my favorites is Aristotelis Nikolaides.

—Bent u fotogeniek?

—I am very photogenic, especially behind my camera!

—Hoe bent u beland in de fotografie-industrie?

—I started as a photography student, back in 1998, working at the same time as an assistant in a commercial studio. Since then, I have tried and worked in many genres of professional photography industry, with the latest being the wedding photography, which I practice for more than 6 years now.

—Wat zijn volgens u de belangrijkste elementen van een goede foto?

—Less is more, first and foremost, and secondly, a good communication of feelings from the subject.

—Houdt u van reizen?

—I love traveling and always looking forward to it. If I can achieve traveling and work, I'm a happy man!

—Wat vindt u het leukst aan uw beroep?

—Connecting with new people, couples and professionals.

—Wat vindt u het minst leuk aan uw beroep?

—The weight of equipment I have to carry around

—Wat ziet u de toekomst van fotografie?

—I believe that as photography evolves, so do professionals. So, that being said, I see more professionalism and lots of beautiful and unique images!

—Wat is er bijzonder aan het fotografiegenre waarin u zich specialiseert?

—Communication with ordinary people, like me will be the first thing, and the second one is that for a special day in people's lives, I become part of that day!

—Hoe gaat u om met kritiek?

—I love criticism in a polite manner. Always makes things evolve in a better way.

—Zijn er bepaalde trends in fotografie?

—Trends come and go, but a good photo is always good, no matter how many years pass.

—Welke criteria moet de klant hanteren bij het kiezen van een fotograaf?

—First of all, I believe that both parties should have some common ground. Besides the budget and services provided, the photographer and the client should get along well. That is the first thing I tell my new clients, when I get a request for a booking. I like to meet them first, and if we get along well, from the first meeting, then everything else is doable. Of course, quality of services provided, professionalism and discretion play an equally important role in choosing a photographer.

—Wat is er totaal uit den boze bij het fotograferen?

—Not to be distracted by anything, not to be rude to anyone, not to be nervous or anxious by any circumstances that may occur.

—Welke details die vaak onopgemerkt gaan, kan een fotograaf vastleggen?

—Reactions of guests in a wedding, beautiful light (reflections, backlight, sidelight etc), shapes and all kinds of things that can form a good composition for a photograph.

—Wat beïnvloedt de waarde van een foto? Wat zijn de elementen ervan?

—How interesting the subject is, what makes it pop inside the photo, which are the secondary elements that help the subject, and of course the quality of light used.

—Welke persoon kan volgens u symbool staan voor de 21e eeuw?

—The common man, you and me.

—Wie wil u graag fotograferen?

—I want to take photos of my girlfriend, just because she never lets me!!! The most difficult subject I ever met, lol!

—Heeft u bepaalde taboes op professioneel vlak?

—I always, always arrive at least half an hour earlier than agreed, always deliver earlier than agreed as well.

—Met wie zou u graag fotograferen?

—I would love to shoot with George Pahountis, a fellow Greek photographer, with whom I have the same origins as well. Island of Karpathos that is.

—Waar maakt u zich zorgen over en waarom?

—I worry much about intolerance, because that makes people hateful, and in history the examples are more than enough that show where this has brought mankind.

—Wat is het meest indrukwekkende moment van uw leven?

—The first time I traveled by my self. I loved the feeling of freedom to chose what I'd do next. It was also a good chance to discover myself and to think deep about many things that concerned me at that time.

—Als u een personage van een cartoon, boek of film was, wie zou u dan zijn?

—As a child, I loved reading a comic series, named "Lucky Luke", by a Belgian artist Morris. I loved the fact that he was efficient no matter the circumstances he had to face each time, he was lonely with a horse as his only friend, and always, riding towards the sunset as a lonesome cowboy.

—Wie inspireert u in uw leven en waarom?

—My recently gone Father, because he was a fighter, nothing was given easily to him in life, but he gave too much to me, nevertheless.

—Hoe definieert u succes? Hoe meet u het?

—Success for me is doing something that people appreciate. I am happy if the people I work with are happy. Money is important of course, but as long as I get along, I don't mind that much. I'm a simple person, living a simple life. No fancy lifestyle here.

—Bent u liever graag gezien of gerespecteerd?

—I prefer to be respected, not only because it is more difficult, but because it is more substantial in my opinion.

—Wat is de grootste fout die u ooit begaan heeft op professioneel vlak?

—I gave too much of my effort, without being appreciated.

—Wat neemt u mee op reis en waarom?

—A cell phone, my camera equipment and a pair of good walking shoes, because all I do is searching online where is the next interest point for shooting, and then I go there on foot, just not to miss any parts of my way there.

—Is er iets dat u liever niet gekocht had tussen de gadgets die u bezit? Waarom?

—I'm not a compulsive buyer, so, everything I buy is for a reason, and being used.

—Hoe leert u bij om betere foto's te maken?

—I love watching webinars and of course study other photographers work, either on social media or other platforms. Through the years I discovered that being interested in more than one genre in photography, keeps me motivated, and I certainly am not fatigued by my work.

—Wiens werk heeft u het meest beïnvloed als fotograaf?

—When I started, I loved Edward Hopper's paintings. Victor Lax is one of my favorites, but I also admire and being influenced from many other styles as well. Lately I admire many Scottish photographers, because of the dark and moody pictures they make, in such dramatic landscapes. I really wish I could visit Scotland one day!

—Wat had u graag geweten toen u begon als fotograaf?

—That it's not that easy as it seems. It is an art, and as such, it takes a long way to master the craft, lots of patience, exercise, and many different aspects that you need to learn and exceed to.

—Wat wil u graag zeggen met uw foto's?

—I want to bring out a positive feeling, sometimes surrounded by a much darker mood. Only to emphasize that there is always hope in the end of the tunnel.

—Wat motiveert u om foto's te blijven maken?

—Every photo is different than the previous one taken. That only, is enough not to make me bored of what I do.

—Hadden uw ouders strenger of minder streng moeten zijn?

—I think they raised me to be a good person, so I think they made a pretty good job in terms of strictness.

—Wat zou u anders doen als u in de tijd kon terugkeren?

—I definitely would like to have studied more, in a university, far away from my city.

—Wat denkt u over leven op andere planeten?

—Who am I to answer such kind of a question? I believe it's possible though.

—Wie zijn uw helden?

—Every day people are my heroes.

—Voor wie kan u geen respect opbrengen?

—Mostly politicians, but just to be safe don't want to name any lol!

—Wat doet u in uw vrije tijd?

—Landscape photography is my no.1 hobby. Besides that I love swimming and being near the sea in general.

—Welke kant van u krijgt het publiek niet te zien?

—I'd rather not answer LOL!!!

—Wanneer bent u helemaal tevreden over uw werk?

—Once I get feedback from my clients. Until then, I always am anxious and uncertain.

—Gelooft u in een traditionele rolverdeling voor man en vrouw?

—I'll say just this one sentence. I'm the king in the kitchen.

—Maakt u gemakkelijk vrienden?

—Friends with the real significance of the word, no, but I love to interact with new people all the time.

—Waar zou u graag wonen?

—In a Greek island, surrounded by the sea.

—Wat is het domste waarmee u ooit akkoord bent gegaan?

—I agreed to drive in a remote and full of turns road, after a wild night out, and just a day before I give my driving license tests.

—Is er een leven na het huwelijk?

—If there's a will, there's always a way. So, my answer is yes, of course.

—Heeft u een favoriete mop? Vertel ...

—Knock knock....

—Houdt u van honden of van katten?

—More of a dog person here.

—Wie of wat haat u?

—I hate arrogance and intolerance. Two of the worst characteristics in my opinion, a person could have.

—Het beste in het leven is:

—Life by itself is a miracle. But besides that, all the things you get to learn, see, live, feel, laugh for or cry for... Life is good!

—Het vervelendste in het leven is:

—Getting up very early in the morning... :-P

—Is er iets rondom u dat u graag zou veranderen?

—Yes, traffic jams...

—Wat zou u graag veranderen aan uzelf?

—I would like to reduce my stress levels.

—Wat zou u graag veranderen aan de wereld?

—Hatred of any kind is the thing I would eliminate, if I could.

—Kan u tips geven voor beginnende fotografen?

—Never give up, never listen to people who tell you that you are not the right person for such a job. Persist and love every moment of what you do.

—Als buitenaardse wezens naar de Aarde komen en u bent de eerste persoon die ze ontmoeten, wat zal u hen dan zeggen?

—Let me take a picture of you! I know it's a cliche, but who's that photographer that would miss that kind of chance, right?

—U wordt gevraagd om een film te maken, welk genre wordt het?

—I like Dramatic films

—Morgen zal ik ... doen

—HIKING!!!