It was all too easy for Nikos, our local photographer – “Sit here…Stand there… Hold hands and walk…now look back.” He didn’t have to coax a single smile, or line the steep village climb with a trail of sweets. The girls obeyed like soldiers. For such is the ironic behavioural phenomenon with children, making it impossible for mom to take a coordinated snap otherwise.
Guided by his easy way, the family photoshoot turned out to be an enjoyable way of discovering Serifos‘ stunning Chora (main village). It was also the best way to capture its magic. And the depth of such intense surrounding beauty my phone can’t seem reproduce. Nikos, and all 10 inches of his DSLR lens, did it better. He had two, each slung over one shoulder with leather straps, like a cowboy ready to draw out his guns.
As Nikos gave us directives, he mixed up the girls’ names curiously often. A tactical move or not, his absent mindedness seemed so genuine, like that of papus (their Greek grandad), we had to laugh. In turn, Little A made a habit of teasing him by planting herself like a tree stump in his path, flashing her cheekiest smile. Everyone was tickled. So while the shoot was directed, it was natural. And I couldn’t have been happier with the result.
To my husband’s likely appal, I’m already envisioning more – one on a beach (with a striking backdrop like Sarakiniko in Milos or Vlychada in Santorini), and one in rolling pastures of countryside fields (perhaps our home in North Evia)…Why Greece? Cloudless blue skies, sublime sunsets, picture-perfect Cycladic villages, and countless stunning landscapes.
For now, these are the most precious keepsakes I have after 15 years of travelling in Greece.
