Aegean Ex Altis – Aerial Photos by Giannis Giannelos

Thanks to Giannis Giannelos’ camera lens, readers have the privileged opportunity to discover parts of Greece virtually impossible to reach in any other way. Having spent endless hours of flight on a helicopter,  Giannelos shows the much-photographed Aegean Sea and its hundreds of islands from a novel angle.

“The Dodecanese, the Cyclades, the Sporades and the northern shores of Crete have all been scanned by the camera lens, trapping them in a moment of time, uniquely and enigmatically, full of the mystery contained in the harmonious symbiosis of the past with the present.”

As we gaze upon the Greek islands from the air they turn into stunning artworks: the blue of the Aegean sea, the traditional stark-white villages and picturesque chapels, the ancient ruins, the beaches (empty or crowded), the cliffs.

Ex Altis celebrates the Aegean, arguably the most fascinating stretch of water in the Mediterranean: “the sheer beauty and variety of the sea itself and the creatures that live in and off it: dolphins leaping, gulls whirling; and the craft that ply its waters: fishing dinghies and trawlers, pleasure boats and massive ferries.”

In the words of the great early nineteenth century Greek poet Kalvos: Fragranf and fresh/isles of the Aegean Sea,/ o happy earth/ where peace and joy/ for ever dwell.

Giannis Giannelos was born in Athens in 1962. He is a professional freelance photographer with a strong interest in producing fine pictures that have detail and that trigger emotions. He has a great love for geometry and symmetry and a thrill for architectural photography.

From his early years as a professional he had collaborations with EOT (Greek National Tourism Organization), the Ministry of Culture and various publishing companies, undertaking projects on landscape, archeological spaces and works of art.

Later on, he got into advertising and, for that reason, he kept a large studio for many years. Nature, however, was always the field in which he can express freely and capture sentiments through his images.

Publisher: Militos 2008 Binding: Hardcover Pages: 368