Joy And Misery Of Life

Posted on 13. Apr, 2009 in Atwork, Featured

Beautiful and inspiring black and white portraits by photographer Vaggelis Fragiadakis. Here is what he himself says about his life, work and his vocation:
“I am an eclectic photographer, responding to the beauty, the humor and the tragedy I see in the world around me. Among the variety of subjects I have shot, over the years I have found myself repeatedly drawn to create images of “street people”. These people are not just a group or mass or statistic, but are individuals like the rest of us, each wearing his own life on his face.

Though occasionally I will take an anonymous shot from a distance, I prefer to approach a person, learn a little about him, and with his permission take a series of shots hoping to capture some aspect of his reality in one of the portraits. I like to get close, to a person whom many other avoid. The black and white versions reveal the critical essence through their emphasis on shadows, light and contrast. For me the faces are both beautiful with their humanity, and frightening with their hopelessness. I want to share them with the world, both as my art, and as a visceral reminder– we are all but one bit of bad luck away from this state.”

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