My Old photographs

Most of the photos in this blog are taken by me. I’m not a photographer but I have always liked taking photos since an early age. All my cameras are old, film and digital. The oldest one and very much used is from the 1950s. And the newest, a digital one, was made in 2019, already 7 years old.

Mykonos 1972

Usually, whatever impresses me is what I choose to remember, a design on a weaving, a carved stone, a special colour combination, a beautiful tree. No selfies. And all my photos are ‘natural’, no editing to improve the colours, light, etc.

Southeastern coast of Peloponnese

All my film photos, printed and slides, are in storage, not available for me to choose from right now. But here are just a few that I had scanned a few years ago. Each one has a story for me. The one at the top reminds me that the whole way driving south towards Leonidion, Arcadia was filled with the yellow flowers against the sea. A beautiful sight that inspired me to weave an indigo blue blanket with yellow and coral-pink designs on it.

Areopolis, Mani, Peloponnese, 1990s
Areopolis, Mani, Peloponnese, 1990s

The photos from Areopolis remind me that I visited the place to find relatives of my great grandmother and that I discovered that her father was from Areopolis but her mother was from Oitylo, a nearby village. Also, the Santorini photograph reminded me what a good time I had there when I visited during off-season.

Santorini, 1992

The web of life

Old kilim. Stemnitsa, Peloponnese, Greece
Old kilim. Stemnitsa, Peloponnese, Greece

In an old 1950s book I found the following description of the web of life. The writer is unknown:

“Life is a loom and we are the weavers: the strong, sweet principles of truth and honesty and justice are the warp, and our thoughts and deeds — carried to and fro in the swiftly moving shuttles — make up the wool; and the woven web is the life eternal. For the Master Weaver is the Lord of Love, and He sets the patterns, simple or complex, according to our ability, and lays the formula before us, and leaves us to our task. OURS IS TO SPOIL THE WEB OR WEAVE IT INTO TRANSCENDENT BEAUTY.”

P.S. The photos of the two kilims were made in the winter of 1983 in Stemnitsa, Peloponnese, Greece. It was cleaning day at the church and the kilims were brought outside. Two very nice ladies held them up for the photos. The kilims were already at least 50 years old. And for the weavers among us, they were woven on a horizontal loom in two strips sewn together and for weft, they had used naturally dyed local wool. The loom in the photo at the top is a Stathatos loom.

Kilim. Stemnitsa, Peloponnese, Greece
Kilim. Stemnitsa, Peloponnese, Greece