This shooting for me was a little bit more than just a challenge because until now I didn’t have a chance to shoot this kind of sport. This was one great experience and a beautiful day spent with people who have done all in their power.

Iordanis Paschalidis and Kostas Trigonis and their boat “Tornado” they were the next target of my camera. After short negotiations people from Red Bull Greece have decided that this photo shooting takes place in Athens on one of the most beautiful beaches in Glyfada. This shooting for me was a little bit more than just a challenge because until now I didn’t have a chance to shoot this kind of sport. I spent some time searching the internet and reading specialized magazines about this kind of sport but I couldn’t find any unique or special photos. What was the real reason for that, I didn’t know, but many questions came to my mind. Did the photographers miss creativity or was it that hard to shoot this kind of sailing? It was something that I should determine myself.
I arrived in Athens one day earlier on a rainy weather which was totally opposite of the expected so I was worried at the moment because of our project the next day, but the afternoon’s sun conviced me that tomorrow will be a nice day after all. That day had come, shiny and beautiful without any clouds – just a perfect day! First impression when I met Iordanis Paschalidis and Kostas Trigonis, which are representing the Tornado Sailing Team, was very thrilled and I was sure at that moment that it will be a great pleasure spending time with them because their kindness, brightness and great mood overcame in a second all the atmosphere on the beach. After a short talk and introducing, we made a plan how to start. The only thing that I had on my mind was the making of unusual, different and unique photos concerning their sport, so they accepted it perfectly. Also, the part of the main goal were photos which required action, lifestyle and their portaits which all together would transmit their emotions, thoughts and all other things that are related to their personality and their beautiful and exciting sport.
We started with preparations. I prepared all my equipment and Iordanis and Kostas prepared their boat. I used that moment to make some completely natural photos which will take a part of their portfolio at the end. We agreed to start with the action! Close up photos from the boat seemed most challenging and hardest so we started whith that.

One more reason that we decided to start with that was a perfect wind which is directly related to this sport. The first step was checking of my abilities and survival on the boat during sailing over the waves. Naturally, checking started without camera in my hands and any additional equipment on the boat. Short instructions that I recieved from Iordanis were fully expected. Under the first blows of the wind on the boat, I felt as if I do this for a long time. Of course, there have come to the fore all my abilities that are closely related to many similar extreme sports. Simply, you feel all that or not and carry it in yourself or not and nobody can teach you that, as Kostas explained it little later as one of the key factors to stay on the waves. The second round started with all the necessary equipment on the boat which contributed to the fact that the first photos for that day subscribe on memory card in my camera. Under gusts and incredible speed we got away from coast and in a short time we crossed few kilometres. I was sure that we have all the needed photos from the boat so we went over to the other part of action shots. The Nikon D3 camera was fixed on top of the mast and I trrigered with my remote trriger Pocket Wizzard from a small rubber boat which was the equipage during the photo shooting. At the same time with the other camera I made shots from the immediate vicinity of the boat from some totally unusual angles. Due to large waves and the unstable movement of a small rubber boat in most of the moments I was on the verge of relegation and in most cases with the camera in just a few inches of water. Water was splashing on all sides so that it all seemed like one big struggle for survival on a boat! My camera, me and everything on our rubber boat was wet, but the adrenaline that we were all pulling by during the shooting made us leave everything aside without much pressure.
After little more than an hour spent on the water, we decided to go back to the shore and check what we have created. Camera on the mast definitely had a great angle but the only unacceptable thing in my eyes was too big shadow of the sails reflected on the surface of the water, but, in the other hand, photos from the camera which I made from the hand were simply great. In any case, after checking what we have done, we have decided to embark once again on the water and finish the shooting with completely unbelievable angles that we have already had on many photos. One more hour in the wind and on the waves made me being totally lost in space and time, I didn’t know what was left or right and what was up or down. I’m not trained to be that long on such kind of a boat. So, that struggle definitely has depleted me which I realized only after our arrival. But the important thing was that we had what we wanted. Guys were more than great. They did it with unbelievable energy and love for this sport. Without that kind of enthusiasm we would definitely never have made what we have planed together – perfect photos!
Little rest and enjoying chat on the beach have brought new ideas. We’ve created a very simple photos of their portraits, and for lifestyle pictures we decided to wait the sunset because the sky and weather alleged that it will all look fantastic. So it was … we ended the day with a beautiful sunset and completed work perhaps better than we all have planned.
This was one great experience and a beautiful day spent with people who have done all in their power. Also, new friendships were created and shurly it will bring in the future many new and different photos of this sport as well as new friendships.
In the end a big thanks to Flery & Vasso for their patience, support and everything they did to make us all feel like we were in our own backyard instead on the beach somewhere in beautiful Athens!