My earliest memory of photography is when I was five years old, browsing through 100-year-old black-and-white family photos for hours. I used to imagine the stories of these relatives I would never meet.
I started to learn about photography when I was 15. From then I spent most of my time taking pictures and reading about photography.
I wanted to become a photographer to make others feel as I did when I was five, looking at a picture and trying to unveil the story behind it.
My first assignment was in 2009, before I joined Reuters, to cover the refugees and migrants crossing to Greece on foot through its northern border with Turkey. I met people who had made dangerous journeys and dared to leave everything behind for a better life. I really began to feel the weight of responsibility that comes with telling people's stories.
Since 2015, I've been covering two major crises in Greece. A devastating economic crisis, which began several years earlier, and the refugee crisis, when nearly a million people fleeing to Europe arrived in Greece. Inevitably, these stories have left a mark on my life, too. One day, I’d see the uncertainty and fear of the unknown in the eyes of Greeks whose country had collapsed. More and more people were walking on their own, talking to themselves. Another day, on a Greek island, I'd see the same fear marked deeply on the faces of refugees. Coming into daily contact with these emotions starts to weigh on you.
The stories that most excite me are those touching on social issues - the kind of assignments that can offer a glimpse into mankind’s inner world.
As photojournalists we contribute to the visual knowledge of people, allowing them to get a feeling for a situation occurring far away from them.
The biggest lesson I've learned is that you have to be yourself and commit to what makes you feel complete. It might be an idea, a person, your work but this process will make you a better person, whatever the outcome.
