Monastiraki -January 2, 2013, a photo from Attiki, Attica

Photographer's Note

I spent the Christmas holidays in Athens but only went downtown once to meet a friend in front of the metro station "Monastiraki". I went about twenty minutes earlier to have a look around. At first, I stood by a kiosk and very timidly took my camera out and tried to orient myself and grasp the flow of people all over the square. I had in mind Abmdsudi's remarks, experiences and advice about street photography (I'm grateful!) and realised how fascinating it was to try to grasp and predict the movement of people and the evolution of scenes.
This is the first of the very few pictures from that brief "session" I'd like to share with you.

Monastiraki is an old and very interesting neighbourhood at the centre of Athens, part of the beautiful quarter called Plaka. Monastiraki means "little monastery", the name came from an antique church nearby.
On the right is the building of the train and metro station, one of the busiest in town. The train station was inaugurated in 1895 and the metro station in 2003. In the backround lies the old mosque built in 1759, a folk art museum since 1924. Further back, between the two buildings, there's part of the walls surrounding the Acropolis.

Thank you for visiting, a lovely week to all

PaulVDV, ikeharel, daddo, pajaran, Graal, jhm, delpeoples, holmertz, SnapRJW, Sonata11, maria-v1981, fabbs99, danos, mirosu, Gigidusud, elenimavrandoni has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

PaulVDV (15017) 2013-03-04 8:37

Hello Ourania,
This is a very famous square. Not only famous but also beautiful and a pleasant busy place. I think that all visitors of Athens pass there by regularly.
I also remember how the square looked like before the redesign.
Very beautiful how you captured the old mosque and the building of the metro station with a view of the Akropolis in between.
But more, you show us here a cozy, charming and colourful scene. The balloons are an important element for that.
I hope you enjoyed your holidays in Athens.
Best regards, Paul

abmdsudi (26199) 2013-03-04 8:38

Hi Ourania
A lively street scene from the famous spot full of the wondrous multi colors around by focusing on main interests making them very significant. Full of vibrancy and a visual feast for the eye, people getting about their day- to-day activity. The stiking colours make this shot stands out. Nice catch. Congrats
Kind regards

carlo62 (12434) 2013-03-04 9:14

Ciao Ourania
bella la luce rosata che colpisce l'architettura.
Ottimamente ripresa questa scena di festa popolare.
Saluti
Carlo

mjw364 (3612) 2013-03-04 9:23

Hello Ourania

Your shot of everyday life in a busy street in Athens is well composed and colourful. I like the low evening sun that highlights the building. Looking more closely I am guessing that the real interaction in the shot, that could have provided an opportunity for a close up here, is the little girl who seems to be asking her mother for money to buy a balloon? The little boy is moving towards her too and the balloon salesman stands tantalisingly in the background. Maybe a long lens so as not to be intrusive here would have captured the joy on the children's faces as they bought their balloons! Well that's just my imagination running away with me imagining the world is perfect but it occupied my mind in this way as a result of your image so you did your job well here!

TFS

Mike

cornejo (17972) 2013-03-04 10:15

Hello Ourania, lovely photograph of this interesting place with an interesting atmosphere of popular festivities. An interesting picture with very good sharpness and quality. Nice good job perfectly done, congratulations my friend. Thanks for sharing this beautiful work.

Good afternoon and happy week.
Warm greetings from southern Spain.
Angel.

Noel_Byrne (7209) 2013-03-04 11:35

Hi Ourania,
Bravo for this, your capture of the life of the scene is superb, and my eye is instantly drawn to the balloons and the young girl standing before them, a real capture of a moment. To be able to present this very lively scene in front of such wonderful architecture is an even nicer treat. The play of lug on the building is really very pleasing.
I have never got to grips with street photography, so am able to really admire this, really nicely done.
Best wishes
Noel

daddo (18517) 2013-03-04 15:44

Hi Ourania. I thought I was looking at a former mosque when going through the images in thumbnail size.It is unfortunate that during the ethnic cleansing between Greece and Turkey, in the tit for tat policies, in Greece the signs of Muslim presence were expunged and many mosques were destroyed or turned into something else.It is a beautiful and elegant building. A happy shot where despite the austerity measures people are enjoying life. I like the paving in particular as the colours there complement those of the buildings.The light is superb and there is so much to see and enjoy. So you left your island and were obviously inspired. Regards. Klaudio.

pajaran (36119) 2013-03-04 21:39

Dobro jutro.
Dobar tekst o mestu sa datim podacima ...
Lep pogled i trenutak sa ljudima ...
Dobar trenutak snimka, kontrast, lepe boje.
Lepa praznicna atmosvera, lepo prikazano.
Lepo mesto i trenutak.
Imajte lep i uspesan dan, sve najbolje.
Paja.

Good morning.
Good article on the site with a given data ...
Nice view and the moment with people ...
A good time recording, contrast, beautiful color.
Fancy a holiday atmosvera, beautifully illustrated.
Nice place and the moment.
Have a nice and successful day, all the best.
Paja.

Graal (88784) 2013-03-04 23:19

Kalimera Ourania,
nice place in Athens here. I like the architecture and holidays atmosphere. Fine stopped of people motion. Nice colours and composition. Well done photo.
Have a nice day.
Aleksander

jhm (122314) 2013-03-05 3:16

Hello Ourania,

Street photography is real an art, I am no specialist in these matter.
Your picture is nice taken, not alone the people are perfect taken also the nice building with columns and arches.
Sharpness and clarity is very nice.
Excellent composition, also a very nice subject.
Pleasant for look at. TFS.

Have a nice Thuesday,
John

delpeoples (44888) 2013-03-05 4:52

Dear Ourania

Abmdsudi has such great advice for getting the best out of street photography and his influence was certainly at play here. The warm light and the maing architecture of the station are marvellous nod I just love the buzz of the photo with all those people going about their daily lives. Excellent shot.

Un abbraccio
Lisa

ikeharel (37190) 2013-03-05 7:10

Kalispera Ourania,
Your timing was super: taken this while the baloons seller was circled with many people strolled by on the square, and best afternoon light on the main subject.
By itself the place is beautiful, saw once a picture of this edifice from diff. POV, and here we can enjoy a vivid and vibrant scene.
A fine taken shot, with patience as you had written.
Ike

mesutilgim (67856) 2013-03-05 10:13

Hello dear Ourania,
A well known corner in Athen, still keeping it's traditional art, architecture and caharacteristics.
Good capture, enriched with many interesting details and informations.
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

holmertz (26854) 2013-03-05 11:00

Hello Ourania,
Athens can hardly get more picturesque than here. No offence intended, but I don't count Athens among the most charming European capitals, but this is a very nice part of the city. Beautiful historic buildings, a very attractive light, lots of colours, a nicely patterned street and people everywhere. A sharp and well exposed photo with lots of things to watch.
Kind regards,
Gert

SnapRJW (18642) 2013-03-05 12:14

Hello Ourania - Like you we spent a very shot time in Athens and I was totally enthralled by the city and hope to return some day. This is a lovely shot conveying the bustle of the area at Christmastime. People out and about, enjoying the festive mood in a wonderful location. I like the way you have composed this shot, the light across the distinctive architecture is lovely and I like the way you have a view right through to the Acropolis in the BG. Super. Warm regards rosemary

Sonata11 (28209) 2013-03-05 19:48

Hello Ourania,
very beautiful, impressive architecture and details with fantastic daily life scene. Colors, sharpness, clarity, POV are great. Wonderfully executed. I really like it. Perfectly well done. Awesome snapshot.Tfs
All the best,
Barbara

maria-v1981 (10403) 2013-03-06 6:28

Καλησπέρα Ουρανία,
Αυτό που ξεχωρίζει στην σύνθεση είναι το απαλό φως στην εκκλησία. Που αναδυκνείει τις λεπτομέρειες στης αρχιτεκτονικής. Ο κόσμος χαίρεται την γιορτινή ατμόσφαιρα. Μου αρέσει όλο το σκηνικό.
Καλό απόγευμα,
Μαρία

eldancer1 (16938) 2013-03-06 7:43

Awesome capture of this festive event and nice presentation of those beautiful architectures. I like the lighting and nice details even the people in the shadows. Wonderful colors. Well done, tfs.

fabbs99 (5312) 2013-03-06 9:58

Hi Ourania,

That looks like a great place to spend your Sunday afternoons.Very romantic site and lots of people enjoying their outing there.
Excellent composition, good presentation too. Very well done, TFS.

Best Regards
Farhat

jemaflor (68781) 2013-03-06 11:24

Hi Ourania,
Interesting architecture presented with people on the Fg to give life at the photo, nice colors and brightness, tfs.

danos (73896) 2013-03-07 11:50

Ουρανία γεια σου,
πολύ οικείο μου είναι το Μοναστηράκι και ιδιαίτερα αυτό το σημείο που διάλεξες για φωτογράφιση.Το παλιό τζαμί που τώρα νομίζω λειτουργεί σαν Μουσείο Κυκλαδικής τέχνης δεσπόζει της παριοχής με την Ακρόπολη στο βάθος να συμπληρώνει το όλο σκηνικό.

Σε χαιρετώ,Δάνος

COSTANTINO (42744) 2013-03-09 0:19

Γεια σου Ουρανια,
Πολυ ομορφο κάδρο απο το γραφικό Μοναστηράκι,
με εντυποσιακά χρώματα αρκετή ευκρίνεια,
καικαλο POV,Καλο σαββατοκύριακο,
χαιρετισμούς,
Costantino

mirosu (5507) 2013-03-09 23:29

Hi Ourania,
Excellent photo. The perfectly lighted church is the main focal point of this photo. There is a great use of depth of field to hold the viewer in the foreground people as well as the church in BG, and the excellent lighting conditions have allowed for very good color saturation. The overall impact is very strong. Very well done.

Gigidusud (7944) 2013-03-10 15:04

Ciao Ourania,
Una bella scena su questa splendida piazza con una bellissima architettura.Ottimo POV e luce piacevole.Mi piace molto!
Un caro saluto,
Gigi.

elenimavrandoni (5789) 2013-03-19 21:52

Ουρανία, τι όμορφο να βλέπω μια φωτογραφία απο το Μοναστηράκι με θεα την Ακρόπολη κιόλας!Φαίνεται και το ξεκίνημα της Πανδρόσου και ο κόσμος να περπατάει σε μια τόσο όμορφη γειτονιά!
Αναμνήσεις γλυκειές και αξέχαστες!
να είσαι πάντα καλά, καλη σου μέρα!
Ελένη

baddori (18984) 2013-04-12 23:15

Ourania
Tocchi il mio limite. Incapacità (mentale) di fotografare luoghi con passanti e persone.
L'estate , la mia pigriza di uscire in certe ore, le alte luci..... Da un lato ti capisco e condivido questa immagine animata e ticca di "vita" .
GF