Morning Paddle, Kos Greece Circa 1990

Morning Paddle, Kos Greece Circa 1990

Every so often, an old photograph resurfaces and transports me back decades. Today it was this black-and-white frame from Kos, captured around 1991 when I was still a young man wandering Greece with a camera slung over my shoulder.

There isn’t a long backstory to this one — just an early summer morning when I noticed a local lady stepping into the water for a paddle, cooling off before the day grew too hot. The scene struck me immediately for its quiet simplicity. Palm trees swayed in the distance, castle walls framed the backdrop, and everything seemed to balance perfectly. Stripped of colour, the composition became even more timeless. Monochrome has that effect — it removes distraction and reveals essence.

Looking at it now, what I love most is its honesty. It wasn’t staged, it wasn’t planned — it was just life unfolding in front of me, and me being lucky enough to catch it. Those are the kinds of photographs that stay with you.

Somewhere in my home, there are a dozen or so boxes filled with thousands of rolls of film from those years. Every time I stumble across one, I tell myself that one day I’ll sit down, scan them properly, and relive those moments frame by frame. The truth? Finding the time might be as mythical as some of the Greek legends themselves! But maybe that’s part of the charm — knowing there are still stories waiting to be rediscovered.

This little image from Kos is one of them, a reminder of where I started, and why I’ve never stopped chasing the balance between light, place, and story.

"Where Antiquity Whispers"

The stories and meditative moments behind capturing ancient light.

Join us in the Collective and to be first to know when this video series launches.

Link In Bio

https://bit.ly/4lRX4m0