Christos Aggelidis has been specialized the past few years in wedding photography and is an active member in photographic communities such as Fearless Photographers and Wedding Photography Select. He has been awarded in great competitions as in Photo Wedding Stories and in I Shot It by LEICA, in wedding photography, portraits and landscapes.
He felt the need to establish fotomoments4u.gr, in which his whole team of expert artists and himself are specialized in both photography and videography, trying to make your personal moments to stay unchanged in time.
In the interview that follows he will speak for what he loves the most, imprinting and sharing your own feelings through his own lens and that of his associates.
Teleiosgamos.gr: Out of all the sorts of artistic photography how did wedding photography manage to attract you? What made it stand out among all the other choices you had?
Christos Aggelidis: Nice question! The truth is that since I was a little boy I enjoyed to shoot photos and by doing this to be able to hold my life’s moments in paper. Initially I took up other kinds of photography until the time I was assigned my first wedding photography some years ago. That was enough to win my heart once and for all! The way the couple trusts you for such an important moment in their life and the fact that you want to do whatever is best and creative, overcoming yourself is a thrilling experience. I like the fact that through my personal look I manage to captivate the moment of emotion, of joy, of anxiety and to be imprinted for a lifetime offering superb memories to the couples who place their trust in me!
TG. How would you describe your style in wedding and christening photography?
Christos Aggelidis:I try to observe all the circumstances creating images which will be imbedded in the couple’s memory, without interfering most of the times. Then again the awkward moments of the people who are to be photographed make me intervene in the process, giving guidelines which affect the final outcome in cases like bride’s and groom’s preparation and after wedding photo shooting. T.G It is accustomed to be various photo opportunities besides the wedding and the reception ceremony. For instance which one would you recommend for a couple to do definitely between engagement photography, pre-wedding, bridal and groom preparation, next day shooting etc?
Christos Aggelidis:Each one of the above photo shootings have their charm in a love story I will tell photographically not only by my photos but by the album as well. What I consider critical and I would recommend without hesitation, apart from the wedding and the reception is the photo shooting of the bridal and groom preparations and after wedding photography.
From the preparations you may observe and “steal” through your lens the sweet excitement of the parents, the friends’ jokes to the groom, the admiration and joy of the brides’ friends and many other details that have their own value in your wedding story!
I would define after wedding photography as one of the most creative parts of a wedding and that because of the fact that this day you will be relaxed and relieved from the stress of this important day.
T.G How do you advise photographically a couple for their wedding day? What should hey do in that specific day in order to have beautiful photos and live the moment?
Christos Aggelidis:The most important part for a couple is to send down their stress and live their moments one by one because they cannot be repeated and have absolute trust to the professionals who will take up the ceremony. Trust is certainly earned and not demanded. My associates and I face every wedding as a challenge which needs absolute professionalism and good understanding.
The preparations with us start by making the first appointment and go on with the constant communication with the couple. Prior to their wedding we have made two or three appointments so as to meet each other and discuss some details that will contribute to the final result.
There is one thing of course which is of great importance and that is the communication and the special relationship that will be developed among the photographer and the couple. Getting to the church and in the preparations i try to be their friend Christos and not the photographer.
T.G With the spreading of smartphones, tablets, facebook and instagram, it is noted that many times that there are friends of the couple who take action online. They are photographing and posting with hashtag or not. What could that mean for the work of a professional photographer who has taken up the wedding?
Christos Aggelidis:In present time most of us have a least one camera either as a hobby or most likely in our cell phones. I will answer this question with a question. Do you think that if you had a tennis racket you would be Roger Federer or are we all like Michael Shumacher just because we are behind a wheel?
This of course is a rhetorical question because there is no comparison to them since they have dedicated their whole life in this. The couple has given an amount of money to the photographer, expecting to get better photographs than the ones that the friends are going to take. And that is for sure!! Unfortunately at some point when the moment is perfect the friend’s mobile is going to be photographed as well not to mention that he will stand in the way in many cases!
T.G What would you like couples who visit you for the first time to know in advance?
Christos Aggelidis:In a number of occasions couples are not interested not even in meeting the photographer but are concerned only about the price. So in this case a simple e-mail wil have to do where you must present your work and of course be the cheapest one.
Your wedding and your children’s christening are unrepeated facts in your life. So they have to be faced individually as a unique fact with the proper level of importance.
Starting with our first appointment we listen carefully how you imagine your wedding to be and we plan it in every possible detail, adding our own touch and aesthetics to make it a unique story that you will show to your children in the years to come.
T.G Which wedding or christening photography will you not forget in your life and why?
Christos Aggelidis:The wedding of Elisavet and Panagiotis which took place in February 2015 in Athens. They are two young people with elevated aeshetics,sense of humour and cheer, introduced to me by Vicky ( Weddings organizer).
The came to my office and from the beggining we shared an amazing atmosphere and communication and that was trully remarkable. From the first appointment i sensed the friendly mood which existed later in both their wedding and after wedding photo shooting. There was such an intimacy that the groom in their wedding reception took my camera after a while to let me dance! He did the same to my partner who was holding the video camera. At last we were embodied in the reception as we were guests.
The cheer and humour was also present in the after wedding photo shooting and video filming that took place in Plaka and Herodium theatre. It was a great result based in trust and cheer of the couple!