Huge thanks for Alex Fruehsamer for the proofread and edit of this long piece:

The life of a freelancer relies heavily on one’s ability to make their own effective schedule. Sometimes you are able to build routine, other times it is a totally wild and random sequence of life and work events, effectively ruining any semblance of routine. Finding your creative flow and being able to capitalize on personal projects requires strategic planning around free time (or work time) to accomplish projects that are meaningful and important. Sometimes, in between personal projects, a freelancer can find themselves in no man’s land, where all effective production has come to a grinding halt. In an effort to break this “writer’s block” of photography, I have been electing to hunt abroad for stories unheard or under-explored in hopes of broadening my horizons or potentially even gaining a new mid-to-long term creative project.

A while back, I had decided that the next place I would visit during some down time would be Greece. I would purposefully have little to no plan, which would force me to become comfortable with the uncomfortable. I have lauded photography fixers for some time now, finding them to be a strong key to a successful cultural photography trip, but this trip would be different. I would need to find and make connections, sometimes many a day, in hopes of learning, seeing and photographing in a style that I can be proud of. I will say up front that this approach probably yielded me less results than a “normal” trip, but in some ways I am more proud of the work that I made since it was much harder to obtain. Even though it was originally only Greece on my radar, I also ended up adding North Macedonia. Feel free to follow along for a comprehensive recap of 2+ weeks abroad in 2 countries with 2 languages, 2 currencies, 2 separate cultures and 1 stoked photographer.

MARYLAND + NYC

Barn in rural Maryland. Mamiya 67, Portra 800

A little precursor to this story begins in rural Maryland about 5 days before my plane was set to depart from JFK airport in New York, USA. I was on a work trip with Mountain Outpost flying drones for the livestream of the JFK 50 miler- aka “America’s Oldest Trail Race.” Without diving into too many specifics, I had been in a pretty large personal rut for several months preceding me boarding my 5am plane out of Reno. After landing in Baltimore and driving to our crew Airbnb, things took a turn for the better in only the way this random world can provide. The next few days were excellent, to say the least, spending it with really good friends for work and concluding with a half-marathon run with the same amazing people across the Williamsburg Bridge and through the streets of Manhattan. For this then-NYC-virgin, it was a near-spiritual experience to be among the city of endless history and magic, solely on foot, for the first time. I even made it to Mecca, aka B&H Photo, which I nearly missed my flight for in order to stay a few minutes longer. Just before racing away from the Mountain Outpost van in the Brooklyn Pediatric Hospital parking lot where my gear was stored, I gave my last $100 bill to my friend and strong athlete Heidi Allen, who had driven all the way out from Arizona without a wallet. I had every intention to replace this, but it never happened and damn near caused me some issues once I got to the capital of North Macedonia, Skopje. More on that in the next piece. In the meantime, I arrived just on time at the United check in window to get my bags submitted before the 90-minute international cutoff, but content as ever. Little did I know, the series of endless coincidences that began on this work trip would continue for the next several weeks and open me up to incredible opportunities abroad. Off to Greece…

GEAR

I’m starting this one out with the gear talk near the beginning since I picked up some entirely new gear for this shoot. A week or so prior to leaving, I grabbed a Fuji GFX 100sII digital medium format beast with a 55mm f1.7, 110mm f/2 and 20-35mm f/4 lens. As a lifelong Canon shooter, this would for sure be a test, learning a whole new camera system on the fly with no Canon backup in my bag. I also decided to bring my Mamiya 67 medium format film camera with a 65mm f/4.5, 127mm f/3.7 and 180mm f/4.5 lens. I also brought lots of film… too much film. I ended up shooting way less than intended, about 10 rolls overall, but I sort of chalk it up to better to have it and not need it, then need it and not have it. Primarily, I brought Gold 200, Portra 160, 400 and 800, Ilford HP5+ 400 and one or two rolls of Ektar 100, which I did not end up using at all. I shot 50/50 color and B+W between 2 different film backs, and for sure in the future I would be content just bringing two film stocks: P800 and HP5+ 400. Portra 800 really shoots more like a 400 or 500 iso stock, but coupled with ND filters, it is definitely the most versatile stock in my bag. Bringing only 2 stocks would also limit the amount of film I brought in order to open up some precious bag space. I also brought my not-so-small aluminum Benro tripod and 3-axis head, plenty of filters, a light stand, my flash head and Aputure modifier, and well as my laptop, chargers, SSDs and more odds and ends. I have tons of ideas on how to slim this down to a more manageable kits, but so far this has been working for me worldwide. It does rely on a whim and prayer that the gate agents won’t make you weigh your carry on. Have your wallet and mind prepared for when/if they do, cause it usually hurts.

GREECE

ATHENS

I was as tired as ever touching down just outside of Athens, Greece, grateful I hadn't missed my connection in Switzerland a few hours before. I had booked an Airbnb close to a centralized train stop, about 30 minutes from the airport. I arrived at my temporary home about an hour before sunset with a plan to spend about 2-3 days at each place of rest. Pretty hungry, I got settled in and decided to go for a walkabout and begin to see what I could see. Unbeknownst to me at the time of booking, I ended up staying in a Pakistani/Bangladeshi neighborhood that most I talked to later about deemed “the most unsafe in Athens.” Thankfully, I didn’t know this until after- but I genuinely had myself a great walkabout and dinner at a lovely little Bangladeshi spot. Ignorance is bliss sometimes. I immediately felt pressure to shoot, since I view travel trips in basically two categories: with friends and alone. When I travel with friends, there is much more focus on the experience with them, generally resembling traditional travel: good food at popular restaurants, sightseeing, chilling, exercise, and the like. When I travel alone, my goal is to do almost the opposite of that in favor of photographing. Of course I want to eat good food, see beautiful sights, chill, and more, but I sort of require myself to make it more intimate. Eat good food not necessarily at a restaurant, but at someone’s home. See something new, but not necessarily popular. Talk to as many people as possible. Cut traditional chill time to a minimum, all in service of an intimate experience that produces valuable photography and indelible memories imprinted on my mind.

Typically, I push for portraiture and other significant photographs during these trips. Surprisingly, the first image I ended up shooting became a new theme for the rest of the trip: automotive photography. They became subjects themselves, each telling a story of a different time. I hope you enjoy the images that I share here as much as the others. Early the next morning on my trip to see a few unmissable, but very popular and historic spots in Athens (the Parthenon, the Acropolis, etc), jet lagged and slightly delirious, I stopped at a cafe to grab a coffee and decided to sit inside. The barista, an Albanian woman named Ida was super kind and knew enough English for us to have a solid conversation. I ended up grabbing a second coffee to go and grabbing my first portrait of the trip. The seal was broken! I made my way downtown to the city center on foot feeling pretty stoked about whatever was to come.

Barista in Athens, Greece. Fuji GFX 100sII, 55mm 1.7 @ 1.7.

ANCIENT SITES

My travels through Greece would take me mostly into Athens and around the Peloponnese, a diverse region of southern Greece often overlooked. The historical significance of Greece is impossible to overstate. There is an old Greek saying that, “Even the goats didn’t walk the roads, only from roof to roof.” Basically, it was so packed and congested that the remnants of days of old are everywhere; If archaeologically-centered construction were to be the priority, nothing would ever get built. The first sites I visited were the Acropolis and, notably, the Parthenon. The Acropolis, an old citadel built high in the city center of Athens, towers around the land below, providing shock and awe, even today. The Parthenon, though clearly visible, remains under construction to restore it to historical prominence.

The outward view from the top of the Acropolis

After touring the Acropolis, I spent time touring around the lower gardens and old ruins, some required payment to enter, some not; The latter I gravitated towards. While heading towards the lower gardens, I came across a Spanish painter named Miguel Dominguez, who was there to get inspired, paint and sell his work with the intention of saving up enough money to open an art studio. He was gracious enough to sit for a photo or two. I did get a proper portrait, but blew the highlights to an unrecoverable level, sigh.

“I am trying to paint more planar. But first in order to create, I must observe my surroundings. I also try to think in Greek if I don’t get too distracted. I’m living here, painting and building savings until I can get an art studio.”

Miguel Dominguez at the Acropolis. Athens, Greece.

I spent the rest of the day in awe of the sites I was around, walking the narrow cobblestone paths and paved streets through the city of Athens. I stopped to ask a stranger where I should eat- he tells me to have Souvlaki at a shop down the way, I don’t hesitate and head straight there for pork skewers, Greek salad and fries. As the sun sets, I make my way back uptown grateful for my first real day abroad.

CORINTH

On the following day, I decided to grab a rental car to continue on my journey instead of trying to manage public transportation, or lack thereof in many cases. This proved to be a wise move, and ended up being incredibly cheap and easy through a company called Discover Cars. Classic with rentals in most other parts of the world, it was a stick, which made me incredibly happy. I learned to drive on a stick and drove one through high school, so each time I get behind the wheel of another, I get pretty jazzed. My first stop was on the coast in beautiful modern-day Corinth. I arrived with enough time to enjoy a beautiful afternoon and evening of warm temps, subtle winds and soft light. I made my way down to the mini city center with prominent statues, fishermen pulling in at the nearby harbor and some generally beautiful scenes around.

The modern day Greece clashes between honor of Christian and Pagan remembrances. In “Nea” Corinth, you stand before the statues of Pegasus, Roman statues and military statues. In Ancient Corinth, you walk the ruins of the Corinthians and stand before where Paul addressed his letters to them. I found both settings to be borderline overwhelming, in a good way. It is pretty magnificent to be on a couple of planes, trains and narrow roads and find yourself in such a place of history. Below are some photos of primarily “Ancient” Corinth, some digital, some film. It was very quiet while I was there, the silence only broken by the occasional fellow traveler that was equally moved as I was.

Ancient Corinth is said to have been occupied as far back as 6500 B.C. and has been perfected, decimated, occupied, rebuilt and every stage in between since then. It’s worth a full read through online from a more reputable history outfit at the very least, but I recommend making a trip yourself just to see it all.

MEETING SAM & GEORGE

During my time walking the ruins of Ancient Corinth, I saw an ornate church in the distance. Having not planned anything after my visit at the ruins site was finished, I figured I would meander over, regroup and figure out my next steps. After a brief rest, I got up and began to head around the corner of the church to see if it was open. When I rounded the corner, I came upon someone who looked obviously Greek, but was dressed much more Western. I greeted him, “Yasas! (Γειά σας)” and he greeted me back, but immediately broke into English with, “wait, where are you from?” Turns out I met a Greek-American from Dayton, Ohio, named Sam. To top it off, he is a documentary filmmaker. He has a home in a village nearby and was just out scouting locations for some upcoming potential workshops. What are the odds?! We ended up having some great conversation and he invited me to a local ceramics shop where the owners recreate ancient-style pottery to museum-quality standards. These are top-tier dedicated artists that spend all day in the studio shaping, painting and finely finishing these pieces for sale. Very impressive!

Ceramic artsits at Mythoplasia. Ancient Corinth, Greece. GFX 100sII

Sam and I parted ways and made plans to meet up the following day with his full-Greek friend George. The plan was to head inland, weather permitting, to Lake Stymfalia. This was unlikely a trip I’d make on my own considering it is decently far, cell service was unreliable, GPS navigation was essentially nonexistent and the heavy forecasted rain often shut the private asphalt (and oftentimes dirt) roads. On our way back, the goal was to stop at a small village where an American-style blues band was to play that evening. Thankfully, the weather cooperated and we made it out to Lake Stymfalia, making several stops along the way to scout for Sam and at my request; Basically whenever I saw something of interest. One of those stops was a dry lake bed, which swells during the major rains. During my visit, Greece had been experiencing worse-than-usual drought conditions, and the lake bed was overrun with tall grasses as it lay dry. Strikingly, these grasses were over 10ft tall. George tells me the government comes through and does certain cutting management in order to aid in flood capacity.

Dry lake bed, North Peloponnese, Greece. GFX 100sII.

Dry lake bed, Interior View, North Peloponnese, Greece. GFX 100sII.

Mamiya 67, Iflord HP5+ 400, 127mm lens - This remnants of this Roman-era church is of a different design than traditional Greek churches. It was guarded by a gate that was conveniently propped open to allow goats to graze, and subsequently, photographs to be made. Below it, a more modern church.

Driving through the unmarked windy streets of the Peloponnese with George and Sam was really special. A light but constant drizzle greeted us every time we made a stop whether to take a photo, smell the Souvlaki on the grill, pray at the Monastery, or walk the food vendor line at Stymfalia. Later in the day, the blues band had us pretty fired up (and properly boozed up) with many rounds of Greek beer. Since I had brought my flash kit, I figured I’d better use it. Up until this point, I had just been working with natural light. Earlier in the day, I mentioned to Sam and George that I wanted to grab a portrait or two of them in the waning light of the day after the blues band had finished. At that last true light, Sam helped me get my kit put together and we popped off a few images. I remember Sam remarking, “Is this all a dream?” He was caught in the same trance I had been since NYC, the coincidence of our meeting, the timing of these events, our lineup of professions; It was nearly too much to handle. Magic was in the air…

George with a drag of his cigarette. Fuji GFX 100sII, 55mm 1.7 @ 1.7.

George and Sam. Thanks for the good times gentleman! Fuji GFX 100sII, 55mm 1.7 @ 2.8.

NAPFLIO

The intense rain had held off during our day trip and all came crashing down as I made my way towards the coast that evening. After departing from Sam and George, I drove about 2 hours to the seaside town of Napflio, said to be one of the most beautiful coastal towns in all of Greece. My time through Napflio, Tolo and the drive back towards Kiato, with stops at some of the ancient Mycenaean ruins, would be some of the most scenic of the whole trip. Napflio, a strategic seaport, is situated in an ocean cirque, the Argolic Gulf, with an undeniable fortified stone fortress, the Palamidi, bearing over the town. Seeing it for the first time when the sun rose was pretty special.

The rains from the day before left lingering clouds that aided in a morning softness and afternoon dramatic shooting conditions.

Napflio Port, Fuji GFX 100sII, 55mm 1.7 @ 1.7.

Built in the late 17th century by the Venetians, the fortress of Palamidi served as a strongpoint during their second occupation and has remained protected since then, though it has since returned to traditional Greek control. It’s highly complex system of tunnels, rooms, cisterns and overlooks speaks to the advanced design and robust construction of its time.

Tunnels of the Palamidi. GFX 100sII, 55mm 1.7.

An Overlook from the Fortress of Palamidi into the interior of Napflio. GFX 100sII, 110mm f2.

Argolic Gulf, Greece. GFX 100sII, 110mm f2.

I spent a majority of my day roaming the Palamidi and surrounding terrain mesmerized; The overlook to the Aegean Sea astounding, the scale unreal. Typically I love getting into water, hot or cold, fresh water or sea water. This particular trip I did have the chance in the beautiful Aegean Sea, however I could not compel myself to do it. The sea was rough and I was pretty much alone, which is the anti-formula for safety, something I am passionate about. In the meantime, the sheer beauty of the scenes before me provided enough fulfillment just through photographing.

Power of the Aegean Sea. Lower Palamidi, Greece. GFX 100sII 55mm 1.7.

The Aegean Sea, in all Her glory. GFX 100sII, 55mm 1.7.

A couple sits on a closed pathway on the lower Palamidi. Napflio, Greece. GFX 100sII, 55mm 1.7.

To make the most of my evening, I headed towards a church that I saw on Google Maps situated in the center of an agricultural zone. I figured I would find something of interest as well as enjoy the sunset before heading back to the Airbnb. Early in my drive to the church, I saw a young woman walking the road, clearly towards it. I went up and parked, and began to walk the grounds to get situated. Eventually, she came up to the church and disappeared inside a small chapel. After she emerged, we got to talking a little bit. She was not willing to sit for a portrait, but she did give me some valuable information about the area and some warnings about dogs in the area that I did not heed, more on that shortly.

Kadett in the Napflio City Center. Napflio, Greece. GFX 100sII, 55mm 1.7.

The road from Napflio up to the Monastery. Fuji 100SII 55mm 1.7 @ 1.7.

The small public prayer chapel. Fuji 100sII, 55mm 1.7 @ 1.7.

All female monastery, outer Napflio, Greece. 100SII 55mm 1.7 @ 5.6.

Below is a photo of a road behind the monastery that led up towards a hillside. The young woman told me that there is a fun hike that she does with friends, but would be avoiding it since she was solo and was afraid of dogs along the way. She told me it was a multi-hour hike, and I assumed that meant at some point into the longer hike you had to deal with dogs. I marched my way up the road a bit to a beautiful overlook of Napflio which happens to sit on an olive farm (and the farmer’s home as well). I made a photo or two and decided to head back down since I was running out of daylight… that’s when the dogs appeared. I heard them before I saw them, but all of the sudden, they were right on me. Full bark, growl, snarl and aggressive stance. I was completely trapped with nothing around me. All I could think to do was to start to back up slowly and make my way closer to a hillside that had thick brush. With each step, the dogs would come closer and I figured any second would be a go-for-my-ankle situation. I had my Fuji in hand and was ready to use it to defend myself. Thankfully I made it to the hillside and started to scrape my way through the brush. The dogs were not following me up, but they were following me laterally. It took a large quantity of schwacking to make it back down the road via the hillside. Some point along that journey, the dogs had decided to give up and returned to their base. I felt grateful since a dog attack would have been really unfortunate for my trip, but I also felt dumb for not heeding the warnings with greater credence. Sigh. At least I made some photos out of it that I am really happy with. Hard to believe I am only 5 days in!

Outer walls of the female monastery. Outer Napflio, Greece. 100SII 55mm 1.7 @ 1.7.

A “portrait” of an olive grove, just before dog appeared out of nowhere. 100SII 55mm 1.7 @ 1.7.

TOLO + SURROUNDING AREAS

Originally I had allotted 2 full days and nights in Napflio, however I forwent one of them to spend the day with George and Sam at Stymfalia. Totally worth it, even though I wish I had more time there. Early the next morning, I drove towards Tolo, another seaside town. I had had this idea of getting onto a fishing boat during a morning catch and being able to document what that looked like. Unfortunately, I did not get to fulfill that, but not for lack of trying. I’m not a shy guy, but it can be really intimidating to approach people living their normal lives and bug them about anything really. I can’t personally stand to even be interrupted about DirecTV or solar panels during a Costco run. Most of the fishermen I approached, even through translating, thought I wanted to fish and basically said, sorry, we aren’t licensed to bring fishing passengers. Tolo was a general bust for photographing people, but did lend itself to some other beautiful photographs, all shot on the Mamiya 67.

I hit the road back North after departing Tolo and opted to take the non-toll option for a more intimate experience. It passed through the heart of farmland and normal blue-collar Greek life. The smell of oranges and other citrus beamed as if one was being opened right next to you. Undulating hills, bright colors and sunlight in and out through clouds made the experience extra memorable. I would end up taking these non-toll roads a lot moving forward, thankfully Google Maps worked a lot better out of the bigger mountains. I must have stopped half a million times, turning a 1.5 hour drive into an all day adventure back towards Kiato.

One of a million citrus groves. Outer Napflio, Greece. Fuji S100II, 55mm 1.7.

Old bug near a VW wasteland, Fuji S100II, 55mm 1.7.

Outer banks of a German-car wasteland. Fuji S100II, 55mm 1.7.

Farmland Interlude. Portra 800, Mamiya 67 127mm.

Traditionally, when I travel, I always try to bring something back handmade or specialty. I was really keen on bringing olive oil and wine back, both amazing options in Greece. Though I had plenty of Greek wine by that point, I hadn’t had a ton of olive oil, so I figured it would be a better option with limited space. On one of the windy roads between stretches of farmland, I found 2 farm stands occupied by only 1 person. I pulled over to check what was available- citrus, wine, olives and olive oil. Perfect. I basically had no space for additional items and requested as small a container as possible (through the use of ChatGPT translate) to the owner of the small farmstand, a woman named Aspas. She brought me across the street to her main home, grabbed a smaller bottle, showed me the trees from where the olives grew and poured me straight-from-the-barrel olive oil. She even stood for a portrait below, a true saint!

Aspas stands by her wine-grape press and keeps an eye on her farmstand. Unknown village, Greece. Fuji 100sII 55mm 1.7 @ 1.7.

I can confirm that the oil is amongst the best I have had and, thankfully, it made it back to the US without any spills.

I had continued good fortune meeting people on this particular day when I passed through a small village a few kilometers down the road. I passed by a beautiful old orange Mercedes truck and saw a man walking in the field towards the road. He had an umbrella with a bag of clothes over his shoulder. He greeted me at my window in Greek, I greeted him back and I utilized my buddy ChatGPT to do the heavy lifting of asking if I could photograph on his property. At first he was very confused, but eventually he agreed and told me to park up the road and walk down. I made some photos of the truck, then shortly after, of him.

Old Mercedes Truck, “still going strong.” Unknown village, Peloponnese, Greece. Fuji S100II, 55mm 1.7.

Portrait of farmer George Sr. Unknown Village, Peloponnese, Greece. Fuji S100II, 55mm 1.7 @ 1.7.

Just after I made his portrait, his son George came out wondering what we were doing. He spoke just enough English that we could get by- mainly I could explain myself. They were both super kind, showed me around and sat for portraits. To top it off, I had decided to wear my Black Diamond brand t-shirt that day (of all days) and George freaked out. “No way? You know black diamond? That is my name on Instagram.” Sure enough, I look him up and there he is. The coincidences just keep flowing.

Portrait of farmer George Jr. Unknown Village, Peloponnese, Greece. Fuji S100II, 55mm 1.7 @ 1.7.

Portrait of a goat. Unknown Village, Peloponnese, Greece. Fuji S100II, 55mm 1.7 @ 1.7.

My final adventure for the day was to stop at several ruins, some dating back to Ancient Greek times and some dating back 2-3x that, known as the Mycenaean period. The Ancient Greeks are to Mycenaeans as we are to Ancient Greece now, which absolutely blew my mind. According to Wikipedia the Mycenaean period represents, “the first advanced and distinctively Greek civilization in mainland Greece with its palatial states, urban organization, works of art, and writing system,” likely dating back to ~2000 yrs BC. I highly recommend reading further on this and going to see for yourself, truly incredible.

Old ruins overlooking a new land. Peloponnese, Greece. Fuji S100II, 55mm 1.7 @ 4.

KIATO + SURROUNDING AREAS

I woke up the next morning early to make it to the fishing harbor in Kiato before the sun came up. I had a similar hope of perhaps finally making it onto a fishing boat. To my surprise, by the time I had arrived, all of the boats had already departed for the day. I waited around a while, finding a few photographs in the in-between moments and during a light sprinkle.

Kiato Harbor fishing equipment awaiting deployment. Peloponnese, Greece. Fuji S100II, 20-35mm F4 @ f4.

A duck swims in the Kiato Harbor. Peloponnese, Greece. Fuji S100II, 55mm, 1.7 @ 1.7.

Early morning gloom at the Kiato Harbor. Peloponnese, Greece. Fuji S100II, 55mm, 1.7 @ 1.7.

As soon as the fishing boats started to pull in, the harbor became bustling with people looking to purchase the fresh catch. The fishermen would dock, unload, and immediately start sorting and processing their catch by hand. At this point, many others had been curious as to what a young guy with a bright orange backpack and a camera around his neck was doing. Thankfully, I took some advice from my newfound friend Sam and decided I wouldn’t “photograph like a thief” - basically, you gotta just get in there and get to work. Trying to make photos from afar was frowned upon, and is typically not my style anyway. Through broken English and general signaling of things, I was welcomed into the group and began to make a few photos.

A fisherman prepares his catch of the day. Peloponnese, Greece. Fuji S100II, 55mm, 1.7 @ 1.7.

A fisherman readies his equipment and prepares his catch of the day. Peloponnese, Greece. Fuji S100II, 55mm, 1.7 @ 1.7.

Fisherman prepare fishing equipment before departing shore. Peloponnese, Greece. Fuji S100II, 55mm, 1.7 @ F4.

A group of retired Greek men confers with a fisherman. Peloponnese, Greece. Fuji S100II, 55mm, 1.7 @ 1.7.

The nonpatrons, other than myself, typically hanging around were a group of older retired guys mixed with workers of various sorts. They brought me into their group and one of the guys, Costas, ordered me a freddo espresso, or sweetened espresso over ice, delivered by a guy on a moped about 10 minutes after they called it in. As was customary, he would not let me pay for it. They all had plenty of shit talk amongst themselves as they moved through aiding the fishermen with work chores. Eventually Costas addressed the group and said he needed to depart and gave me his strongest English, “good to meet you, I go now.” Costas, a municipal tree worker in Kiato, would come back around a few more times that morning to check on us and catch up. He was as nice as they come.

“Sure, I’m not ugly, take a photo of me,” says Costas as he sits for a portrait. Fuji 100sII 55mm 1.7 @ 1.7.

Thankful that the sun came out, I gained the courage to head inland solo after my outing to Stymfalia a few days prior. I really wanted to learn more about the olive harvest, since I was there at harvest time. I figured I would drive until I saw some harvesters, park, talk and rinse and repeat until someone wanted to show me around. It only took talking to 2 people before landing on a brother and sister who were harvesting their family’s plot of olive trees. Perfectly, they also spoke excellent English since they were born and raised in Athens. They took me throughout the grove, showed me how the electric handheld tree shakers sent the olives down onto tarps for easy collection, and how they rolled the tarps up to concentrate them and dump them into a big hopper. That hopper was connected to bags that would get filled and then sent to the processing plant down the road. They were not interested in portraits of them, but they did allow me a few photos of their grove and some of the equipment.

They shared with me the challenge of operating their near century-old purely organic (or bio) olive grove with the worsening effects of drought and climate change. They call their grove “true organic” as it isn’t artificially watered, either. The trees get what the trees need, or more lately not, from natural rainfall only. It also is a ton of work for just 2 people to accomplish since they both work regular jobs in the city most days of the week. The last hurdle, though perhaps not viewed as such, is that none of this oil will go for sale, it is just for enjoyment amongst the family.

Olive grove, Peloponnese, Greece. Fuji S100II, 55mm, 1.7 @ 1.7.

Olive grove 2, Peloponnese, Greece. Fuji S100II, 55mm, 1.7 @ 1.7.

Olive grove 3, Peloponnese, Greece. Fuji S100II, 55mm, 1.7 @ 1.7.

That evening was particularly special as they invited me back to their village home for dinner and local wine/beer. We talked, ate, and drank for hours. The amount of available food, and where I seemed to fit it as I ate, was a bit astounding, albeit delicious. Just before I left, they told me I should come back the next day and try to visit the olive oil processing plant in the same town. It is a semi-automatic processing plant that still utilizes a centuries old rolling press, which many in the area consider to be a superior method of processing olives into oil.

The venue itself was rustic and utilitarian, lit by natural lightning which made for some dramatic scenes. When I arrived, I told the shop owner that I had been sent there to see what the process was like. He nodded along and let me walk around while he unloaded a customer's olive delivery. After they finished unloading, the customer left and he fired up the pressing machine for me. Pretty incredible to watch it in action and I’m grateful for how welcoming all of the Greeks were to me on my travels.

Exterior olive oil processing plant, Peloponnese, Greece. Fuji S100II, 55mm, 1.7 @ 1.7.

Color “palette”, Olive oil processing plant, Peloponnese, Greece. Fuji S100II, 55mm, 1.7 @ 1.7.

Getting to work at the olive oil processing plant, Peloponnese, Greece. Fuji S100II, 55mm, 1.7 @ 1.7.

Portrait of an unknown owner. Olive oil processing plant, Peloponnese, Greece. Fuji S100II, 55mm, 1.7 @ 1.7.

Unknown olive oil processing equipment, Peloponnese, Greece. Fuji S100II, 55mm, 1.7 @ 1.7.

Olive oil press, Peloponnese, Greece. Fuji S100II, 55mm, 1.7 @ 4.

Portrait of an unknown customer. Olive oil processing plant, Peloponnese, Greece. Fuji S100II, 55mm, 1.7 @ 1.7.

RAIL TRAVEL

I left the processing plant and began my journey back toward Athens to drop off my rental car and make my way north via rail. I had all kinds of unknowns ahead but it gave me the perfect time to slow down, decompress and reflect on the prior week of loaded adventuring throughout a micro-portion of a big, beautiful country. I had a glass half-full approach to train travel and took the ~6 hour estimated travel from Athens to Florina, Greece, as gospel. Sometimes ignorance is bliss! I departed a downtown Athens station around 2pm and began to work my way North. All travel was pretty smooth until I hit that initial 6-hour mark. I was still far from my destination, hitting the station in Plati after 8-9 hours of travel, where I was initially told to switch trains. When we arrived at Plati station, we were informed that since we were so late, the train to Florina had already come and gone for the night- and to boot, there were no accommodations to speak of. 5 of us piled into the only taxi available and were carted West to Alexandria, and I was dropped at the only hotel available…

Alexandria from my hotel balcony, Ilford Hp5+ 400, Mamiya 67.

The next morning, after my heinous 1.5 mile walk through the rain, dragging my wheeled equipment over the cobblestone streets, I made it to Alexandria station. I was the only one there for a while, until an older gentleman named Vangelis Viskolo joined me at the platform waiting for the mythical 2nd train. I had a couple hours to kill, so I went around shooting some film photos of the station, it gave off big vibes of “the old days.” I had also purchased some food from a little grocery store across from my hotel and made some time to eat since my normal food schedule was way out of whack. After a couple hours of waiting, shooting, snacking and making small acquaintance with Vangelis, the woman at the ticket counter came out to tell us that the train would be delayed “an unknown amount of time” and “would only take us a few stations” aka not really what you want to hear. Through gestures, ChatGPT and very limited English, Vangelis told me he was going to take off and try to get a taxi a few towns over. That wasn’t going to work for me, so I decided to stay put. I regretted that I didn’t sit him down for a portrait, he was so kind to me and genuinely concerned for me and my “ambitious goals.” Just before he left, he asked me through the translator if the same problems existed in America, and before I could answer, he thought out loud, “probably not,” and left… if only he knew we weren’t so dissimilar.

Alexandria Station Interior, Portra 800, Mamiya 67.

Alexandria Station Exterior, Ilford Hp5+ 400, Mamiya 67.

Old Railway Switch, Alexandria Station, Ilford Hp5+ 400, Mamiya 67.

After about 30 minutes of solo contemplation of what to do with my day (and my general plan) if the train never arrived, Vangelis came strolling back through, to my surprise. He couldn’t quite find another way West and decided to wait with me until the bitter end. With both of us looking to kill time, I finally had the opportunity to shoot a few portraits of him. He also wanted a selfie on his phone, which we took. He also wanted my phone number and kept saying, “I call you tomorrow (to check in).” After hours of delays, Vangelis perks up, a hand to his ear and points down the track. We have a train!

Portrait of Vangelis Viskolo. Alexandria Station, Greece. GFX 100sII, 55 1.7 @ 1.7.

Portrait of Vangelis Viskolo on train watch. Alexandria Station, Greece. GFX 100sII, 55 1.7 @ 1.7.

Vangelis Viskolo checks back on me to make sure I make it. Alexandria Station, Greece. GFX 100sII, 55 1.7 @ 1.7.

As I live-posted my saga to Instagram, my friend David Yousling made sure to remind me that, “at least I wasn’t on a bus.” Two train stops later, the conductor comes through to inform the cabins that the train would be coming to a stop and we would be shuttled onto a bus. Something about too much snow on the tracks… Thanks, David. 😜 Like a Tim Burton fever dream, the blue-tinted windows shone through a cold and bleak winter landscape. Our route followed the train tracks which, true to their word, were properly covered in snow. When the bus pulled into the Florina train station, I decided to bust a move for the border of Greece/North Macedonia while I still had some daylight. Though the driver didn’t speak any English, “taxi” and “Bitola” are common enough in the border town to be understood. He made a call, and a taxi driver showed up about 5 minutes later to take me across the border and into Bitola, North Macedonia. As nightfall approached and the rain picked up on my second full travel day, I thought about the joys of travel and how many positive and incredibly magic moments happen in the unexpected. As I sat in the next train station in Bitola, in a new country with a new language, people, currency, and customs, all while digesting an incredible 10 days in Greece, I wondered what sort of story I would have for Vangelis the next day when he called…

A woman waits to board the Hellenic Train at Edessa Station, Greece. GFX 100sII, 55 1.7 @ 1.7.

CONCLUSIONARY NOTES

Originally, I had intended to merge both Greece and North Macedonia sections, but it was quickly evident that was going to be too long. I plan to post a follow up with North Macedonia in the coming weeks. I will leave a hare-brained, totally incomplete list of some notes below, split between some technical and general conclusions, and just some good old-fashioned thoughts.

What went well:

Holafly Esims were super easy, much cheaper than my provider’s international plan.
Successfully travelled to 2 countries with little planned, made away with different style of images than normal, but ones that I am proud of
Not too many people out and about because it is off season, made for a more unique experience
Didn’t get charged for overweight luggage, often a concern, especially on smaller airlines and my heavy-ass bags
Cheaper travel destinations, comparative to the US and rest of Europe
Didn’t lose anything or have anything stolen, big win!
People were AMAZING! Honestly, unbelievably special and what makes any travel worth it
I didn’t have as much control as I wanted/normally desire but I was more at ease than ever. Mental work was happening!
Chat GPT worked mostly well for quick translating
DiscoverCars was an awesome service, very easy and relatively cheap. Solid customer service
Super grateful I brought my whole wallet after considering not. Not sure why I did, I just /did/, it felt right. Would have been royally screwed if I had brought my normal travel card, more on that in the next segment.
Too many amazing coincides happened for such little planning. “Planning is everything, the plan itself is shit”
I love the shit out of my FStop Tilopa 50L, but it’s a big bright orange bag. I could probably get away which a 30L bag, especially a black one to draw less attention

What went less well:

Brought way too much film, live and learn - I will likely only bring Portra 800 and an ND filter kit in the future. Very adaptable.
Shitty lightning connector made phone charging difficult + no usb a port in the car
Barely used my flash, still glad I had it but situations were too dynamic to make normal use of it. I need a smaller flash, also, 600 W/s is a big boy for travel
Tripod was quite excessive, need a lighter one
Rb67 sooo heavy for travel, but pretty much a 6x7 king
Film 🎞️ got scanned thru lots of X-rays. Thankfully, nothing horrible happened
Did not need the pack towel that I brought
Picked up some souvenirs to bring home. Picked some heavy items…
Found myself in some bad neighborhoods by accident a few times. That could have been bad, so I was told retrospectively
Gave my cash away in US to a friend in NYC and forgot to replace it before leaving
My equipment hauling setup worked for a long while, but lately it has been getting cumbersome. I think there are much better solutions that I would like to build out.
Fuji files were huge and my laptop struggled to keep up. Might need a new one

Thanks for sticking around. Until next time!

—Mitch

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GREECE: A Search for Stories + First Time in NYC!