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Sultan Murat, Trabzon, Turkey, July 2001 O YIORIKAS KAI PANIKAS In memory of my first journey to Trabzon, Turkey, (Pontos, land of my ancestors), I wanted to recognize my first travel partners, Yiorgos Sofianidis (Pontian singer/right) from Kozani, Greece and Panika Savvidis (left) also of Kozani, Greece. While Yiorgos Sofianidis continues to keep traditional (Pontian/Black Sea) music alive, our dear friend Panika Savvidis was sadly lost to cancer a few years ago. In this photo of the two of them, on that first epic journey, this photograph captures the love of Pontian music and culture shared by both; One, a dance & music instructor, the other a performer. Together, they stand for all Pontians as a symbol of pride.

Sultan Murat, Trabzon, Turkey, July 2001

O YIORIKAS KAI PANIKAS

In memory of my first journey to Trabzon, Turkey, (Pontos, land of my ancestors), I wanted to recognize my first travel partners, Yiorgos Sofianidis (Pontian singer/right) from Kozani, Greece and Panika Savvidis (left) also of Kozani, Greece. While Yiorgos Sofianidis continues to keep traditional (Pontian/Black Sea) music alive, our dear friend Panika Savvidis was sadly lost to cancer a few years ago. In this photo of the two of them, on that first epic journey, this photograph captures the love of Pontian music and culture shared by both; One, a dance & music instructor, the other a performer. Together, they stand for all Pontians as a symbol of pride.

4 months ago  6 notes View Larger Image

Irvington Ave. Drexel Hill, PA….December 2011 CHRISTMAS STREET, USA….. Looking to capture the Christmas season light for “COSMOS PHILLY”, I decided to head to a neighborhood in Drexel Hill, PA. where brick row homes and singles are decorated holiday lights. With camera on tripod,  I waited for evening light to drop and compose (filling the frame). Instead of shooting straight on,  I chose to shoot from a right angle added depth and leading lines took your eyes from front to back. Like last months shot of boat house row, but different, I wanted to capture the changing light of the day. But instead of recomposing and using light for a second shot, a wonderful moment made itself available. I heard the sound of children and  quickly changed to video mode and captured a neighborhood moment. That video clip will be featured in a few days on “Cosmos Philly” (http://www.facebook.com/cosmosphilly).

Irvington Ave. Drexel Hill, PA….December 2011

CHRISTMAS STREET, USA…..

Looking to capture the Christmas season light for “COSMOS PHILLY”, I decided to head to a neighborhood in Drexel Hill, PA. where brick row homes and singles are decorated holiday lights. With camera on tripod,  I waited for evening light to drop and compose (filling the frame). Instead of shooting straight on,  I chose to shoot from a right angle added depth and leading lines took your eyes from front to back. Like last months shot of boat house row, but different, I wanted to capture the changing light of the day. But instead of recomposing and using light for a second shot, a wonderful moment made itself available. I heard the sound of children and  quickly changed to video mode and captured a neighborhood moment. That video clip will be featured in a few days on “Cosmos Philly” (http://www.facebook.com/cosmosphilly).

5 months ago  2 notes View Larger Image

Upper Darby, PA. Nov. 2011 Pontian club house “Akritai”, Children sleep on, while musicians and fans, of Pontian music dance and sing. The 72nd annual Pontian weekend, held in suburban Philadelphia’s club house and local church hall saw record numbers come out this year. Singer Giannis Kourtidis of Greece toured the east coast of USA for two weeks performing in local club houses and dance to record numbers. For more photos, see: http://www.facebook.com/cosmosphilly

Upper Darby, PA. Nov. 2011

Pontian club house “Akritai”, Children sleep on, while musicians and fans, of Pontian music dance and sing. The 72nd annual Pontian weekend, held in suburban Philadelphia’s club house and local church hall saw record numbers come out this year. Singer Giannis Kourtidis of Greece toured the east coast of USA for two weeks performing in local club houses and dance to record numbers. For more photos, see: http://www.facebook.com/cosmosphilly

5 months ago  8 notes View Larger Image

Chester/Upland, Pa., USA, Oct 2011 Blow Out! Widener University’s homecoming football game was no football game at all. Instead, it was a one sided trouncing, Widener U. 70, Kings College 0. Instead of focusing on the game, I chose to capture the acrobatic display of the Widener cheerleaders that kept the audience’s attention with their whirling midair tosses.

Chester/Upland, Pa., USA, Oct 2011

Blow Out!

Widener University’s homecoming football game was no football game at all. Instead, it was a one sided trouncing, Widener U. 70, Kings College 0. Instead of focusing on the game, I chose to capture the acrobatic display of the Widener cheerleaders that kept the audience’s attention with their whirling midair tosses.

7 months ago  3 notes

Asbury Park, New Jersey, USA, September 2011 BLESSING THE WATERS The Greek Orthodox community gathered this past Sunday for a Blessing of the Waters ceremony that was hosted by the Holy Metropolis of New Jersey. From Philadelphia to NY people came for the religious services which was highlighted by  it’s traditional tossing of the cross into the Atlantic ocean by His Eminence, Metropolitan Evangelos of New Jersey. Teenagers in boy and girl categories dove in for the honor of being the first one to retrieve the cross to his eminence. 

Asbury Park, New Jersey, USA, September 2011

BLESSING THE WATERS

The Greek Orthodox community gathered this past Sunday for a Blessing of the Waters ceremony that was hosted by the Holy Metropolis of New Jersey. From Philadelphia to NY people came for the religious services which was highlighted by  it’s traditional tossing of the cross into the Atlantic ocean by His Eminence, Metropolitan Evangelos of New Jersey. Teenagers in boy and girl categories dove in for the honor of being the first one to retrieve the cross to his eminence. 

8 months ago  5 notes

Caykara, Trabzon, Turkey, 2001 A Pontian Muslim  couple sits for a portrait in their home  while photographs of their family mirror their lives in black and white.  Traveling in to the hills and mountains of this region, Pontic Greek is spoken widely and more often among the senior members of the community.  

Caykara, Trabzon, Turkey, 2001

A Pontian Muslim  couple sits for a portrait in their home  while photographs of their family mirror their lives in black and white.  Traveling in to the hills and mountains of this region, Pontic Greek is spoken widely and more often among the senior members of the community.  

8 months ago  19 notes

Swarthmore, PA, USA, 2011 Freshman Orientation Candle ceremony. 300 plus Freshman students attended the late day ceremony that was started some 15 years ago. With a long history of tradition at Swarthmore, the evening concluded with the singing of the school alma matter and a hand shake.  

Swarthmore, PA, USA, 2011

Freshman Orientation Candle ceremony. 300 plus Freshman students attended the late day ceremony that was started some 15 years ago. With a long history of tradition at Swarthmore, the evening concluded with the singing of the school alma matter and a hand shake.  

9 months ago  4 notes View Larger Image

West Milford, New Jersey, 2011 BELL CHIME RINGS IN PROCESSION FOR PONTIAN GREEKS At the Holy Institution of Panagia Soumela in West Milford, NJ, USA Pontian Greeks gathered over the weekend for (dormition of the Virgin Mary) religious services. The Friday evening services started with the traditional Pontian celebrations, after the evening divine liturgy and the procession of the icon.   Followers came by buses form the Pontian Club ‘Komnini’ in New York, the Pontian Society “Pontos” in Connecticut and from the Pontian Society “Akrites” in Philadelphia. Other members of the community also came from Canada.

West Milford, New Jersey, 2011

BELL CHIME RINGS IN PROCESSION FOR PONTIAN GREEKS

At the Holy Institution of Panagia Soumela in West Milford, NJ, USA Pontian Greeks gathered over the weekend for (dormition of the Virgin Mary) religious services. The Friday evening services started with the traditional Pontian celebrations, after the evening divine liturgy and the procession of the icon.   Followers came by buses form the Pontian Club ‘Komnini’ in New York, the Pontian Society “Pontos” in Connecticut and from the Pontian Society “Akrites” in Philadelphia. Other members of the community also came from Canada.

9 months ago 

AMASTRIS MAGAZINE, July 2011 AMASTRIS (magazine)  is a Pontian magazine (BlackSea), published monthly in Thessaloniki, Greece. It’s aim is to feature, the history, culture and all related matter to Pontian culture. Στιγμεσ (moments), has been my end of magazine feature page for the last year, where I feature images from my documentary work about Pontian culture.  Amastris (in Greek Aμαστρις; killed c. 284 BC), also called Amastrine, was the daughter of Oxyathres, the brother of the Persian king Darius III.[1   If your interested in Black Sea culture this is the magazine that will give you an insightful understanding about it’s history and current culture that is 3000 years old…..you can subscribe and I reccomend it. Here’s their facebook page:  http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=171005075292&ref=ts

AMASTRIS MAGAZINE, July 2011

AMASTRIS (magazine)  is a Pontian magazine (BlackSea), published monthly in Thessaloniki, Greece. It’s aim is to feature, the history, culture and all related matter to Pontian culture. Στιγμεσ (moments), has been my end of magazine feature page for the last year, where I feature images from my documentary work about Pontian culture.  Amastris (in Greek Aμαστρις; killed c. 284 BC), also called Amastrine, was the daughter of Oxyathres, the brother of the Persian king Darius III.[1  

If your interested in Black Sea culture this is the magazine that will give you an insightful understanding about it’s history and current culture that is 3000 years old…..you can subscribe and I reccomend it. Here’s their facebook page:  http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=171005075292&ref=ts

9 months ago  7 notes View Larger Image

Ai-Sir, Trabzon, Turkey, August, 2007 KARADENIZ! KARADENIZ! He makes a living driving a bus. For the last 20 years he’s been driving around the coast line of the Black Sea delivering everything from tourists to furniture. I sat with him for 3 days as I journeyed from Greece into Turkey.   He shared his stories of his journey’s in to Russia, Ukraine, and Georgia all those years.   His name is Sofocles and he hails from the city of Thessaloniki, Greece. But his roots are from Pontos. He speaks the language fluently but he never ventured in to the mountains of Pontos; but this time, on his first visit into the hills he certainly felt at home.  I can’t tell you all that he said (!2%!*)as I took this photo, but the words that stuck to my head and I will never forget, were, “karadeniz, karadeniz!!!!.  

Ai-Sir, Trabzon, Turkey, August, 2007

KARADENIZ! KARADENIZ!

He makes a living driving a bus. For the last 20 years he’s been driving around the coast line of the Black Sea delivering everything from tourists to furniture. I sat with him for 3 days as I journeyed from Greece into Turkey.   He shared his stories of his journey’s in to Russia, Ukraine, and Georgia all those years.   His name is Sofocles and he hails from the city of Thessaloniki, Greece. But his roots are from Pontos. He speaks the language fluently but he never ventured in to the mountains of Pontos; but this time, on his first visit into the hills he certainly felt at home.  I can’t tell you all that he said (!2%!*)as I took this photo, but the words that stuck to my head and I will never forget, were, “karadeniz, karadeniz!!!!.  


9 months ago 

Trabzon, Turkey, August 2011 It happened again. The Turkish government for the second year in a row, opened its doors to the famed Monastery Panagia Soumela for Greek Orthodox services. Deemed a historical site, the Greek Orthodox monastery had been closed for 88 years. For the second year in a row now, the monastery has been opened for the religious service, the Dormition of the Virgin Mary; arguable the largest religious celebration of the year to Christians around the world.

Trabzon, Turkey, August 2011

It happened again.

The Turkish government for the second year in a row, opened its doors to the famed Monastery Panagia Soumela for Greek Orthodox services. Deemed a historical site, the Greek Orthodox monastery had been closed for 88 years. For the second year in a row now, the monastery has been opened for the religious service, the Dormition of the Virgin Mary; arguable the largest religious celebration of the year to Christians around the world.

9 months ago  5 notes

Thrace, Greece, August 2002  Village Oil Wrestling Contest A few times a year along the borders of Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey, summer festivals are enhanced  by village wrestling contests that are attended by locals along all three countries. The events in usually hosted in open fields, where participants pour olive oil over their leather pants and bodies before each match.  Historically, popularized by Turkey’s famed summer contests, this tradition goes as far back to the ancient Greco-Roman wrestling.

Thrace, Greece, August 2002

 Village Oil Wrestling Contest

A few times a year along the borders of Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey, summer festivals are enhanced  by village wrestling contests that are attended by locals along all three countries. The events in usually hosted in open fields, where participants pour olive oil over their leather pants and bodies before each match.  Historically, popularized by Turkey’s famed summer contests, this tradition goes as far back to the ancient Greco-Roman wrestling.

10 months ago  2 notes

About:

Philadelphia based photographer specializing in corporate, public relations, event, editorial and portrait photography.

Bio:

Eleftherios Kostans is an award winning freelance photographer based in the Metropolitan Philadelphia area. He is the staff photographer at Swarthmore College in suburban Philadelphia where he contributes to a variety of publications. Eleftherios worked as a contract photographer with the Philadelphia Inquirer for more than 10 years and was a correspondent to Sipa-Press Photo Agency in New York. His work has appeared in a variety of national and international publications such as Newsweek, Time, People, Paris Match, and Wired magazines.

Working closely with academic organizations, foundations, corporations, and publishing groups, he has produced work on such topics as: Senior Citizens & the Pharmaceutical industry, college student diversity, migrant workers and single parents.

Eleftherios Kostans has explored a variety of subjects and locations from around the world. His personal work around the Black Sea and Eastern Europe focus on Hellenism where he has been documenting Hellenic life. He frequently speaks and exhibits his work on Hellenism and has been named an up and coming photographer by the "Greek American News".

Clients:

Contact:

P.O. Box 1336
Media, Pa. 19063
USA

Phone: 610-574-9873

eleftherios.kostans@gmail.com