“It’s always the same. Sometimes is cloudy, sometimes is not. The night gives me rest, revealing to me that we all come and go without really leaving the vast space which is full of nothing, nothing but you and me, nothing but humanity that loves and hates, laughs and kills under the horror of the starry sky. I sit here in the blackness of this light without knowledge or a bank account, free of character and desires, watching stars self burn to death, cause I have postponed nothing for the future and I have all the present of the world, that no expectation is possible.”
Manos Tzavaras -
Capturing the Cosmos
one photon at a time.
I was born in 1978 from a supernova orgasm that’s why I love astronomy so much. I had a perfect childhood and still have. I consider myself a landscape astrophotographer and a Jedi apprentice! I am based in Athens and I make my living as a dervish spinning in quicksand!
I am married to my beautiful Maria, and every day her smile feels like my own personal sunrise. We love traveling and arranging stars in the sky as we see fit. I have a beautiful sister and a model-like brother. They both live in Sweden and I miss them every day. I often chat with my mother about everything and hang out with my dad, he is a 74-year-old hiker and a painter artist.
At the age of 19, immediately following my mandatory military service, I purchased my first camera. Subsequently, I pursued a degree in photography and successfully obtained my BA from Middlesex University. To make ends meet, I work full-time for a large company, where my responsibilities include ERP planning and scheduling. However, since 2014, I have also been a part-time freelance photographer. My photography work spans across various genres, including apparel photography in a studio setting, portraits, and capturing dance events.
The psychedelic essence of the nighttime experience provides a unique lens through which we can perceive the world and our purpose within it. Unlike daytime, the wonders of the night sky have the potential to break us free from the confines of our brainwashed, dogmatic reality. It's like breaking out of a jail cell. My personal interest in astronomy and night photography was sparked by the passing of comet Ison. Since then, I have joined AES Sparta's “Dios Kouroi” astronomy club and have lost countless hours of sleep pursuing this passion. With my work, I aim to draw attention to the escalating threat of light pollution. The night sky represents the last remaining untamed frontier on our planet, and it's crucial that we take steps to preserve it for future generations.
I use photography as a tool for self-exploration, and as I delve deeper into this practice, I discover more about myself. I find that the process of exploration occurs prior to even picking up the camera, as I search for a subject that evokes my emotions or challenges my perceptions. During my youth, I was an introverted individual who enjoyed writing poetry and studying various philosophical perspectives, including ancient Greek beliefs, Zen Buddhism, and Discordianism. My heart leans towards pantheistic-agnosticism, where I perceive the beauty of nature as divine, but do not believe in a higher power. This battle between my inner self and the chaotic perfection of nature influences a significant portion of my photographic work. My perception of the world is akin to a dream, making it difficult for me to capture objective reality. Instead, I view landscapes as an extension of myself. My photography reflects my own imperfections and appreciation of flawed beauty, which aligns with the wabi-sabi aesthetic.
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