In 2019, the global photography community was deeply saddened by the loss of one of Greece’s greatest photographers, Yannis Behrakis.

Yannis Behrakis passed away far too soon at the age of 58, having already spent many years at the pinnacle of photojournalism.

Just a few days following his passing, I wrote an article on pttl.gr detailing my encounter with Yannis and the significant influence he had on me, both as an individual and as a photographer.

Today, marking the 5th anniversary of his passing, I’m sharing that text on my blog because I believe that, although my words at the time were emotionally influenced by his loss, they remain a true testament to my feelings about the man and the photographer.

The only thing I would like to add is that I truly believe Yannis had much more to offer to the global photography community and our society. I am saddened that young people and photographers will not have the opportunity to meet him and hear first-hand his philosophy as both a human being and a photographer.

I’d also like to share a small, previously untold story about the kind of person Yannis was. During the time when refugees and immigrants were passing through Eidomeni, Greece, trying to travel to Northern Europe, I was volunteering at the camp, transporting food and clothes. At that time, I didn’t have my camera with me, as the purpose was solely to assist those trying to make their journey. However, after the North Macedonian government decided to restrict passage through its territory and control who was travelling, and the Greek authorities opted to limit volunteer access in favor of NGO assistance at the camp, I felt compelled to document the situation with my camera. Of course Yannnis was already there covering the events for Reuters. During those very few days I was there, I not only had the opportunity to see him in action, but also to witness his humanitarian side. I distinctly remember an incident when a pregnant woman fainted. Someone rushed to call the doctors, but at that exact moment, Yannis, without hesitation, ran to the woman’s aid and stayed with her until medical help arrived. That moment is unforgettable to me and answers the longstanding question of whether a photojournalist is there only to capture news or if he should help when able.

First posted on pttl.gr on March 5, 2019.

Perhaps there are very few who could speak about Yannis, both as a photographer and as a person, and I might not be the most suitable one. Nevertheless, I want to write some things about Yannis, which I believe need to be said, even with the emotional charge of his loss, because these are things that would not change even if they needed to be said years later.

I got to know Yannis up close in November 2012, when I participated in the first photojournalism workshop he delivered, which was organized by the Hellenic Centre for Photography in Athens.

Although I had no relation to photojournalism, photographing mostly events, weddings, and all the related activities that the majority of photographers in Greece do to make a living, as soon as I saw the announcement of the workshop, I did not think twice. I wanted to learn what it takes to become a photojournalist, a genre I had not touched at all photographically, and what better way to learn than from an expert in the field, the director of the Reuters photographic department in Greece and the award-winning YannisBehrakis. After all, as photographers, we must constantly explore the various genres of photography and test our strengths, as you never know if you can do a certain type of photography and how well.

Even now, I cannot find the words to describe my first contact with Yannis.

The four days I spent in the same room with him seemed like centuries, but it was one of the few times I was in a classroom and did not wish for the lesson to end.

Personally, I do not have idols and role models, as I believe that each person should strive to become the best version of themselves. However, I greatly admire and often envy those who manage to change our world for the better by helping other people or motivating others to help and trying their hardest to do so.

And I think that Yannis is the best Greek photographer of our time and one of the most important photographers in the world precisely for this reason. His images, the way he captures the moments of other people or situations, make the viewer want to help change things, to end the drama that millions of people live in various corners of the planet. Personally, I do not believe there is another photographer in our country whose impact of their images has such power over so many people. This was especially evident in recent years with the refugee drama in the Aegean islands and in Eidomeni when dozens of Greek and foreign volunteers decided to help, many of them having seen Yannis’ images.

For me, Yannis has described in the best way the profession of the photojournalist saying that as a photojournalist, you are at the heart of the most difficult events to capture reality and present it to the whole world, so that no one can ever say “I did not know.” His mission is to narrate the story, so we, the viewers, can decide what we want to do about it, hoping we will want to do something to stop the pain and misery.

This philosophy exactly describes the way I personally perceive the role of a photojournalist. Because knowing what happens in the world potentially pushes you to act.

Yannis won you over not only with his photographs (which is obvious for anyone involved in photography at any level), but with his word, the movements of his hands, his body posture, his worldview, his desire not just to pass through the planet but to try his best to help others, the less fortunate and oppressed.

Of course, I will never forget the photographic shock I felt (as I imagine the majority who have attended his presentations did) when starting the workshop, he showed us his images and explained in each image, the conditions of the shot and how he thought before pressing the camera button. The amazing thing, though, was that the initial shock was complemented by an even bigger one when after seeing the images we, his students, had taken during the day, within the framework of the workshop and the theme he had given us, the Greek crisis, he immediately understood what we wanted to say with each photo and gave us the appropriate instructions to make that photo better (something that testifies how well he knew the medium of photography). It was the moment you said to yourself, how did he know what I wanted to say with the photo? while also realizing that his instructions indeed would lead to a much better image. The third shock was when he explained the ethics of photojournalism and that a photojournalist should never lose his neutrality or interfere with his environment but must be at the heart of events only to record the truth as it is presented to him, which he must seek through research freed from his personal perceptions.

Certainly, my very good friends, Dimitris and Katerina, who hosted me for 4 nights in their home in Peristeri for the duration of the workshop, can confirm that at the end of each day I described my contact with Yannis as the biggest fan of a great athlete who would blindly follow him at every step.

This, I believe, is the impact of Yannis’ presence and work on those who got to know him up close. He immediately made you not only his friend but also his fan (I think those of us who knew him rejoiced as if we had won the Pulitzer in 2016).

From our acquaintance onwards, I will never forget that the five to six times we met up close in the following years, he always greeted me with a smile and a warm hug, even though he had me as his student for only 4 days. Whenever I asked for his help, whether it be to be a judge in a photography competition for pttlgr or to look at my images and tell me his opinion, he never said he couldn’t or didn’t have time. As much as it was within his power, he would help you.

In Eidomeni in 2015, I had the unique fortune to meet him in action and to see him with his two cameras hanging, covering the anxiety of the refugees. Later in 2016, after he had been awarded the Pulitzer for his images from the refugee drama, I found myself at the Museum of Photography in Thessaloniki, one of the dozens of friends of photography and his images, who had packed every corner to listen to him for one more time talk about his experiences, his work, and his philosophy. I always liked to see the reactions of others when they came into contact with him and his images for the first time because they reminded me of my own reactions when I first met him, awe and admiration.

Yannis may no longer be with us, and although he left too soon, I think he fulfilled his dream, to positively influence those who came into contact with him or his images. I think he left a heavy legacy for the entire world of photography and not only for the field of photojournalism.

His images and his memory will remain alive, because, quite simply, death is too small and weak to confine humans like Yannis, people with a capital “H”.