At the end of March/beginning of April I spent a week in Santorini. The flights were cheap from Bristol airport and a fabulous AirBnb in one of the best spots on the island wasn’t expensive either. It was a fantastic time to go. No crowds. No unbearable heat. And not as expensive as it would be in the height of summer.
The overriding colours in Santorini are shades of blue, some grey, and white, white, white. It seemed as if every other building on the island was being spruced up ready for the season after two years of Covid. I’ve never seen so many painters & decorators or so much white paint. Having said that, I loved photographing the old and the rustic, and love doors, staircases, and details. Here are some of my favourites.
The turquoise of the gate and small window is my absolute favourite. It reminds me of the colour of the sea in The Bahamas, and I wish it would look good here in the UK. I’m not sure it would though – it needs blue skies and sunshine and we just don’t have enough of that!
The ‘Shabby chic’ wooden table and stools appealed to me, but it was the cushions and orange tree that initially caught my eye.
The patterns on the ground from this sunshade would be great, but anyone falling asleep under this canopy would end up with stripes!
The streets of Oia are narrow and characterful. The photos below were taken early one morning but you can imagine how crowded they will be in high season. Santorini also has many stray cats but I noticed a feeding station that the local people keep topped up with dried food, and the cats all look in the best of health.
Because many of the buildings in Santorini are built on a the sides of a steep caldera with no vehicular access, donkeys are still used for transporting things around. They were also used for carrying people up from the cruise ships but there’s a cable car now, so I hope that practice has ended.
I really liked these candle holders. At least that’s what I think they are. I have enough ‘stuff’ so refrained from buying one.
One shop was full of puppets.
I was absolutely amazed at the abundance of wildflowers everywhere. It was obviously the right time of year to go and I suspect that it will just be very brown everywhere soon.
As we were driving along the coast road I spotted this table and chairs just placed in the middle of nowhere. I thought they’d make for a great photograph with the yellow wildflowers all around them.
On the opposite side of the island are many beaches. It’s easy to drive down to some and we had a really strong cooling wind for several days, so I was warming my back on the rocks below.
There are a few abandoned beach bars too. Covid obviously had an impact here and many businesses must have gone bust. These large beach sunshades were just lying around.
As a portrait photographer I’m always looking for great light. Santorini has GREAT light!
Whilst nearly all buildings are painted white (with the obligatory blue domes on churches), a few have broken the mould and gone for colour. I wonder if they have to get permission?
The photo below was taken around 8 a.m. one morning and the early light gives it a completely different and softer look.
Looking down into the caldera. A few boats crisscross it and some huge cruise ships call at Santorini.
A couple of days it was so gusty that it was hard to stand upright.
This gives you an idea of how many steps there are to climb to and from the hotels and apartments.
Below is a typical Greek windmill. They were used to grind wheat but there is no longer a need for that and they are all redundant. This one has been turned into a hotel.
More ‘details’ images. I like simplicity in images.
The photo below was a tricky one as there were lots of buildings nearby, but instead of deciding to erase the electricity cable I lined myself up so that it looks as if the fish has been caught and is being reeled in.
This old boat sits on a rooftop for some reason.
I liked the words on this sign and decided to include the coloured light fittings to make the photo more interesting. The dirty wall annoys me though!
A pretty little window with gorgeous natural light.
I loved this splash of bright green.
This tree caught my eye each time I walked past it but there was a tall ugly pole right behind it. With careful positioning I managed to hide the pole behind the tree, but it did mean that I couldn’t separate the other tree on the left from that building.
I really like the simplicity and shapes in the image below.
There are many really nice steps.
And again, I love the simplicity and diagonal shape of the steps and handrail on the side of this building.
Sunset over Oia, where everybody flocks to at dusk.
And finally, Santorini at night.
