Nicki Panou is a self-taught photographer and digital artist, based in Thessaloniki, Greece. She studied applied informatics with a master’s degree in graphic arts and multimedia, as well as acting in the theater workshop “Parathlasi”. She has been active in photography since 2013. Since then, she has taken part in various exhibitions in Greece and abroad, such as the Kythera Photographic Encounters, the International Photography Festival Photometria, Contrast Photography Festival of Thessaloniki, CONTACT festival etc. Her work has been distinguished internationally, most recently with the 3^rd place in the Self Portrait category of the Prix de la Photographie Paris 2021. Her work has been featured in print and digitally in Greek and foreign publications such as Fotografos magazine, Parallaxi, Athens Voice, F-Stop, Petapixel and others.

Photography is my way of communicating thoughts, feelings and concepts that are impossible to express in a different way. I aim to create pictures that take the viewer to an imaginary world, a different kind of reality. Behind each image, there is a whole process, from the forming of the idea until its realization.

Inspiration can come from anywhere: a song, a story, a conversation I heard on the street, an everyday scene or anything that may arouse my interest. Just a single word can lead to a whole story, which I then impress onto an image.

The photoshoot takes place after I have decided on all the details: location, wardrobe, props, pose, camera angle and anything else I have to know beforehand, so that I can impress the image exactly as I have imagined it. Most of the times I use myself as a model, thus making myself part of the story.

After the photoshoot, comes the post processing that leads to the final image. All the photographs that I use for my compositions are my own and I edit them according to the desired result. I usually choose a square canvas, since I find the harmony of this shape to be fitting with the aesthetic of my images.

Looking at the final image, the viewer can wonder about the meaning that might hide behind it, or just feel the emotions that it provokes.