Spring in the Cyclades - Naxos, Greece

The largest of the Cyclades archipelago, Náxos is one of the few Greek islands besides Crete that could feed itself – you can see flocks of vegetation, flowers, sheep, goats and cattle everywhere. This spring was a particularly good one as all the islands we went to including the almost barren Santorini was covered with wild flowers.

Contemplation! - Naxos, Greece

Just below the small hill you climb to reach Portara, the ancient Temple of Apollo, there is this awesome open air coffee shop which undoubtedly has one of the best coffee shop views in the world. We went across the shop multiple times that day when scouting the location but never once did I think of using it as a photographic subject, until the sun went down and those two little lamps came on. With the chairs empty and the owner staring into the ocean after a long day's work, it made for one of the best photos i got on this trip.

Aegean Twilight - Naxos, Greece

This place is stunning to photograph any time of the day but as the sun goes down and the city lights come on, it becomes absolutely magical. The path which connects the islet to the main island is lit up by lamps on either side and forms a beautiful leading line to the main village (chora) of Naxos.

Odd one out! - Naxos, Greece

A lonesome tree standing tall in a field of wild flowers. I like compositions where the main subject breaks symmetry and stands out. This was shot at the Temple of Sangri also known as the Temple of Demeter. The temple was built around 530 BC. In the 6th century AD, the temple was largely demolished and a three-naved Christian basilica was built from the same stone on the same site.

Simplicity! - Naxos, Greece

When we were atop the temple of Apollo for our sunset shot at Naxos, we noticed this huge barricade made of large stones. It looked worth photographing, but I just couldn't figure out how to include it in the composition as all the points of interest were on the other side and there was no way to get a shot of Naxos town or the temple with this barricade in the frame. So, I decided to shoot just the barricade making it the main subject and went for a relatively simple composition with a lot of negative space. I think it turned out well. What do you think?

Back to Nature! - Naxos, Greece

An abandoned tyre on a lonely beach near the main town of Naxos. How the tyre got here is anyone's guess. Might be a tyre they use as bumpers on boats, who knows? What I liked about this was the mysterious look with the decomposing tyre and the uprooted tree in the mid ground. The god rays from the setting sun was the perfect cherry on top.

Framed in Yellow - Naxos, Greece

An abandoned wind mill on the beautiful island of Naxos. I liked how the lone wind mill was standing tall on the top of this hill. The entire hill was covered with thick vegetation and this wind mill was sticking out as if growing on the top of the trees, which provided nice isolation created a point of focus for the composition. Getting to frame it with some bright yellow spring leaves, was the perfect cherry on top.

Sunset at Apollo Temple's - Naxos, Greece

Naxos is a Greek island and the largest of the Cyclades. It is the complete opposite of Mykonos, the party island with its calm sandy beaches and laid back lifestyle. What you see here is the Portara, or the Great Door, a massive marble doorway to the ruined Apollo Temple built in 530 B.C.

Elevation! - Naxos, Greece

The small village of Galini on the island of Naxos, glowing in the warm light of the setting sun. Just before the climb up Apollo's Temple to get a sunset shot of Naxos, i happened to look back and saw this gorgeous spectacle. The village is surrounded by barren mountains on three sides and by the ocean on one. It was nicely isolated from the surroundings and just looking glorious in the warm evening sunlight.

Apollo's Temple - Naxos, Greece

Located on the islet of Palatia, Temple of Apollo in Naxos is an ancient unfinished Greek temple dating back to 530 BC. All that remains of this temple is a huge marble gate known as Portara. It is made of four marble parts weighing about 20 tons each.