Margarita Mavromichalis Showcases Scenes That Breathe Through Street Photography
At the heart of every street photographer’s practice is the intent to create a body of work that depicts life at its most interesting: raw and unfiltered, but also attention-grabbing and thought-provoking. For over 15 years, Margarita Mavromichalis has devoted her lens to this objective, which led her to scenes of humor, oddity, wonder, and energy, sometimes happening all at once.
Recently, Mavromichalis had a selection of her street photos featured in an online exhibit by All About Photo. Titled “when The Pavement Breathers” ( Linked Below )”, the exhibit was mounted as “a vivid exploration of the unnoticed moments that quietly transform the mundane into the extraordinary.” Featuring scenes born out of spontaneity and candid observation, it takes a slice from Mavromichalis’ years of documenting the “pulse of the street,” where fleeting gestures and unguarded expressions reveal how she sees daily life unfolding in different parts of the world.
“I have always been intrigued by how similar we all are, regardless of where we come from. I have travelled extensively in my life and have had the opportunity to document unscripted moments that unfold in all parts of the world and that are universally human. The specific images were chosen to create a narrative, where one image would introduce the next and would hopefully keep the viewer engaged from the beginning till the end.”
Copyright ⓒ Margarita Mavromichalis
Copyright ⓒ Margarita Mavromichalis
Copyright ⓒ Margarita Mavromichalis
Living and breathing street photography
Upon moving to New York City in 2009, Mavromichalis began living and breathing photography, embracing it as a source of passion, joy, and fulfillment in her personal and professional life. “I would say that I try to never leave home without my camera,” she says, never wanting to miss a picture perfect moment even when on a quick errand. “When I am out, I am always on the lookout for something odd, unusual, striking in a good or bad way, and hopefully something funny. I love humor and I think that it is a very important ingredient in our life.”
The first years of her photographic journey were heavily influenced by Harvey Stein, who was one of her instructors at the International Center for Photography. “He encouraged me to get a wide angle and to get close,” she adds, recalling how she truly enjoyed his classes. Interestingly, Stein would later on curate the selection of work that would become “When the Pavement Breathes.”
A big fan of classic photographers, Mavromichalis considers their photography philosophies instrumental to developing her own style as well. Henri Cartier-Bresson taught her the notion of catching the right moment. Through Elliott Erwitt’s approach to humor, she challenged herself to add an extra layer of creativity to her work. Finally, Garry Winogrand’s perfectly framed images showed her how to immortalize moments filled with life and meaning. Still, she muses, “I could go on naming another one hundred photographers, as I believe that each of us has something to bring to the table and we all inspire each other.”
A firm believer of the “decisive moment,” she translates it as “a moment where everything comes together: emotion, action, composition, and meaning.” She also regards all the other philosophies as important guides for all photographers. As we progress in our practice and mature as professionals, these become ingrained in our subconscious and help make us more instinctive than technical.
“I have to admit that I am not a very technical person and I don’t like to be overwhelmed with multiple settlings and all that today’s cameras have to offer. I have found my ‘f/8 and be there’ and when I am out I am able to focus only on my surroundings and nothing else.
“I do follow my instinct a lot and it has rarely let me down. Sometimes a place just feels right, for one reason or another. Lastly, there is also the factor of ‘luck.’ But what is really luck? That is an endless topic but we do create our own luck in many ways.”
Eventually, Mavromichalis had to learn how to work through one of the biggest challenges that every street photographer faces: putting order in the chaos. “I see the street as a theatre stage where the actors have an unscripted role and it is up to the photographer to create a story,” she reflects. “Also, nowadays, in many parts of the world, photographers face a legal challenge when photographing in public spaces. People often react badly and our motives often get questioned.
“In the world we live in, I understand the concern that some people have, and social media have added to the problem. But thanks to photography since the 1830’s we have an incredibly valuable social depiction of humanity from around the world and we should not ignore the value of it.”
Copyright ⓒ Margarita Mavromichalis
Copyright ⓒ Margarita Mavromichalis
Copyright ⓒ Margarita Mavromichalis
The pursuit of thought-provoking images
All photographers aspire to create images that command attention, but for Mavromichalis, an ideal street photograph does more than that. “It’s an image that will grab the viewer’s attention for more than a few seconds, and create more questions than it will give answers,” she explains, and adds that it should be preferably ambiguous, strange, and thought-provoking.
But of course, this pursuit calls for training — practice, patience, and perseverance rooted in slowing down and becoming one with the scene at hand. Being present and immersed in the now, she muses, is the gift that street photography continues to give her. “We need to train ourselves to be aware of the very small instances that happen around us and that usually go unnoticed. And those small instances will lead us to what is to come. So, it is important to notice our surroundings and try to foresee what will happen next.”
Mavromichalis also reminds us that with this diligence comes clarity of creative vision — what catches our attention, what message we want to convey, and the distinct voice of our creative process. Humor, for example, has always been part of her street photography, and it’s the constant practice that taught her how to spot the interesting expressions and hilarious interactions between her human subjects and their built surroundings.
We see this notion manifested in one of her favorite photos from the selection for the exhibit, her thought process embodied in the story behind the shot:
Copyright ⓒ Margarita Mavromichalis
“I came about this Ray Ban ad in the center of Athens, Greece. The ad read ‘Never Hide,’ and it portrayed Tom Cruise posing naked for an art class and the teacher hiding his private parts. I liked the concept and the contradiction of the add a lot and thought that it was very visual. I stood in front of that ad for a whole day, waiting for someone to walk past that would do something that would echo the image. I did not come up with anything interesting. But that scene and location stayed with me and I returned the next day. Very quickly, this man walked in front of me and quickly put his hand up to prevent me from taking his picture. Without knowing it, he had given me exactly what I was looking for. The woman entering or exiting the cab in the background adds an interesting element to the frame.”
Today, Mavromichalis is a street photography educator herself, teaching numerous workshops across the world and sharing her passion for the craft with like-minded people. This exchange of ideas and inspiration, she says, remains an integral part of her own journey as a creative.
“I truly enjoy sharing my work with like-minded people and getting feedback from professionals, fellow photographers and friends. I always look forward to their reactions and interesting insights. As an educator, I find extremely rewarding sharing my knowledge and being able to inspire younger photographers to find their voice. Overall, this exchange, wherever it occurs, helps me also grow as an artist and I am forever grateful to all the people who have contributed to my journey so far.”
Visit Margarita Mavromichalis’ website and follow her on Instagram (@tita_mavro) to stay updated with her street photography.
When The Pavement Breathes at All About Photo
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