What I love about Chris:
- His cross pollination of street and desert photography
- His happiness in his photos
- His genuine blogging approach
Desert trash —
Endless scroll his monochromes
Chris — so lit.
Met Chris Athanasiadis in Santa Monica — the most prolific street blogger around!
- Hey Chris great to have you. What’s your street photography story?
I don’t remember how I got into street photography so my story is pretty lackluster. I do remember watching a video on YouTube about SOC Fujifilm JPEGs and the next day I bought my first real camera. An X-Pro1. From there I probably went down a YouTube rabbit hole and been shooting every day since.
- Why did you delete instagram and start blogging again?
I was spending too much time trying to figure out the algorithm, rather than focusing on making more photos. Also seeking validation from strangers on the internet is unhealthy. I wanted to be free from influence and do my own thing. I started my blog so I could post what I want with no limitations and free from outside validation.
- How’s the new Nikon zf vs Ricoh?
I like the Nikon in every way over the Ricoh besides size. The Nikon Zf is a superbly built full frame beast. It also has a great black and white profile called Deep Tone Monochrome that reminds me of the files I’d get out of a Leica Monochrome camera.
- Tell me about street photography while riding your bike
I ride my bike everyday, sometimes from my place in Santa Monica down the boardwalk to Venice Beach. It’s about 20-30 minutes. I like to stay productive so why not shoot while riding. I’ve been doing this since I moved to LA. I call it Strike Photography (Street Photography on a bike). I’ve done this in many LA neighborhoods. It’s actually legal here to ride your bike on the sidewalk. It’s a bit dangerous when I’m out on the street but I often get photos I like so I consider it a wash.
- How’s the LA street photography scene — where do you love to shoot?
For me, LA is the best place for street photography in the USA because we can shoot 365 days a year. I love shooting here because I rarely see other street photographers so it makes me feel like I’m making unique work. Being the second largest city in the USA with a diverse landscape means there are endless opportunities. If you need some inspiration, just go take a quick drive to the ocean, mountains or desert. It’s the perfect playground for street photographers. My favorite neighborhood is anywhere around downtown. There are less tourists and more locals walking around. I’m always happy with my photos when I get back from DTLA. I also like shooting in Santa Monica, Venice Beach, Beverly Hills, The Grove, West Hollywood and Hollywood.
- Why do you shoot?
I don’t know man. To stay productive. That’s what I keep telling myself. My goal is 100,000 keepers.
- Links to your favorite blog posts and also YouTube videos
I don’t read a lot of blogs. The only two I stay up on is yours and Dante Sisofo’s blog. I’d like to find more street photographers on WordPress. I like watching the YouTube channels that interview other street photographers like Paulie B. I also watch One Bite Pizza Reviews everyday when eating dinner. I can predict almost precisely Dave’s pizza score at this point.
- What is up and coming on your blog
Not quite sure. I was posting my Daily Street Photography blog posts everyday I was shooting. Which was every single day. I’m quickly running out of storage space and it’s a bit much to post everyday and was getting to feel too Instagramy. I’ve posted a few thousand photos on my blog. So I’m done with that phase. I’m still blogging regularly, just not sharing as many photos. I’ll probably start making zines again. I’d like to organize my work and create some projects out of it. I have A LOT of photos and culling, editing and organizing the photos is a big weakness of mine.