Today we’d like to introduce you to Eleftherios Ted Panagiotopoulos.
Eleftherios, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I picked up photography in the tail end of 2014 as I was wrapping up a graduate degree in business. During that time, my wife gave me her old iPhone 4 and started to take random pictures of my kids, sunsets, stormy skies, and whatever else I found of interest. I started to really enjoy the aspect of photography. I asked my wife if I could use an old camera that she owned, and I began to shoot even more. Literally, within a month of that time I invested in a full frame camera and started to shoot every weekend. I felt that photography was something I was meant to do. Not as a job but something I could do for the rest of my life. Getting out to shoot was a bit of a challenge. I live an hour north of the city and I’m a dad to four kids, ages 13, 11, 10, 7. I always felt torn pursing this hobby because I didn’t want to miss a moment with them. I started to shoot sunrises and mornings. I could get up at 4 am, drive to the city, shoot for an hour, and be back home in time to make breakfast for them and connect. As this hobby progressed I found that I wanted to share this experience with my family. So, we started to take family trips and explore together, we visited Banff, Jasper, Iceland, Grand Teton, Yellow Stone, Glacier National Park and areas throughout the Midwest. I recently turned 50 and have to come to an epiphany. I love to create but I really love to create with the people that mean the most to me, my family. Nothing brings me more joy then getting up early with my wife and kids and exploring. I feel in some way they begin to understand the importance of being stewards of the environment, appreciating the bonds of family, and seeing the world for beautiful place it can be. My faith drives the need to create imagery that hopefully lifts the human spirit. And hopefully, maybe, someone will be inspired enough to also create something that could impact another life.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I love to shoot cityscapes and but equally love nature landscapes. I’ve always been drawn to solitary moments, where there aren’t any people around, and it’s just me with a few close friends creating. I love stormy skies and changing weather patterns. Most of the time, when I’m shooting I always want the sky to be the star. In the midst of creating I often can question myself. I always ask the deeper question as to why I am creating. Does it matter? As I wrestle through these questions, I often driven by the joy of creating that continuously pushes me forward. When I’m out there and the conditions are right I often get FOMO and my heart rate goes up. It’s visceral for me. I just love it.
Do current events, local or global, affect your work and what you are focused on?
I personally don’t think the role of an artist has changed. In my personal opinion, I’ve always wanted to create art that appealed to the universal values most of us could relate to despite differences in political, religious, and cultural affiliations. I’ve always wanted my art to be a source of encouragement despite the issues we face nationally and internationally. My hope and goal are to lift the human spirit. That doesn’t mean ignoring the issues around us but creating pieces that bring hope to people’s lives. My hope is that every artist would create in the way that they’ve been wired to create.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
I primarily post my work on Instagram under @E4rlyR1ser. I also post on my Facebook page as well. I have two goals in my photography journey, 1. To be published in National Geographic and 2. To one day, do a gallery exhibition of work. I’m certainly not saying that I’m there yet, but it’s certainly what I aspire to one day.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://elefheriostedpanagiotopoulos.zenfolio.com/p597553992
- Phone: 224 343 5770
- Email: tedp14@sbcglobal.net
- Instagram: @E4rlyR1ser
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100007903605569
Image Credit:
Eleftherios Ted Panagiotopoulos
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