I was born in Toronto Canada, grew up in Athens and am currently studying for a PhD in Environmental Chemistry in the UK.

My first ever concert shot was The Sisters of Mercy in Athens back in '97 using a tiny compact camera with built-in flash. Siouxsie and The Creatures followed, as well as a couple of not very widely known gothic bands (since it was easy to obtain a photo pass if at all needed). Two years later I decided it was time to invest on a better camera, so I purchased my first SLR; a Canon EOS 500N that I still use with a variety of lenses.

I find concert photography fascinating. It's so raw and unpredictable. You never know whether your pass will be there or not. How will the lights be? Will there be any at all? Will they let you shoot more than 3 songs? And then there's the artists; will they move continuously, will they jump up and down? Will they take nice poses or just be fixed in one place?

The most important aspect of my photography is shooting without flash, unless I absolutely have to. I find it very 'fake' and artificial. I really love colour (that's why I never take B&W photographs). When I shoot a band or an artist I like to portray the atmosphere and the colours as they were on at that time. I find it absolutely captivating to take a photo of an artist in a certain pose, when the mood is reflected by the colours onstage. Likes notes for a piece of music, I use colours to create a certain 'stage' feeling.

The gothic scene provided me with a large number of visually challenging bands and artists. Both musically and in fashion terms these artists evoked my interest and inspired me to keep going on.

My photography has taken me to various places around Europe and beyond. Whilst on these travels I have met some of the most amazing characters, wonderful people with wonderful stories to tell. My work has appeared in online magazines, printed magazines, fanzines and the cover and inset of a CD.

I guess like every other amateur photographer, my dream is to one day be able to do my hobby as a job, be creative and push the boundaries of concert and festival photography further more…

email : neferia@hotmail.com

web : www.nef-blue-pages.com

AUGUST 2002 FOTO ART MAGAZINE