General
"Photography Circle's" advanced summer seminar on Photography and Critique already has an established reputation among old students and members. This is primarily due to the serious work done (with very good results) and secondly for the camaraderie and good fun. Indeed, so far it has been attended by many "Circle" members and by some even two or three times. Most have reaped great benefits whether or not they happen to have outdone themselves photographically speaking.  
The seminar is based, on the one hand, on the study of all photographic shots taken every day and on the other, on the practice of a critical way of seeing. Every participant photographer submits his/her photographic attempts to the judgment of the class, but at the same time he/she practices in seeing with a critical outlook calmly and disinterestedly the work of others, since he/she is emotionally involved when it comes to his/her own work.
Everyone who has attended the seminar until today agrees that it constitutes an absolutely necessary continuation of the Introductory Seminar, rendering the theoretical principles and directions into deeds. It is not just practice after theory, but theory through everyday practice.

Education and Fun

"I don't want to tan stupid" was the slogan thirty years ago of the first French educational tourism programs.  In fact vacations are too precious and rather too short for one to give up either the beach or amusements or the practice of the art one loves.  Thus the logic of the seminar is to take advantage of part of the summer vacation for the serious practice of photography, without disregarding our daily swim in the sea or dancing in the evening.

One thing is for sure: that the period during the Seminar is not a holiday for rest. It is also certain that photography must come first as a goal and fun must follow. The Seminar is a class attended in conditions of fun and not vice versa.

Participants

The original idea was that only those who had attended the "Photography Circle's" Introductory Seminars were allowed to participate. In reality this is an essential, practical ‘extension' of the introductory seminar.  Without this ‘extension', the education gleaned exclusively from the introductory workshop is incomplete  That is why the seminar was originally named "Advanced". As time went by, it became clear that those who had not attended the Introductory Seminar but participated in the ‘Advanced' one as an exception benefited equally from it, although they went through a much larger strain than the rest of the class. So from 2006 onwards it was decided that the participation to summer ‘Advanced' seminar would be free to those who wished to attend it. Nevertheless, even in this case, it is suggested that they read beforehand one or more books by Platon Rivellis, in order that they are informed of the basic contents of his teaching.
The friends and relatives of the participants are most welcome, provided they are aware that they will be alone for the bigger part of the day, either because the participants will be photographing (and they must photograph alone), or because they will be attending the critique morning classes. However, they can join them in all out of class events. The presence of friends and visitors is allowed during the evening flim screenings. However, the attendance of friends, visitors, members or not members, is strictly prohibited  and with no exceptions whatsoever during morning classes. Whoever is present must be participating in the seminar.

Where the Seminar Takes Place

The first seminar, which took place as a test in Paroikia on the island of Paros in 1987 (in collaboration with John Pack and the Aegean School of Fine Arts) failed in part, because the participants were more interested in the fields of fun and entertainment, rather than in those of education and work. The seminars which followed where held in Athens during the month of August. Neither were these a complete success since the participants were not able (as they should) in devoting themselves completely to the seminar. The majority remained trapped in their professional and family obligations. There was a lesson to be learnt from all this and so since 1992 the seminar had been taking place on a seaside hotel in Paros island, so that the participants could find themselves away from their everyday reality and occupation. Also, a most strict daily schedule was established with a lot of work and, of course, with lots of fun as well. However, since then, the necessary balance between work (foremost) but also fun was accomplished. Since 1999 the seminar was moved to a seaside hotel on the island of Syros. Its significant success is due to many factors, the main of which were the great variety of photographic subject matters offered by the island, the small distances, the large and important town, and the absence of an intensely summer (and thus 'distracting') character of a "holiday island". Since 2001 the seminars have been moved to the specially arranged seminar space inside Platon Rivellis's house on Syros and also location of the "Syros Photographic Circle". The participants can stay in any hotel of their own choice. From a camping to expensive hotels and suites..


Seminar Content and Educational Advice

Continual practice, far from distractions, along with the daily critique of so many photographs achieves a fusion of practice and theory.  It also gives us a taste of the constant flow of artistic practice in our lives beyond specific goals and without melodramatic outbreaks of success or failure.  The quest of and approach to various subjects, the surprises that each photographer has in store for himself and others, the possibility of observing and commenting not only on his own photographs, but those of others whose efforts he follows, all these things sharpen the critical eye and lead to deeper analysis and discussions.

The daily critiquing of photographs leads to a lot of distress.  However, our objective here is not the nominal happiness of perfunctory approval, but that which will propel us towards better photography.  The critique given is always relative to the specific work and the limitations of the specific photographer as these are represented through his photographs.  The photographs chosen may in future be regarded as inadequate or naïve. During the critique, however, they showed a positive development that had to be noted.  It is more important for a photographer to become immersed in a certain method and manner of working than for him to gain two or three good photographs for his collection. The way the reviewing takes place is adapted each time to each photographer, the way he/she works and the kind of his/her photography. One of the elements of the seminar's content is that one should learn to accept rejection as a tool for thought and study and to enjoy appraisal as an accidental event and not as a goal.

One should photograph methodically, with focus and planning and preferably ‘solo'.  Practised thus, then two to three hours daily is sufficient to produce ample work.  It is easy to take on average two to three films daily when one works seriously.  One can shoot early in the morning, late at night or in the afternoon.  If the intention is just to snap a few rolls ‘in passing', it is better to desist altogether.

The nightly film screenings considerably aid this environment of serious ‘fun' and fecund intellectual inquiry.  The films shown (samples of musical, theatrical, dance and cinema works, as well as relevant interviews and documentaries) aim at also  explaining, in part, my personal attitude towards art and photography.

No one is obliged either to follow the program or to take photographs.  Everyone is free to be the judge of his/her own powers and endurance.  It is possible (and this has happened in the past) for someone who is just observing to take his/her best photographs after the seminar.  Even being in a group may not be desirable to all and at all times.

Timetable

Critique sessions start every morning at exactly 10.30.  Participants may gather from 9.30 onwards, but no sooner. Meetings go on until 14.30 or 15.00.  Nightly film viewings start at exactly 19.30.

Technical Information

Participants use primarily black and white film. They may also shoot colour film or slides or a digital camera. The darkroom assistant develops the black and white films daily and places them in parchment negative casings.  Anyone wishing to shoot colour film must themselves deliver the film to a photo shop in central Ermoupolis (and pick it up too). Slides are developed in Athens and dispatched by courier.  Participants can shoot an unlimited amount of film daily.

All negatives are viewed using a special machine that translates them into positive images onto a large screen through a video projector.  People using digital cameras can project their photographs through computer