Yannis Behrakis

Photo by Yannis Behrakis

I find the photography of Yannis Behrakis quite compelling. Especially having a little bit of background knowledge on the Syrian refugee crisis. I read several interviews with Behrakis as I was researching him. I found it interesting that he has been covering the refugee crisis for quite sometime, but that recently it has had more of a relative impact on him, because he was photographing refugees landing in his homeland. Behrakis talked about the fact that his father was a refugee. I would guess that as Behrakis photographs the refugees of present day, that he imagines his father in one of those tiny, crowded boats, escaping in hopes of a better life for his future family. Although I know that Behrakis did not take the image of Aylan Kurdi, when I think of the refugee crisis, this is the photograph that my mind cannot help but wander back to. Though he did not take the particular image that I'm speaking of, I'm sure that he has seen similar scenes as he photographs the refugees landing on the Greek Island that he shoots on. Just looking at the photographs of this tragic event makes my heart sad. I cannot imagine what it would be like to actually be there, witnessing this tragedy with my own eyes. I also cannot imagine how difficult it would be to feel compelled to sit back and photograph everything, though I do understand how important it is to do so. I would not doubt that as he witnesses the hardships of these people, that he could also feel compelled to help them. As we talked about in class, there seems to be a trend of both aesthetic contrast, and symbolic contrast in Behrakis's images. Generally in photography we are taught that high contrast images are not flattering "portraiture" but it does bring a sense of real life into the images, and that is exactly what I think Behrakis is attempting to accomplish with this technical choice. Through his chosen camera settings he is showing, in a very real way, what these people are going through.


I chose the image above, because I thought that the contrast between the Greek, and European flags with the refugee boat in the background was quite significant. As an artist, so many symbolic thoughts ran through my mind. The perspective that shows the flags as quite larger than the small boat seems symbolic of the fact that these people are accomplishing an extremely big, and difficult thing. It also stresses how small the boats are that these people are forced to travel in, which is something that I cannot get past as I looked through Behrakis's photographs. I also find it interesting that the flags are somewhat out of focus, leaving just enough detail to tell what they are. I would imagine that this 4-5 km boat ride seemed like an eternity to these poor refugees, and that their goal seemed difficult to reach, and out of focus. I also get a sense of uncertainty from the depth of field choice of Behrakis.