Born in Nambour, Queensland, Nick Bourdaniotis grew up in Brisbane and moved to Sydney in 2001. Nick’s passion for photography began at a young age and his unique and artistic approach to capturing photos is exemplary.
In his late 30’s, Nick was encouraged into professional photography by his peers, who would marvel at the photos he captured when on family holidays. In his mid-40s, Nick’s photos were becoming recognised by the Greek diaspora internationally and used in publications in Australia and worldwide.
A photo he took at the 25th of March celebrations in Sydney in 2015 helped place Nick on the photography world map. It was Nick’s first iconic photo of the students from St Spyridon College, a local Sydney Greek/Australian school, walking onto the Sydney Opera House forecourt.
Again, in 2016, Nick captured another amazing photo that went viral globally. It shows the students from all the Greek schools in Sydney carrying a large Greek flag, titled “Our children, the bridge.”
In early 2017, the Greek City Times employed Nick as a photographer. Over the next year, he earned the title of Greek City Times’ Director of Photography and Videography, which he still holds today. In 2018, Nick also worked as the official on-set photographer for 'My Greek Odyssey', a TV travel show in Greece that aired to over 50 million people worldwide.
Nick has also been photographing major events for The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia since 2015 and shoots for The Hellenic Initiative (THI) both in Australia and abroad.
In early 2020, Nick became an accredited photographer for the Australian Open tennis, where his focus was on players from Greece and of Greek descent. These photos were published globally through the Greek City Times and then distributed to the Greek media in Greece.
As the official photographer for the Hellenic Club Sydney, when the Evzones were first brought back to Australia in 2016 after a long absence, Nick captured footage of the Evzones in front of backdrops that had never been seen before. That same year, he travelled to Greece to replicate there what he had so beautifully captured here in Australia, with a special grant permit from the Greek Presidential Office and the Hellenic Republic Ministry of Culture and Sports, allowing him to photograph the Evzones in places closed to the general public.
Also in 2016, with the help of retired Evzones at the time, Nick launched his own closed Facebook group for the Evzones family, which thousands requested to join within a year and continues to this day. Until now, Nick only shared his most beloved photos with this closed group and their tight family and friends, where they all got to see his love, respect, and pride towards the Greek Presidential Guard, as well as his passion for photography.
Nick’s photos of The Greek Presidential Guard are said to be among the most fascinating that anyone has ever seen, and many of these photos have been published in books documenting the history of the Evzones. The most recent publication was the “150 Years of the Evzones” commemorative book, released by the Greek Presidential Guard themselves.
And now, for the first time, Nick is putting together his favourite photos in an exhibition called “The Evzones Collection, by Nick Bourdaniotis”.
“This is undoubtedly one of the most arduous tasks I’ve ever had to undergo, to sort through thousands of photos and narrow them down to a select few,” Nick explained.
“When you shoot with so much passion, love and emotion, and every photo you’ve taken means the world to you for personal reasons, it’s just so hard to leave so many out – it’s almost like being asked to choose between a child. It’s impossible!” he added.
To help with the process, Nick has partnered with the creative team at Image Smart for the collation, convening, design, and printing of this world-first exhibition. Image Smart will print onto an archival canvas, brought in specifically from Japan for Nick’s exhibition, in an attempt to showcase Nick’s gorgeous photography in a way that brings out the soul, the essence, and the artistic quality that Nick has so beautifully captured.
Presented by The Hellenic Club Sydney in conjunction with Greek City Times, this exhibition was meant to take place on the 25th of March 2020, which would have been the perfect way to celebrate Greece’s Independence Day.
A word from Nick:
“I am fortunate to be able to share my craft with you. I am honoured to have been given this amazing opportunity to spend days on end with Greece’s most beloved sons, The Evzones, from morning to night. I have tried to capture photos that aren’t common amongst those who have photographed them before, at their standard post- at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Syntagma Square, instead at places where very few are privileged even to get a glimpse of them, doing things that most aren’t even aware they did.
I sincerely hope you love what you see as much as I do. Thank you for your attention and support.”
To see more of Nicks's amazing photos, head to https://www.bourdophotography.com.au/
*The article was written by George Karantonis
*Images by Nick Bourdaniotis/Bourdo Photography (Copyright)
