FILM & PHOTOGRAPHY PORTFOLIO
A selection of work from my content for Nomia Nomad
Nomia Nomad is a company dedicated to inspire and connect people to nature in the heart of the Peloponnese. In late spring 2025, I dedicated a month to find and capture stories to support Nomia’s mission and the local community.
‘THE SLEEPING BEAUTY OF GREECE’
This mountain range is known as ‘The Sleeping Beauty of Greece’. The ridge line resembles the outline of a woman peacefully sleeping on her back. I feel like this perfectly mirrors the experience I had in Greece and what Nomia provides. On the surface, you can see a beautiful landscape image of a mountain . But, when you learn the story that sits beneath the surface, it holds a whole new meaning.
THE HEART OF LEONIDIO
Stories from the Monday market
In order to learn about Leonidio and the people that live there, the Monday market was the space that guided me. It’s the place where everyone comes together and connects.
Tables pilled with mountain tea, home-made creams and oils line along the tables and vibrant vegetables sit together to create a colourful display.
I’ve been brought up by parents who are both writers, I’ve always been taught to immerse myself in a place and learn about the stories that live there. When I arrived in Leonidio, I didn’t know anyone apart from Nomia, so I took myself out with my camera to the market.
A simple act of asking people about their produce opened my world and experience to an immersive adventure - enabling me to see the real Leonidio and meet the special people who live here.
ILLIAS & THE HONEY BEES
Stories of the productions from the markets and understanding the traditional honey harvesting practices
Honey is believed to be the "nectar of the gods," and a core part of Greek culture. I had the privilege to join Illias as he took me on an adventure high up into the mountains to learn about the stories behind the honey; what lives these little honey bees live and the process behind the making the products he sells.
My aim is to connect people with the traditional practices taking place in Leonidio and showcase the wonderful people who are working hard to uphold them.
Meeting Illias is an example of what happens when you say “yes” to an experience and one which I want to help promote with 'Nomia Nomad’.
The ancient language of the Peleponese: TSAKONIAN
THE PROJECTS
“It’s our roots… We go forward - we’re not stuck. If you speak about tradition and you don’t do anything about it, it’s a dead thing. But tradition for me, is a way of life. So it goes even in today’s life.”
When you drive through Leonidio, you’ll be met by large blue road signs with two types of text: one in blue and the other in gold. It was only when I was introduced to Eleni Manau, that I learnt about this intrinsic part of life here in Leonidio.
Tsakonia is the oldest living language in Greece which stems back 3,000 years. The speakers are descendants of the iconic ancient Greek state, ancient Sparta. The language has been taught down through generations but it’s at risk of becoming forgotten.
With modern Greek becoming the national language in 1976, it led to this ancient language deteriorating and UNESCO listing it as “critically endangered” due to it now only being spoken by a few thousand people - mostly whom are elders. There was also a stigma with the language being seen as a “peasant language” so many felt a feeling of shame in speaking it. That has now past however, in order for the language to survive, it’s essential that it is taught through the community .
To help support this important mission, I filmed two friends having a conversation in Tsakonian which was given to the Tsakonian Archives to help their mission in preserving this ancient language and assist with future learning.
I worked closely with Eleni Manou, a teacher and author, who is passionate about preserving the Tsakonian culture. With Eleni’s help, I created content to help Nomia Nomad promote their existing project - ‘Nomia Experience’; an initiative with the aim educate and connect people with the local culture through immersive activities.
Creating content for community initiatives who are working hard to keep this ancient culture alive
Language: An immersive experience to learn about the Tsankonian language. Each Sunday, the community holds weekly lessons for individuals to learn how to read and speak the ancient language, hosted in a beautiful old local building.
Food: Nomia Experience hold cooking classes hosted by Eleni Manau with the aim to teach people about the history of the receipes, stories of local produce and the food culture that lives in the region.
Textiles & Art: Tskakonia is home to a beautiful tradition of textiles making, passed down through generations. Through the Tsakonian Archives, a local institution that aims to preserve the historical, linguistic and cultural heritage of Tsakonia, courses are held to teach the community the traditional techniques around making textiles and the stories that live within the artwork.
VASKINA: A STORY ABOUT CHEESE & COMMUNITY
Nestled up high in the mountains behind Leonidio is the village of Vaskina. This is home for Kokotas Restaurant; a family run restaurant which prides itself on it’s fresh local food and community culture.
The restaurant is covered in beautiful vines that climb the walls and hang themselves across the ceiling. On arrival, you feel like you’ve been welcomed into someone’s home as trays of treats are brought out and there’s a feel of tranquility. A group of old friends sit around a table. A table which feels like it’s been their meeting point throughout the many chapters of their life. To me, Kokotas Restaurant is an anchor in the heart of the community, bringing people together and serving traditional fresh food.
I spent the morning with Metaxia (translates as ‘silk lady’) and her family who run the restaurant. Nomia Nomad offer cheese making workshops so I wanted to support them in capturing this process to help their digital promotional campaigns.
It’s when you take a step off the main tourist path, that you get to experience the heart of a place - this is what Nomia Nomad strives to do.
EXPLORING THE MOUNTAINS IN THE PELOPONNESE WITH
NOMIA EXPERIENCE
Walking through ancient pathways, foraging fresh fruit & drinking mountain tea
Up high in the mountains that surround Leonidio, are ancient pathways that shepherds used to walk across the landscape. Over time, and with the development of modern life, these paths have become immersed into the wild life that lives amongst the mountain floor and the routes are now overgrown.
These pathways act as a connector to the neighbouring villages and Nomia Experience are working with the community to re-open these routes in a mission to bring people together and encourage visitors to see all that the local area has to offer.
The hike is a true immersive experience - as you walk beneath the trees, it feels like a fairytale land. Brightly blue and yellow butterflies dance around you as you make your way through the forest. We took a rest by the stream, and it was there where we boiled fresh running water with a local delicacy; “mountain tea” or in Greek, “Tsai Vou Tounou”.
HELEN NOAKES YOGA
Helen Noakes is a distinguished yoga teacher, with over 20 years of experience travelling the world with her practice.
During my time in Greece, I created content for Helen to use in her next chapter of work. I supported Helen in creating content for her training course in chavutti massage. As well as this, I captured content for her upcoming retreat called ‘Aegean Dream Retreat’ which involved both water immersion and land-based shots during golden hour.
