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Elopements & Intimate Weddings

Testimonials

Annie & David | Romantic elopement in Santorini

“It took us about 30 seconds of scanning through Thanasis’s portfolio to decide he was undoubtedly the photographer we had to hire to capture our elopement in Santorini. His work isn’t merely beautiful, it is truly unique; he has an inimitable eye for ingenious framing and use of negative space and of scale. But there’s something even beyond that which sets Thanasis and his work apart, which is his genuine passion and enthusiasm for his craft.

From our very first interaction, we were blown away by how genuinely thrilled and honored Thanasis seemed at the prospect of our elopement and of being involved in it. He stressed to us repeatedly how special elopements are, and, in a way, set the tone for the whole day.

The experience was so much more than having a photographer to capture our wedding day, a person telling us where to stand and how to pose and clicking away. He was an integral component, a friend and compatriot, and his energy and excitement elevated the day to one of the best and most memorable in both of our entire lives.

Thanasis is the rarest blend: completely professional, yet laid-back, with an unparalleled mastery of photography and an unbelievable sense of humility. He is one of the most hardworking, devoted individuals either one of us have ever encountered, happy to work tirelessly to deliver for his clients.

As for what he delivered to us–we doubt we will ever cease staring at these images, utterly enchanted by the memory, eternally grateful to the man who captured it.”

Annie Traurig
Professional Organizer and Founder of Live Simply

Christie & Ryan - Elopement in Santorini

Choosing a photographer to capture elopement memories that you know will be your sole means of sharing the experience with your family and friends is a daunting task! We spoke with half a dozen local and destination photographers before discovering Thanasis and, lacking confidence in their approach, had started second guessing the idea of trusting someone we had never met in a country we had never been to preserve the moments from our special day the way we envisioned. We weren’t looking for the stereotypical photos of brides and grooms in Santorini (as beautiful as they always are) and were searching for a more creative, unique, and artistic approach, so no photographer felt like “the one”…. until we spoke to Thanasis. Within 5 minutes of Skyping with him over lunch in my office in Pittsburgh, any doubts or fears had completely vanished. I can honestly say that if we hadn’t met him, we may not have followed through with our plan to elope in Santorini and we owe him an incredible debt of gratitude for giving us the confidence to take the leap!

Thanasis was an absolute dream to work with from that very first Skype call until the delivery of our photos, responding to every email promptly and offering excellent advice whenever asked. His warm smile and enthusiasm are contagious and he is a shining example of the magic that happens when someone truly loves what they do. We felt completely comfortable with him from the minute we finally met him in person, which allowed us to relax and be ourselves, thoroughly enjoying every moment of the entire day. Our level of comfort and ease is clearly evidenced in the beautiful photos that resulted.

His day-of style was the perfect blend of “behind the scenes” and “director-photographer”, capturing an equal number of candid shots while occasionally instructing us to pose in a particular way, yielding photos that literally took my breath away. His attention to detail was unlike anything I have ever seen, as if he instinctively knew what detail shots I would want without the need to discuss it. He is an incredible artist and a true professional, arriving early, leaving late, and making sure I woke up to several beautiful photos the morning after our wedding even though he left the island on a flight to Italy that evening. The video he sent of our photos brought us both (and anyone who watched it) to tears, as his ability to capture the emotion in each moment was truly remarkable. He filled SD cards with thousands of photos, edited them perfectly, wrote an incredibly sweet blog post, created a stunning video, and returned hundreds of magazine-quality photos to us in a mere 10 days. There is simply nothing more we could have asked for. info

Every now and then in life, you meet a rare individual who is dedicated and sincere, warm and welcoming, and someone you instantly trust. How lucky for us that this individual was our wedding photographer. We are forever grateful to have met him and to have had the opportunity to work with him. My parting words to him were that I cannot wait to watch him become famous and I look forward to smiling happily every time he wins a much-deserved award! If you have the pleasure of working with him, you’ll often hear him say, “There are no words”. There truly are not. We’re still speechless.

Much love and endless thanks,

Christie & Ryan

Valerie & Chad | Elopement in Santorini

When we first started planning our wedding our friends and family told us the most important thing was to hire an amazing photographer. Your wedding will last a day but the photos you’ll treasure for a lifetime. Finding the perfect photographer however seemed like a daunting task considering we were in Chicago planning a destination wedding in Santorini. When we first found Thanasis’s website we knew he had to be our photographer. The love for his craft and acute attention to detail and design is apparent in every photo he captures.

From the first email inquiring about his services, to the Skype calls and emails discussing our wedding Thanasis worked with us to understand our vision and who we are as a couple enabling him to tell our story in its own unique way. Our wedding was unusual in that we were taking a cruise and only had 7 hours on the island. On the day of our wedding there were several other cruise ships in port which made the island very crowded and traffic crazy. The seven hours we had was cut down to four in order to make it back to our ship in time. Although this worried us it never seemed to phase Thanasis. He addressed all issues that arose and anticipated every need, he even hired a car to drive us around so that we could capture the best photos while avoiding the traffic and tourists. Thanasis scouted out beautiful locations off the beaten path that he knew would appeal to our love of architecture and design. He reminded us to relax, made us laugh often and even made sure we stayed hydrated in the extreme heat.

We cannot express in words how truly happy we are with our experience working with Thanasis and feel so grateful to have hired him as our photographer for our wedding. Every photo he took far exceeded anything we could have imagined.

URSHULA + PETER | WEDDING IN SPETSES

As an Australian getting married in Greece it definitely wasn’t an easy venture. Having said that, the one thing that stood out to us was Thanasis’ our photographer. His professionalism, warm and approachable nature provided us with a sense of contentment as we looked to tie the knot overseas. He always made himself available, and it was a reassuring experience to say the least. On the day he helped guide us through his creative eye, and his talent as a photographer saw our wedding captured by someone with the right attention to detail, and creative flair to tell our story beautifully. We are so thankful for the quality of the work, and for stumbling upon Thanasis. A true scholar, and a photographer we would recommend to anyone looking to get married overseas. He is definitely the right man for the job!

Pete and Ursh

Frixos & Harina - Wedding in Paros

At first, we must admit that in our mind, the idea of having a photographer depicting our personal and most precious moments made us feel sort of uncomfortable but that was all before we met Thanasis. We first met him at our pre-wedding party but we felt as if we knew him for years; his loud laugh, his purity and originality brought out the best of us! Thanasis was actually a friend who seemed to enjoy our wedding as much as we did! He was there ‘body and soul’, not just as a professional but more as a beloved friend who captured our most intimate moments. We still call him “the colour photographer” as to us colour is his landmark. The colours and the pictures speak by themselves, they tell you the whole story and by looking at them you revive the whole mystery. Sensitive and discreet yet dynamic, professional but at the same time unconventional, this is Thanasis Kaiafas, an inspired photographer.
Thank you so much for everything! We are sure that our journey together has just started …

Holly & jeremy | Wedding in Santorini Oia Suites

When my husband and I started to discuss wedding plans, the one thing we knew we wanted was a talented photographer. You’ll forget the color of napkins, the playlist and seating chart but the photos last forever and the one thing that mattered to me was finding “THE” photographer. I dove into the internet to research and found a lot of great pictures and talented photographers – beautiful brides with amazing backdrops (it’s Santorini after all) but posed in the all of the same bridal magazine cut out shots. They were all lovely but not quite right. And then I found Thanasis and truly believe he is not just a photographer but an artist. I was immediately struck by his ability to capture emotion and his composition with less traditional poses. I knew I wanted him to be our photographer immediately. We arranged a skype call right away (though my mind was already 100% made up) and after speaking with him I knew no one else would do. When we met him in person, I was only more assured that we’d made the right choice. My husband and I are not the type that enjoy having our pictures taken but going for the photoshoot before the wedding with Thanasis may have been my favorite part of the day. Thanasis made us both feel at ease, so sweet, soft spoken, such sincerity and a genuine love of what he does. And then, we saw the pictures. We were both in tears looking at the blog post and then the slideshow and then AGAIN when we saw the album with all the pictures. Thanasis had not only captured the day but all of the emotions, tears and laughter. On our honeymoon, we kept saying that we wished Thanasis were there! We could not have been more pleased. We are so thankful and forever grateful to have met Thanasis and had the pleasure of having him as our photographer.

All the best!!
Holly

Two hours before our wedding ceremony, we were understandably stressed out. It was then that Thanasis took us on a drive and together we wandered the streets of Santorini. With his own gentle kindness, he managed to calm us both. He directed us to be and feel natural, and managed to put at ease two camera-shy people and compose some truly magical shots.

Thanasis is somehow able to capture the feelings of the day — the intimate moments, the overwhelming joy, the tears and stress and abundance of love. The photos themselves are practically cinematic, so much so that when looking at them, I felt an ethereal, almost out-of-body experience.

Our wedding was the best day of my life. And thanks to Thanasis, the photos wholly capture all the beauty and whimsy of those all-too-fleeting moments.

Jeremy

Chanelle & Xavier | Santorini elopement

We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Thanasis, at the last minute his photos from Kelly and Stan’s elopement are what inspired us to pursue our dream of eloping in Santorini. I was captivated by his gift for portraying the excitement and emotion of that day. Every set of wedding pictures on his blogs are capable of bringing one to tears for their sheer beauty and love. We were ecstatic to know that he was available despite the short notice and from the moment we spoke over Skype, we clicked. His enthusiasm is contagious and unabating. The day of the wedding he arrived early and got right to work photographing the surroundings and the preparations. We instantly felt at ease with him, even though we are both camera shy. We can honestly say that we had a blast during the photo shoot after the ceremony, and we particularly enjoyed our conversations as the three of us explored Santorini on foot.

What you should know, is that Thanasis is an artistic genius, and a wonderful human being. He does not just capture the moment, he treats each photo like a canvas, and when you see the results you can hardly believe it is real. Since we eloped without telling anyone, we knew that the photographs were our number one priority. We were counting on them to tell the story of our special day, to convey the emotions we felt, and to help our family and friends feel as connected as possible. We were speechless when we saw the photos (and how quickly we received them!)— they were better than we could have imagined, they took us right back to that day and brought us to tears. Each laugh, tear, kiss, and moment was depicted perfectly. The feedback that we received since sharing the good news has been astounding, everyone is simply amazed by the pictures. Anyone who sees our photos understands why we eloped. We are so thankful that Thanasis was there to document one of the best days in our story.

Nancy & Jin Engagement photoshoot in Santorini

Thanasis is a painter. With each soft click of his camera, your kiss, your touch, your smile, and your tears all magically transform into the most mesmerizing pictures you’ll ever see. You won’t be able to stop staring at those pictures. You won’t be able to resist sharing them with everyone. They are so beautiful. They are so sharp. They are so “clean”. Every one of the pictures is a perfect symphony of colors. Every one of the picture is a romantic poem. And every one of the pictures is like a dream coming true.

If you are looking for the perfect photographer to capture the most important moment of your life, look no further… trust Thanasis and you won’t regret it. We trusted Thanasis to help us capture two special moments: the marriage proposal and a couples’ shoot on the next day. What more can we say, Thanasis was absolutely amazing. Each picture was stunning. We cannot be happier with the pictures. Equally important, the whole experience, from the first email exchange, to the numerous Skype calls, to finally meeting in person, was just a very pleasant experience. Thanasis is a very fun, kind, and thoughtful person.

Thanasis, your photos really struck a cord in our hearts. It moved us, it brought tears to our eyes, and we cannot thank you enough for capturing those special moments that we can look at again in (6 months) ? and forever. From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU THANASIS- you are the man!

With love,

Jin & Nancy

Mara & Williams - WEDDING IN SANTORINI - OIA

From the first time we saw his work in our photographer search for our destination wedding in Oia, Santorini we could see that Thanasis is a true artist. His beautifully composed photos speak for themselves and we immediately knew he was the one for us! What we couldn’t tell just from looking at his photos was how kind and thoughtful he is, and especially how passionate about capturing the story, details, and emotion of our wedding celebration. He blew us away with his enthusiasm in every interaction we’ve had with him, from our first email exchange to the Skype session we had from our Washington D.C. living room, to the wedding day. Booking a photographer from halfway around the world for a place we’d never been was at first daunting, but he made us feel so comfortable, and if possible, even more excited about our wedding than we already were.

On our wedding day he was a wonderful blend of warm and professional. We loved taking a moment out of the busy day to get to know Thanasis better during the drive to a stunning location away from the crowds for a more private shoot, and during the preparation, ceremony, and reception he gently stepped in at the perfect times with great ideas for photos. By the end of the night we saw him as one of our guests. Everything was such a whirlwind to us that we thought there was no way anyone could capture all the moments on camera, but boy were we wrong. We’ve spent hours on end looking through the incredible photos of every special moment that we didn’t even know he was capturing. He is so passionate about his work that he makes it seems effortless, but he took thousands of photos, returned them to us in an unbelievable 9 day time-frame, and they look like they came straight out of a magazine.

We could not be happier or more grateful for the gift of a lifetime you have given us. Thank you for sharing your hard work, passion, and incredible talent Thanasis!

Amy & Albert | Jewish wedding in Athens

We decided to elope to Greece for personal and symbolic reasons, therefore our wedding preparations were long distant and investing primarily on trust. Recommended to us by our wedding planners in Greece, and we did not know what to expect in a photographer. We met Thanasis in a coffee shop in Los Angeles, via videocall, and from the first conversation we felt at home. During and after our phone call, we felt extremely comfortable and left the conversation with much anticipation.  

Through his web site portfolio, we immediately knew he was talented and uniquely capable of capturing intimate moments by taking advantage of the scenery and environment. We could not wait to see the story he would weave for us.  Throughout our entire wedding, as well as before and after, Thanasis was as much a part of our wedding as he was our photographer.  He was remarkably encouraging, gentle, and involved in the entire process, so much so his presence helped make the day that much brighter and memorable.  From the moment we saw our photos we were in awe; brought to tears by his insight and shear talent. 

Thanasis is capable of making every moment distinct from the next.  From the preparations, the wedding, to the ancient Greek ruins, he used his creativity and talent to highlight the intricacies of our wedding day.  Thanasis is a true artist, in every sense of the word.  We are so remarkably blessed to have had him as our photographer, and honored he was involved in a very special moment in our lives.  We recommend Thanasis from the bottom of our hearts.

Stin ygeia sas,

Amy and Albert

Misa+Kai Japanese wedding in Santorini

Working with Thanasis Kaiafas was like working with a friend. He went out of his way to get to know us as a couple on a personal level. It was so important for us to build this relationship with him because that is what made the photo shoot successful. He made us feel comfortable, he made us feel relaxed, he made us smile, he made us laugh. The whole experience was just a lot of fun!! Needless to say, the end result was amazing. He truly captured our personalities, our emotions and our story. These photos will be our treasure for the rest of our lives.

James and Lina, London - Wedding in Sifnos

We met Thanasis Kaiafas in Sifnos for the first time at our wedding weekend after numerous conversations over the phone. We were so pleased to meet such a friendly, smiling, discreet and kind man! He immediately blended in and spent time with us, our families and friends capturing the moments so perfectly without anyone even noticing he was working! A true professional! Our magic moments come alive every time we look at the photo album he created for us – a real work of art! As Thanasis told me ” the album will be telling your story” and he couldn’t have put it better! His amazing talent shining through on every page yet every moment is so personal and intense… We are really happy to have gained a friend through this unforgettable experience! Thank you Thanasi!
All the best,
James and Lina

Giorgos and Stavroula (SGK) - Wedding in Spetses

Thanasis Kaiafas is not only a talented individual, is someone that is making decisions on how to take photos based on his instinct. He can cover every moment, every color, every look, every feeling, every single experience and filter all these moments through his heart. He made us feel very comfortable having him to capture these very special moments of our common life and that is why, despite the fact that we didn’t have it in initially in our minds we decided to invite him to be with us in our honeymoon. The feedback from our dear friends, all of our guests , after the wedding was that Thanasis’s pictures were just amazing, they will keep our memories alive for the years to come. These photos will be the common point of reference for all of us, we will be going back to look at them again and again and notionally live these moments. For us, Thanasis Kaiafas is now much more than a partner is a Friend and we wish him to continue with the same passion and dignity to do what he loves doing. Individuals like him have the ability to take their profession one step further. He knows why he does it and he cares about the people that he is working with.
All the best for the years to come.

Elopement in Santorini - Kelly & Stan

When my husband and I decided to elope to Santorini, Greece, my first contact was a wedding planner. She sent me several links to photographers who she had worked with in the past, but none of them felt like a good fit. Stan and I are not models. We hate being the center of attention, it was one of the main reasons we wanted to elope. This caused a problem. How do you find a photographer that won’t make you feel like the center of attention? I kept going through multiple photography websites and came across www.fearlessphotographers.com. It was here that I found Thanasis Kaiafas website. His sessions seemed to focus on the couple but in a natural style, also in a way that highlighted the surrounding environment. We emailed and then skyped. His passion for his work came through during that session. He was genuinely excited about the opportunity, not from a business standpoint, but more that two people fell in love and he might be able to be a part of what was to come. His contract and fee were reasonable and we hired him. He and I continued to communicate with email and skype. Due to the seasons being unpredictable around this time of year, he was flexible with what days he would be available. This in itself removed a lot of stress from my shoulders, because it was a possibility that the wedding day might change due to rain. When he arrived on the island, he and my wedding planner scoped out different sites for our “photo shoots.” The two people who did not want to be the center of attention had four places to go after the ceremony. And they were magnificant places. Thanasis worked well within our time line of our day as well as made us feel comfortable in front of the camera. He made jokes and made us laugh, but was also very aware of when Stan was getting tired. He got a few last shots out of us and called it a day. After going over our photos, I am so glad that we chose Thanasis. Our day was documented in a beautiful and artistic way, but it was unassuming and natural. He also did an amazing job of capturing the beautiful island of Santorini. My wedding photos will help keep my memories of the beauty of that place alive until we are able to return.

Kelly

StylemePretty - Wedding in Corfu

Hold onto your hats SMPers, because this wedding planned by White Ribbon Boutique Events Coordination is beyond. Did I mention that it’s in Greece? Or covered in gorgeous florals in fabulous pink hues from Rammos Flowers? Or that the couple looks like they stepped out of a magazine? I didn’t? Well, that’s because it there really are no words that will do this soiree justice, but thankfully Thanasis Kaiafas gorgeous images speak for themselves.

Niall and Chrysi - Sifnos Wedding

Thanasis Kaiafas enthusiasm for his job is truly special and is reflected within his work. I was also impressed that the majority of his work was carried out very much in the back ground with little or no interference to either Chrysi or myself.. The only time we noticed that he was around was when his larger than life laugh explode in the background…what a great laugh…I felt the ground moving. It is not often that I say that my expectations were surpassed. I have to agree with my niece by stating that he shot my wife in her absolute true nature, simple, elegant and truly beautiful… Thanasis thank you for a wonderful journey, for been incredibly professional and passionate about a special moment in our lives and mostly thank you for a life time of memories.
Best wishes and continued success
Niall and Chrysi

Wedding in Amsterdam

When we met Thanasis Kaiafas for the first time on Skype, we immediately knew he was the right man to take the pictures of our wedding day. We never met him in person, but we felt in our hearts that he was extremely talented and a wonderful person to work with. Of course we heard great stories about Thanasis from our friend, the great photographer Adam Alex, but the Skype meeting made it very real. So we decided that Thanasis would be the photographer of our wedding day. And we’ve never regret it. Thanasis is an amazing photographer, he has eye for every detail. He captured the most important moments of the day in the most beautiful pictures we could imagene. The colourful photos give a very good impression of our wedding day and we show the pictures with pride to everyone we know. Beside that Thanasis is such a fantastic man to have around. He is humbled, friendly and we immediately locked him in our hearts. Thanasis, thank you so much for making our wedding day even more special.

Love, Eric & Marloes

Wedding in the greens

Il est près d’un an depuis le jour de notre mariage, mais en regardant les magnifiques photos que Thanasis a tiré pour nous, c’est comme revivre chaque instant … 
Représentation de l’émotion, la couleur, la pureté, la vitalité, la simplicité, l’authenticité … Ce sont les photos de Thanasis! Quelque chose de magique qui fait hier maintenant et pour toujours … 
Thanasis Kaiafas , merci de la créativité excessive et la discrétion que tu as donné à nos moments les plus beaux!
For sure, our best choice!!!

Wedding at the Margi Hotel, Athens-Greece

Dear Thanasis…

We can’t thank you enough for everything that you have done for us , you were absolutely amazing, the photos were breath taking and your professionalism exceded our expectations. You capture the essence of our wedding, all of our special moments and even more!!! Thank you so much for creating images that we will cherish and enjoy for a lifetime!! We are so happy we picked you and we wish we could have two weddings just to have the opportunity to work with you again…
Thank you so much from the bottom of our heart
Ilias & Anna

Katerina Doundoulakis, Graphic Design for Cosmopolitan Germany

We are just so happy, that we did not only have the opportunity to engage an extraordinary talen- ted photographer for our wedding, but that we also had the chance to get to know a really special person – Thanassi kaiafas. it ́t like that line in the song „Best of me“ that says: „You bring out the best in me….“ – due to his calm and sensitive nature Thanasis Kaiafas is able to capture the beauty and intimacy of the moment and record it photographically. With his camera he turns even ordinary things into something special. it ́s his love for detail and emotion that makes every picture unique. Αs we now looked trough all wedding pictures we must say that we are so happy and, yes, over- whelmed by such a variety of beautiful pictures. Thank you so much!
Dear Thanassi, from the bottom of our hearts we wish you all the best for your future. Professional and personal. We hope to see you soon here in Munich, Germany or in any other beautiful place in the world!
Katerina & Manos Doundoulakis

The Factory Men Co

Thanasis Kaiafas is an amazing photographer who’s work speaks for itself. His work screams colour and detailed story telling. He is one of the nicest upcoming new additions to our industry and he has kindly pushed his own boundaries and edited a series of images only in Black and White.

Share your dream - Make it happen

You Are Unique… Your Wedding Day Will Be Unique…! And So Will Your Photos

Destination wedding photographers are often asked what they like shooting best. Well, for me that’s easy to answer: elopements & intimate weddings are by far my favorite thing to photograph! There is something so special, so utterly romantic : the idea of two people who are so much in love that they take the brave decision to defy convention, forget the rest of the world and take their vows in a private ceremony at an idyllic place of their choice is simply irresistible!

Over the last 5 years I have been blessed with the opportunity to meet some amazing couples who wished to elope in Santorini – Greece . I must admit that the prospect of shooting an elopement scared me a little at first. You see, photographs are a top priority in such cases, as they are the only means to announce the news of your wedding to your family and friends, help them feel connected and share your joy and happiness with them. You will agree that this is a huge responsibility for the photographer! It is also a unique experience that generates very strong feelings. The elopement photographer is the only witness, the one who will capture all the sweet moments of your special day. His presence is vital and in order to get the best possible results you need to put a lot of trust in him. See him as a friend who is there to narrate your story through his pictures. That’s why I love elopements. Once I started shooting them I kind of became addicted to them… And now I have grown so fond of them that I would willingly travel anywhere in Europe to have the chance to shoot a destination elopement!

So, if you are on this page because you plan to elope and you are looking for a photographer who will help you preserve all the precious moments of your big day forever, and if don’t want to have stereotypical wedding photos but you would prefer a more creative, original and artistic approach, I am at your disposal! I would love to join your celebration and capture the magic of your elopement anywhere in the world! I can’t wait to narrate your beautiful story!

A piece of Wisdom

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