It’s not every day I come across someone with the same name. And when I do I’m obsessed with how the other Despina pronounces her name. In the past I have been called Desmond by friends’ parents and received post addressed to ‘Desiree’ and ‘Destiny’ Curtis. Neither of which I could do justice! But, in Greece it’s a little more common and all the better when they are as talented as the photographer Despina Spyrou.
I came across Despina’s work while I was visiting the tiny, unspoilt island of Folegandros in Greece. I picked up her book of photographs documenting island life, narrated by the Islanders themselves and visually documented by Despina’s photographs in the book Stories in History: Folegandros, the minimum scale.
There is a great sense of nostalgia in these pictures. As if time has stood still which reflects many of the Greek islands. I hope they can stay that way.