# Our new site with unique photos (no kidding!): Feedback wanted



## John Thomas (Jan 13, 2015)

Hi all,

We started a new site with some unique photos at

http://asceticexperience.com/

It is for the first time when such photos are online and, hence, we want your constructive feedback. Feel free to dig the site.

All the best


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## Tinky (Jan 13, 2015)

love the pic of your bearded man leading the donkeys through the verdant hills


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## AvTvM (Jan 13, 2015)

wow ... many great images. To me, in one way the website itself resembles an iconostasis ... a wall of religious images ... set in lots of gold. It is countercated with the images and despricptions of monastiv life, the emphasis placed on the lives of humble, devout monks, the circle of the lithurgical year with its great feasts and religious traditions preserved and passed on through the centuries. 

Apparently you had very privileged and close access ... and the status as an "embedded photographer" has been used very well to tell a compelling story of religious life at current day Vatopedi monastery on Mount Athos. 

At the same time it appears to be a part of a PR effort to get out of the twilight this very monastery has been under since 2008 and all through the troublesome years of the of economic and political crisis and collapse in Greece. Things have not only been as humble, pious and good at this very monastery as the website would want to make us believe. Vatopedi monastery was a the center of a huge, controversial land deal and subsequent financial scandal, which led to a number of greek government ministers having to resign from office and eventually got the monastery's abbot and another monk who had been in charge of the monastery's commercial and financial transactions to jail. 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatopedi_monastery


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## John Thomas (Jan 13, 2015)

Tinky said:


> love the pic of your bearded man leading the donkeys through the verdant hills



Thanks! It was quite an experience shooting this. He is a very nice person as well.


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## AvTvM (Jan 13, 2015)

AvTvM said:



> wow ... many great images. To me, in one way the website itself resembles an iconostasis ... a wall of religious images ... set in lots of gold. It is countercated with the images and despricptions of monastiv life, the emphasis placed on the lives of humble, devout monks, the circle of the lithurgical year with its great feasts and religious traditions preserved and passed on through the centuries.
> 
> Apparently you had very privileged and close access ... and the status as an "embedded photographer" has been used very well to tell a compelling story of religious life at current day Vatopedi monastery on Mount Athos.
> 
> ...


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## John Thomas (Jan 13, 2015)

AvTvM said:


> wow ... many great images. To me, in one way the website itself resembles an iconostasis ... a wall of religious images ... set in lots of gold. It is countercated with the images and despricptions of monastiv life, the emphasis placed on the lives of humble, devout monks, the circle of the lithurgical year with its great feasts and religious traditions preserved and passed on through the centuries.
> 
> Apparently you had very privileged and close access ... and the status as an "embedded photographer" has been used very well to tell a compelling story of religious life at current day Vatopedi monastery on Mount Athos.
> 
> ...



Thanks a lot for your appreciations!

Yes, I'm a close friend of them. The images are covering a range of time from before of controversy till nowadays and they're depicting the reality. I didn't thought about a PR thing from my side, but somehow I'm glad about this.

Indeed the monastery was caught in the middle of political interests and it was very hard to them (read: impossible) to defend themselves. Just one monk was gone to jail in a so-called 'preventive arrest' and it was set free after some time after - it was just a political move to get some votes. Anyway, I don't want to enter in these details. What's more important, I think, is that I'm trying to depict a very different way of being which was/is - especially in this case - quite different from what one from outside thinks.

If you want to post/show something more just ask.


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## triggermike (Jan 13, 2015)

Love it!


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## John Thomas (Jan 13, 2015)

And by the way: If you like it, do share!


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## RustyTheGeek (Jan 13, 2015)

Very nice images. The site appears to have been quite a lot of work. Great job and good luck with it!


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## John Thomas (Jan 13, 2015)

RustyTheGeek said:


> Very nice images. The site appears to have been quite a lot of work. Great job and good luck with it!



Thanks a lot! 

Photos are starting from... ...I don't know exactly.  2004 I think.

The site's idea and all the stuff started to get contour ~ 5 months ago.

Love that you like it.


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## John Thomas (Jan 13, 2015)

PropeNonComposMentis said:


> John Thomas said:
> 
> 
> > Hi all,
> ...



Thanks a lot for your nice words.

Yes, shooting monks is a real game changer. And I don't mean it from professional POV only. 

OTOH, about Orthodoxy and monastic life: you're right. That's why it is a great responsibility on my shoulders as a photojournalist. 

About other countries: we'll see what God wants.  Just follow the site.


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## AvTvM (Jan 13, 2015)

It would be nice if female visitors would finally also be allowed to Athis. Not even Annie Leibovitz - who was asked to portray people like the Queen of England and might as well be asked to shoot in Vatican and portrait the pope - would stand a chance to capture any of the (excellent) images shown on the website or anything else on the entite Athos peninsula. 

High time for a change. After all, we do live in the 21st century, nit inthe 11th or 14th.


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## ajfotofilmagem (Jan 13, 2015)

You seem to be a lucky photographer. Do not get me wrong. You showed that you have artistic technique and sensitivity to make good use of the chances that the destination has to offer.

Not all photographers know capture the subtlety of spontaneous emotions.


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## Tinky (Jan 13, 2015)

I think there is a great lesson from this website, and I do not mean any offence, or to be derogatory in any way, but a lot of people could learn from the approach...

brevity is the soul of wit.

sometimes it's not what you show, it's what you chose not to show.

a good photographer may have a portfolio of 50 really great pictures.

A brilliant photographer only needs a portfolio of half a dozen. Sometimes less.


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## Diko (Jan 13, 2015)

A nice site indeed. Keep up the good work. And I hope for the best of it. 

This world needs more site like this one no matter the religion.


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## John Thomas (Jan 14, 2015)

Tinky said:


> I think there is a great lesson from this website, and I do not mean any offence, or to be derogatory in any way, but a lot of people could learn from the approach...
> 
> brevity is the soul of wit.
> 
> ...



Thanks a lot for the advice. 

However my intention isn't/wasn't to promote myself, but rather to document the truth from the Holy Mount Athos.


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## John Thomas (Jan 14, 2015)

AvTvM said:


> It would be nice if female visitors would finally also be allowed to Athis. Not even Annie Leibovitz - who was asked to portray people like the Queen of England and might as well be asked to shoot in Vatican and portrait the pope - would stand a chance to capture any of the (excellent) images shown on the website or anything else on the entite Athos peninsula.
> 
> High time for a change. After all, we do live in the 21st century, nit inthe 11th or 14th.



I really understand you. However, I'm afraid that the fragile equilibrium which exists there will be destroyed - not that I think now at women per se, but - you know - tourism and related stuff.

Nowadays, even if Holy Mountain is, in fact, a peninsula, you can get there only by boat. Also, you need an invitation from a Monastery etc. Yeah, I know. Many would want to see it. Well, what can I say? Follow my site.


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## Tinky (Jan 14, 2015)

John Thomas said:


> Tinky said:
> 
> 
> > I think there is a great lesson from this website, and I do not mean any offence, or to be derogatory in any way, but a lot of people could learn from the approach...
> ...



Your work deserves the promotion and the stories deserve telling. This is work on a par with the best of Magnum, the best of National Geographic. Your work is in that latter category I spoke from, people could learn a lot from you is what I meant.


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## John Thomas (Jan 14, 2015)

Diko said:


> A nice site indeed. Keep up the good work. And I hope for the best of it.
> 
> This world needs more site like this one no matter the religion.



Yes, sure. We need to know the truth.

Thanks for the appreciation.


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## Ozarker (Feb 16, 2015)

John Thomas said:


> Hi all,
> 
> We started a new site with some unique photos at
> 
> ...



Wonderful! It is so much fun to see photos of people with different modes of living (than my own) and I am amazed at the places and experiences of the photographers who post here. I enjoyed the website very much.


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