Introduction :: Yannis Kontos

Yannis Kontos was born in Ioannina, Greece in 1971.

He received a degree in physical education from the University of Thessaloniki in 1995 and a degree in photography at the department of graphic art and design at Athens' Institute of Technical Education in 2001.

He began shooting as a freelance for the SYGMA photo agency. Today, he is actively involved in photojournalism and feature work at GAMMA Press USA, frequently travelling abroad to cover major stories.

Assignments in last years included coverage of events as the Kosovo war, the October revolution in Yugoslavia till the fall of Milosevic, the devastating earthquake in Turkey, the pyramid crisis in Albania, the war situation in Macedonia, the G8 anti-globalization protests in Genoa and the crisis in Afghanistan. Also coverage of news stories and features in South Lebanon, Israel and Egypt.

His photographs have been published in Time and Newsweek magazines, the New York Times Magazine, People weekly, Stern, Der Spiegel, Britain's Sunday Times magazine and The Independent newspaper, Nouvel Observateur, L'Express, Liberation, Figaro magazine, Paris Match, GEO, the Greek Epsilon and other well known publications.

Passionately dedicated to his profession, he is committed to further improving his in-depth coverage of events as a photojournalist.

World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass,
Rotterdam, The Netherlands, November 2001.

Hostile Environments & HSE-Approved Emergency First Aid Training Course,
Centurion Risk Assessment Services, Andover, United Kingdom, November 2001.

Photojournalism workshop, instructed by Constantinos Manos / Magnum photos
and Ed Kashi / National Geographic, Scopelos, Greece, August 1997.

Photojournalism workshop, instructed by Nikos Economopoulos / Magnum photos
Athens, Greece, December 1999 - January 2000.