Today's Guest: Dimitrios Panagos of
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Dimitrios Panagos Expert PageANNOUNCER: This VTalk Radio Spotlight is brought to you by morephotos.com. The online photo sales solution for professional photographers worldwide. Welcome to the VTalk Radio Photography Spotlight with your host, John Bentley.
JOHN: Today on VTalk Radio's Photography Spotlight we have Hicksville, New York, photographer, Dimitrios Panagos, of Dimitrios Photography and Video. Welcome to the program today, Dimitrios.
DIMITRIOS: Thank you, John.
JOHN: Now you have a unique service out there in the New York area. Tell our listening audience, what the bulk of your business is about.
DIMITRIOS: Well I'm a photo journalist. I cover news events from public relation events to presidents to hand shakes to we cover multiple segments. We cover the United Nations in New York, diplomatic coverage. We also cover events that are happening in the White House concerning the Greek-American community. As you know, the Greek-American community is a large community in the United States. We have a million and a half plus that we know of Greek-Americans, and the Greek-American community has a need for this type of service.
JOHN: Now are there newspapers in the area or magazines in the area that...
DIMITRIOS: Yes, we have various magazines and newspapers in the Greek market. We have daily newspapers. We have weeklies. We have magazines, and we also have internet based businesses.
JOHN: So are you supplying the photos then for these kind of outlets?
DIMITRIOS: Yes, we supply photographs to these outlets to newspapers, to magazines. Sometimes they are picked up worldwide by various newspapers and magazines. Like, for instance, the wedding of George Stephanopoulos, everybody remembers George Stephanopoulos. It was a Greek wedding done in a Greek Orthodox church in New York where all the photographs were picked up from People Magazine to Time, Life, Newsweek, New York Times, all the big newspapers and magazines in the world that pick the photographs up. So we have a range of receivers of the photographs in Greece. The Greek daily newspapers and over ten newspapers always call us and those are interested in the Greek-American life in the United States.
JOHN: So it must be kind of interesting to be on the inside of a lot of these political meetings then, especially United Nations or the Presidential visits and stuff like that.
DIMITRIOS: The General Assembly at the United Nations every year we cover all the world leaders that attend New York and also the various events that they attend in New York City every year. So we photograph anywhere from ten to fifteen events a week depending on who's in New York and what is going on.
JOHN: Now that is not all you do. I understand that you also do some weddings, is that true?
DIMITRIOS: Yes, we do wedding photography we have a video service also so we do a package of wedding photography. Our specialty is the Greek weddings. Greek-American weddings, Greek Orthodox weddings are very, little bit different than an American or wedding. We have to obey by certain ways of doing things in the Greek-Orthodox church so we have a special.
JOHN: Now what are some of the predicaments or problems that you have to solve when doing a Greek-Orthodox wedding as opposed to just a general American wedding?
DIMITRIOS: Well you have to be personally respectful in your church. You know, you can't step here, you can't do this, but other things are that you have to be aware of the events as they happen. The Greek Orthodox wedding starts off with an engagement which is happening. It's officiated by the priest within the sacrament. It begins with the, actually, the engagement with a priest blesses the rings and puts in the hand of the bride and the groom, and then you have the rest of the wedding ceremony which is very different than other weddings. So you have follow-up and usually it lasts about an hour; 45 minutes to an hour normal Greek wedding.
JOHN: Now we're going to take a break here, Demitrios, but before we do that, could you share your website address and contact information with our listening audience.
DIMITRIOS: Yes our website is www.panagos.com and also www.dimitrios.com. We have two sites that give all the information about our services.
JOHN: And what about phone number that people can reach you by?
DIMITRIOS: Sure our phone number is (516) 931-2333 and we have a new phone number in the Long Island city area, Astoria, New York, which is (718) 721-8788.
JOHN: We are speaking with Hicksville, New York, and Asteria, New York, photographer, Dimitrios Panagos, of Dimitrios Photo and Video, and you're listening to VTalk Radio's Photography Spotlight. We'll be right back after these important messages.
ANNOUNCER: This VTalk Radio Spotlight is sponsored by morephotos.com, the online photo sales solution to professional photographers worldwide.
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ANNOUNCER: We now return you to the VTalk Radio's Photography Spotlight with your host, John Bentley.
JOHN: We are in the studio with Hicksville, New York, and Asteria, New York, photographer, Dimitrios Panagos, of Dimitrios Photo and Video . Welcome back to VTalk Radio's Photography Spotlight, Dimitrios.
DIMITRIOS: Thank you, John.
JOHN: Now we've been talking about the Greek-American news photos you've been doing and also some of the Greek Orthodox weddings that you photograph. You talked about engagements. That's not all you do. You do also baptisms, is that true?
DIMITRIOS: Yes, we do baptisms which is another sacrament in the Greek Orthodox church. We have various packages that people can pick from...different albums. Albums come in all different sizes. We do the new digital albums. We do coffee table books in various sizes and this is something new that has started in the last couple of years and it's a big trend so every baptism or engagement or wedding involves in the making and creation of a beautiful album which people, you know, cherish forever.
JOHN: Now why did you decide to become a photographer in the first place, Dimitrios?
DIMITRIOS: Well, I don't know. I mean, I was given a camera when I was 11 years old in my homeland, Greece. I was put on a boat as they say and sent right over to America to join my father who was here already. So since eleven, I've been photographing. I have photographed for various newspapers, American newspapers, Greek Newspapers. I love it. It's an expression of, you know, how I live every day. It's 24/7 for me.
JOHN: Alright. Now how long has the Dimitrios Photography and Video been around?
DIMITRIOS: Since 1978.
JOHN: Oh wow.
DIMITRIOS: Maybe 30 years...
JOHN: Yeah, you've got some history behind you there.
DIMITRIOS: I've photographed many weddings and many baptisms and engagements and news events and fires and accidents and I have done everything, but our main sustenance right now is the news and the wedding photography.
JOHN: Now let's talk a little bit about the Hicksville and Asteria, New York area. What are some of the cities and communities around there that you are doing your photography in?
DIMITRIOS: Well we cover the tri-state area right now which includes Long Island, Nassau, Suffolk Counties, Queens, Brooklyn area, the Brooklyn Bay Ridge, and Manhattan, Queens, Long Island City, parts of Connecticut, eastern Connecticut. We go all the way up to Bridgeport, Connecticut. We cover also parts of New Jersey all the way down to Haramos, New Jersey. These are the areas that are mostly concentrated by Greek-Americans.
JOHN: Now what about any facilities, banquet halls, anything like that in your area that you do a lot of business at or would like to do business?
DIMITRIOS: We have quite a few places that we deal with and one of them that caters to the Greek-American community is the Terrace on the Park in Queens and the other one is the Sand Castle in Floral Terrace which are Greek owned businesses. Very well known caterers, and we deal with these people on a regular basis.
JOHN: Now as a photographer doing these type of events, what exactly are you looking for? What are you trying to capture?
DIMITRIOS: Well we like to capture, you know, the expressions of the people. We do a story telling album. We try to, you know, when somebody picks up the album and looks at what's going on, you'll be able to tell who is who and what is happening from the beginning to the end without asking, you know, what this is and what that is. The main thing is to capture expressions, facial expressions, you know, over all situation of the rooms, of the area that we photograph. Whether it's a wedding or a baptism, or an engagement or a sweet 16. We do sweet 16's also, I mean, this is a big thing on the east coast. It all depends on expression, capturing the right moment.
JOHN: Well I want to thank you for joining us today, Dimitrios, on VTalk Radio's Photography Spotlight.
DIMITRIOS: I thank you. I thank you very much.
JOHN: Before I let you go, why don't you give your website and contact information one more time for our listening audience.
DIMITRIOS: Sure our websites that anybody can look at is www.panagos.com and our phone numbers are (718) 721-8788 and (516) 931-2333.
JOHN: We've been in the studio with Hicksville, New York, photographer, Dimitrios Panagos, of Dimitrios Photography and Video, and you've been listening to VTalk Radio's Photography Spotlight. I'm John Bentley. Thanks for joining us today. Have a great afternoon.
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