Hubris

Wintry, Indelible Syros

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“A photographer at heart, I am recording moments of this journey: I need to be able to come back to this when it’s all in my rear-view mirror. For me, photography extends an experience, feelings, impressions, interactions: images will bring back the sensation of the cold in the air, the sound of Aegean waves, the warmth of Greece’s winter sun, the views of the sea from high green fields . . . and so much more. And I will count, and recount, my blessings.Chiara-Sophia Coyle

Clicks & Relativity

By Chiara-Sophia Coyle

Coyle Syros 01
Syros I. (Photo: Chiara-Sophia Coyle.)

Sophia Coyle, Weekly Hubris

SONOMA California—(Weekly Hubris)—1 March 2022—In the midst of another pandemic winter and spring, and for an extended period of time, I find myself in Greece, one of my motherlands.

Having begun a new life’s chapter (titled “I have left corporate America, become a life coach, and am now figuring out how to balance work and travel”), I decided first to take a restorative side trip and spend a couple of months living on Syros and Crete with a very close and dear childhood friend.  

A photographer at heart, I am recording moments of this journey: I need to be able to come back to this when it’s all in my rear-view mirror. (I have written more here on the importance of using creative self-expression to stay connected to one’s cultures-of-origin.) 

For me, photography extends an experience, feelings, impressions, interactions: images will bring back the sensation of the cold in the air, the sound of Aegean waves, the warmth of Greece’s winter sun, the views of the sea from high green fields . . . and so much more. And I will count, and recount, my blessings.

My time on Syros, capital of the Cyclades, is now coming to an end. It’s been a while since I was in these islands in winter. If you know anything about Greece “off season,” you know the Cyclades are damp and very cold, December through March. You feel it to the bone, as the locals say. And if it’s windy, which it almost always is, this maritime chill is intensified multifold. There are days when it’s difficult to love the borderless, unbroken grey. Days when the sky, the water, and the horizon run together, and summer’s a distant memory, can get to you.

Being here during the pandemic added a layer of loneliness to the chill, as everyone here has been masked. Recent government measures banned live music, as well, so the few places that had been open earlier closed. What’s the point of gathering if you can’t enjoy the music that runs in a Greek’s blood?

At the same time, this winter loneliness has enabled a different sort of connection with the land, one that I have felt very grateful for as I have been able to take my time and slow down, breathe, just be. I have been reminded of the countryside of my childhood on Mykonos, that destination-island that has changed so much over the years. 

The next chapter of my journey will unfold on Crete and, soon, I will be sharing images with you from the small village of Milatos, located between Iraklion and Aghios Nikolaos.

For now, I have chosen some vivid Syros images to share with you, and hope you enjoy them!

Syros 02
Syros II. (Photo: Chiara-Sophia Coyle.)
Syros 03
Syros III. (Photo: Chiara-Sophia Coyle.)
Syros 04
Syros IV. (Photo: Chiara-Sophia Coyle.)
Syros 05
Syros V. (Photo: Chiara-Sophia Coyle.)
Syros 06
Syros VI. (Photo: Chiara-Sophia Coyle.)
Syros 07
Syros VII. (Photo: Chiara-Sophia Coyle.)
Syros 08
Syros VIII. (Photo: Chiara-Sophia Coyle.)
Syros 09
Syros IX. (Photo: Chiara-Sophia Coyle.)
Syros 10
Syros X. (Photo: Chiara-Sophia Coyle.)
Syros 11
Syros XI. (Photo: Chiara-Sophia Coyle.)
Syros 12
Syros XII. (Photo: Chiara-Sophia Coyle.)
Syros 13
Syros XIII. (Photo: Chiara-Sophia Coyle.)
Syros 14
Syros XISyros I. (Photo: Chiara-Sophia Coyle.). (Photo: Chiara-Sophia Coyle.)
Syros 15
Syros XV. (Photo: Chiara-Sophia Coyle.)
Syros 16
Syros XVI. (Photo: Chiara-Sophia Coyle.)
Syros 17
Syros XVII. (Photo: Chiara-Sophia Coyle.)
Syros 18
Syros XVIII. (Photo: Chiara-Sophia Coyle.)
Syros 19
Syros XIX. (Photo: Chiara-Sophia Coyle.)
Syros 20
Syros XX. (Photo: Chiara-Sophia Coyle.)
Syros 21
Syros XXI. (Photo: Chiara-Sophia Coyle.)
Syros 22
Syros XXII. (Photo: Chiara-Sophia Coyle.)
Syros 23
Syros XXIII. (Photo: Chiara-Sophia Coyle.)
Syros 24
Syros XXIV. (Photo: Chiara-Sophia Coyle.)
Syros 25
Syros XXV. (Photo: Chiara-Sophia Coyle.)

Born in the United States in the 1960s (then, transplanted to a very small, remote Greek island at the age of three months); brought up in a bilingual and frequently culturally conflicted environment; repatriated to Homeland No. 1 some 25 years ago; descended from four generations of photographers, Chiara-Sophia Coyle was acquainted with photography from an early age; always pursued by her mother, Rolleiflex at the ready, recording and sharing scenes of family life with absent grandparents and her children's working-at-sea father. Photography became Coyle's own escape as a young teenager. Kodak Instamatic in hand, the sound of the twist and the advancement of the film music to her ears, she began exploring all the elements of the Aegean: water, light, white, blue. While never an income generator, photography is what kept the artist sane as she navigated the challenges of single parenting, and endured the endless longing and aching for Homeland No. 2. Experimenting, early, with Emulsion Transfers, Coyle moved on to printing in her own dark room; then, to digital and iPhotography, constantly experimenting and exploring the new. Based in Sonoma, California, Coyle is an Expat Life Coach and Retreat Leader and continues to travel, photograph, and work with what feeds her soul, wherever she may be: the people, the water, the reflections, the abstract. Her current art may be found on Instagram (@chiarasophia1); contact her at chiarasophia@gmail.com. (Author Head Shot Augment: René Laanen.)