Bathe in Beautiful Greece with Marina Vernicos

Marina Vernicos is an award-winning photographer hailing from Athens, Greece. Her stunning portrayals of her home country leave the viewer certain to be adding this destination to their travel wish list. The brilliant blues and whites that are the hallmark of Grecian style and architecture are reflected in her aerial captures of Greece’s beaches, pools and coastlines. We chatted with Marina about what flies her kite as part of our High Flyers series – but her images speak for themselves.

Hi Marina, thanks for giving us the opportunity to interview you. As an award winning professional fine art photographer, what drew you to move into aerial drone photography?

I was always interested in new methods of photography. Four years ago I discovered the drones and started experimenting.  Since then a whole new different perspective has unraveled and I’m super excited.

You capture the many beautiful facets that your home country of Greece. What is your intention when shooting from the air?

To simply showcase the world the beauty of my country and invite everyone to visit.

What sort of decisions do you make when choosing a shoot location and time? Are there particular challenges you have to overcome?

The light has to be right. Other than the strong wind that could make the drone flight risky, nothing stops me from photographing. If the conditions don’t allow me to fly I use my cameras. 

You’ve got some outstanding moments captured in your Instagram account. What have been the most popular aerial images? Why?

Thank you! My followers prefer seascapes and I make a big effort to satisfy them.

Are there any special achievements you are proud of in your drone photography?

I usually sleep very well at night. A year ago I woke up at 4:30am and couldn’t go back to sleep (that had never happened before) and decided to switch on my phone. As soon as I did I received many congratulations messages and I was very surprised. I soon found out that Instagram’s official page had featured my drone video and had more than 4.5 million views. I was very proud.

Do you have any bucket list locations you’d like to shoot from the air? Why?

I’ve checked most of my bucket list locations! I have travelled to 116 countries, but would love to visit Easter Island and Galapagos. The challenge is make something good out of places that are not so picture perfect.

What do you fly, and what do you love about it?

I have always flown with DJI and now I fly with the DJI Mavic. I love it. It’s so easy, small and efficient that I take it everywhere with me. I travel with 2 in case of an accident.

How do you see the drone technology expanding or changing in the next 5 years?

This is only the beginning. I’m sure we will be happily surprised of what will come next. For now, I soon hope they will be waterproof, better in quality, and more durable against bad weather and crashes.