In September 2022, my family and I traveled to Mykonos for a once-in-a-lifetime vacation. It was a fantastic week filled with Matis (evil eye), lemon cookies, frappes (their iced lattes), cheap souvlaki, street cats, ATVs, crystal clear water, and unbelievable blue skies.

Software used: Adobe Lightroom

I took my camera, the Canon 77D, and three lenses for the trip. I took hundreds of photos, but these pictures are my favorite.

These pictures capture the stunning bold colors of the more residential Mykonos town streets, away from the bustling town center. The flowers are so bright, almost neon, and it is a complete dream against the white walls and blue sky. When editing these photos, I wanted to portray the best colors without artificially lifting any. My style of photography is to capture the world as honestly as possible. However, some color correcting in Lightroom is necessary to give the effect it did in real life vs. the camera.

Looking back at these photos, I can remember the sun on my skin (with lots of SPF protection, of course, and a hat and sunglasses… my skin betrays me in summer weather).

I captured both of these pictures from the villa we stayed at. Being at this villa was a complete privilege because of the absolutely amazing views we were able to experience every single day.

The picture on the left is an alternate angle on the iconic Mykonos windmills. I took this on a long-range lens from the poolside. This shot is beautiful because of the context it gives to the location of the windmills. The historical architecture of Mykonos looks on to the modern town center. Though the buildings in Mykonos have to abide by the iconic white walls and colorful doors and windows, there is a noticeable difference between old and new.

The photo on the right is an image I knew I wanted on arrival at the villa: the pool at sunrise. This was at about 7 am Myknonos time. The only people awake at the villa were my father and me. I ended up trying for these photos on 2 different days, but the pictures on the first day were my favorite.

The editing for the sunrise photo was more extreme. As photographers know, it is difficult to capture the magical view of sunrise on camera. I had to do a lot of work on Adobe Lightroom to bring back the lightness of the foreground while keeping the color of the sky. I also had to color balance the photo to accentuate the gold sunrise against the departing night sky. I also wanted to ensure the glow of the light in the pool was noticeable. Another gorgeous detail is the lights on the landscape on the mountain in the distance.

These two pictures are moving personalities while I was out and about. I adore these two pictures because of their candidness.

I am known for being a cat lover, so I had fun trying to capture the cats in Mykonos. This adorable ginger cat was scratching at their ear, and it made for a great dynamic picture. The facial expression along with the slight motion blur on the ear and back paw make a great photo.

The photo on the right, the little girl by the ocean, is a true moment in time. Everything in this candid picture is harmonious: the little girl’s ponytail falling just so, her little gingham blue dress flowing around her, along with her curious kid nature trying to find something fun to take home from the sand at the beach. This is a childhood experience that everyone who has experienced a beach at a young age can appreciate. Hunting for cool rocks or pretty shells to bring home and remember the day.

I am so happy to have been able to capture these moments while I was in Mykonos. The peace in these photos is why I will keep coming back to them in the future.