Students Interviews - Lena Droumpouneti: ''Tourism That Hurts Nature'' - Moments Collective
- Ypatia Kornarou
- 11 hours ago
- 3 min read
Interview with Ypatia Kornarou
What does the photographic work “Tourism That Hurts Nature” address?
Every summer, thousands of tourists flood the most beautiful corners of our country. From the islands of the Aegean to the mountains of Epirus, tourism breathes life into local communities and supports the economy. Yet behind this image of growth lies another, less bright reality: tourist destinations are suffocating under the weight of human indifference.
Where there was once untouched nature, today we find plastic, cigarette butts, and litter left behind. Beaches turn into dumps, hiking trails fill with waste, and ecosystems are silently destroyed. Some visitors seem to forget that the place they visit does not belong to them they merely borrow it for a while from nature and from the generations to come.
Of course, the responsibility does not lie solely with the tourists. Local authorities and businesses must invest in sustainable practices, recycling infrastructure, and environmental education. Tourism should not be based on overexploitation but on care. A place that is destroyed ceases to be attractive, and in the end, we all lose.
If we want to keep enjoying the beauty of our country, we must learn to respect it. Nature does not ask for much only that we leave it as we found it. Because true civilization is not reflected in hotels or tourist statistics, but in the way we treat the environment that hosts us.
@Lena Droumpouneti
What difficulties did you face in completing the photographic project?
The difficulties I encountered were mainly related to the style and execution of the work. I didn’t want the series to be perceived as a mere documentary attempt; instead, through a conceptual approach, I aimed to visualize my concerns. Since I chose to work with diffused natural light created by an overcast landscape, I faced limitations due to the weather’s lack of flexibility.
Particularly when photographing the actors who participated in the project on different days, I was anxious about whether I would encounter the same weather conditions in both photo sessions.
@Lena Droumpouneti
In what way do you believe the emotions we feel for a place, its people, and its natural landscape can interact with the art of photography?
Through photography, we can experience many different emotions and sometimes even change the way we feel about them. Photography is a medium that allows us to perceive, from a new perspective, the aesthetic, cultural, environmental, and philosophical dimensions of the world.
Of course, some subjects approached through the art of photography are not optimistic; yet, it is precisely in those moments that the lens focuses urging us to pay closer attention.
@Lena Droumpouneti
Why photography? What was the journey that led you to decide to engage with the art of the image?
The answer is: why not photography? Photography is art, it is a form of expression. My journey has always included the image; it has been, and still is, an inseparable part of my life, regardless of my professional direction.
I walk alongside it because within the image I can channel everything that words cannot contain.
@Lena Droumpouneti
What new self do you discover or is there something that surprises you as you photograph?
The self that is not visible. Inside the camera exists a different world, one filled with its own truth, where only the photographer can intervene. Every time I photograph, I discover myself, because the gaze of the lens is my own vision the one I wish to coexist with as I look at the world.
@Lena Droumpouneti
How do you see the world through a lens?
I see I look at a wonderful world, because it is a world made of photographs that first and foremost please me. When these photographs come together, they form the creation of a new reality a world that I love.
@Lena Droumpouneti
Author: Ypatia Kornarou
The Moments Collective Team @2025
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