Sophia Dimopoulou

Sophia Dimopoulou has academic and professional experience in the fields of photography, communication, and marketing. She holds a postgraduate degree in Visual Communication from Manchester Metropolitan University, specialised in the depiction of multiculturalism through photographic installations. Additionally, she earned an undergraduate degree in Business Research and Marketing at the Athens University of Economics and Business and another in Photography and Audiovisual Media at the University of West Attica, where she completed her thesis on “The Western Gaze in the Urban Landscape.” Her professional activity (@BlueShutterGirl) focuses on capturing moments that highlight human presence and everyday life. Her Greek cultural background is a fundamental element of her artistic approach, enriched by her proficiency in seven languages (Greek, English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, and French). This multilingual ability enhances her understanding of diversity and cultural nuances, allowing her to explore the variety of human experiences in dierent contexts. Through her work, she seeks to showcase people and simple moments, emphasizing the value of human existence within the environment. She has participated in various photography exhibitions in Greece and abroad, drawing inspiration from her research on the visual language of photography. “I began a PhD and found that research can be a very creative endeavor. The discovery of new and beautiful landscapes in the field of knowledge was also fascinating.” – Albert Fert .

PhD Dissertation Abstract This dissertation examines portrait photography as a medium for representing social identity in Greece between 1975 and 2005—a period of significant social and political transformation. The field of research is documentary photography, focusing on the use of portrait photography as a tool for recording and interpreting social structures. Within this framework, the movement of New Greek Photography is expolred, an artistic approach that introduced novel aesthetic and thematic perspectives, with portraiture serving as both a vehicle for representation and a means of shaping social perceptions. The central aim of the dissertation is to investigate how social identities are constructed and articulated through portrait photography in Greece. The study interrogates the technical choices, symbolic codes, and visual conventions employed to convey social and cultural meanings. Moreover, it critically examines the power dynamics between photographer, subject, and viewer, as well as the role of the viewer in the interpretation of the image. The dissertation engages with the paradox inherent in photography: while traditionally regarded as an indexical trace of reality, it simultaneously mediates and reconstructs meaning within specific social and cultural contexts. Drawing on David Bate’s analysis of portraiture, which highlights the interplay of facial expression, pose, clothing, and background in constructing social identity, and Stuart Hall’s theorisation of representation as an active process in the formation and reproduction of identities, this study situates portrait photography within broader visual and cultural discourses. The research methodology employs compositional analysis, semiotics, and discourse analysis to oer a multidimensional approach to the study of photographic portraits. Expected outcomes include the development of social typologies to facilitate the categorisation of portraits and the establishment of an analytical framework for examining social identity through photography. Ultimately, the dissertation aspires to contribute to a deeper understanding of the relationship between photographic representation and social reality by synthesising the visual narratives of Greek society during this transformative period.