Emmanuel Sophios was born in Logothetianika Kythera in February 1913. His mother Areti Katsouli was herself a photographer and one of the first female photographers in Greece. So the young Manolis, influenced by her, started to work with this kind of art around the age of 30. He had the misfortune to lose his mother very early but this fact did not stand in the way of his later development. He worked exclusively in Kythera and with his lens he recorded the history and culture of the island for more than half a century. His rich and important archive is today in the hands of his granddaughter Evita, who with love and respect, tries to preserve the family tradition.
His mother had studied in Athens, alongside Serbian and Czechoslovak teachers, and he had studied in America through correspondence. Some facts about his life and activities which few people know are: In the early years of his artistic activity he was engaged in prose and poetry. He had a very great talent for painting as well. He had a great talent for painting, and his talent for poetry and painting was very strong. His participation in the cultural events of the island was equally important: he brought cinema to Kythera together with two other fine fellow countrymen (Marinos Trifyllis and Stratos Theodorakakis)!
The photo with the Landing at Kapsali
The famous photograph of the landing of the British Allied troops at Kapsali in September 1944 adorns the war museums of America, Australia and England. He was for a time a tour operator and a member of the Greek Tourism Organisation (E.O.T.). He was also a member of the Philozoic Society and a member of the H.P.S. (Hellenic Photographic Society) for over 25 years. He loved listening to classical music and attending theatrical performances. He was a graduate of the Potamos School and was an amazing calligrapher. He knew English and French, a little Italian and when he was young he dreamed of being an astronomer! He was fascinated to study the secrets of the universe, the beauty of nature, flowers, animals, religions. His weakness was photographing flowers and then he would say: “Look at it. Do you see it? This is where God dwells...”
He passed away on September 9, 2006 full of days.
