About
Who is Stavros?
Hello, my name is Stavros Karantonis, but people call me Stav, Stevy, and my long-term nickname, Tesla.
The nickname originates from my school days. Being introduced to Physics, and specifically Electromagnetic Fields from a young age, I naturally grew an obsession with Nikola Tesla. I talked about him so much that my fellow students thought I was actually called Tesla... so when I started my photography journey back in 2014, I created TeslaPhotography *
* (Not to be confused with a particular car manufacturer run by Elon Musk)
Background
I was born and raised in a tiny island in the Mediterranean called Cyprus, which at the time, wasn't particularly famous for supercars or cool cars in general.
When I was 5 years old, I remember watching a 10-year anniversary video of the Alfa Romeo 155 TI V6 dominating DTM. The pure adrenaline and thrill from that video might have sparked my ever-lasting passion for cars... First, with the Italian holy trinity of Alfa Romeo, Ferrari and Lancia, followed by an interest in the classic air-cooled Porsche era, and later on expanding to pretty much every other manufacturer. Needless to say, and not long after, I became an avid fan of past and present motorsport, including Formula 1 and Group B rallying.
My fascination with physics soon grew as well as my interest in the mechanics of internal combustion engines. So by the time I was in my early teens, the only thing I would talk about was cars.
However, while cars were conceptually interesting, as a young teenager there was nothing legal for me to do with them, so I had to look elsewhere. That's when I found interest in photography.
What started off as a hobby, photographing landscapes and occasional portraits, slowly evolved to be a passion like no other...
Tesla Photography
At the age of 13, I decided that I wanted to save up for a DSLR to start my photography journey. While I knew I didn't have the gear to shoot cars, I knew the end goal would have been premium automotive photography. As soon as I got my hands on a camera I started photographing anything from stars to animals, and from headshots to landscapes.
I started off with photographing birthday parties of friends as well as shooting amateur portraits for free, to build up a photo portfolio. Once I felt confident and more experienced, I took it a step further and created Tesla Photography. I then slowly worked my way up to bigger events and professional portraits and before I realized it, I was photographing weddings. Initially for family and friends then later on expanded to couples' weddings who only knew me through my work.
While I enjoyed photographing various such events, I did not find it creative enough, so I sought for something more artsy. I then found myself photographing real estate and occasionally combined it with aerial (drone) photogrammetry for architects and civil engineers. I have also combined real estate photography with bespoke woodwork projects, to help build a profound portfolio of a carpenter.
After coming to the UK for my university studies, I was exposed to a much more diverse world of cars than what I had previously experienced in Cyprus. Which - as you would expect - immediately drew my attention to them and couldn't stop thinking about finding opportunities to work with automotive photography.
Fast forward to today, I am no longer shooting weddings, or other events, and instead primarily focus on cars - back to where it all started. I do, though, still enjoy real estate photography so you might find me working on a real estate project as well.
Testimonials
OreSTis
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"I had my Subie WRX STi photographed (Tier 3) and I could not be happier. Fantastic shots and Stavro is really flexible and easy to work with. He took it upon himself to choose the location and time of the day for the photoshoot based on the color of my car, to blend it in with the background. I have shown him the good and bad bits of the car and he positioned the camera accordingly to emphasize on the good bits without completely hiding the bad bits. I was impressed. Needless to say, the photoshoot was excellent value for money, as the high quality of the images meant I could also physically print them."
Mike
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"I recently had the pleasure of hiring Stavros to do a photoshoot of my car and I couldn't be happier with the results. From the moment I contacted him, he was professional and responsive, answering all of my questions and concerns in a timely manner. When it came time for the photoshoot, Stavros arrived on time and immediately got to work. He spent time carefully positioning my car and finding the best angles to showcase its features. He also took the time to get to know me and understand my vision for the photoshoot, making sure to capture exactly what I was looking for. He was skilled in using natural light to bring out the details and beauty of my car ensuring that every shot was perfect. He was patient and meticulous, taking multiple shots of each angle to ensure he captured the perfect image. As the photoshoot progressed, it became clear to me that Stavros was not only skilled at his photography, but also truly passionate about it. He was dedicated to creating the best possible images and was constantly adjusting his techniques to get the perfect shot. When seeing the final images, I was blown away by the results. Stavros had truly captured the beauty and elegance of my car, and the images were truly stunning. He had a keen eye for detail and was able to highlight the unique features of my car in a way that truly made it stand out. Overall, I couldn't be happier with the experience of hiring Stavros as a photographer. He was professional, skilled, and passionate about every aspect of it, and the final images were truly breathtaking. I would highly recommend him to anyone in need of a high-quality automotive photographer."
ArtWood F&D
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"As Artwood funiture and decoration we hired Stavro in order to have him take some professional photos of our work at different projects we had completed during the past few years. Being that we are a furniture and woodwork manufacturing and installation company, we weren't really sure if he was the right man for the job initially so we sat down with him and after seeing similar past work he had done and through our discussions we got convinced. We are pleased and very happy to say he was the perfect man for the job. He took photos with a lot of attention to detail in order to capture the right angles with the correct lighting making sure the futures of the different types of wood as well as the finishing details of the installations were all exposed and clear for everyone to see. We now have 1000s of photos he took for us and we share them with our customers in person and on our Instagram page to showcase our work which we are really proud of. Stavro's work is exceptional and on top of that he is a top person and professional who has a lot more to offer to his clients than what they expect. We like to thank you once more our friend."
Pavlos `ExWarrior`
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“I asked Stavros to do some work for me, taking portraits for professional use, and upon my request he knew exactly the location of where the shoot should take place. He was creative, great with instructions, telling me how to pose and position myself and had great ideas for pictures that would capture all aspects of my personality which is very important for a on-air broadcaster such as myself. I was very satisfied with the end result, having multiple pictures ready to use for any of my needs”
KosDevLab
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"I worked with Stavros to update my portfolio and LinkedIn page with some new seaside shots. He positioned for the greatest angles possible, and the final pictures were simply stunning thanks to his experience and excellent editing skills. From start to end, he was a genuine professional, making me feel comfortable and relaxed in front of the camera. I highly recommend him. Thank you one again, Stavro 🙏"