Smile on the Tiles photographer Alex Christaki has died – Plymouth Live

Heartfelt tributes have poured in for a popular Plymouth photographer, known as ‘Mr Smile on the Tiles’. Alex Christaki was a familiar face in the nightlife scene, always spotted with a camera in hand.

The 50-year-old had a love for photography from a young age after his brother got a camera. He started taking photographs when he was in school and his passion grew.

Alex started Smile on the Tiles in 2005 and had been taking our photographs in Plymouth clubs, pubs and bars – and even on the street for over 16 years. In a post on his SmileontheTiles website, Alex admits he took his “first accidental photo” at View 2 on the Barbican in October 2005.

By November that year, he had 10,000 users and the following month, had his first spread of photographs in The Herald. Five years later, his business expanded and he was selling keyrings in Union Rooms. Between 2010 and 2012, Alex and his team had taken a whopping one million photographs of partygoers.

In 2019, Alex and his team had visited 200 different venues, created 25,000 albums and covered 2,000 nights out.

Alex, a trained pianist, composer and music teacher, was also responsible for launching the Plymouth Street Pianos project and sponsored one of the street pianos which appeared in the city in 2018.

Alex, who was a self-taught musician who learned from YouTube videos, said the project was “aimed at supporting local artists and musicians while building a community focus around music and the arts”. The initial project, Street Pianos, saw 1,850 pianos installed in 55 cities across the globe and all contain the message ‘play me, I’m yours’.

News of Alex’s death broke yesterday, with hundreds of people leaving touching tributes on social media. One said: “RIP Alex, you were a wonderful person. You will not be forgotten.”

A second said: “This is such sad news to read absolutely gutted. Such a lovely man capturing all of the best but drunken moments on a night out. You will be missed. Rest in peace.”

If you’d like to pay tribute to Alex, please leave a comment below or email us at news@plymouthherald.co.uk.

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