Each month, First State Focus features a photographer active in the local community. If you know someone who you think should be featured, email a link to their work to dsato[at]delawareonline[dot]com.
George Evancho is the vice president of the Coastal Camera Club in the Lewes-Rehoboth area. Last month, the club hosted its first annual Photo Beach Bash, attracting more than 350 attendees who heard from Canon Explorer of Light Rick Sammon and Delaware photographer Kevin Fleming among others.
FSF: How did you first become interested/involved in photography and what types of photography most interest you?
George Evancho: I've been taking pictures pretty much all my life because I can't ever remember a time when I didn't have a camera, but the photography bug really bit me in 1969. I got my first job right out of graduate school at Armour Foods in Chicago, and one of my co-workers was an avid photographer. He used Leica equipment, which I couldn't afford, so he took me downtown to a camera store where I bought my first Nikon, a Nikon F. No meter, all manual, kit lens, but I loved that camera (still have it), and I've been a Nikon user ever since. We both had young children so we did a lot of "kid" pictures together, and he was a great mentor (he also had all the lighting equipment). As head of food safety for a major food company, I got to travel extensively over the years, so I also got to do a lot of landscape and travel photos. But I always come back to portraits which I think are my favorite.
FSF: You are currently the vice president of the Coastal Camera Club, how did you first become involved in the club and how has it grown and evolved over the years?
GE: When I retired, my wife and I moved to Lewes (that's a story for another time). I belonged to a few camera clubs in NJ where I used to live and being new to the area, I was looking for a club to join so I could find places to photograph (I never spent a day of my life in Sussex County until we moved here). The Coastal Camera Club had a tent at the Tulip Festival that year and I stopped by to look at the photographs. I spoke to some of the members who were very friendly and invited me to attend one of their meetings. I've been a member for about four years now. I'm not sure how many members were in the club that year, but it was probably around 50-60. We're now at 159 and growing.
FSF: The Coastal Camera Club recently held the first annual Photo Beach Bash. What was the genesis of the photo beach bash? What sort of planning goes into an event of that size? Given that it was the first go around, what did you learn from it for future workshops?
GE: As Vice President, I'm also Program Chair and responsible for all the education programs in the Club. This includes the program each month where we invite a professional to speak to the club on some aspect of photography. I had firmed up a speaker for every month (quite an impressive list by the way) except for March. Canon USA has an Explorer of Light program where they sponsor about 50 photographers to speak to clubs around the country. Sometimes you just get lucky. The March 13th date was open, and Rick Sammon (a Canon Explorer of Light) was free on March 13. He said he's love to do it so he, I and the person at Canon responsible for the EOL program worked together. One thing led to another, and Rick Sammon was scheduled to speak to the Club on March 13. But it was kind of like the dog who chases cars. I caught one, but now what do I do with it? Canon wanted us to insure we would have about 150 people in attendance. We didn't have 150 members that we could guarantee would attend. We also meet at Cadbury at Lewes which can't handle that kind of crowd. So a few club members got together at Panera Bread one morning and when we left several hours later, my head was spinning. We had given birth to the Photo Beach Bash. All that remained was to sell the idea to the Board and the members, which was extremely easy (a number of those present were actually Board members). Everyone loved the idea. But nothing like this had ever been done in this area or by the club, so we had a lot to learn. We developed a master plan (which we modified when necessary), divided up the work load, members assumed responsibility for specific tasks, we met frequently to update and keep everyone informed, and never let any detail, no matter how insignificant, go unattended. Participation from club members was fantastic and although we might have had a few missteps, we pulled it off. Almost 350 attended from DE, MD, VA, PA, and NJ. The feedback we received from attendees was extremely positive.
We asked attendees for feedback, and we have been recapping the event with those who participated to see if and where we could improve for next year. Although it was a lot of work, we learned a lot which we will use to guide us next year. I think the secret to the success of the Beach Bash was that we were inclusive, we let everyone contribute when and how they could, we give those that volunteered ownership and we held them accountable, we didn't micro-manage, but we payed attention to even the most insignificant detail. Since this was the first time an event like this was ever done in southern Delaware, attendees had nothing to compare it to. Next year, they will, so we'll have to challenge ourselves to exceed this year. But it will be fun.
FSF: Do you have a favorite image? If so, what is the story behind it?
GE: I have a lot of favorite images, but I don't think any images stays my favorite for too long. I hope I'm learning and improving as a photographer, and as I do, I always have a new "favorite" image. One of my current favorites is "John the Blacksmith". We were doing a workshop in Lewes with Steve Gottlieb, and one of the club members had arranged for John Ellsworth to be actively working in the blacksmith shop. John took a break from what he was doing, and he was standing there listening to someone when I took the photo. On camera flash, bounced off a dark wall full of tools so the light was rather warm, but I love the shot (attached). It won first place last month in club competition.
FSF: The Coastal Camera Clubs membership rolls have recently grown past 150 members. What do you think makes the club so successful and what sort of events/opportunities are there for members?
GE: The club has a lot of extremely talented photographers who are very open to sharing their knowledge and love of photography. I think this is the one thing that distinguishes the CCC from all other clubs I belonged to. Many other clubs revolved around competitions, and how many ribbons you collect. But in addition to competitions, CCC members want to increase their photographic skills as well as teach others how to improve. Our education program, in addition to the programs by invited professionals, includes a Mentoring Program, Workshops (some conducted by professionals and some conducted by club members), monthly Photo Outings, a monthly Photo Challenge, and a Training Program (typically Photoshop or Photoshop Elements). We offer something for everyone and every skill level. I think that's why the club has been so successful in attracting and keeping members. And when we ask a professional to speak to the club, we ask that their presentation not just be a collection of beautiful photographs, but that they cover how the photos were taken, how they prepare for a shoot, how they set up for the shot, etc. We want to make it a learning experience for members.
FSF:For readers interested in the Coastal Camera Club, where can they find more information?
GE: Anyone interested in the Coastal Camera Club can get information about the club from our website. We have a great webmaster and the website presents the club very favorably. Anyone is also free to attend a meeting of the club as a "guest". We meet twice a month on the second and fourth Wednesday, from 6:00 to 8:30 pm at Cadbury at Lewes. The first meeting of the month is the program, and the second is Competition.