Pasco EcoFest Photo Competition

Photo by Andrea Webb

The Chasco Camera Club, Progress Energy Art Gallery and the West Pasco Arts Guild hosted the inaugural Pasco EcoFest Photographic Competition as one of the outdoor opportunities during the three-day festival last November. The photos from that forum are being displayed at the West Pasco Government Center in New Port Richey for the month of January.

The Camera Club has been around since 1973, currently has 42 members and holds two meetings a month; on the first and third Tuesdays at the Hudson Library. Throughout the year the Club sponsors around ten exhibits, according to Charlie Srsich, a long-time member.

“I think the EcoFest was great overall,” said Srsich. “I think that next year people will have a better idea of what to expect and even more will participate in all the activities, especially photography.” A photographer since the 1950, Srsich lamented about the challenge of nature photography.

“You can be one place, one day at a certain time and you will have wildlife all around you. Next visit there may not be any. It takes a lot of patience to capture a great photograph.”

Srsich knows that people who participated in this competition enjoyed it and the fact there were 11 winners, five from the Chasco Camera Club, will bring even more submissions next year.

Club information and membership, events and competitions is available at chascocameraclub.org

Winners from the competition are:

First Place – Cheryl Molennor for “Elegance and Grace”

Second Place – Joan Bold for “Five Sandpipers”

Third Place – Steward Harrison for “Flight”

The photos can be viewed from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday at the West Pasco Government Center, 8731 Citizen’s Drive, New Port Richey.