The story of the man behind the camera
Stacey Goldberg
Issue date: 11/20/09 Section: A&E
Chuck Zovko is the man behind Lafayette's "Zovko moment." Despite his nominal anonymity, every student has seen his work. Zovko is the man behind the lens - the go-to photographer for a majority of Lafayette's events and functions.
Zovko is currently an independent contractor and Lafayette is his largest client, yet his pursuit of a career in photography was something of a unforeseen curveball, even to him. According to Zovko, had anyone asked his college self if photography would have been his future vocation his answer would be a resolvent "no."
"I was in college, studying to be a physical therapist and I came home from school one weekend in October - the fall foliage was so beautiful that on a whim, I decided to borrow my grandfather's 35 mm camera and go up to The Parkway in Allentown and take some photos," Zovko said. "This was the first time I ever actually shot a complete roll of film in my life. I loved it."
After dropping out of college and working through some low-paying jobs in the Easton area, he continued to take photographs and save up for better equipment. His newfound dream was realized when one of his photographs was published in Sports Illustrated magazine. Afterwards, he got a steady job working for what is now the Express Times as a photographer.
"I do not advise people to do what I did," he said. "But it worked for me."
After struggling to please his boss at the Express Times, Zovko sent one of his favorite photographs into the United Press International, an informational source for media outlets.
"When I came into [the Express Times] the next [day], everybody was screaming and shouting and congratulating me," he said. "I went up to get my assignments for the day and there the photo was, posted on the bulletin board... It had been used in that week's issue of Time Magazine. That was the moment that told me I do have what it takes, and that come hell or high water, I was going to be a photographer."
Zovko is currently an independent contractor and Lafayette is his largest client, yet his pursuit of a career in photography was something of a unforeseen curveball, even to him. According to Zovko, had anyone asked his college self if photography would have been his future vocation his answer would be a resolvent "no."
"I was in college, studying to be a physical therapist and I came home from school one weekend in October - the fall foliage was so beautiful that on a whim, I decided to borrow my grandfather's 35 mm camera and go up to The Parkway in Allentown and take some photos," Zovko said. "This was the first time I ever actually shot a complete roll of film in my life. I loved it."
After dropping out of college and working through some low-paying jobs in the Easton area, he continued to take photographs and save up for better equipment. His newfound dream was realized when one of his photographs was published in Sports Illustrated magazine. Afterwards, he got a steady job working for what is now the Express Times as a photographer.
"I do not advise people to do what I did," he said. "But it worked for me."
After struggling to please his boss at the Express Times, Zovko sent one of his favorite photographs into the United Press International, an informational source for media outlets.
"When I came into [the Express Times] the next [day], everybody was screaming and shouting and congratulating me," he said. "I went up to get my assignments for the day and there the photo was, posted on the bulletin board... It had been used in that week's issue of Time Magazine. That was the moment that told me I do have what it takes, and that come hell or high water, I was going to be a photographer."
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