Edenvale Photographic Club paid tribute to one of its own following the death of Highway Gardens resident, John Coumbias.
Born in Alexandria in 1947, John left Egypt and headed to SA at the age of 20.
The combination of watching wildlife documentaries and his love of nature spurred him to want to discover wildlife first hand.
John’s passion for photography started at a young age, but it was in the field of engineering where he built and established a successful career.
John was a member of three photographic clubs in Gauteng with Edenvale Photography Club being his home club.
He was well known and respected among fellow photographers and his exquisite imagery inspired many to try to emulate his techniques and vision.
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It was not just within the local photographic arena that John realised top accolades as he received international acclaim and photographic honours from numerous photographic societies and salons (photography competitions) hosted by countries abroad including Greece, Cyprus, Serbia, Mongolia, India, China, Australia, Italy, UK and France.
He is also the recipient of 8 FIAP (Federation Internationale de l’Art Photographique) Blue Pins (Salon Top Author/ Photographer) and has many local and International Photographic Honours to his name including APSSA, EPSSA (vers) South African Impala Trophy winner, Hon CPE, GPU Zeus, and AFIAP.
Despite the numerous accolades, John was a humble gentleman and could often be found patiently assisting juniors or beginners at the club outings he arranged.
A considerable amount of his time was spent judging both local and international photography competitions and he lived by his mantra, “be kind.”
John visited both Mongolia and Romania in recent years as an honoured guest judge, but it was his love for Africa and South Africa in particular that was admirable. He would love to walk through the streets of Johannesburg CBD, waiting to capture a storytelling image, or visiting rural villages and engaging with the locals in Lesotho.
In Clarens, he loved shooting images of the breathtaking Fouriesburg Dam and the poplar trees in autumn and a visit to any of the National SanParks was always welcomed.
John excelled at most genres of photography but he could “capture the beautiful light” that ensured his images stood out from the rest.
Many hours were spent waiting patiently for the perfect early sunrise or late afternoon light which played out beautifully on his magnificent avian, landscape and wildlife imagery.
John was strong in faith, a dedicated family man, a professional engineer and a master photographer that dedicated fifty years to perfecting his art.
He was a man who led by his sterling example.
John is survived by his wife Marcia, his mother-in-law, his daughter Joulia, sons Manoli and Dimitri and their wives as well as seven wonderful grandchildren.
