Introducing Bill Corbett of the McLean Photo Club

When Susanna Andersson finished our interview for the previous post in this series (see it here), she turned the tables and took over the tape recorder.  What follows is her bio of me.  The management takes no responsibility for inaccuracies, immodesties or insights herein.  – Bill Corbett

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Bill Corbett is a man of many talents. He is known as a writer, an event organizer, a soccer player and of course, a photographer.

“I always knew I wanted to be a photographer,” Bill says. “Part of it is that we as a species think visually. Also, there is an aspect of sentimentality. With photography, we can remember things; take hold of the images that otherwise would be lost.”

“I got my first camera when I was 17 and I learned photography in college with B&W film. I was a yearbook editor and had free film and unlimited access to darkroom. That was a great way to learn.”

After college, Bill switched to point and shoot, before entering the digital world.

“Now I'm born-again digital photographer!” Bill grins. “But there was a steep learning curve from B&W film to color digital. For starters, how you expose your photos is different. And using a computer is totally different from darkroom. Way better, I would say. I like working with positive images from start to finish.”

With digital photography, Bill Corbett focuses on nature and sports photography.

“I'm always up for a challenge. That's why I enjoy action shots, both in nature and in sports. Also the equipment is similar: long lens and a camera with high frame rate.”

“I'm attracted to action photography, because you can reveal something that you can't  otherwise see. Like the moment when a bird's wing touches water in flight. Your mind can't hang onto that image, but a photograph can.”

Bill has received a few awards for his photographs. Also, he has had over twenty images juried into Nature Visions Exhibition in the past three years.

“But I'm still learning as I go,” Bill says. “My recipe is to shoot a lot, make a lot of mistakes, learn from them, shoot more, make new mistakes and learn from them, too. With digital, you can do that without worrying how many times you click the shutter or download a memory card.”

Bill also studies other action photographers' work. His favorites are Walter Iooss, Heinz Kluetmeier, Arthur Morris, Maxis Gametz and Henri Cartier Bresson.

“Henri Cartier Bresson talked about the decisive moment, the creative fraction of a second when you are taking the picture. You either get it or it's gone forever. I'm always after that moment. And I see it on my computer, if I got it or not. My success rate is getting better,” Bill smiles.

In sports photography, I have learned to anticipate the action. I see the ball in the air and who is getting ready to receive it. I focus in advance and when the player has the ball, high frame rate is your friend.”

Bill originally joined McLean Photo Club to improve his photography.

“I knew I needed feedback to get better. When you enjoy the act of creating something, you are never going to be neutral about getting feedback. But that's the only way to learn.”

Now Bill has taken another challenge as the new president of Nature Visions Mid-Atlantic Photographic Expo.

“I'm happy that I am able to do it. It's a great event and I have had a lot of images there. I feel like one of the Little Rascals. I very much enjoy putting on a show. But I don't intend to get in trouble like them,” Bill laughs.

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An archive of our illustrated Patch posts on club competitions, and of interviews with club members Bill Prosser, Tom Mangan, Ursy Potter, Margaret Huddy, David Stossel, Minnie Gallman, Linda Toki, Gloria Freund and Susanna Andersson, is at the McLean Photo Club's new Facebook page.  Please "LIKE" us on Facebook to keep up with the interview series and announcements from the club.  And please “SHARE” on your Facebook page anything you like from the MPC page.  Sharing helps us attract new members from among your Facebook friends.

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The McLean Photo Club is in its fourth decade -- and we welcome new members.  Just come to the next club meeting as a guest, to see what the club’s about. MPC will meet next on Wednesday February 13 at 7:30 pm in the McLean Community Center.   Our speaker will be Scott Musson, who will give his excellent presentation on digital workflow, i.e., how to process your photos on the computer for ease of organization, consistency and outstanding results.  For more about Scott and his presentation, see here.