William (Bill) Payne

The man operating the SCC’s image projector, William T. Payne Jr., is a transplant from Wellesley, Massachusetts where he grew up. Bill graduated from the Noble and Greenough School (N&G) in nearby Dedham and went on to receive a BA from Lehigh University with a dual major in marketing and finance, later earning an MS in management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. After a 39-year career as a financial advisor, mostly employed at UBS (Union Bank of Switzerland), this distinguished gentleman retired, but took pride in being a “people person” and maintaining a large client base for many years.

Bill received a classic Nikon F that came with dark room equipment as a Christmas gift about the time when he went to prep-school and later expanded his photographic abilities with a 8mm video camera. Shooting all sorts of scenes and happenings then developing his images, he came to appreciate the technical aspects photography. Bill took all sorts of candid images at high school and college athletic and student events and then give the photos to those involved and the media. He enjoyed standing next to the participants making him feel like he was an integral part of game or event. He says he became such a “photographic fixture,” his fellow students and many parents all got to know him by his first name. Because of this, Bill largely produced almost all images for the N&G ’68 yearbook’s and later was a major contributor to Lehigh’s yearbooks. Even today, he uses his extensive image collection to illustrate beautiful calendars. 

Bill got into digital photography in the late 1990’s, has stuck with Nikon equipment over the years and now uses a full frame Nikon D610.  He feels he knows the Nikon mechanics so well that using them is almost instinctive. Bill uses both a Nikon 24-120 zoom and a Tamron 150-600 zoom lens and states that both have served him well.

Mr. Payne joined the Simsbury Camera Club in 2009 in order to learn more and increase his photographic skill sets. Bill has been and remains a student of everybody’s work, from the club’s many excellent photographers and the deficiencies of some of the newcomers. As a judge, and contest commentator for many years he became our projectionist/score statistician and “digital coordinator.” His goal has been to make image judging more objective and fairer. Most judges who work with him will attest that he has largely succeeded. He promptly e-mails statistical score sheets so that each judge can compare their ratings with their peers on a given contest night thus making it possible to assess if they are being consistent as well as if they an easy, tough or moderate judge.

He has noted that post-processing programs such as Photoshop, Light Room, and DxO/Nik plug-ins have added to the member’s creative repertoire and is personally pleased by the increased skill levels and thoughtful picture making that is evident in the club. Bill Payne is , in fact, one of the SCC’s most dedicated and astute teachers — one from whom we have all learned.

Louis Arthur  Norton