FEBRUARY PROGRAM

BOB BILLS

Reflections of a U. S. Army still photographer

Renee Loeffler
(rloeffle@vt.edu)

Our February speaker is VPS member Bob Bills who will speak about his experience as a U.S. Army still photographer.

Bob’s first work in photography was taking pictures for his high school yearbook.  He also developed Ektachrome in the basement of a high school friend’s house using E-2 Kodak Ektachrome chemicals in 16 oz soda bottles.
However, it was his receipt of a draft notice (a career growth opportunity, offered by Uncle Sam) in 1969, shortly after his graduation that led to a life-long career in photography.

After receiving his draft notice, he states: “I went down and talked with an Army recruiter to see what they had in photography. They had no photographer slots open, but they did for photo lab personnel. So I signed up for the photo lab course. This worked out better than I expected. They also taught you on how to be a photographer. So I got 2 classes for the price of one.”

Bob’s lab technician days led to his doing combat photography off and on in Vietnam.  After spending 18 months in Vietnam, Bob was not planning to continue serving in the army, but with three months remaining on his Army service contract; he was called in to see the company commander at Fort Huachuca, AZ. A summons to the company commander usually meant a soldier was in trouble, but to Bob’s surprise he was, instead, offered the chance to be assigned to S.H.A.P.E. Headquarters, Mons, Belgium, if he extended his tour of duty.

Figuring this would be a good chance to see Europe, he agreed, and this ultimately led to a 20-year career as an U.S. Army still photographer. After leaving the Army in January 1989, Bob continued his interest in photography for the next year, working at a photo company in Falls Church, VA.  They had a B&W copy camera that weighed about half a ton. You walked inside the camera using red litho lights to make 4’ x 6’ litho B&W negatives. 

About a year later, Bob got a phone call from his previous Arlington Hall Station military supervisor. That call led to a documentary photography position at Fort Belvoir, and 21 years later, he is still there, having fun as a photographer.

In his presentation, Bob will talk mostly about his years as a military photographer when his objective was both getting the picture and staying alive. Bob will also include some photos from his early years before going into the service.  He’ll relate lessons learned in experiences such as missing the general’s head (his most memorable shot); challenging assignments, such as shooting General Alexander Haig, General Andrew Jackson Goodpaster, and German General Schultz; work at Arlington National Cemetery; and his favorite photo jobs… retirements. 
Bob says that military photography doesn’t permit a lot of creativity, since you may not have a second chance for the picture that you must get!

Some examples of Bob’s shooting assignments are:

Bob’s motto is:  “Photographers capture the reflections in your life.”