A passion for photography started at an early age for Mollie Corbett when she discovered her father’s old 35 mm Minolta. When she found that camera, she found a part of herself. To this day, Corbett still feels the same passion of telling a story through photography.
Corbett tells us about the struggles of starting her own business, how she has found a real home here in Shreveport, and what she wants to teach new business owners.
What are some of the struggles that you dealt with and overcame when you started your own business? Any advice for new business owners in the area?
Corbett: What had always been a fascination and passion with me, developed into a business that began with $20 sessions at the Duck Pond. I made my professional debut as the official photographer for the 2011 KTBS Tie the Knot Wedding Giveaway. In 2012, I was chosen by the Shreveport Regional Arts Council as the official Christmas in the Sky Auction Book photographer, capturing over 100 local business sponsors of SRAC’s bi-annual fundraising gala. In 2013, I landed a contract with the Downtown Development Authority to shoot stock image photography of downtown Shreveport for use in marketing and promotions. Of the struggles that any business undergoes getting up on its own two feet, I think the most challenging was believing in myself, that I have what it takes in talent and in drive to succeed. That inner critic, that powerful voice of negativity has to be silenced. Not an easy task. Early on, I reprinted a job three times before I ever delivered to the client, but I’m not there anymore. To the newbies, I say this: Talk to a couple of key people you know and trust that have business experience, and keep your mouth shut about it to others. Everyone’s got advice for everyone, whether there is experience there to back it up or not. You don’t need to clutter your mind and ears with the so-called sage wisdom of people who have no idea what it’s like to have their own you-know-what on the line. Keep those things close to the vest with trusted confidants.
Q: What made you want to be a part of Shreveport Common? Corbett: My colleague Clint McCommon of Fairfield Studios and I needed space that would accommodate the growth of our individual businesses, and we were particularly interested in taking in colleagues with complementary business services. We found a home in the Shreveport Common, in the cutting-westedge cultural district of downtown. Our space, DigiStudios, is innovative and fluid, like our businesses, and we’ve added two more – Karthago Strategies with Anton Winder and Aesthetic Innovations with Jazmin Jernigan – to round out our one-stop digital media shop. I love being downtown. This is where Mollie Corbett Photography belongs, in the region’s central business district, and the edgy, innovative vibe of the Common suits me perfectly. I’m inspired daily by my surroundings.
Q: Tell us about your different commitments and what made you want to be involved. Corbett: When I first moved to Shreveport-Bossier City, I didn’t know anyone but my husband, and he had moved me far from my family for an Air Force assignment. I met another Air Force wife at the gym on base and heard her talking about all her military moves and becoming a tourist of your own town. It clicked with me. I started getting out and meeting people and seeing needs that I knew I could help fulfill. Here, you can have an impact, you can have a voice. It’s actually possible to make a difference. That’s one of the things I love most about being here and calling it my home. It makes me want to give back to this beautiful community that has given so much to me. I’m a proud Rotarian with Red River Rotary. I serve on the board for the Bossier Arts Council. I’m a member of the Shreveport Mayor’s Women’s Commission. And I’ve committed hours and hours of pro bono photography services to some of our region’s finest nonprofits, including Dress for Success, Robinson Rescue and the Center for Families. I serve where my heart is tugged the most.
Q: What is your favorite part of your job? Corbett: There’s so much about my work that I absolutely love. When I get back to the office and start going through the photos, I catch myself smiling at the computer screen. I’m a creator, and when the work is good, I cannot help but reflect that in my face. I’m proud, without apology, of the beauty I am able to create, and it is a pure and unsullied pleasure to deliver that beauty to the client. I get such a charge out of shooting my equipment manually and knowing how to adjust for conditions. I challenge myself to learn new techniques with lighting and editing. I listen to the professionals I’m lucky to have around me who are always adding to skill level by sharing what they know.
