About Val Corbett
I live on the eastern fringes of the Lake District and have freelanced as a photographer for 28 years. During this time I have built up an extensive library of images from around Cumbria, concentrating on the Lake District. In addition I spend a good deal of time in the summer months photographing gardens, working around Britain and beyond.
Magazines
My garden photography regularly features in Country Life and many other nationals. My local photography featured extensively in Cumbria Life, for whom I wrote a monthly Masterclass column.
Books
Myriad Press and Frances Lincoln have published a number of books of my Lake District landscape images.
My garden photography exclusively featured in Gardens of the Lake District, published by Frances Lincoln and winner of the Lake District Book of the Year 2008.
Two further books, commissioned by Frances Lincoln, A year in the Life of the Eden Valley and Winter in the Lake District were published in 2010, followed by Rainy Days in the Lake District' in 2012.
I have been working with Keith Richardson, River Greta Writer publications. Joss, his biography of Joss Naylor was runner up for the Lake District Book of the Year award for 2010 and Jack's Yak won the Lakeland Book of the Year in 2012.. The latest of our collaborations, The River Greta was published in the autumn of 2012 and subsequently won the Illustration, Photogrpahy and Design section in the Cumbria Book of the Year, 2103.
Paula Day is an old friend of mine and we have worked together on Tree, a compilation of Paula's poetry and my photography that Paula has self-published this (Daylight publications, www.treebydaylight.co.uk)
Commissions
- A photographic residency at Grizedale Forest
- National Trust gardens at Sizergh Castle and Wordsworth House
- Building up the photographic libraries for the Lake District National Park, Eden District Council and Carlisle City Council.
- Recording The Eden Benchmarks series and Kirkby Stephen Poetry Path for East Cumbria Countryside Project, and illustrating their many walks leaflets
- A large number of smaller commissions, for example for artists and craftspeople and Cumbrian business owners.
- A two year commission recording the restoration work for The Lowther Castle and Gardens Trust
Talks
I give talks to a wide ranging variety of groups, the two most popular subjects being 'Gardens to Visit' and 'My life as a freelance photographer'.