Help Your Photos Take Flight

Help Your Photos Take Flight

Author: Steve Brazill June 6, 2019 Duration: 52:05

I have to admit, I am at a loss for words – something my family would be happy about, but something that’s not great in this situation. This is a “pinch me” situation for me.

I first heard of Scott Bourne on Leo Laporte’s MacBreak Weekly. He was a regular on the tech podcast, and as far as I knew that his main gig – a tech person. Periodically someone would mention his photography, but I was new to photography at the time and it just really never sunk in. Years later when I got into photography Scott had moved on from MBW and I stumbled upon a photo podcast of his. I remember thinking “is this the same Scott Bourne? It sounds like the Scott Bourne from MBW, but that Scott Bourne is also a world renowned photographer?”. Yeah, It was the same guy, and yeah, he is literally one of the best photographers on the planet. His bird photography is just amazing. Small world is right. From that moment I listened to every show Scott was on – Every. Show. He had a podcast with Rick Sammon, he started PhotoFocus, he worked with Skylum to greatly increase the footprint of Luminar in the photo world. I even won my first photo printer from Scott – a PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II – with a stack of Illford paper.

So again, I’m at a loss of words on how to accurately sum up what it mans to have Scott on my show, let alone to describe Scott Bourne’s photography life in a blog post. Let me start here…

Scott Bourne is an Olympus Visionary and professional wildlife photographer, and he’s an author and lecturer who specializes in birds. He’s been involved with photography for more than four decades and his work has appeared in more than 200 publications.

He is a pioneer in the digital photography and online space, and was named one of the 30 most influential photographers on the Web by Huffington Post.

In addition to being a trainer on lynda.com, Scott’s led workshops and seminars, taught for or spoken at conferences or events sponsored by Palm Beach Photographic Center, Cooperative Communicators of America, Apple, The National Association of Photoshop Professionals, CreativeLive.com, the National Association of Broadcasters, North American Music Merchants, MacWorld, Washington Professional Photographers Association, WPPI, PartnerCon, Imaging USA, Seattle Art Center, Marketing Essentials International, The Consumer Electronics Show, Photo Plus Expo, Festival of the Cranes, Florida’s Birding & Photo Festival and Olympic Mountain School of Photography.

Are you starting to get the idea? Scott Bourne knows more about photography than I will ever know, and he is going to be on Behind the Shot. (Steve does a happy dance here that hopefully no one can see)

Scott was one of the first photographers ever to receive the designation Apple Certified Professional Trainer (T3) for Apple’s Aperture. He also previously held the designation Certified Adobe Photoshop Instructor and Professional Photographers of America’s Certified Professional Photographer designation.

Scott was recently awarded the designation Signed Master with the Studio Of Masters in China.

Along with his namesake website scottbourne.com, Scott owns EaglePhotographs.com. If you want to lose a good part of your day looking at amazing photos go check those sites out.

As I mentioned before, my introduction to Scott was through the lens of podcasting, and I am happy to say Scott is still at it. Scott is the publisher of PictureMethods.com, a photography education website that has a ton of great content, and along with the site he has launched the Picture Methods podcast which you can check out here. I was honored to be one of his early guests on that show in fact, and you can listen to that here.

Join wildlife photographer and educator Scott Bourne and me as we take a deep dive into his bird photography by taking a close look how he captured a once-in-a-lifetime Cardinal image, on this episode of Behind the Shot.

Connect with Scott

Personal: scottbourne.com
Eagle Photographs: eaglephotographs.com
Instagram: @bourne.scott
Facebook: @scottbourne
Twitter: @scottbourne
Flickr: @scottbourne
LinkedIN: @scottbourne

Scott’s Picture Methods Website and Podcast

Picture Methods Website
Picture Methods Podcast


Steve Brazill hosts Behind the Shot-Video, a series that goes far beyond gear lists and camera settings. Each conversation is a deep exploration of the creative and technical journey behind compelling images. You’ll hear working photographers unpack the entire process-from the initial spark of an idea and the challenges of the location to the critical decisions made in post-production. This podcast sits at the unique intersection of art and practical technology, offering tangible lessons for anyone looking to improve their visual storytelling. Rather than abstract theory, these discussions provide a real-world look at problem-solving under pressure and the artistic choices that define a signature style. Tune in for honest, detailed breakdowns that reveal how memorable shots are truly built, layer by layer. It’s an essential resource for visual artists seeking both inspiration and actionable knowledge, all grounded in the lived experience of accomplished creators.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 200

Behind the Shot - Video
Podcast Episodes
The Magic of Infrared [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:00
To introduce the guest on this show I’d like to start by giving a bit of background… The first time I met Troy Miller I was doing a presentation at a local photo group, Inland Empire Professional Photographers and Videog…
Sculpting with Light [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:19
When describing Blair Bunting’s photography there are few way to approach it. First of all there is the website bio version, which starts: “Blair Bunting is an advertising photographer based in Phoenix, Arizona specializ…
Light Painting [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:03
Let’s start here… Cliff Mautner’s career in photography spans 38 years. Think about that for a minute… 38 years ago Nikon released the world’s first SLR with Matrix Metering, the Nikon FA, and the world’s first camera wi…
Photographing an Album Cover [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:15
I have writer’s block because of my guest. In fact, describing William Snyder is so difficult that I’ve been waiting to write this for two days. I’m ready to give it a shot now, but let me say up front that there is litt…
Aviation Photography [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:18
It’s the return of Moose Peterson! The first time Moose Peterson was on the show I was pretty nervous. Usually I am trying to calm guests that are nervous about being on a show, but this was different. Moose is a legend…
Beverage Photography [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:35
Everybody loves a good meal, and it seems like everybody is posting photos of their food, but when food photography is done right you can seemingly taste it. That’s where Freddy Clark comes in, and when he gets his hands…
Photographic Timing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:45
Damian Strohmeyer is a Boston based photographer that’s just as comfortable photographing a Super Bowl, as he is shooting a portrait. His body of work spans from fast action sports, like The World Series, The World Cup,…
Perspective [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:06
St. Louis wedding photographer Sal Cincotta, and his award winning studio, take photography to a level few will ever achieve. Traveling the world to document their client’s most cherished moments, Sal and his team push t…
Extreme Photojournalism [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:07
One of the best parts of doing this podcast is the never ending inspiration I see from amazing photographic talents. Sometimes, the guests I get on the show are photographers I stumble upon while browsing the web, someti…
Long Exposures [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:43
If you’re here then I will assume you are, at a minimum, a fan of good photography. Perhaps it interests you as a craft, or an art, or more likely you are a photographer that wants to improve their skill set. That means…