Leading up to the Visual Storytelling Conference, we’re putting the spotlight on some of the instructors! Meet them and find out what you can learn from them at the conference, plus some pre-conference insights.
Don’t have your free ticket yet? Register today and join us for free, March 10-13, 2022!
Scott Bourne
Scott Bourne is a mobile filmmaker and photographer who specializes in telling stories about nature and wildlife. He is a former Olympus Visionary and professional wildlife photographer, author, and lecturer and has been a professional photographer for five decades. His work has appeared in more than 200 publications. He is a pioneer in digital photography and online space and was named one of the 30 Most Influential Photographers on the Web by Huffington Post. He is the founder of one of the first dedicated, photography sites Photofocus.com, co-founded the first photography-related podcast, This Week In Photography (TWIP), co-founded Photography Podcast Network (PPN), and is the founder and of PictureMethods.com and current co-host of the iPhonePhotoShow.
Can you tell us a little about what you’ll be teaching for the Visual Storytelling Conference?
“I am teaching one session on how to get the most out of FiLMiC Pro — it’s a video recording app that brings cinema camera-quality control and results out of an iPhone.
“Attendees will see screen shots and recordings from FiLMiC Pro and hear how I use the app — and will receive some tips and tricks for getting the most out of the app and a discussion on a few hidden features that make the app even more powerful.
“I am also co-teaching a session with Jefferson Graham where we will give 50 tips in 50 minutes on how to get professional photo and video results from an iPhone.
“Attendees will get an in-depth look at the native camera app plus many third-party apps and hear a run down that draws from our experience using the iPhone in professional situations.”
How did you get started in photography?
“I got my start as a motorsports photographer in the 1970s but branched out from there to everything from wedding and portraits, to landscapes and eventually focused the last 30 years on nature with an emphasis on birds and wildlife.”
What makes you push the envelope in terms of your creativity?
“New tools inspire me to find new ways to get the results I am looking for, especially if those tools make it easy to forget they exist and allow me simply to concentrate on what I have pre-visualized as a final result.”
What’s one piece of advice you can give related to your courses?
“Try to think about the CONCEPTS that are being taught rather than focusing on the individual steps required to achieve results. Concepts are things that stick with you longest and allow you to work out on your own (even if you don’t exactly remember them) what exact steps are needed to get the shot.”
What’s one challenge you’ve had in your career, and how have you overcome it?
“For me, the biggest challenges have been age and health related. As I’ve gotten older, it’s simply become impossible for me to use the same, old, heavy gear I used to use. I am physically unable to do so. But in pursuing smaller, lightweight gear (like mobile phones) I have been able to free myself up to think more about the final image I want and less about the gear. The less gear you have to manage in the field the better because it frees your creative mind to take over and pushes your technical mind to the background, where it won’t get in the way of the creative side of your brain.”
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
“I hope people will attend with an open mind and recognize that they don’t know what they don’t know — that approach offers the best chance for real learning. Put another way; no matter your experience, come with a ‘beginner’s mind’ and you’ll walk away with lifelong knowledge that will benefit you in many ways.”
