Brandon Scott Spotlight
Brandon Scott
Written by Nor Osborne, November 2025
Brandon Elijah Scott stands on the rocky beachside of Canterbury, New Zealand, his camera poised delicately in front of him. Before him, dark waves crash against the side of the rocks beneath a gloomy gray sky. He watches through his lens as the water breaks white and the sun struggles to peak out of the clouds in painted beams of light. He clicks the shutter.
Brandon, a high dynamic range photographer, focuses on the contrast within a scene, finding the balance of black with white, light with shadows.
“I try to make it feel alive and try to find the mood in the scene,” Brandon says. “ A lot of my photos are very dramatic, pulling the strong or harsh lighting, the beautiful shadows. I love the way that nature can have as many moods as we can.”
Brandon’s photographic journey began along Buckeye Lake, a bored only-child entertaining himself with one of the first digital cameras, a feature on his mom’s Palm Pilot, snapping pictures of bugs and flowers. As he grew up, he honed his digital skills; building websites, graphic designing, and taking photos.
He began a career in the world of rock music: running a rock magazine, booking rock bands, and performing in a punk band. He continued his photography journey through music, photographing and filming musicians as he helped them build their name. In his twenties, he opened a cutting edge photography studio in Heath and New Albany, focusing primarily on portraiture and helping families in the community preserve their most precious memories.
“Over the years, I started just becoming more nomadic. I was tired of being down by bills and all the things required just to survive in modern society. So I left. I began to travel.”
Brandon’s travels have given him not only a better understanding of the world, but of himself.
“When I'm hiking through the wilderness, or on a mountain, or exploring the ocean, I know I’m where I’m supposed to be. It’s an amazing feeling, the peace; because for most of my youth I had no idea where I was meant to be.”
“Travelling was a roller coaster of things I had to learn and emotions I had to feel. Being alone in a new country, not knowing the language or anyone there, you are left alone with all of your own things, your faults, ego and preconceived judgements,” Brandon says. “It helped me grow, making me a more compassionate human being. Growing up in a small rural town in Ohio, there were some things that were hard to shake, things you learn subconsciously and don’t realize how those views paint or taint your outlook of other people and cultures.”
As he travels, he captures what he sees with his camera and a pen, often writing about his experiences. Some of Brandon’s favorite places he's explored include New Zealand, Canada, Alaska, Iceland, and Scotland.
“My drive is really to bring nature to people who sit on their couch, and those who maybe don’t travel very much and don’t have the chance to see a lot of the natural world, so that they can at least be informed enough of how amazing and gorgeous it is.”
Brandon’s connection with nature is profound, evoking intense emotions within him.
“When I’m in that quiet moment where all I can hear is a creature stirring, something just feels right and nothing else matters. It’s an amazing gift to be able to watch a wild animal in their element. I’ve been within 100 feet of a grizzly bear, a moose, a fox, and so many fascinating creatures.”
“I get overwhelmed by sorrow when I see an area so disturbed by human activity that the ecosystem is no longer intact. There have been times I’ve just started crying, thinking about what these places could’ve been, what it used to be, and the unnecessary pain wrought,” he says. “I hope my photography inspires others to want to help protect the environment."
Conservation has become a critical principle within Brandon’s life. He lives as simply he can to minimize the effect he has on the Earth. Brandon works as a full-time Herbalist, running Woodland Herbal, and the Green Path Academy: School of Herbalism, where he educates others on the importance of plant medicines, stewardship and living in tune with the Earth. In fact, for every item he sells, he plants 100 wildflower seeds on his land, a previously deforested area.
“I hope to touch others with my photography and in my herbalism work. I hope it’ll build something inside them, encourage them to be filled with wonder and to embrace conservation, to vote and act a certain way, make the small changes that work towards the better in the long run. I want to see sweeping change, and the building of community. Few missions in life are as important as preservation of nature and of knowledge.”
