Meet William Bourret

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful William Bourret. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with William below.

William, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?

Creativity is something significant to me. It allows me to embrace who I want to be, and it has helped me become confident in sharing my art.

Something that has helped me keep my creativity alive is looking for pose ideas, whether on Pinterest, Google, or Unscripted. I make something like a mood board for a specific session. However, during the actual shoots, I let my imagination take control of what I wanted to do instead of strictly following to my mood board, or let my clients do poses that they wanted to do. It has helped me allow a photoshoot to come to life.

After the photoshoot is done and it is the editing part of the process, I usually lean into having bright and warm edits. I usually take inspiration from what other photographers have done with their photos, or I take inspiration from a movie or a TV show. I want something to tell a story. Storytelling in photography has become something very important to me, and I think that having that mindset on what I want to tell helps with the editing.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I am a freelance photographer currently based in Northern CO. I service the Fort Collins/Loveland/Windsor and surrounding areas. In August of this year (August 2025), me and my business will be moving to Provo, UT where I will hopefully be able to expand my business to weddings/elopements.

Meowart started out as solely art commissions (some are posted online) when I was a freshmen in high school. Almost two years later, I started in photography. Probably one of the most triggering things a photographer can hear is, “Oh, I just use my phone camera!”- yeah, I know. Why would I do that? But I had to start somewhere 😂 (I use an actual camera for those who are wondering. I’ve only done one photoshoot with my phone). Since starting in 2023, I’ve been able to do countless photoshoots with many clients. I’m so grateful for being given a chance to showcase something that I’m very proud of.

Like some photographers, I overshoot (no, seriously. I had like over 1000 photos last month from a few photoshoots). I personally enjoy taking so many photos because it’s so easy to miss a moment. Even though I love taking photos, the editing process is my favorite (Lightroom Community THANK YOU). If there was any time of day I would do all my photos, it would be the golden hour. Editing photos taken during that time is an experience (if you’re just starting out, I hope you experience it).

I have a discount event coming up early August for the Fort Collins/Loveland/Windsor area – if you want discounted photos/get to know me – or both, totally feel free to book. My website will be listed later on!

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Some qualities/skills/areas of knowledge that were most impactful in my journey are:

– Being able to adapt quickly
– Be yourself
– Learn how to take rejection into success

Let me start with the first item, being able to adapt quickly. In the photography field, there is a lot of demand. You must be able to adapt as a person and your skills to keep up. Photography may not be for the faint of heart, but it sure is rewarding if you put in the hard work. From my personal experience, I learned that you need to update/evolve your business to broader horizons. No, seriously, it will help you A LOT. If you look at my editing throughout the years, it is different from when I first started to now. I use Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop to edit my photos, and using things like YouTube or enrolling in courses has helped me develop skills. Another thing that you should know is to try new things. You won’t grow if you don’t try.

The second item, being yourself, is very important to success. Yes, you may want to copycat other creators that you know and love, but that’s not always the case. You want to find your true identity in your work and find your skills. For me, something that helped me find who I am was practice (lots of it). You can look at some of my testimonials, and all of them have been along the lines of “I felt very comfortable throughout the session” or “it felt more like hanging out with a friend instead of a photoshoot.” Make your clients comfortable opening up. It’ll help them choose you to take their photos.

The last thing, take your rejection and make it into your success, is arguably one of the most important things in your journey in anything. Especially in photography, when you are trying to start, you are going to hear a lot of “no’s.” It is normal for you to hear, but my does it hurt. You may get discouraged and not want to continue on, but by taking your rejection as “lessons,” it can easily make your journey go so much better. For example, when I first wanted to start photography, I knew someone who needed a photographer. I asked them and they told me no. This happened a lot to me- it is still happening to me right now and I have been a photography for almost two years at this point. I just kept trying.

The main point is to anyone trying to start their journeys or are starting to be discourage is don’t give up. You are worth more than you think you are. Keep trying and practicing and someday you will be able to succeed.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

I am always open to collaborate or partner up with other photographers or videographers. Whether these people are in need of a second shooter for weddings and such, an intern/shadow, or anything, I’m open to it. The one thing that I really want to do is to help photo edit! I love being able to edit photos as it allows me to show my creative side! I am open to collaborating with companies who need photos done too!

Contact Info:

Image Credits

All done by William Bourret – Meowart Photography

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Highlighter Series
Are you walking a path—or wandering?

The answer to whether you are walking or wandering often changes from season to season

Highlighter Series
What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?

With so many high-achievers in our community it was super interesting to learn about the

Highlighter Series
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?

We asked some of the wisest people we know what they would tell their younger