Scott Borrero, a commercial photographer and social commentator based in San Francisco, enrolled in the Academy’s School of Photography after initially studying marketing at California State University, Long Beach. Through a lead from the Academy’s career board, he secured an internship at fashion startup Le Tote and worked his way up to the role of director of photography. His successful freelance photography career has been moving forward since 2014 with a portfolio that includes shoots for Canon, Nike, Jeep, Ram and many others.
“Everything that I learned at the Academy really helped put me above the competition in the field that I’m in. It is the school that is going to push you to be the best artist that you can be. Every time I shoot, there’s something that I’m using. The knowledge from the Academy is there, every single time.”
—Scott Borrero
Finding His Focus
In addition to earning the title of #TopPhotographer, Borrero won a gallery showing of his work in New York City and a grand prize package valued at more than $50,000. Throughout the series, contestants participated in photography challenges assessed by industry experts including fashion photographer, TV personality and author Nigel Barker.
Launched by Adorama—one of the world’s largest photography, video, audio, imaging and electronics retailers—Top Photographer with Nigel Barker invited photographers of all skill levels from around the world to compete. The series featured five contestants whose work was assessed by a team of guest judges comprised of industry experts, including model Coco Rocha, fashion designer Pamela Roland, and photographers David Bergman and Emily Soto.
“When I got on to the show, I expected to win,” Borrero says. “When we did start shooting, I realized how stressful it was going to be, with the time limits and the constraints we had to work under. The judges being there while we were shooting added a lot of pressure.”
