Articles from Scott Choucino

There are so many trade secrets in photography, but when I moved into food and drink, I found it almost impossible to get any real info on how to do anything of use.

In this video I walk through my office desk set up at my studio and go through in detail what I use, and why I use it. Considering I spend more time here than anywhere else, I thought it wise to spend a bit more time and money on it.

A few years back I wrote a lifetime review on the Canon EOS 5D II. Since then I upgraded to the Canon EOS 5ds and 5DS R cameras, 5 years down the line I thought it apt to have a detailed look at them.

Photography studios come in many shapes and sizes, from family portrait studios on the high street to elaborate YouTuber sets. In this article, I walk you around my studio and explain why I have the layout and kit that I do for my work.

Photography is a tough profession, but a very enjoyable hobby. Not everyone is meant to be a professional photographer, though.

Unfortunately, photography is very a much a case of who you know. You could be the best photographer in the world, but if no one knows you, it won't get you very far.

We all hear photographers lamenting about how great things were in the film days before just anyone could easily buy a camera and take a good photo, but are the golden days of this profession really behind us?

We all get caught up with various things in photography that we fixate over or just worry a bit too much about, but what should we really not be worrying about?

Its a real fine line between inspiration and plagiarism, but where does that line live? In this video, I look at where I feel the line should be drawn, what is acceptable, what is rude, and what is simply wrong.

Photography is a bit of a never-ending cycle of learning and failing. However, I often get asked how long it takes to get good, as well as how to achieve that.

Scams are nothing new. They come in many forms and are especially popular right now while people are vulnerable. However, this scam is something that has seemingly been going on for a very long time.

The commercial photography world is tough to get into, but it is made even tougher if you don't live in certain cities like Paris, London, or New York. Here is how we can get around this.

I had been a photographer long before I wrote for Fstoppers. After a few years writing here I decided to give YouTube a crack. What was very interesting was the response from photographers and agents to seeing me on the platform.

Usage charges or license fees (depending on where you live) make up the majority of a commercial photographers income. However, most of us either don't charge it when we should or simply do not charge enough. Let's look at how we should be doing this.

Marketing is tough. It is hard, a bit of a dark art, and also very much something that you can't learn overnight. Chances are your photography is good enough, but you are still struggling to get work.

The internet is a great resource. It allows us to find an answer to anything in an instance. It is rare that I can't find what I am looking for during day to day searches. However, there is a huge negative to this too.

We all know that person (if you don't, it's you) who thinks they are amazing and are completely useless at photography. Chances are that we have all also been that person, but why?

We all make mistakes in our journey to be professional photographers. In this video, I have put together the biggest mistakes that I made that have slowed down my career in the hope that you can avoid them

There are loads of different options when it comes to food photography backgrounds. However, they can often come from places that you wouldn't necessarily know about. Let's have a look at the most common ones that I use in my studio.

I am sure you have noticed that a lot of YouTubers receive large amounts of free gear. I myself have a very small YouTube channel, and my doorbell rings most days with deliveries of free kit. Let's talk about what we get, the expectations, and the ethics of that.

Getting into any genre of photography can be both daunting and expensive. Knowing what to buy, how to prioritize your spending, and in which order to procure the new camera kit can be very time-consuming. Hopefully, this will help.

Breaking into commercial photography is hard, especially with so much misleading information out there online in 2020. However, there are a few key aspects that will help to get you the big bookings.

For years I have found it really hard to get into gear reviews. I simply don't care about pixel pitch, dynamic range, how many auto focus points a camera has, nor the finer part of a menu system. So what do folk like myself look for in a camera?

I am not a tech head, as you may well know. However, there are some items of equipment that I didn't upgrade that have ended up holding my commercial photography career back.

It all starts off nice and simple, a couple of cameras and lenses, then things slowly get out of hand. There are thousands of small parts that make up a commercial studio, and keeping on top of it all often seems like an impossible task.

As photographers, we have a huge selection of modifiers at our disposal. Some of the more traditional ones such as a softbox or a scrim may seem somewhat dull, but they both offer very different and useful qualities of light when used correctly. 

Food and product photography is an ever-growing niche, and with this comes trends in the pitfalls and mistakes that we all make when photographing food. In this video, I cover the most common things that trip us up.

I stumbled across this video online a week ago and thought it more than worthy of a share. The video highlights what we get lost in as photographers and what is really important in making a great portrait.

Most photographers work alone. Being able to progress usually means letting go of control over certain aspects of our careers. In this video, I look at the key tasks that I have started to outsource over the past few years.

Handing over raw files or a full shoot seems to be a real taboo online. However, it is common practice within the commercial ranks for many reasons, some of which I will discuss here.

There is no doubt that new Canon EOS R5 camera is an absolute machine and brilliant for content creators. However, there are a heap of other options that you could buy for the same price that would give you far more than just a body.

A year ago today, I decided to start a photography YouTube channel offering advice from a commercial photographer's perspective who makes the vast majority of his income from ad campaigns. Here is what I learned.

There are loads of videos showing cool behind the scenes clips from photoshoots and exciting trips. But what do photographers actually get up to in-between shoot days? If you are thinking of turning pro, it is worth paying attention to how most of your time will be spent.

I am sure you have all seen the comments where people suggest that being a pro photographer ruins the fun of photography. I want to dig deeper into this idea. Having spent a good proportion of my working life being a hobbyist and professional, I would like to offer my insight and experiences on the subject.

There are many stressful business decision to make in photography. One of the biggest is regarding payment. Should you be paid upfront, on the day, upon delivery, or should you invoice at 30,60, or 90 days?