Photographers: Career Overview
Photograph people, landscapes, merchandise, or other subjects. May use lighting equipment to enhance a subject's appearance. May use editing software to produce finished images and prints. Includes commercial and industrial photographers, scientific photographers, and photojournalists.
Featured schools near , edit
The Daily Work of Photographers Perform?
The day-to-day responsibilities of photographers cover:
- Adjust apertures, shutter speeds, and camera focus according to a combination of factors, such as lighting, field depth, subject motion, film type, and film speed.
- Create artificial light, using flashes and reflectors.
- Determine desired images and picture composition, selecting and adjusting subjects, equipment, and lighting to achieve desired effects.
- Transfer photographs to computers for editing, archiving, and electronic transmission.
- Use traditional or digital cameras, along with a variety of equipment, such as tripods, filters, and flash attachments.
- Manipulate and enhance scanned or digital images to create desired effects, using computers and specialized software.
- Take pictures of individuals, families, and small groups, either in studio or on location.
- Enhance, retouch, and resize photographs and negatives, using airbrushing and other techniques.
Key Skills and Knowledge
Top photographers combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Most Important Skills
The abilities most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Core Knowledge
Types of Photographers Jobs
This career also goes by job titles like:
- Advertising Photographer
- Aerial Photographer
- Automotive Photographer
- Biological Photographer
- Biomedical Photographer
- Commercial Photographer
- Crime Scene Photographer
- Digital Photographer
Employment and Demand
There are roughly 84,572 photographers working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to decline by -3.6% over the projection horizon.
Photographers Pay
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $75,743 |
| Hourly median | $36.42 |
| 10th percentile | $52,108 |
| 25th percentile | $63,926 |
| 75th percentile | $87,561 |
| 90th percentile | $99,379 |
Compensation varies based on experience, location, and industry.
How Much Do Photographers Make in Different U.S. States?
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $110,530 |
| Massachusetts | $60,610 |
| New York | $57,700 |
| Oregon | $55,640 |
| Minnesota | $54,650 |
| New Jersey | $50,760 |
| California | $50,610 |
| Delaware | $50,040 |
| Rhode Island | $49,770 |
| Louisiana | $49,740 |
| Connecticut | $48,260 |
| New Hampshire | $48,180 |
| Utah | $47,610 |
| Hawaii | $45,440 |
| Maryland | $44,890 |
| Mississippi | $44,660 |
| Maine | $44,610 |
| Washington | $44,580 |
| Colorado | $43,560 |
| Virginia | $43,180 |
| Kentucky | $42,000 |
| New Mexico | $41,600 |
| Georgia | $40,050 |
| Wyoming | $39,700 |
| Pennsylvania | $39,640 |
| Wisconsin | $39,440 |
| Nebraska | $39,020 |
| North Carolina | $38,400 |
| Florida | $38,230 |
| Arizona | $38,210 |
| Oklahoma | $37,920 |
| Missouri | $37,280 |
| Indiana | $37,270 |
| Idaho | $36,900 |
| Puerto Rico | $36,780 |
| Texas | $36,760 |
| Iowa | $36,380 |
| Alaska | $36,190 |
| Montana | $36,180 |
| Tennessee | $36,000 |
| Kansas | $35,930 |
| Nevada | $35,560 |
| West Virginia | $35,470 |
| South Dakota | $35,150 |
| Alabama | $35,140 |
| North Dakota | $35,090 |
| South Carolina | $34,870 |
| Illinois | $34,600 |
| Ohio | $33,990 |
| Arkansas | $33,850 |
Pay by U.S. Region
Earnings for photographers differ across the country. These regions lead on median pay:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| New England | $53,026 | 4.4% | 0.91 |
| Middle Atlantic | $52,416 | 16.2% | 1.06 |
| Far Western US | $48,722 | 20.3% | 1.25 |
| Rocky Mountains | $43,531 | 4.0% | 1.02 |
| Plains States | $40,800 | 4.8% | 0.71 |
| Southeast | $39,035 | 25.0% | 1.09 |
| Southwest | $37,314 | 10.6% | 0.85 |
| Other U.S. Territories | $36,780 | 0.2% | 0.37 |
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Photographers
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester, MN | MN | $78,870 | 30 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $75,070 | 980 |
| Bend, OR | OR | $72,760 | 30 |
| Springfield, MA | MA | $64,880 | 70 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | MA | $63,340 | 870 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | CA | $60,910 | 50 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | NY | $60,270 | 3,690 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | MN | $60,270 | 370 |
Which Industries Hire Photographers
The largest employers of photographers are concentrated in the following sectors:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 29,270 | $38,200 |
| Information | 6,720 | $62,920 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 3,830 | $37,720 |
| Retail Trade | 3,240 | $38,290 |
| Wholesale Trade | 1,280 | $50,600 |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 1,120 | $41,600 |
| Educational Services | 1,110 | $58,010 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 1,010 | $44,710 |
The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.
Software Photographers Use
- Document management software: Adobe Acrobat (hot technology)
- Video creation and editing software: Adobe After Effects (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Creative Cloud software (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Illustrator (hot technology)
- Desktop publishing software: Adobe InDesign (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Photoshop (hot technology)
- Operating system software: Apple macOS (hot technology)
- Web page creation and editing software: Facebook (hot technology)
- Accounting software: Intuit QuickBooks (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
The Day-to-Day Environment
Daily working conditions for photographers reflects the following characteristics:
- Telephone Conversations
- Contact With Others
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Deal With External Customers or the Public in General
Education and Training
Most photographers positions require a postsecondary nondegree award as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Medium Preparation Needed (Job Zone 3), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.
Related Careers
Similar Occupations
- Art Directors (Primary-Short)
- Craft Artists (Primary-Long)
- Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators (Primary-Short)
- Special Effects Artists and Animators (Primary-Short)
- Floral Designers (Supplemental)
- Graphic Designers (Primary-Short)
- Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers (Supplemental)
- Producers and Directors (Supplemental)
Degree Programs
Future photographers often complete programs in:
Visual and Performing Arts
5 programs across 4 majors
- Fine & Studio Arts
- General Visual & Performing Arts
- Film, Video & Photographic Arts
- Design & Applied Arts
Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs
1 programs across 1 majors
About the Data
Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 27-4021.00 (Photographers).
GradDegree.com provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. The displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© GradDegree.com – All Rights Reserved.