Photographers: Career Profile
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.
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The Daily Work of Photographers Perform?
Typical 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 rely on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Key Skills
The competencies most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Top Knowledge Areas
Related Job Titles
Common job titles for this role include:
- Advertising Photographer
- Aerial Photographer
- Automotive Photographer
- Biological Photographer
- Biomedical Photographer
- Commercial Photographer
- Crime Scene Photographer
- Digital Photographer
How Many Photographers Are There?
There are roughly 84,572 photographers working in the United States today. This occupation is expected 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 |
Where Photographers Earn the Most
Earnings for photographers vary by region. 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 |
Industry Breakdown
Most photographers are found across these industries:
| 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.
Tools and Technology
- 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)
Work Environment
The work environment for photographers tends to involve 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
Getting Started in This Career
Entry-level photographers positions require a postsecondary nondegree award as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in Medium Preparation Needed (Job Zone 3), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.
Other Careers to Consider
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
Students preparing for 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
References
This profile draws on 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).
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