Photographer Careers Information
Do you have an artistic eye and enjoy working with technology? Photographers work with a variety of equipment to capture an image that may record an event, tell a story, or be intended as a work of fine art. They must have the right mixture of creativity, technological skill, and sense of timing not only to take, but also process the perfect image. Photographers have traditionally used silver-halide film to record images, but many have recently switched to digital formats that allow for easier and cheaper manipulation. Photographer careers may take place at a company, self-employed with their own studio, or working freelance.
Photographer Careers & Degrees
- Art Institute of Pittsburgh: Online
Photographers may specialize in any number of areas. Portrait photographers often work in studios and take posed photographs of clients. They may also be hired to photograph an event such as a wedding or fashion show. News photographers work for media outlets and take the pictures seen in newspapers and magazines. These photographs are valued as visual records of important events. Commercial and industrial photographers take pictures of products and buildings, most often for use in advertisements. Fine arts photographers take artistic pictures, meant to have aesthetic value in and of themselves.
Photographer Careers Path
Though anyone can use a camera to take a snapshot, the current complexities of professional photography equipment means that some training is necessary. Most professional photographers have a vocational or Bachelor’s degree in photography, with training in both traditional film development and computer manipulation of digital images.
Courses in business, accounting, or advertising can be useful for those who wish to be self-employed. Internships and assistantships with established photographers are often the first step for most aspiring photographers. For those who freelance, selling work to a variety of publications, a strong portfolio of work is essential.
Photographer Careers Compatible Personality Traits
Creative, eye for detail, good with technology, organized, patient, comfortable working in a variety of locations and situations, willing to work odd hours.
Photographer Interview
For insightful experience in a photography career, Read More from a Professional Photographer…
Photographer Careers Salary Expectations
For salaried photographers, the average salary is $29,440 a year, with the middle fifty percent earning between $20,620 and $43,530. Salaried photographers tend to earn more than self-employed photographers, who must purchase and maintain expensive equipment with their own money. Few freelance and fine arts photographers are able to support themselves solely with their work and so many must have another source of income.
Photographer Careers Job Outlook
Though population growth will increase demand for portrait photographers and new media outlets will need more commercial and industrial photographers to provide images, new technologies are making it easier for semiprofessional or even amateur photographers to take and sell professional quality images. Because of this and the general popularity of photography, competition for photography jobs will be strong. Those photographers most adept with new technologies and who have some business acumen will stand the best chance of finding steady work.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the field is projected to grow 12% by 2018, which is as fast as the average for all occupations.
Slightly off the Footpath
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition, Psychologists, on the Internet at http://bls.gov/oco/ocos264.htm (visited November 3, 2011).
