Photographers
Arts, Audio/Video Technology and CommunicationsO*NET 27-4021.00United States
Photograph people, landscapes, merchandise, or other subjects. May use lighting equipment to enhance a subject's appearance.
- Median annual earnings
- $48,956
- Projected change
- +7.6%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 160.64K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
27.3% of the workforce
Growing to 172.79K by 2035
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ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What photographers do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- 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.
- Transfer photographs to computers for editing, archiving, and electronic transmission.
- Determine desired images and picture composition, selecting and adjusting subjects, equipment, and lighting to achieve desired effects.
- Use traditional or digital cameras, along with a variety of equipment, such as tripods, filters, and flash attachments.
- Take pictures of individuals, families, and small groups, either in studio or on location.
- Manipulate and enhance scanned or digital images to create desired effects, using computers and specialized software.
- Test equipment prior to use to ensure that it is in good working order.
- Enhance, retouch, and resize photographs and negatives, using airbrushing and other techniques.
- Estimate or measure light levels, distances, and numbers of exposures needed, using measuring devices and formulas.
- Perform general office duties, such as scheduling appointments, keeping books, and ordering supplies.
- Review sets of photographs to select the best work.
- Set up, mount, or install photographic equipment and cameras.
- Determine project goals, locations, and equipment needs by studying assignments and consulting with clients or advertising staff.
- Perform maintenance tasks necessary to keep equipment working properly.
- Select and assemble equipment and required background properties, according to subjects, materials, and conditions.
- Direct activities of workers setting up photographic equipment.
- Engage in research to develop new photographic procedures and materials.
- Mount, frame, laminate, or lacquer finished photographs.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $16,516
- 25th percentile
- $28,770
- 50th percentile
- $48,956
- 75th percentile
- $89,467
- 90th percentile
- $196,460
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $48,956 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+7.6%faster than average
2025160,643 jobs
2035 projected172,788 jobs
12,145 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- High school diploma or less
- 27.3%
- Some college
- 27.3%
- Bachelor's degree
- 18.2%
- Certificate
- 13.6%
- Associate degree
- 13.6%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Operations Analysis
- Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Photographers3,439 postings
- 02Videographers/Photographers1,500 postings
- 03School Photographers1,039 postings
- 04Automotive Photographers896 postings
- 05Real Estate Photographers857 postings
- 06Retail Sales Associates/Photographers503 postings
- 07Event Photographers460 postings
- 08Sports Photographers426 postings
- 09Photographers/Sales Associates407 postings
- 10Vehicle Photographers341 postings
- 11Wedding Photographers327 postings
- 12Preschool Photographers314 postings
- 13Ophthalmic Photographers304 postings
- 14Photo Technicians251 postings
- 15News Photographers242 postings
- 16Lead Photographers234 postings
- 17Sales Photographers234 postings
- 18Portrait Photographers216 postings
- 19Newborn Photographers197 postings
- 20Still Photographers195 postings
Top employers
- 01Pro Motion Pix628 postings
- 02Shutterfly541 postings
- 03Jostens448 postings
- 04Jostens Learning412 postings
- 05PayPal253 postings
- 06CoStar Group218 postings
- 07Bella Baby Photography200 postings
- 08Metroplex 360 RCS180 postings
- 09Nationwide Studios146 postings
- 10Snaphunt143 postings
- 11Dealer Specialties119 postings
- 12Inter-State Studio & Publishing Co.112 postings
- 13Strawbridge Studios104 postings
- 14Eyetex London Limited101 postings
- 15Nexstar Media Group98 postings
- 16Sinclair Broadcast Group84 postings
- 17Snappr84 postings
- 18Magic Memories83 postings
- 19Online Corporation Limited82 postings
- 20Photogenic82 postings
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