Arts, Design, Media & Sports
Photographers
Also called: Advertising Photographer, Commercial Photographer, Graduation Photographer, Newspaper Photographer
US median pay
$44,660
per year, 2025
Job growth 2025–35
-0.7%
declining
Openings a year (US)
10,700
145,000 employed
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
Preparation 3/5 · Medium preparation
What this job is
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.
What they do day to day
- 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.
- Test equipment prior to use to ensure that it is in good working order.
- Estimate or measure light levels, distances, and numbers of exposures needed, using measuring devices and formulas.
Skills and knowledge that matter most
Skills
- Service Orientation3.2/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.1/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.1/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.1/5
- Time Management3.0/5
- Coordination3.0/5
- Persuasion2.9/5
- Instructing2.9/5
Knowledge
- Customer and Personal Service4.7/5
- Sales and Marketing4.5/5
- Computers and Electronics4.2/5
- Administration and Management3.9/5
- English Language3.7/5
- Communications and Media3.7/5
Importance rated by people working in the job (1 = not important, 5 = extremely important).
Education and preparation
Preparation level 3 of 5 — Medium preparation. Usually vocational training, an associate's degree or an apprenticeship.
Typical entry education (BLS): High school diploma or equivalent.
Highest education of people in this job:
- Some college27%
- High school diploma18%
- Bachelor's degree14%
Who this job suits
Mostly Realistic
Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
Artistic
Creating, designing and self-expression
Conventional
Organising data, details and procedures
Based on the Holland (RIASEC) interest profile for this occupation.