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Role hub · Photographers

Photographer: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Oct 24, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

Half of photographers earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$44,660
Hourly
$21.47
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Photographers photograph people, landscapes, merchandise, or other subjects. The median pay is $44,660 a year ($21.47 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is some college courses (27% of workers surveyed by O*NET).

Median pay
$44,660
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
51,760
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 3 of 5
medium preparation
Most common education
Some College Courses
27% of workers
Explore the role

Every page for Photographers

SalaryPhotographer salary

Pay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.

Open →How to becomePhotographer how to become

Education, training and the skills to build first.

Open →ResumePhotographer resume

Keywords, bullet formulas and the skills to prove.

Open →Interview questionsPhotographer interview questions

Questions with what they test, plus practice mode.

Open →Career changePhotographer career change

Where these skills transfer, with skill match and pay change.

Open →Free toolCheck your resume

Parsed text, evidence per bullet, fixes first.

Open →
The work

What photographers do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. 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.
  2. Create artificial light, using flashes and reflectors.
  3. Determine desired images and picture composition, selecting and adjusting subjects, equipment, and lighting to achieve desired effects.
  4. Transfer photographs to computers for editing, archiving, and electronic transmission.
  5. Use traditional or digital cameras, along with a variety of equipment, such as tripods, filters, and flash attachments.
  6. Manipulate and enhance scanned or digital images to create desired effects, using computers and specialized software.
  7. Take pictures of individuals, families, and small groups, either in studio or on location.
  8. Enhance, retouch, and resize photographs and negatives, using airbrushing and other techniques.
Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

Active ListeningcoreSpeakingcoreService OrientationcoreSocial PerceptivenessComplex Problem SolvingJudgment and Decision MakingReading ComprehensionCritical ThinkingActive Learning

Knowledge areas: Customer and Personal Service, Sales and Marketing, Computers and Electronics, Administration and Management, English Language, Communications and Media.

Tools and technology

Software photographers use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • Adobe PhotoshopGraphics or photo imaging softwareIn demand
  • Adobe Photoshop LightroomGraphics or photo imaging softwareIn demand
  • Adobe After EffectsVideo creation and editing softwareHot technology
  • Adobe Creative Cloud softwareGraphics or photo imaging softwareHot technology
  • Adobe IllustratorGraphics or photo imaging softwareHot technology
  • Adobe InDesignDesktop publishing softwareHot technology
  • FacebookWeb page creation and editing softwareHot technology
  • WordPressWeb page creation and editing softwareHot technology
  • Apple Final Cut ProVideo creation and editing software
  • Google DriveCloud-based data access and sharing software
  • SmugMug FlickrGraphics or photo imaging software
  • WeVideoVideo creation and editing software

Also called: Advertising Photographer, Commercial Photographer, Graduation Photographer, Newspaper Photographer, Photo Editor.

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the correlation between the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level, subtract the average across all occupations, and correlate the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 or below means unrelated. Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).