Career profile · SOC 27-4021

Photographers

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.

Median salary
$42,520
per year
Growth outlook
Little Or No Change
BLS 10-yr
Education
High school diploma or equivalent
AI exposure
5.1/10
automation risk

Salary distribution (US)

Real salary data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The p10–p90 spread tells you more than the median alone.

Bottom 10%
$26,080
25th %ile
$31,750
Median
$42,520
75th %ile
$56,940
Top 10%
$82,220

Top skills

Active Listening Critical Thinking Speaking Time Management Social Perceptiveness Active Learning Coordination Judgment and Decision Making Service Orientation

Knowledge you'll build

  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Fine Arts
  • Communications and Media
  • Sales and Marketing
  • Computers and Electronics
  • English Language

A day in the life

Your morning might start with packing camera bodies, lenses, and lighting gear into your car for a portrait session at a local park or a product shoot at a studio. During the shoot you direct poses, adjust strobe lights, and swap lenses to capture the perfect composition while keeping your client relaxed and confident in front of the camera. The afternoon is usually spent in front of your computer, culling hundreds of images down to the best shots and then color-grading, retouching, and exporting in Lightroom and Photoshop. If you are freelance, a chunk of your week also goes toward invoicing, marketing, updating your portfolio website, and scouting new locations.

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