Photographer Salary
$31,710
Job Growth
2/5
Competition
Extreme
Education
High School
Overview: What does a Photographer do?
Photographers produce and preserve images that paint a picture, tell a story, or record an event. To create commercial quality photographs, photographers need both technical expertise and creativity. Producing a successful picture requires choosing and presenting a subject to achieve a particular effect, and selecting the appropriate equipment. Competition for jobs is expected to be keen because the work is attractive to many people. More than half of all photographers are self-employed; the most successful are able to adapt to rapidly changing technologies and are adept at operating a business.
Resources to become a Photographer
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Advancement Opportunities: 69% of Average This calculation shows your opportunity for increases in earnings over time. It shows the relative strength of different careers as compared to each other |
Average Starting Median income: $31,710 |
Return on Educational Investment: 51% of Average Shows the relative return on investment of an education beyond high school. The calculation uses potential earning levels over time adjusted for the cost and the time of additional education. |
Job Growth: 2/5 |
Benefits: No |
All scores range from 1-100. Higher scores are better with the exception of stress. |
Bragging rights: 48/100 Based on prestige and social approval, fame and public recognition, high income, highly educated, clean versus “dirty” industry, and level of people you deal with. |
Interesting Job: 80/100 Based on exciting subject or environment, variety of activities, fun interaction with people, creating versus completing, and learning interesting things. |
Personal Freedom: 88/100 Based on controlling your work, not closely managed, choosing your assignments, tolerable rules and regulations, creative freedom, and setting your own hours. |
Stress: 73/100 Based on Intense responsibility (life/death), continuous rejection, dealing with people’s problems, lack of control, quota or sales pressure, and work volume/time pressure. |
Years to make $1,000,000 - 29 Years |
Years to make $2,000,000 - 45+ Years |
Years to make $3,000,000 - 45+ Years |