Careers · Explore one path
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. Includes commercial and industrial photographers, scientific photographers, and photojournalists.
Other titles employers use
Advertising Photographer · Commercial Photographer · Graduation Photographer · Newspaper Photographer · Photo Editor · Photographer · Photojournalist · Portrait Photographer
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- 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.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to practical, creative and organizing work.
- Practical
- Building, repairing, using tools, or working outdoors
- Creative
- Making, designing, writing, or performing without one set answer
- Organizing
- Creating order, checking details, and keeping work accurate
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Service Orientation
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Active Learning
Subjects to know
- Customer and Personal Service
- Sales and Marketing
- Computers and Electronics
- Administration and Management
- English Language
Useful strengths
- Near Vision
- Oral Expression
- Originality
- Visualization
- Far Vision
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 3.9 | Shared rooms, but not shoulder to shoulder |
| On your feet | 3.0 | Mostly seated |
| Talking face to face | 4.4 | A regular part of the day |
| Working with your hands | 3.9 | Some of the day |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Employers usually ask for a high school diploma. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- A certificate or some college 41%
- High school or less 27%
- A two-year degree 14%
- A four-year degree 14%
- A master's degree 4%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Graphics or photo imaging software
- Web page creation and editing software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Video creation and editing software
- Accounting software
- Document management software
- Desktop publishing software
- Operating system software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 28,700
- Job openings each year
- 2,710
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 13.0%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 28,700 | 2,710 | 13.0% |
| Texas | 15,920 | 1,530 | 17.1% |
| Florida | 11,490 | 1,080 | 13.3% |
| New York | 8,840 | 30 | 3.9% |
| Minnesota | 6,930 | 630 | 6.8% |
| Illinois | 6,170 | 530 | −2.4% |
| North Carolina | 5,870 | 550 | 12.5% |
| Ohio | 4,890 | 430 | 1.7% |
| Georgia | 4,800 | 440 | 7.6% |
| Pennsylvania | 4,390 | 390 | 2.1% |
| New Jersey | 4,250 | 360 | −4.1% |
| Virginia | 4,140 | 380 | 5.6% |
| Missouri | 4,010 | 370 | 7.2% |
| Maryland | 3,860 | 350 | 6.9% |
| Colorado | 3,820 | 360 | 13.4% |
| Washington | 3,770 | 340 | — |
| Tennessee | 3,750 | 350 | 8.7% |
| Arizona | 3,620 | 340 | 12.1% |
| Indiana | 2,600 | 230 | 4.0% |
| Utah | 2,580 | 260 | 27.7% |
| Wisconsin | 2,480 | 220 | 6.0% |
| South Carolina | 2,400 | 230 | 13.7% |
| Nevada | 2,030 | 190 | 12.2% |
| Alabama | 1,910 | 170 | 4.9% |
| Connecticut | 1,880 | 180 | 15.3% |
| Iowa | 1,770 | 160 | 10.6% |
| Michigan | 1,550 | 130 | −1.9% |
| Oregon | 1,540 | 140 | 6.2% |
| Oklahoma | 1,300 | 120 | 5.7% |
| Massachusetts | 1,230 | 110 | 6.0% |
| Nebraska | 1,200 | 110 | 2.6% |
| Louisiana | 1,110 | 100 | 3.7% |
| Rhode Island | 1,040 | 90 | 5.1% |
| Kentucky | 990 | 90 | 3.1% |
| Kansas | 970 | 90 | — |
| Idaho | 950 | 90 | 13.1% |
| Puerto Rico | 910 | 90 | 23.0% |
| Arkansas | 840 | 80 | 7.7% |
| New Mexico | 800 | 80 | 12.7% |
| Maine | 610 | 50 | 3.4% |
| District of Columbia | 550 | 50 | 22.2% |
| Montana | 510 | 50 | 13.3% |
| Mississippi | 440 | 40 | 7.3% |
| New Hampshire | 420 | 40 | 7.7% |
| South Dakota | 370 | 30 | 2.8% |
| Delaware | 330 | 30 | — |
| Vermont | 330 | 30 | 13.8% |
| West Virginia | 330 | 30 | −13.2% |
| North Dakota | 250 | 20 | — |
| Wyoming | 210 | 20 | 16.7% |
| Alaska | 70 | 10 | — |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
University of Central Florida
- Degrees each year
- 806
- Admit rate
- 40%
- Annual cost after aid
- $10,000
Savannah College of Art and Design
- Degrees each year
- 1,220
- Admit rate
- 84%
- Annual cost after aid
- $49,000
California State University-Long Beach
- Degrees each year
- 868
- Admit rate
- 47%
- Annual cost after aid
- $10,000
Southern New Hampshire University
- Degrees each year
- 792
- Admit rate
- 96%
- Annual cost after aid
- $37,000
Arizona State University Campus Immersion
- Degrees each year
- 731
- Admit rate
- 90%
- Annual cost after aid
- $17,000
The University of Texas at Dallas
- Degrees each year
- 353
- Admit rate
- 65%
- Annual cost after aid
- $14,000
Fashion Institute of Technology
- Degrees each year
- 693
- Admit rate
- 58%
- Annual cost after aid
- $20,000
The New School
- Degrees each year
- 652
- Admit rate
- 63%
- Annual cost after aid
- $56,000
Compare every college offering visual and performing arts, general