Aerial photographer vs professional photographer

The differences between aerial photographers and professional photographers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an aerial photographer and a professional photographer. Additionally, an aerial photographer has an average salary of $80,832, which is higher than the $44,490 average annual salary of a professional photographer.

The top three skills for an aerial photographer include GPS, real estate and photographic equipment. The most important skills for a professional photographer are adobe photoshop, customer service, and adobe lightroom.

Aerial photographer vs professional photographer overview

	Aerial Photographer	Professional Photographer
Yearly salary	$80,832	$44,490
Hourly rate	$38.86	$21.39
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	1,565	44,681
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	2	2

Aerial photographer vs professional photographer salary

Aerial photographers and professional photographers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Aerial Photographer	Professional Photographer
Average salary	$80,832	$44,490
Salary range	Between $18,000 And $350,000	Between $31,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between aerial photographer and professional photographer education

There are a few differences between an aerial photographer and a professional photographer in terms of educational background:

	Aerial Photographer	Professional Photographer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Photography	Photography
Most common college	Harvard University	Northwestern University

Aerial photographer vs professional photographer demographics

Here are the differences between aerial photographers' and professional photographers' demographics:

	Aerial Photographer	Professional Photographer
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 87.6% Female, 12.4%	Male, 47.4% Female, 52.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 7.0% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 7.0% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between aerial photographer and professional photographer duties and responsibilities

Aerial photographer example responsibilities.

Coordinate and manage providing and dressing the customers with old western costumes in preparation of taking their photos.
Document GPS data in reference to each exposure taken and assuring quality and correct photographic standards are used.
Compile portfolios for multiple photography competitions/certifications.
Compile portfolios for multiple photography competitions/certifications.

Professional photographer example responsibilities.

Manage creative projects from concept to completion; including signs, posters, specialize logos and video documentaries for clients.
Demonstrate professionalism and confidence out in the field gaining a greater understanding of photojournalism and photography
Retouch images including removing imperfections, color correcting and creating composite images.

Aerial photographer vs professional photographer skills

Common aerial photographer skills

GPS, 43%
Real Estate, 25%
Photographic Equipment, 19%
Adobe Photoshop, 12%

Common professional photographer skills

Adobe Photoshop, 37%
Customer Service, 12%
Adobe Lightroom, 7%
Photo Shoots, 5%
Event Photography, 3%
Portfolio, 3%

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Arts, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Industry
Aerial Photographer
Aerial Photographer vs Professional Photographer

Updated January 8, 2025

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