What does a commercial photographer do?
Commercial photographer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real commercial photographer resumes:
- Manage creative projects from concept to completion; including signs, posters, specialize logos and video documentaries for clients.
- Compile portfolios for multiple photography competitions/certifications.
- Compile portfolios for multiple photography competitions/certifications.
Commercial photographer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 38% of Commercial Photographers are proficient in Product Photography, Adobe Photoshop, and Art Direction. They’re also known for soft skills such as Artistic ability, Business skills, and Computer skills.
We break down the percentage of Commercial Photographers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Product Photography, 38%
Prepared set and lighting for product photography shoot to match company image, styles and standards.
- Adobe Photoshop, 15%
Designed computer illustrations using Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator and Adobe InDesign.
- Art Direction, 7%
Drive Art Direction for Corporate and Small Business ad campaigns.
- Video Production, 5%
Self-owned photography and video production business.
- Photo Shoots, 4%
Provided clear and patient direct supervision to support staff for preparation and assembly of sets and photo shoots as needed.
- Lifestyle, 3%
Worked closely with merchandising managers and organized all lifestyle studio and outdoor shoots.
"product photography," "adobe photoshop," and "art direction" are among the most common skills that commercial photographers use at work. You can find even more commercial photographer responsibilities below, including:
Artistic ability. The most essential soft skill for a commercial photographer to carry out their responsibilities is artistic ability. This skill is important for the role because "photographers capture their subjects in images, and they must evaluate the artistic quality of a photograph." Additionally, a commercial photographer resume shows how their duties depend on artistic ability: "provide creative input, interpret artistic direction and create the appropriate aesthetic environment for product photography. "
Business skills. Many commercial photographer duties rely on business skills. "photographers must plan marketing or advertising strategies, reach out to prospective clients, and anticipate seasonal employment.," so a commercial photographer will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways commercial photographer responsibilities rely on business skills: "designed all details of composition which included aerial, on-site location and studio photography corporate and business client procurement"
Computer skills. This is an important skill for commercial photographers to perform their duties. For an example of how commercial photographer responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "most photographers do their own postproduction work and must be adept at using photo-editing software." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a commercial photographer: "performed advanced computer processing of images for assignments including retouching and color correction. ".
Customer-service skills. commercial photographer responsibilities often require "customer-service skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "photographers must understand the types of shots their clients want and agree on suitable alternatives for ideas that may be unworkable." This resume example shows what commercial photographers do with customer-service skills on a typical day: "promote positive customer/client relationships by focusing strong attention on meeting customer/client needs and ensuring their enjoyment. "
Detail oriented. Another common skill required for commercial photographer responsibilities is "detail oriented." This skill comes up in the duties of commercial photographers all the time, as "photographers must focus on details, especially in postproduction." An excerpt from a real commercial photographer resume shows how this skill is central to what a commercial photographer does: "edited photos in adobe lightroom and photoshop ensuring proper contrast, details and color effects. "
Interpersonal skills. Lastly, "interpersonal skills" is an important element of what a commercial photographer does. Commercial photographer responsibilities require this skill because "photographers often take pictures of people." This resume example highlights how commercial photographer duties rely on this skill: "trained, coached & developed staff cited for excellence in interpersonal communications, teamwork, customer service, flexibility and reliability. "
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Commercial photographer vs. Studio associate
Photography internship is an advantage to interns who assist photographers while studying since it can develop creativity, strong networking, technical, and practical skills as they learn both lighting and photography business in a real photography studio. These interns are tasked to perform research, update social media platforms, and create images for social media posts. Such valuable hands-on experience serves as an entry-level to boost confidence, increase motivation, gain references, and qualify them for a permanent job offer.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between commercial photographers and studio associate. For instance, commercial photographer responsibilities require skills such as "product photography," "art direction," "video production," and "lifestyle." Whereas a studio associate is skilled in "customer service," "appointment scheduling," "front desk," and "pos." This is part of what separates the two careers.
On average, studio associates reach similar levels of education than commercial photographers. Studio associates are 3.1% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Commercial photographer vs. Photography assistant
Each career also uses different skills, according to real commercial photographer resumes. While commercial photographer responsibilities can utilize skills like "lifestyle," "architecture," "high-quality images," and "portfolio," photography assistants use skills like "photographic equipment," "scheduling appointments," "video shoots," and "camera equipment."
Photography assistants earn similar levels of education than commercial photographers in general. They're 3.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Commercial photographer vs. Assistant manager and photographer
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a commercial photographer is likely to be skilled in "art direction," "video production," "lifestyle," and "graphic design," while a typical assistant manager and photographer is skilled in "photographic equipment," "customer service," "scheduling appointments," and "edit photos."
Most assistant managers and photographer achieve a similar degree level compared to commercial photographers. For example, they're 2.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Commercial photographer vs. Photography internship
Even though a few skill sets overlap between commercial photographers and photography interns, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a commercial photographer might have more use for skills like "art direction," "video production," "lifestyle," and "graphic design." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of photography interns require skills like "photography intern," "video shoots," "instagram," and "photo research. "
Photography interns reach similar levels of education compared to commercial photographers, in general. The difference is that they're 3.7% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of commercial photographer
Updated January 8, 2025











