What is a director of photography and how to become one

Key steps to become a director of photography

1. Explore director of photography education requirements

   Most common director of photography degrees

   Bachelor's

   75.8 %

   Associate

   13.4 %

   Master's

   5.9 %

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2. Start to develop specific director of photography skills

   Skills	Percentages
   Video Projects	28.01%
   DP	20.15%
   Adobe Photoshop	5.68%
   Sony	4.71%
   Video Production	2.80%

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3. Complete relevant director of photography training and internships

   Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New directors of photography learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a director of photography based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real director of photography resumes.

4. Research director of photography duties and responsibilities

   • Manage all photography assets for a slate of Showtime original series, documentaries and sports programming.
   • Coordinate and manage show production, including budget creation, scriptwriting and booking guest for on camera interviews.
   • Act as the gaffer and grip.
   • Provide services for YouTube album music releases.

5. Get director of photography experience

6. Prepare your director of photography resume

   When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your director of photography resume.

   You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a director of photography resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

   Choose from 10+ customizable director of photography resume templates

   Build a professional director of photography resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your director of photography resume.
   

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7. Apply for director of photography jobs

   Now it's time to start searching for a director of photography job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

   1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
   2. Consult your professional network
   3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
   4. Watch out for job scams