How To Become An Events Photographer: What It Is and Career Path

What is an events photographer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Susan McSpadden

An event photographer is skilled in capturing photographs at big activities such as celebrations, business gatherings, sporting tournaments, or exhibits. The goal of an event photographer is to capture the emotions and highlight the gathering either for the purpose of advertising or personal use of the client. Contrary to everyone's knowledge, event photographers do not just take pictures, they also compose shots, edit photos after the event, and deliver the final product.

A good event photographer should possess imaginative flair, artistic ability, and solid knowledge of photo editing. Strong communication skills and customer service orientation are also a must for this role since they face different types of people at every event. Most clients prefer event photographers whose resumes rely on technical knowledge and expertise instead of academic background. They must also have suitable equipment for photographs.

Some event photographers enter the field with a bachelor's degree in photography or journalism while others pursue a one-year rigorous program that focuses on photography. Most people have an associate's degree to learn technical photography skills and business knowledge. Most photographers with five to nine years of experience earn around $25 an hour including tips. There are also incentives and overtime pay.

What general advice would you give to an events photographer?

Susan McSpadden

Marketing Photographer, Johnson County Community College

I think the job market for photographers is tough right now, in the same way it is for many other professions. Companies are either holding steady with their current workforce or making cuts to stay afloat until the pandemic is under control and the economy starts to consistently improve. We've had quite a few members of our organization, the University Photographers' of America Association, lose their jobs, take a pay cut, or be furloughed for an extended period. It's challenging for seasoned photographers with a solid resume to find work. For recent graduates in the field, who don't have experience on their side, it has to be exponentially more difficult. The good news is that companies, organizations and publications have an easier time hiring a freelancer than a full time employee, so if you're self-motivated, with your own gear, there are good freelance opportunities out there.

ScoreEvents PhotographerUS Average

Salary

2.8

Avg. Salary $36,327

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.5

Growth rate 9%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.23%

Asian 7.09%

Black or African American 6.41%

Hispanic or Latino 15.48%

Unknown 5.72%

White 65.06%

Gender

female 48.48%

male 51.52%

Age - 38

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38

Stress level

4.5

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.5

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

1.9

Work life balance is very poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an events photographer

Explore events photographer education requirements

Most common events photographer degrees

Bachelor's

66.2 %

Associate

20.6 %

High School Diploma

5.4 %

Start to develop specific events photographer skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	29.57%
DSLR	15.91%
Nikon	13.62%
Adobe Photoshop	13.46%
STARS	8.94%

Complete relevant events photographer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New events photographers 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 an events photographer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real events photographer resumes.

Research events photographer duties and responsibilities

Manage creative projects from concept to completion; including signs, posters, specialize logos and video documentaries for clients.
Report increase of ticket sales as a direct result of posting event photos to the company Facebook page.
Use traditional and digital cameras, along with a variety of equipment such as tripods, filters, and flash attachments.
Edit and send out files to clients on DVD's.

Prepare your events photographer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your events photographer 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 an events photographer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable events photographer resume templates

Build a professional events photographer 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 events photographer resume.