How to hire a fashion photographer

How to hire a fashion photographer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step fashion photographer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a fashion photographer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new fashion photographer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the fashion photographer you need to hire. Certain fashion photographer roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A fashion photographer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, fashion photographers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of fashion photographer salaries for various roles:

   Type of Fashion Photographer	Description	Hourly rate
   Fashion Photographer	Photographers use their technical expertise, creativity, and composition skills to produce and preserve images that tell a story or record an event.	$8-279
   Photography Internship	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... Show more	$9-110
   Photographer, Editor	A Photographer, Editor selects, edits, and positions photos in print and web publications. They work for newspapers, magazines, websites, or other publications.	$17-34

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Adobe Photoshop
   • Fashion Photography
   • Photo Shoots
   • Graphic Design
   • Adobe Lightroom
   • Art Direction
   • Fashion Shows
   • Editorials
   • Digital Cameras
   • Product Photography
   • E-Commerce
   • Color Correction
   • Equipment Maintenance
   • Elite

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Coordinate and manage providing and dressing the customers with old western costumes in preparation of taking their photos.
   • Establish a more professional-style look through photos of the blogger's outfits by using a DSLR camera.
   • Compile portfolios for multiple photography competitions/certifications.
   • Compile portfolios for multiple photography competitions/certifications.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your fashion photographer job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A fashion photographer salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, fashion photographers' average salary in hawaii is 66% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level fashion photographers earn 97% less than senior-level fashion photographers.
   • Certifications. A fashion photographer with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a fashion photographer's salary.

   Average fashion photographer salary

   $103,354yearly

   $49.69 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level fashion photographer salary

   $18,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 13, 2026

4. Writing a fashion photographer job description

   A fashion photographer job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a fashion photographer job description:

   Fashion photographer job description example

   Dolls Kill is a global fashion brand that empowers everyone to celebrate their individuality. We currently have over 10 million social media followers including some of the most influential personalities in music, art, pop culture and fashion. We're also backed by strong consumer-focused investors who share in our vision of building one of the world's next great consumer brands.
   
   Our team is growing quickly and we are hiring across many functions. We are looking for team members who are equally passionate about what we do and excited about joining the Dolls Kill crew.
   About us
   Named "The Fastest Growing Retailer in the US", Dolls Kill is a fashion brand that boldly empowers people to celebrate their individuality. With over two million followers on Instagram, we've become a cult favorite among DJs, celebrities and artists around the world.
   
   Based in San Francisco, we have an amazing team of retail leaders, scrappy hackers, creative marketers and fashion trendsetters who are fun to work with and serious about what they do. We're also backed strong consumer-focused investors who share in our vision of building one of the world's next great consumer brands. Look for our latest press mentions in Business Insider, Racked, TeenVogue, PopSugar, Elle, and more.
   
   About the Role
   We are looking for a forward-thinking photographer to join our fast-paced eCommerce and editorial studio.
   
   Our team is passionate about our customers, products, and shopping experience so the ideal candidate will also have a personal connection to the Dolls Kill brand, an intuitive understanding of our customers, and an ability to highlight our aesthetic.
   Responsibilities Photograph e-commerce products in a high-volume studio setting and on location.Produce high quality and consistently beautiful images, ensuring they are correctly exposed and color accurate.Work in partnership with the stylist to create on-brand product and marketing images.Maintain digital asset files while accurately checking off daily shoot lists and uploading to correct channels on a daily basis.Perform quality assurance on all images.Crop and process images within Capture One.Ensure quality photo assets are delivered to meet post-production deadlines.Image processing and editing.Pre-Production and Shoot planning.Ideation and concept planning for editorial and marketing collateral.Create content for social channels.Inspire the community to unleash their inner IDGAF through fearless creative.
   Requirements Knowledge of commercial studio & location lighting.3-5 years experience shooting in a high-volume E-commerce studio.Awareness of contemporary trends in photography and fashion.Sense of urgency and strong attention to detail.Ability to work well under pressure and against deadline.Ability to work well within a team.Proficiency in Capture One and Adobe CC.Strong photography portfolio that demonstrates knowledge and techniques of digital lighting and photography.
   You *MUST* include a portfolio to be considered

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find fashion photographers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your fashion photographer job on Zippia to find and recruit fashion photographer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with fashion photographer candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new fashion photographer

   Once you have selected a candidate for the fashion photographer position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new fashion photographer first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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