Medical photographer vs professional photographer

The differences between medical 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 a medical photographer and a professional photographer. Additionally, a medical photographer has an average salary of $81,114, which is higher than the $44,490 average annual salary of a professional photographer.

The top three skills for a medical photographer include patients, medical photography and adobe photoshop. The most important skills for a professional photographer are adobe photoshop, customer service, and adobe lightroom.

Medical photographer vs professional photographer overview

	Medical Photographer	Professional Photographer
Yearly salary	$81,114	$44,490
Hourly rate	$39.00	$21.39
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	45,666	44,681
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	2	2

Medical photographer vs professional photographer salary

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

	Medical Photographer	Professional Photographer
Average salary	$81,114	$44,490
Salary range	Between $17,000 And $382,000	Between $31,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between medical photographer and professional photographer education

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

	Medical Photographer	Professional Photographer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Photography	Photography
Most common college	Harvard University	Northwestern University

Medical photographer vs professional photographer demographics

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

	Medical Photographer	Professional Photographer
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 51.1% Female, 48.9%	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 medical photographer and professional photographer duties and responsibilities

Medical photographer example responsibilities.

Coordinate and manage providing and dressing the customers with old western costumes in preparation of taking their photos.
Schedule and photograph patients; create patient/doctor composite photos.
Provide high-end digital images of patients for total body cutaneous photography as well as surgical and autopsy documentation.
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.

Medical photographer vs professional photographer skills

Common medical photographer skills

Patients, 35%
Medical Photography, 22%
Adobe Photoshop, 16%
Surgical Procedures, 10%
Digital Photography, 5%
Portrait Photography, 5%

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
Medical Photographer
Medical Photographer vs Professional Photographer

Updated January 8, 2025

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