How To Become A Photo Journalist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a photo journalist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted experts

Rosemary Pennington,

Dr. Stine Eckert Ph.D.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a photo journalist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $35.7 an hour? That's $74,263 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -10% and produce -5,100 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a photo journalist?

Rosemary Pennington

Associate Professor & Area Coordinator of Journalism Miami University, Miami University

This one is harder, but I do think skill stacking is always a good idea. Someone who can, for example, write well, can work with data, and can take good photos is a more versatile reporter and could demand a higher salary than a reporter entering the field who has gotten really good at just one of those things. Building a deep resume through internships and working in student media can also help as it shows you are an experienced reporter who understands the fundamentals of the profession.

ScorePhoto JournalistUS Average

Salary

5.8

Avg. Salary $74,263

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.3

Growth rate -10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.29%

Asian 9.67%

Black or African American 6.37%

Hispanic or Latino 12.60%

Unknown 4.38%

White 66.69%

Gender

female 37.42%

male 62.58%

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

7.3

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.1

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

2.1

Work life balance is very poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a photo journalist

Explore photo journalist education requirements

Most common photo journalist degrees

Bachelor's

65.5 %

Associate

17.5 %

High School Diploma

8.2 %

Start to develop specific photo journalist skills

Skills	Percentages
Adobe Photoshop	26.57%
Local News	16.03%
DSLR	10.79%
News Stories	8.74%
Feature Stories	6.73%

Complete relevant photo journalist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New photo journalists 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 photo journalist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real photo journalist resumes.

Research photo journalist duties and responsibilities

Create, update and manage digital online web content for each client and their respective YouTube channels.
Construct and edit web-published multimedia pieces that are featured on the university's athletic programs.
Operate ENG vehicles and microwave broadcast equipment.
Focuse on electronic news gathering (ENG) to bring stories live whenever possible.

Prepare your photo journalist resume

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

Choose from 10+ customizable photo journalist resume templates

Build a professional photo journalist 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 photo journalist resume.