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Photographic specialist vs professional photographer

The differences between photographic specialists 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 photographic specialist and a professional photographer. Additionally, a photographic specialist has an average salary of $51,304, which is higher than the $44,490 average annual salary of a professional photographer.

The top three skills for a photographic specialist include photographic equipment, adobe photoshop and public affairs. The most important skills for a professional photographer are adobe photoshop, customer service, and adobe lightroom.

Photographic specialist vs professional photographer overview

Photographic SpecialistProfessional Photographer
Yearly salary$51,304$44,490
Hourly rate$24.67$21.39
Growth rate9%9%
Number of jobs19,37444,681
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age3939
Years of experience22

Photographic specialist vs professional photographer salary

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

Photographic SpecialistProfessional Photographer
Average salary$51,304$44,490
Salary rangeBetween $32,000 And $81,000Between $31,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between photographic specialist and professional photographer education

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

Photographic SpecialistProfessional Photographer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common majorPhotographyPhotography
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University

Photographic specialist vs professional photographer demographics

Here are the differences between photographic specialists' and professional photographers' demographics:

Photographic SpecialistProfessional Photographer
Average age3939
Gender ratioMale, 65.4% Female, 34.6%Male, 47.4% Female, 52.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.3% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 5.8% White, 67.4% 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 Percentage11%11%

Differences between photographic specialist and professional photographer duties and responsibilities

Photographic specialist example responsibilities.

  • Manage agency media engagements, including tracking queries on SharePoint.
  • Maintain the FCC requirements and ensure compliance with FCC rules and regulations.
  • Assess creative content for compliance with ABC network policy, applicable laws, and regulations.
  • Advance advertiser s creative interests while enforcing ABC s business and legal guidelines by finding appropriate solutions to creative issues.
  • Conduct research using online federal regulations, review Medicare and Medicaid policy and guidelines to complete an accurate and well-support decision.
  • Provide technical and professional support in connection with VTC operations, applications, training and administration.

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.

Photographic specialist vs professional photographer skills

Common photographic specialist skills
  • Photographic Equipment, 50%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 40%
  • Public Affairs, 6%
  • Color Correction, 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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