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Photographic technician vs professional photographer

The differences between photographic technicians 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 technician and a professional photographer. Additionally, a photographic technician has an average salary of $49,830, which is higher than the $44,490 average annual salary of a professional photographer.

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

Photographic technician vs professional photographer overview

Photographic TechnicianProfessional Photographer
Yearly salary$49,830$44,490
Hourly rate$23.96$21.39
Growth rate9%9%
Number of jobs24,99244,681
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age3939
Years of experience22

Photographic technician vs professional photographer salary

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

Photographic TechnicianProfessional Photographer
Average salary$49,830$44,490
Salary rangeBetween $31,000 And $79,000Between $31,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between photographic technician and professional photographer education

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

Photographic TechnicianProfessional Photographer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common majorPhotographyPhotography
Most common collegeHarvard UniversityNorthwestern University

Photographic technician vs professional photographer demographics

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

Photographic TechnicianProfessional Photographer
Average age3939
Gender ratioMale, 66.4% Female, 33.6%Male, 47.4% Female, 52.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 7.1% White, 65.3% 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 technician and professional photographer duties and responsibilities

Photographic technician example responsibilities.

  • Work with Sony sales reps to achieve goals and account management.
  • Cash register operation and general POS usage.
  • Train to refuel helicopters in a combat situation.
  • Acquire imagery in control, uncontrol, and combat environments.
  • Maintain managerial duties such as budgeting, payroll and attend weekly & monthly meetings.
  • Assemble brochures from customer specifications, using Macintosh graphics software.
  • Show more

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 technician vs professional photographer skills

Common photographic technician skills
  • Digital Photography, 37%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 28%
  • Lightroom, 16%
  • Video Cameras, 10%
  • Photographic Equipment, 4%
  • Film Processors, 3%
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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