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Photography assistant vs professional photographer

The differences between photography assistants 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 photography assistant and a professional photographer. Additionally, a photography assistant has an average salary of $94,147, which is higher than the $44,490 average annual salary of a professional photographer.

The top three skills for a photography assistant include adobe photoshop, photo shoots and video production. The most important skills for a professional photographer are adobe photoshop, customer service, and adobe lightroom.

Photography assistant vs professional photographer overview

Photography AssistantProfessional Photographer
Yearly salary$94,147$44,490
Hourly rate$45.26$21.39
Growth rate9%9%
Number of jobs6,15544,681
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age3939
Years of experience22

Photography assistant vs professional photographer salary

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

Photography AssistantProfessional Photographer
Average salary$94,147$44,490
Salary rangeBetween $17,000 And $503,000Between $31,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between photography assistant and professional photographer education

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

Photography AssistantProfessional Photographer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common majorPhotographyPhotography
Most common collegeHarvard UniversityNorthwestern University

Photography assistant vs professional photographer demographics

Here are the differences between photography assistants' and professional photographers' demographics:

Photography AssistantProfessional Photographer
Average age3939
Gender ratioMale, 36.1% Female, 63.9%Male, 47.4% Female, 52.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 7.0% White, 65.4% 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 photography assistant and professional photographer duties and responsibilities

Photography assistant example responsibilities.

  • Help manage facebook, youtube page for studios work.
  • Manage the company Facebook account (choosing, editing, uploading pictures, engaging clients, etc . )
  • Manage social media accounts including Instagram and Facebook.
  • Photograph food and field marketing social events used for social media inquiries such as Instagram, Facebook, and press release.
  • Well verse in photography and DSLR bodies
  • Aid students in learning basic DSLR photography skills in classroom and field.
  • 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.

Photography assistant vs professional photographer skills

Common photography assistant skills
  • Adobe Photoshop, 33%
  • Photo Shoots, 17%
  • Video Production, 6%
  • Photographic Equipment, 5%
  • Adobe Lightroom, 4%
  • Scheduling Appointments, 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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