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Photography internship vs professional photographer

The differences between photography interns 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 internship and a professional photographer. Additionally, a photography internship has an average salary of $67,376, which is higher than the $44,490 average annual salary of a professional photographer.

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

Photography internship vs professional photographer overview

Photography InternshipProfessional Photographer
Yearly salary$67,376$44,490
Hourly rate$32.39$21.39
Growth rate9%9%
Number of jobs52,67544,681
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 77%Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age3939
Years of experience22

Photography internship vs professional photographer salary

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

Photography InternshipProfessional Photographer
Average salary$67,376$44,490
Salary rangeBetween $19,000 And $229,000Between $31,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between photography internship and professional photographer education

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

Photography InternshipProfessional Photographer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 77%Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common majorPhotographyPhotography
Most common collegeHarvard UniversityNorthwestern University

Photography internship vs professional photographer demographics

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

Photography InternshipProfessional Photographer
Average age3939
Gender ratioMale, 30.1% Female, 69.9%Male, 47.4% Female, 52.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 7.0% White, 65.8% 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 internship and professional photographer duties and responsibilities

Photography internship example responsibilities.

  • Manage social media accounts including Instagram and Facebook.
  • Retouch all photographs generate by photography staff.
  • Gain experience with Photoshop and become efficient with a DSLR camera.
  • Collaborate with coworker to write company blog and promote company on Facebook.
  • Log, color correct, tag, retouch, transfer, organize and maintain images and files for digital archive.
  • Help promote company through blogging and Facebook
  • 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 internship vs professional photographer skills

Common photography internship skills
  • Adobe Photoshop, 34%
  • Photo Shoots, 10%
  • Photography Intern, 6%
  • Adobe Lightroom, 6%
  • Video Shoots, 5%
  • Instagram, 4%
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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