What is a Portrait Photographer?

Being an expert Portrait Photographer may seem like the ideal gig. It's an imaginative source for individuals who are craftsmanship slanted, and Portrait Photographer has incredible advantages, for example, an adaptable timetable and travel. While it may be an ideal job for you, that doesn't mean it's consistently fun and glitzy. Did you realize that they make a normal of $28.94 per hour? That is $60,190 per year.

With regards to the main abilities needed to be a Portrait Photographer, we found that 24.6% of resumes included photography, while 18.4% of resumes included client assistance, and 13.3% of resumes included Photoshop. Hard abilities like these are useful to have with regards to performing fundamental occupation duties.

In case you're keen on turning into a Portrait Photographer, one of the interesting primary points is how much schooling you need. We've established that 54.2% of representation Portrait Photographers have a four-year certification. Regarding advanced education levels, we found that 5.8% of Portrait Photographers have graduate degrees. Although most Portrait Photographers have advanced education, it's conceivable to get one with just a secondary school degree or GED.

What Does a Portrait Photographer Do

There are certain skills that many portrait photographers have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed artistic ability, business skills and computer skills.

How To Become a Portrait Photographer

If you're interested in becoming a portrait photographer, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 58.7% of portrait photographers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 4.6% of portrait photographers have master's degrees. Even though most portrait photographers have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become a Portrait Photographer

Top Portrait Photographer Jobs Near You

Portrait Photographer Career Paths

As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a portrait photographer can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as photographer, progress to a title such as substitute teacher and then eventually end up with the title account manager.

Average Salary for a Portrait Photographer

Portrait Photographers in America make an average salary of $27,728 per year or $13 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $42,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $17,000 per year.

Average Portrait Photographer Salary

$27,728 Yearly

$13.33 hourly

$17,00010%

$27,000Median

$42,00090%

What Am I Worth?

Roles and Types of Portrait Photographer

There are several types of portrait photographer, including:

Photographer

Role:

The Rule of Thirds. Exposure. White Balance. What do these have in common? They're used widely by photographers who are just trying to get the most creative and best angle to perserve a specific image.

Photographers work in a variety of spaces. Sometimes they travel. Some work in studios. Others work in laboratories. While it's not necessary for photographers to have a postsecondary education, many take classes so they understand the art of photography.

Average Salary: $33,968
Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Overview How To Become Job Description Jobs

Producer

Role:

Producers work for the entertainment industry. They secure resources and coordinate logistical arrangements for the making of a film, television show, or theatre performance. They make sure production expenses do not go over the budget, that deliverables are ready on time, and the finished products meet the expectations of investors.

They are responsible for hiring staff, coordinating creative work, preparing and presenting funding applications, monitoring and approving post-production work, and performing managerial tasks such as scheduling, planning work phases, and taking care of the marketing of the completed product.

If you want to be a producer, you should start with a college education in film or theatre or cultural management. It is not obligatory, though. Being a producer is all about finding creative ways to get something done, and there is never one path that always works. Many actors, writers, or other creative people who are now producers just started working on their own personal projects and discovered the know-how along the way.

Average Salary: $72,202
Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Overview How To Become Job Description Jobs

Freelance Photographer

Role:

Freelance Photographers take photos for different purposes. They discuss image requirements with clients and perform research for the shoot. They also arrange photoshoot backgrounds, take and process images. A freelance photographer works for himself and not for someone else. However, you can sell your pictures to anyone. Due to the nature of the job, you are responsible for building your reputations, marketing your work, and actively seeking clients. Additionally, you will write business plans, create budgets, invest in and maintain technical equipment.

Although no formal training is required, most freelance photographers possess a degree in photography. When sorting for clients, a portfolio of high-quality work is more important than academic credentials. Some learn both the technical and creative aspects of the profession as apprentices for veteran photographers. Freelance photographers must possess self-motivation, networking, creativity, technical, and communication skills. They must also be familiar with relevant software. Their working style is affected by the number and types of projects.

The salary of freelance photographers ranges from $33,842 to $48,123, with an average salary of $42,342.

Average Salary: $42,949
Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Overview Job Description Jobs

States With The Most Portrait Photographer Jobs

Number Of Portrait Photographer Jobs By State

Rank	State	Number of Jobs	Average Salary
1	California	58	$31,195
2	Florida	48	$23,021
3	Illinois	40	$28,883
4	Texas	40	$27,853
5	New York	37	$42,625
6	Pennsylvania	32	$23,306
7	Ohio	31	$22,342
8	North Carolina	29	$22,341
9	Maryland	25	$24,970
10	Georgia	20	$26,196
11	Virginia	20	$25,286
12	Alabama	18	$26,605
13	Tennessee	17	$26,181
14	New Jersey	16	$27,012
15	South Carolina	16	$23,577
16	Missouri	14	$19,384
17	Arizona	13	$23,642
18	Michigan	13	$22,194
19	Arkansas	12	$27,680
20	Oregon	12	$25,315
21	Oklahoma	12	$21,991
22	Utah	11	$31,192
23	Kentucky	10	$28,200
24	Connecticut	9	$32,294
25	Kansas	8	$27,227
26	Wisconsin	8	$26,617
27	Massachusetts	7	$33,780
28	Indiana	7	$23,126
29	Idaho	6	$27,640
30	Minnesota	6	$32,399
31	Nebraska	6	$26,332
32	Washington	6	$28,179
33	Nevada	6	$17,666
34	New Hampshire	5	$32,225
35	Mississippi	5	$25,712
36	Colorado	4	$28,851
37	Iowa	4	$18,818
38	West Virginia	3	$28,928
39	Montana	3	$25,810
40	Louisiana	3	$23,228
41	Vermont	2	$34,435
42	Maine	2	$31,757
43	Alaska	2	$31,480
44	New Mexico	2	$28,404
45	South Dakota	2	$25,773
46	Rhode Island	2	$20,673
47	Delaware	2	$18,750
48	Hawaii	1	$26,879
49	Wyoming	0	$30,257
50	North Dakota	0	$29,170

Portrait Photographer Education

Portrait Photographer Majors

Photography

35.0 %

Graphic Design

11.2 %

Fine Arts

9.9 %

Portrait Photographer Degrees

Bachelors

58.7 %

Associate

22.7 %

High School Diploma

8.8 %

Top Colleges for Portrait Photographers

1. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

3. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

4. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

6. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

7. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-State Tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

8. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

9. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

10. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

Top Skills For a Portrait Photographer

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 17.5% of portrait photographers listed customer service on their resume, but soft skills such as artistic ability and business skills are important as well.

Customer Service, 17.5%

Adobe Photoshop, 13.3%

Kids, 13.1%

Portrait Photography, 12.3%

Camera Equipment, 9.4%

Other Skills, 34.4%

Choose From 10+ Customizable Portrait Photographer Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Portrait Photographer templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Portrait Photographer resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

Portrait Photographer diversity

Portrait Photographer Gender Distribution

Female

61%

Male

39%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

Among portrait photographers, 61.3% of them are women, while 38.7% are men.

The most common race/ethnicity among portrait photographers is White, which makes up 65.6% of all portrait photographers.

The most common foreign language among portrait photographers is Spanish at 52.7%.

Online Courses For Portrait Photographer That You May Like

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Show More Online Courses For Portrait Photographer

Job type you want

Full Time

Part Time

Internship

Temporary

How Do Portrait Photographers Rate Their Jobs?

Top Portrait Photographer Employers

Most Common Employers For Portrait Photographer

Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
1	Kodak	$36,165	$17.39	2
2	Herff Jones Co. of Indiana - Inc.	$36,122	$17.37	3
3	The Walt Disney Company	$35,060	$16.86	4
4	Norwegian Cruise Line	$30,894	$14.85	2
5	Sears Holdings	$30,691	$14.76	29
6	Walmart	$29,296	$14.08	4
7	Weber Murphy Fox Architects	$28,997	$13.94	2
8	Horning Brothers	$27,440	$13.19	2
9	Kiddie Kandids	$27,360	$13.15	7
10	CLIX Rochester	$27,352	$13.15	3

Updated April 6, 2023

What is a Portrait Photographer?

What Does a Portrait Photographer Do

How To Become a Portrait Photographer

Portrait Photographer Career Paths

Average Salary for a Portrait Photographer

Roles and Types of Portrait Photographer

Photographer

Role:

Producer

Role:

Freelance Photographer

Role:

States With The Most Portrait Photographer Jobs

Number Of Portrait Photographer Jobs By State

Portrait Photographer Education

Portrait Photographer Majors

Portrait Photographer Degrees

Top Colleges for Portrait Photographers

1. Harvard University

2. Northwestern University

3. Carnegie Mellon University

4. Duke University

5. University of Southern California

6. University of Pennsylvania

7. University of Texas at Austin

8. Northeastern University

9. New York University

10. Boston University

Top Skills For a Portrait Photographer

Choose From 10+ Customizable Portrait Photographer Resume templates

Portrait Photographer diversity

Portrait Photographer Gender Distribution

Online Courses For Portrait Photographer That You May Like

How Do Portrait Photographers Rate Their Jobs?

Top Portrait Photographer Employers

Most Common Employers For Portrait Photographer

Portrait Photographer Related Careers

Portrait Photographer Related Jobs

What Similar Roles Do

Resume For Related Jobs