1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-State Tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
Explore Jobs
Find Specific Jobs
Explore Careers
Explore Professions
Best Companies
Explore Companies
What is a Professional Photographer?
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a professional photographer. For example, did you know that they make an average of $21.39 an hour? That's $44,490 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -6% and produce -8,300 job opportunities across the U.S.
What Does a Professional Photographer Do
There are certain skills that many professional 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 Professional Photographer
If you're interested in becoming a professional photographer, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 54.2% of professional photographers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 7.0% of professional photographers have master's degrees. Even though most professional photographers have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Career Path For a Professional Photographer
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 professional photographer can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as freelance photographer, progress to a title such as editor and then eventually end up with the title marketing manager.
Professional Photographer
Average Salary for a Professional Photographer
Professional Photographers in America make an average salary of $44,490 per year or $21 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $62,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $31,000 per year.
Average Professional Photographer Salary
$44,490Â Yearly$21.39 hourly
What Am I Worth?
States With The Most Professional Photographer Jobs
Number Of Professional Photographer Jobs By State
| Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 1,450 | $54,503 |
| 2 | New York | 1,005 | $70,210 |
| 3 | Texas | 884 | $41,043 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | 870 | $40,532 |
| 5 | Florida | 793 | $29,959 |
| 6 | Minnesota | 728 | $51,481 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | 599 | $50,660 |
| 8 | Ohio | 569 | $39,401 |
| 9 | Illinois | 512 | $48,894 |
| 10 | Indiana | 497 | $38,879 |
| 11 | Colorado | 489 | $44,794 |
| 12 | Wisconsin | 482 | $44,441 |
| 13 | New Jersey | 481 | $45,258 |
| 14 | North Carolina | 444 | $35,631 |
| 15 | Georgia | 409 | $37,665 |
| 16 | Virginia | 377 | $45,800 |
| 17 | Maryland | 370 | $45,725 |
| 18 | Michigan | 367 | $38,273 |
| 19 | Tennessee | 340 | $39,050 |
| 20 | Washington | 330 | $46,594 |
| 21 | South Carolina | 304 | $34,654 |
| 22 | Arizona | 303 | $38,493 |
| 23 | Missouri | 289 | $29,889 |
| 24 | Iowa | 265 | $30,120 |
| 25 | Oregon | 225 | $42,252 |
| 26 | Connecticut | 208 | $51,303 |
| 27 | Kentucky | 195 | $45,022 |
| 28 | Utah | 189 | $50,692 |
| 29 | Alabama | 184 | $38,107 |
| 30 | Kansas | 165 | $41,828 |
| 31 | Delaware | 151 | $33,485 |
| 32 | Louisiana | 149 | $33,223 |
| 33 | Oklahoma | 146 | $32,621 |
| 34 | West Virginia | 139 | $51,389 |
| 35 | Arkansas | 136 | $40,838 |
| 36 | Maine | 131 | $43,542 |
| 37 | Nevada | 115 | $31,306 |
| 38 | Mississippi | 113 | $37,116 |
| 39 | Nebraska | 104 | $40,889 |
| 40 | North Dakota | 96 | $44,804 |
| 41 | New Mexico | 89 | $45,257 |
| 42 | Idaho | 82 | $45,074 |
| 43 | Rhode Island | 81 | $31,746 |
| 44 | Montana | 73 | $40,272 |
| 45 | South Dakota | 72 | $40,318 |
| 46 | New Hampshire | 68 | $46,843 |
| 47 | Hawaii | 65 | $37,671 |
| 48 | Wyoming | 64 | $46,994 |
| 49 | Alaska | 58 | $56,621 |
| 50 | Vermont | 51 | $47,815 |
Top Colleges for Professional Photographers
2. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-State Tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
3. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
5. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
6. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-State Tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
8. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
9. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
10. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-State Tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
Top Skills For a Professional 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, 36.8% of professional photographers listed adobe photoshop on their resume, but soft skills such as artistic ability and business skills are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Professional Photographer Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Professional Photographer templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Professional Photographer resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Professional Photographer diversity
Professional Photographer Gender Distribution
Female
53%
Male
47%
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among professional photographers, 52.6% of them are women, while 47.4% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among professional photographers is White, which makes up 65.5% of all professional photographers.
- The most common foreign language among professional photographers is Spanish at 44.1%.
Online Courses For Professional Photographer That You May Like
Advertising Disclosure Â
1. iPhone Photography Take Professional Photos On Your iPhone
Your Online Guide to Taking Stunning iPhone Photography Like a Professional Digital Photographer...
2. Photography Masterclass: A Complete Guide to Photography
The Best Online Professional Photography Class: How to Take Amazing Photos for Beginners & Advanced Photographers...
3. Real Estate Photography Masterclass
A Guide to Equipment, Technique and Workflow for Real Estate Photography...
Job type you want
Full Time
Part Time
Internship
Temporary
How Do Professional Photographers Rate Their Jobs?
Top Professional Photographer Employers
Most Common Employers For Professional Photographer
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kodak | $55,009 | $26.45 | 5 |
| 2 | Lifetouch | $44,944 | $21.61 | 53 |
| 3 | Photography.com | $44,923 | $21.60 | 9 |
| 4 | Strawbridge Studios | $44,685 | $21.48 | 6 |
| 5 | Kiddie Kandids | $44,563 | $21.42 | 7 |
| 6 | Cashman Photo | $44,521 | $21.40 | 6 |
| 7 | Fraternal Composite | $44,436 | $21.36 | 2 |
| 8 | The Walt Disney Company | $43,968 | $21.14 | 11 |
| 9 | Norwegian Cruise Line | $42,590 | $20.48 | 2 |
| 10 | Queen's College | $41,883 | $20.14 | 2 |
Professional Photographer Videos
Day in the Life: Professional Photographer