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The differences between professional photographers and freelance 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 professional photographer and a freelance photographer. Additionally, a professional photographer has an average salary of $44,490, which is higher than the $42,949 average annual salary of a freelance photographer.
The top three skills for a professional photographer include adobe photoshop, customer service and adobe lightroom. The most important skills for a freelance photographer are adobe photoshop, aperture, and adobe lightroom.
| Professional Photographer | Freelance Photographer | |
| Yearly salary | $44,490 | $42,949 |
| Hourly rate | $21.39 | $20.65 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 44,681 | 1,766 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Professional photographers and freelance photographers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Professional Photographer | Freelance Photographer | |
| Average salary | $44,490 | $42,949 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $62,000 | Between $29,000 And $61,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | - |
| Highest paying state | - | - |
| Best paying company | - | - |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a professional photographer and a freelance photographer in terms of educational background:
| Professional Photographer | Freelance Photographer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Photography | Photography |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between professional photographers' and freelance photographers' demographics:
| Professional Photographer | Freelance Photographer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 47.4% Female, 52.6% | Male, 51.2% Female, 48.8% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 7.0% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |