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Professional photographer vs portrait photographer

The differences between professional photographers and portrait 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 portrait photographer. Additionally, a professional photographer has an average salary of $44,490, which is higher than the $27,728 average annual salary of a portrait photographer.

The top three skills for a professional photographer include adobe photoshop, customer service and adobe lightroom. The most important skills for a portrait photographer are customer service, adobe photoshop, and kids.

Professional photographer vs portrait photographer overview

Professional PhotographerPortrait Photographer
Yearly salary$44,490$27,728
Hourly rate$21.39$13.33
Growth rate9%9%
Number of jobs44,6811,707
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 54%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age3939
Years of experience22

Professional photographer vs portrait photographer salary

Professional photographers and portrait photographers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Professional PhotographerPortrait Photographer
Average salary$44,490$27,728
Salary rangeBetween $31,000 And $62,000Between $17,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between professional photographer and portrait photographer education

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

Professional PhotographerPortrait Photographer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 54%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common majorPhotographyPhotography
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityHarvard University

Professional photographer vs portrait photographer demographics

Here are the differences between professional photographers' and portrait photographers' demographics:

Professional PhotographerPortrait Photographer
Average age3939
Gender ratioMale, 47.4% Female, 52.6%Male, 38.7% Female, 61.3%
Race ratioBlack 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, 6.3% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 7.0% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between professional photographer and portrait photographer duties and responsibilities

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.

Portrait photographer example responsibilities.

  • Manage different operating processes and goals for photography team, creating success for office and limiting inaccurate paperwork and improve product.
  • Photograph portraits under deadline, market on Facebook
  • Generate engaging lifestyle, editorial, celebrity, and model images in fast-pace, fully-digital production studio.
  • Provide organize paperwork and communication within Lifetouch's multiple sites nation wide and co-workers.

Professional photographer vs portrait photographer skills

Common professional photographer skills
  • Adobe Photoshop, 37%
  • Customer Service, 12%
  • Adobe Lightroom, 7%
  • Photo Shoots, 5%
  • Event Photography, 3%
  • Portfolio, 3%
Common portrait photographer skills
  • Customer Service, 17%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 13%
  • Kids, 13%
  • Portrait Photography, 12%
  • Camera Equipment, 9%
  • Photography Studio, 8%

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