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Professional photographer vs studio photographer

The differences between professional photographers and studio 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 studio photographer. Additionally, a professional photographer has an average salary of $44,490, which is higher than the $28,196 average annual salary of a studio photographer.

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

Professional photographer vs studio photographer overview

Professional PhotographerStudio Photographer
Yearly salary$44,490$28,196
Hourly rate$21.39$13.56
Growth rate9%9%
Number of jobs44,6812,226
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 54%Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age3939
Years of experience22

Professional photographer vs studio photographer salary

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

Professional PhotographerStudio Photographer
Average salary$44,490$28,196
Salary rangeBetween $31,000 And $62,000Between $18,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between professional photographer and studio photographer education

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

Professional PhotographerStudio Photographer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 54%Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common majorPhotographyPhotography
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University

Professional photographer vs studio photographer demographics

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

Professional PhotographerStudio Photographer
Average age3939
Gender ratioMale, 47.4% Female, 52.6%Male, 37.7% Female, 62.3%
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, 6.4% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 7.0% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between professional photographer and studio 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.

Studio photographer example responsibilities.

  • Manage photographic operations and darkroom facility.
  • Generate engaging lifestyle, editorial, celebrity, and model images in fast-pace, fully-digital production studio.
  • Design and animate motion graphics for YouTube and promotional material.

Professional photographer vs studio photographer skills

Common professional photographer skills
  • Adobe Photoshop, 37%
  • Customer Service, 12%
  • Adobe Lightroom, 7%
  • Photo Shoots, 5%
  • Event Photography, 3%
  • Portfolio, 3%
Common studio photographer skills
  • Customer Service, 19%
  • Scheduling Appointments, 18%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 17%
  • Photo Studio, 5%
  • Photo Shoots, 4%
  • Digital Photography, 3%

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