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Professional photographer skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Jill Frank,

Jill Frank

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical professional photographer skills. We ranked the top skills for professional photographers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 36.8% of professional photographer resumes contained adobe photoshop as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a professional photographer needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 professional photographer skills for your resume and career

1. Adobe Photoshop

Here's how professional photographers use adobe photoshop:

Edited final images with Adobe Photoshop to produce prints, canvas art, CD's, DVD's and other products.
Process photos, edit and retouch images and restore photos using Adobe Photoshop.

2. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how professional photographers use customer service:

Provided each customer with exceptional customer service, as a professional and fulfilled photography sessions as scheduled and presented exceptional products.
Captured professional photography for tourists to explore and purchase.- Trained to maintain company standard photography.- Recognized for providing excellent customer service.

3. Adobe Lightroom

Here's how professional photographers use adobe lightroom:

Frequent use of MS Word and Excel, Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, and Indesign.
Experienced with image editing computer software, such as Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, and Photomechanic

4. Photo Shoots

A photoshoot is a series of photographs that a photographer takes of someone, usually of a model or a famous person, to be used in a newspaper or a magazine. The goal of a photoshoot is to achieve a predetermined visual objective. Later, these images can be used for editing or post-production..

Here's how professional photographers use photo shoots:

Conceptualized and photographed various photo shoots including fashion, corporate, portrait and commercial photography.
Published photographer who brings exceptional knowledge and enthusiasm to every photo shoot.

5. Event Photography

Here's how professional photographers use event photography:

Freelance photographer specializing in political event photography and commercial print work.
Captain of event photography teams, work directly with clients at events to ensure timely and effective services.

6. Portfolio

Here's how professional photographers use portfolio:

Established a successful portfolio as a for-hire professional photographer.
Completed documentation within a portfolio for an audit at Goodwill Industries to ensure compliance and standards were met.

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7. Real Estate

Real estate is land that has buildings on it. This kind of property consists of permanent improvements either natural or man-made, which include, houses, fences, bridges, water trees, and minerals. There are 4 types of real estate namely; residential real estate, commercial real estate, industrial real estate, and vacant land.

Here's how professional photographers use real estate:

Created a real estate photography business and acted as the sole owner/operator * Handled all operations and duties required.
freelance photographer * Low Light photography* Portrait Photography* Landscape Photography* Real estate Photography* Action Photography * Lightroom cs6 editor&Photoshop

8. High-Quality Images

Here's how professional photographers use high-quality images:

Photographed high-quality images for both print and internet distribution.Facilitated weekly studio appointments.
Photographed high-quality images for both print and Internet distribution.

9. Graphic Design

Graphic design is the art of making visual content to communicate messages. Designers apply different page layout methods and visual hierarchy by using letters and pictures to meet the need of end-users. Most companies use graphic design to sell their product or services and to convey complicated information by using infographics.

Here's how professional photographers use graphic design:

Self-employed Professional Photographer and Graphic Designer.
Worked closely with graphic designers, art directors, marketing departments to determine the tone, look, feel of projects.

10. Scheduling Appointments

Scheduling appointments is the practice of finding a free slot with the person(s) you want to meet. The process of scheduling appointments involves finding mutually free time, negotiating follow-ups, sending reminders, and creating new appointments. Scheduling appointments is important to ensure that the timings of consecutive meetings do not clash with each other.

Here's how professional photographers use scheduling appointments:

Perform general office duties such as scheduling appointments, tracking sales, and ordering supplies.
Trained photographer in portrait and group photography, interaction with infants/toddlers, sales representative, customer service and scheduling appointments proficiently.

11. Facebook

Here's how professional photographers use facebook:

Maintained relationships with past clients along with maintaining the company website and Facebook.
Researched and implemented effective branding strategy through social media platforms such as Facebook, WeChat, and Instagram.

12. DSLR

Here's how professional photographers use dslr:

Worked with traditional video cameras and DSLR cameras.
Use professional studio/photography equipment and DSLR camera to capture professional, high-quality images.

13. Product Photography

Here's how professional photographers use product photography:

Specialized in portraits, lifestyle, weddings, and commercial product photography.
Possess extensive experience with environmental portraiture, product photography, and shooting assignments involving both a high and low energy environment.

14. Artificial Light

Here's how professional photographers use artificial light:

Created artificial light, using flashes and reflectors.
Determine lighting ratios using natural and/or artificial lighting, including studio strobes.

15. Photographic Equipment

Photographic equipment is meant to make a photographer's job easier in capturing outstanding photos. These include using walkaround lenses, different types of lens filters, cleaning kits, external flash, reflectors, and tripods.

Here's how professional photographers use photographic equipment:

Experienced with photographic equipment, image processing techniques.
Own and maintain photographic equipment.

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What skills help Professional Photographers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on professional photographer resumes?

Jill Frank

Assistant Professor, Georgia State University

The ability to use all camera functions and fully understand the tools, both analog and digital. Having an artistic vision and creative drive that makes your portfolio unique and memorable. Confidence with lighting, managing large photoshoots, awareness of the current trends in photography, ability to handle deadlines and difficult situations.

What soft skills should all professional photographers possess?

Jill Frank

Assistant Professor, Georgia State University

Listening, being observant, trusting your vision. It is always important to work well in teams and have the patience to be a good collaborator.

What hard/technical skills are most important for professional photographers?

Jill Frank

Assistant Professor, Georgia State University

There is an expectation that material and technique are mastered. For example, if you want to photograph an event at night, you should know how to handle the resolution, the iso, the lighting, the speed of the shutter, etc., so that the images work for their intended purpose. If you are not ready to handle the technical elements, you are not ready for the photoshoot.

What professional photographer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Peter Glendinning

W.J. Beal Distinguished Professor, Michigan State University

In my experience, people like being a photographer for reasons that often have to do with what they like doing in life, what their personality is, what their passions outside of photography are. The "people person," the "quiet poet," the "analytical type," and more, all can find a field in photography that suits them well, whether fashion photography, landscape photography, architectural photography or other. Someone who is lazy, disorganized, feels they already know everything, undisciplined, lacking in courage, will probably not like this field.

What type of skills will young professional photographers need?

Susan McSpadden

Marketing Photographer, Johnson County Community College

Graduates in the field of photography would benefit significantly from some business knowledge. Take some business classes, if you can, even if it's a weekend continuing education session. There are freelance opportunities out there, if you are self-motivated and seek them out. Knowing about self-employment tax and how to budget your earnings as a freelancer would help until you are able to land a full-time position with a company or institution. Just like with any profession, being a go-getter, a self-starter, a hard worker, a go-the-extra-miler will help.

Do you want to know more?

List of professional photographer skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a professional photographer resume and required skills for a professional photographer to have include:

Adobe Photoshop
Customer Service
Adobe Lightroom
Photo Shoots
Event Photography
Portfolio
Real Estate
High-Quality Images
Graphic Design
Scheduling Appointments
Facebook
DSLR
Product Photography

Artificial Light
Photographic Equipment
Instagram
Digital Photography
Portrait Photography
Photography Studio
Nikon
Corporate Events
PowerPoint
Post Processing
Camera Equipment
Technical Equipment
Photo Sessions

NYC
Business Cards
Mac
Digital Images
Web Design
Tripods
Digital Cameras
Business Management
Customer Relations
Photography
Studio Equipment
Photojournalism
Picture Composition

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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Professional Photographer Skills

Updated January 8, 2025

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