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School photographer vs sports photographer

The differences between school photographers and sports 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 school photographer and a sports photographer. Additionally, a school photographer has an average salary of $98,357, which is higher than the $27,958 average annual salary of a sports photographer.

The top three skills for a school photographer include customer service, kids and camera equipment. The most important skills for a sports photographer are adobe photoshop, camera equipment, and kids.

School photographer vs sports photographer overview

School PhotographerSports Photographer
Yearly salary$98,357$27,958
Hourly rate$47.29$13.44
Growth rate9%9%
Number of jobs25,4826,917
Job satisfaction3-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 49%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age3939
Years of experience22

What does a school photographer do?

A school photographer is typically a freelancer who works from one institution to another. Their responsibilities typically revolve around organizing and facilitating photoshoots for yearbooks, school IDs, and other events. Moreover, a school photographer is also responsible for coordinating with school authorities to identify and meet their preferences when it comes to the setting and backgrounds, arranging sets, and managing schedules and budgets. A school photographer may also liaise with parents, students, and faculty members to provide them with copies of the photos.

What does a sports photographer do?

Sports photographers are hired to take pictures of different sports events and athletes. They mainly work in print medias such as magazine or newspapers. Their photos must express the skill and emotion of the athletes. Sports photographers carry sophisticated cameras and shoot photos from different angles. Their photos could be mesmerizing to sports enthusiasts.

School photographer vs sports photographer salary

School photographers and sports photographers have different pay scales, as shown below.

School PhotographerSports Photographer
Average salary$98,357$27,958
Salary rangeBetween $17,000 And $561,000Between $22,000 And $34,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between school photographer and sports photographer education

There are a few differences between a school photographer and a sports photographer in terms of educational background:

School PhotographerSports Photographer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 49%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common majorPhotographyPhotography
Most common collegeHarvard UniversityHarvard University

School photographer vs sports photographer demographics

Here are the differences between school photographers' and sports photographers' demographics:

School PhotographerSports Photographer
Average age3939
Gender ratioMale, 32.5% Female, 67.5%Male, 62.7% Female, 37.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 7.1% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 7.1% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between school photographer and sports photographer duties and responsibilities

School photographer example responsibilities.

  • Coordinate and manage providing and dressing the customers with old western costumes in preparation of taking their photos.
  • Provide a contact point between Lifetouch and school staff.
  • Apply technical knowledge for setup and operation of DSLR cameras and lights for traveling studio-like setting.
  • Act as a representative of Lifetouch and handle on-site communication- including re-booking schools for the following year.
  • Supervise photography team, maintain ENG equipment and develop capital budgets.
  • Demonstrate professionalism and confidence out in the field gaining a greater understanding of photojournalism and photography
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Sports photographer example responsibilities.

  • Coordinate and manage providing and dressing the customers with old western costumes in preparation of taking their photos.
  • Create PowerPoint presentations and publication quality images using digital input devices, photo-editing and graphic arts software.
  • Mount cameras on tripods or stands, and load prescribe types and sizes of film in cameras.
  • Photograph children, families and pets with holiday backgrounds, on Santa's lap, with elves, etc.
  • Provide news/sports reports and play-by-play announcing for football and basketball games
  • Create and execute station's college basketball coverage including play-by-play.
  • Show more

School photographer vs sports photographer skills

Common school photographer skills
  • Customer Service, 39%
  • Kids, 30%
  • Camera Equipment, 19%
  • High-Quality Images, 4%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 2%
  • Photographic Equipment, 1%
Common sports photographer skills
  • Adobe Photoshop, 20%
  • Camera Equipment, 14%
  • Kids, 8%
  • School Administration, 8%
  • Digital Photography, 8%
  • Youth Sports, 6%

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