How to hire a senior photographer

How to hire a senior photographer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step senior photographer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a senior photographer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new senior photographer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The senior photographer hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A senior photographer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, senior photographers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of senior photographers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Senior Photographer	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Photographer	Photographers use their technical expertise, creativity, and composition skills to produce and preserve images that tell a story or record an event.	$10-26
   Photography Internship	Photography internship is an advantage to interns who assist photographers while studying since it can develop creativity, strong networking, technical, and practical skills as they learn both lighting and photography business in a real photography studio. These interns are tasked to perform research, update social media platforms, and create images for social media posts... Show more	$9-110
   Photographer, Editor	A Photographer, Editor selects, edits, and positions photos in print and web publications. They work for newspapers, magazines, websites, or other publications.	$17-34

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Digital Photography
   • Adobe Photoshop
   • Camera Equipment
   • Customer Service
   • Art Direction
   • Photo Studio
   • Product Photography
   • DSLR
   • Mac
   • ENG
   • Photo Shoots
   • Photographic Equipment
   • Quality Images
   • Lifestyle

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage assistants and stylist teams to ensure timely completion of brand-appropriate studio photography.
   • Skil using DSLR and video cameras, editing capture products of any kind.
   • 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.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your senior photographer job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A senior photographer can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, senior photographers' average salary in iowa is 63% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level senior photographers 61% less than senior-level senior photographers.
   • Certifications. A senior photographer with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a senior photographer's salary.

   Average senior photographer salary

   $35,699yearly

   $17.16 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior photographer salary

   $22,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 17, 2026

4. Writing a senior photographer job description

   A senior photographer job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a senior photographer job description:

   Senior photographer job description example

   Henry Ford Health System is seeking a passionate, creative, and thoughtful Photographer/ Video multimedia specialist to join our growing Creative Services Team. We are changing the way healthcare marketing is being delivered and we want someone who wants to be a part of our growing team of creative professionals. The ideal candidate for this position will have an established portfolio of conventional photographic work and experience with video production. Video editing and post production skills are considered a plus for this new position.
   
   Under minimal supervision from the coordinator and manager of the photography division, performs marketing, public affairs, exhibit, brochure, studio or medical/ scientific photography and video. Videos captured will be used in digital marketing channels including social media and websites.
   PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
   
   * Produces a wide variety of disciplines (e.g. portraiture, PR, marketing, event, commercial, medical, and video coverage) to satisfy Henry Ford Health promotional communications. Expected to produce images and or video in studios or on location. Involved in scientific, technical and architectural photography and should have good knowledge of digital pre and post production.
   * Provides photographic coverage for Henry Ford Health sponsored events including public affairs, marketing, development activities and medical conferences etc.
   * Performs medical photography, providing photographic record of medical procedures and other physical evidence, in department studio,clinic and operating room.
   * Performs digital manipulation of photographic images and various graphic assets.
   * Provides a variety of computer aided digital imaging services, using computers, digital cameras, scanners, printers and software for photographic reproduction.
   * Maintainss photos/video segments and uploads them to a HFH database (WebDam) for all digital assets
   * Records total expenses incurred for each job, such as time and materials expense in order to accurately bill requesting customer.
   * Must have good interpersonal skills particularly when dealing with people who are not professional models and be able to gain the co-operation of those whose working day is being disrupted.
   * Performs related duties as assigned.
   
   EDUCATION/SKILLS REQUIREMENTS:
   
   * Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Photography/Video or related field.
   * 3+ years photography/video experience in a corporate or marketing enviornment.
   * Photography/ videography and editing and post production experience.
   * Strong computer/graphic skills including but not limited to Microsoft Office applications, Adobe Creative Suite and Adobe Premiere.
   
   PREFERRED EDUCATION
   
   Bachelor of Science degree with major in photography,video or Registered Biological Photographer's degree is highly desirable

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right senior photographer for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your senior photographer job on Zippia to find and recruit senior photographer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting senior photographers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new senior photographer

   Once you've decided on a perfect senior photographer candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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