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The differences between sports photographers and camera operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a camera operator has an average salary of $43,609, which is higher than the $27,958 average annual salary of a sports photographer.
The top three skills for a sports photographer include adobe photoshop, camera equipment and kids. The most important skills for a camera operator are video production, camera equipment, and camera operation.
| Sports Photographer | Camera Operator | |
| Yearly salary | $27,958 | $43,609 |
| Hourly rate | $13.44 | $20.97 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 6,917 | 26,006 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 39 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 2 | - |
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.
A camera operator is responsible for operating various technical equipment to support technical operations, such as media productions and live events. Camera operators must have extensive knowledge of different camera features to select the appropriate device and manage the production's overall visual presentation. They also deliver the perfect footage on different angles for easy editing techniques alongside the technical crews and director's supervision. A camera operator should be communicative, as well as having excellent time-management and multi-tasking skills to adhere to the demands of production and schedules.
Sports photographers and camera operators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Sports Photographer | Camera Operator | |
| Average salary | $27,958 | $43,609 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $34,000 | Between $25,000 And $74,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | - | New York |
| Best paying company | - | Apple |
| Best paying industry | - | Education |
There are a few differences between a sports photographer and a camera operator in terms of educational background:
| Sports Photographer | Camera Operator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Photography | Photography |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Johns Hopkins University |
Here are the differences between sports photographers' and camera operators' demographics:
| Sports Photographer | Camera Operator | |
| Average age | 39 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 62.7% Female, 37.3% | Male, 77.2% Female, 22.8% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 7.1% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 10% |