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Staff photographer vs photo editor

The differences between staff photographers and photo editors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a staff photographer, becoming a photo editor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a photo editor has an average salary of $63,168, which is higher than the $37,094 average annual salary of a staff photographer.

The top three skills for a staff photographer include product photography, adobe photoshop and event coverage. The most important skills for a photo editor are adobe photoshop, stock photography, and photo shoots.

Staff photographer vs photo editor overview

Staff PhotographerPhoto Editor
Yearly salary$37,094$63,168
Hourly rate$17.83$30.37
Growth rate9%-5%
Number of jobs69,69510,068
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 76%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age3944
Years of experience24

Staff photographer vs photo editor salary

Staff photographers and photo editors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Staff PhotographerPhoto Editor
Average salary$37,094$63,168
Salary rangeBetween $21,000 And $64,000Between $38,000 And $104,000
Highest paying City-New York, NY
Highest paying state-New York
Best paying company-Apple
Best paying industry-Professional

Differences between staff photographer and photo editor education

There are a few differences between a staff photographer and a photo editor in terms of educational background:

Staff PhotographerPhoto Editor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 76%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common majorPhotographyPhotography
Most common collegeHarvard UniversityNorthwestern University

Staff photographer vs photo editor demographics

Here are the differences between staff photographers' and photo editors' demographics:

Staff PhotographerPhoto Editor
Average age3944
Gender ratioMale, 61.8% Female, 38.2%Male, 44.6% Female, 55.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 7.0% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 7.0% White, 76.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage11%12%

Differences between staff photographer and photo editor duties and responsibilities

Staff photographer example responsibilities.

  • Manage creative projects from concept to completion; including signs, posters, specialize logos and video documentaries for clients.
  • Operate specialized camera equipment, including DSLR cameras and lenses, as well as video lighting.
  • Contribute to website and Facebook pages, keeping followers inform about local news and events between weekly papers.
  • Compile portfolios for multiple photography competitions/certifications.
  • Compile portfolios for multiple photography competitions/certifications.

Photo editor example responsibilities.

  • Manage SEO tags for photo base articles.
  • Lead teams of multimedia writers to creating short documentaries.
  • Manage metadata and implement SEO practices that increase page views!
  • Manage international man-made fiber market research/publishing company and supervise editorial content and sales of industry statistical journal.
  • Experience with HTML and CSS coding to build a web-base interface to display training modules.
  • Maintain the image database, caption placements, color correction, image archive and ftp images to clients and agencies.
  • Show more

Staff photographer vs photo editor skills

Common staff photographer skills
  • Product Photography, 33%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 28%
  • Event Coverage, 5%
  • Adobe Lightroom, 4%
  • Photo Shoots, 2%
  • Art Directors, 2%
Common photo editor skills
  • Adobe Photoshop, 23%
  • Stock Photography, 7%
  • Photo Shoots, 6%
  • Instagram, 6%
  • FTP, 5%
  • Facebook, 4%

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