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Still photographer skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted experts

Peter Glendinning,

Pamela Venz

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical still photographer skills. We ranked the top skills for still photographers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 20.0% of still photographer resumes contained adobe photoshop as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a still photographer needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 still photographer skills for your resume and career

1. Adobe Photoshop

Here's how still photographers use adobe photoshop:

Enhanced photos using Adobe Photoshop and graphics using CorelDraw and Adobe Illustrator.
Create collages using Adobe Photoshop software.

2. Photography Services

Here's how still photographers use photography services:

Supported every military office with photography services.
Advised customers and sold photography services, layouts, enhancements, assembled finished products always striving to ensure exceptional customer satisfaction.

3. Lightroom

Lightroom is an application that is usable on our mobile devices to edit, manage, and publish photos saved from a camera. This camera could be a phone camera either on Android or iOS. Lightroom runs smoothly on super-compressed low-megapixel JPEG files downloaded from the web.

Here's how still photographers use lightroom:

Travel to different countries taking photos and then edit them on Lightroom 4.
Sorted and edited the digital photographs in Adobe Bridge, Lightroom as well as Photoshop.

4. Crime Scenes

Crime scenes refer to places or locations of an offence where forensic evidence may get gathered.

Here's how still photographers use crime scenes:

Photographed military personnel preforming their duties, special events, various ceremonies, studio portraits and crime scenes.

5. Music Videos

Music videos are short films or videos that feature a song and imagery and are produced either for artistic or promotional purposes.

Here's how still photographers use music videos:

Documented all the aspects of a music video shoot for Bankroll Records in Desert Hot Springs, CA.
Still Photographer for the Music Video Ride With the Devil during the production of the music video.

6. 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 still photographers use photo shoots:

Managed photo shoots for promotional purposes.
Locate photogenic locations throughout Salt Lake valley for photo shoots - record information about locations and report information to lead/main photographer.

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7. DSLR

Here's how still photographers use dslr:

Utilize professional DSLR cameras, studio lighting equipment, Adobe editing software and an understanding of aesthetic forms to design images.
Experience and ownership of DSLR cameras, 35mm film cameras, large format cameras, lighting, lenses and other equipment.

8. Art Directors

Here's how still photographers use art directors:

Work closely with stylists, art directors, and other photographers to produce high-end advertisements.
Collaborated with writers and art directors to create story-telling photographs.

9. Photographic Support

Here's how still photographers use photographic support:

Provided photographic support for a US military installation* Responsible for training of incoming personnel* Working knowledge of all photo lab duties
Provide photographic support for base operations.

10. Combat

Combat is a violent conflict between two parties. Combat can be held by using weapons or unarmed. The fighting between the armed forces of different countries can also be called combat and the main purpose of the combat is to eliminate and stop your opponent from achieving their goal.

Here's how still photographers use combat:

Joint Combat Camera Center archived and ensured accurate captioning for over 500 pictures.
Supported base-level, technical, contingency, reconnaissance, special mission production, and combat requirements.

11. Digital Camera Systems

Here's how still photographers use digital camera systems:

Operated and maintained digital camera systems and computer equipment used to create photographic products.
Processed color negative and positive film, used digital camera systems, flatbed scanners and multimedia computers to produce acceptable images.

12. Computer Equipment

Computer hardware refers to all the physical parts of a computer which include the central processing unit (CPU), mouse, keyboard, data storage, monitor, graphics card, sound card, motherboard, and speakers.

Here's how still photographers use computer equipment:

Operated photo software and computer equipment.

13. Feature Film

A feature film is a film with a playing time long enough to be deemed the main or the soul movie to fill a program. The term feature film was first used for the main, full-length film in a cinema program that included a short film and sometimes a newsreel. The notion of how long a feature film should be varies according to time and place but most feature films are between 75 and 210 minutes long.

Here's how still photographers use feature film:

Still photographer during production of independent feature film "The Zeros" Shot publicity and one-sheet stills

14. YouTube

Here's how still photographers use youtube:

Worked mostly as a Still Photographer for a TV show in development for a YouTube Channel.
Partner closely and collaboratively with publicist and YouTube's creative agency for outlining requirements in promotional marketing material.

15. DVD

Here's how still photographers use dvd:

Finished sequences are rendered for various destinations, including DVD or online media.After Effects, and Audition.
Produced independently, from conception through DVD design, a documentary- dust.resin.water., a film on surfboard design.

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What skills help Still Photographers find jobs?

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

What still 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 soft skills should all still photographers possess?

Pamela Venz

Professor, Birmingham-Southern College

Observation: all artists have highly developed skills of observation, attention to detail and applying their skills of observation to whatever task is at hand.

Creative Problem Solving: it's title clearly connects this skill with artist of all disciplines. Successful creative problem solving involves the ability to be flexible, to be open to many different interpretations of everything, to seek resolutions from seemingly unrelated sources and apply those resolutions in innovative ways.

Communication: One cannot succeed if one cannot communicate. Communication skills include not only verbal communication but written communication and for photographers and other artists visual communication as well. The ability to articulate one's ideas to a varied audience is crucial for success in any field.
Individual initiative: No one's path after graduation will be easy regardless of the field of the degree attained. The desire to achieve and the discipline to work towards that achievement cannot be understated.

Teamwork: We all must be able to work alone and to have the discipline to work alone towards a goal. But we are social beings and the ability to work as a member of a team is also crucial for success regardless of the field. Teamwork requires one to compromise, to communicate one's ideas in a diplomatic manner, to accept roles one may not want to do and to delegate roles to a group that reflect each individual's strengths and weaknesses.

What hard/technical skills are most important for still 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.

Do you want to know more?

List of still photographer skills to add to your resume

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

Adobe Photoshop
Photography Services
Lightroom
Crime Scenes
Music Videos
Photo Shoots

DSLR
Art Directors
Photographic Support
Combat
Digital Camera Systems
Computer Equipment

Feature Film
YouTube
DVD
Nikon

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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Updated January 8, 2025

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