Career profile Photographer

Table of Contents

• What does a Photographer do?
• What is a typical salary for a Photographer?
• What personality traits are common among Photographers?
  • Career Interests
  • Values
  • Psychological Demands
• What education and training do Photographers need?
  • Typical educational degrees
  • Required knowledge and expertise
  • Important abilities
  • Critical skills

What does a Photographer do?

Photographers photograph people, landscapes, merchandise, or other subjects.

In addition, Photographers

• may use lighting equipment to enhance a subject's appearance,
• may use editing software to produce finished images and prints,
• includes commercial and industrial photographers, scientific photographers, and photojournalists.

What kind of tasks does a Photographer perform regularly?

Photographers are often responsible for overseeing or executing some or all of the following tasks:

• Adjust apertures, shutter speeds, and camera focus according to a combination of factors, such as lighting, field depth, subject motion, film type, and film speed.
• Create artificial light, using flashes and reflectors.
• Determine desired images and picture composition, selecting and adjusting subjects, equipment, and lighting to achieve desired effects.
• Transfer photographs to computers for editing, archiving, and electronic transmission.
• Use traditional or digital cameras, along with a variety of equipment, such as tripods, filters, and flash attachments.
• Manipulate and enhance scanned or digital images to create desired effects, using computers and specialized software.
• Take pictures of individuals, families, and small groups, either in studio or on location.
• Enhance, retouch, and resize photographs and negatives, using airbrushing and other techniques.
• Test equipment prior to use to ensure that it is in good working order.
• Estimate or measure light levels, distances, and numbers of exposures needed, using measuring devices and formulas.
• Perform general office duties, such as scheduling appointments, keeping books, and ordering supplies.
• Review sets of photographs to select the best work.
• Set up, mount, or install photographic equipment and cameras.
• Determine project goals, locations, and equipment needs by studying assignments and consulting with clients or advertising staff.
• Perform maintenance tasks necessary to keep equipment working properly.
• Select and assemble equipment and required background properties, according to subjects, materials, and conditions.
• Direct activities of workers setting up photographic equipment.
• Engage in research to develop new photographic procedures and materials.
• Mount, frame, laminate, or lacquer finished photographs.

The above responsibilities are specific to Photographers. More generally, Photographers are involved in several broader types of activities:

What is a Photographer salary?

What personality traits are common among Photographers?

Interests

Career interests describe a person's preferences for different types of working environments and activities. When a person's interest match the demands of an occupation, people are usually more engaged and satisfied in that role.

Compared to most occupations, those who work as a Photographer are usually higher in their Artistic and Realistic interests.

Photographers typically have very strong Artistic interests. Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

Also, Photographers typically have moderate Realistic interests. Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Values

People differ in their values, or what is most important to them for building job satisfaction and fulfillment.

Compared to most people, those working as a Photographer tend to value Independence, Relationships, and Achievement.

Most importantly, Photographers strongly value Independence. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions.

Second, Photographers moderately value Relationships. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

Lastly, Photographers moderately value Achievement. Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

Psychological Demands

Each occupation brings its own set of psychological demands, which describe the characteristics necessary to perform the job well.

In order to perform their job successfully, people who work as Photographers must consistently demonstrate qualities such as dependability, integrity, and attention to detail.

Below, you'll find a list of qualities typically required of Photographers, ranked by importance:

What education and training do Photographers need?

Photographers often have training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Photographers usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with this occupation.

Educational degrees among Photographers

• 1.9% did not complete high school or secondary school
• 11.5% completed high school or secondary school
• 22.0% completed some college coursework
• 11.9% earned a Associate's degree
• 44.0% earned a Bachelor's degree
• 7.7% earned a Master's degree
• 1.1% earned a doctorate or professional degree

Knowledge and expertise required by Photographers

Important Abilities needed by Photographers

Photographers must develop a particular set of abilities to perform their job well. Abilities are individual capacities that influence a person's information processing, sensory perception, motor coordination, and physical strength or endurance. Individuals may naturally have certain abilities without explicit training, but most abilities can be sharpened somewhat through practice.

For example, Photographers need abilities such as near vision, oral expression, and originality in order to perform their job at a high level. The list below shows several important abilities for Photographers, ranked by their relative importance.

Critical Skills needed by Photographers

Skills are developed capacities that enable people to function effectively in real-world settings. Unlike abilities, skills are typically easier to build through practice and experience. Skills influence effectiveness in areas such as learning, working with others, design, troubleshooting, and more.

Photographers frequently use skills like active listening, speaking, and service orientation to perform their job effectively. The list below shows several critical skills for Photographers, ranked by their relative importance.

What is the source of this information?

The information provided on this page is adapted from data and descriptions published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under the CC BY 4.0 license. TraitLab has modified some information for ease of use and reading, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

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