Photographers

Photograph people, landscapes, merchandise, or other subjects. 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.

Most important skills

Active Listening
Speaking
Service Orientation
Reading Comprehension
Critical Thinking
Active Learning
Monitoring
Social Perceptiveness

Key knowledge

Customer and Personal Service
Sales and Marketing
Computers and Electronics
Administration and Management
English Language
Communications and Media
Fine Arts
Production and Processing

What the work involves

Take pictures of individuals, families, and small groups, either in studio or on location.
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.
Use traditional or digital cameras, along with a variety of equipment, such as tripods, filters, and flash attachments.
Create artificial light, using flashes and reflectors.
Determine desired images and picture composition, selecting and adjusting subjects, equipment, and lighting to achieve desired effects.
Test equipment prior to use to ensure that it is in good working order.
Review sets of photographs to select the best work.
Estimate or measure light levels, distances, and numbers of exposures needed, using measuring devices and formulas.

Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Realistic, Artistic, Conventional.

Qualifications and licensing

Most common education: Some College Courses (27.3% of respondents)
Related experience: Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (45.5%)
On-the-job training: Over 3 months, up to and including 6 months (27.3%)
Preparation level: O*NET job zone 3: Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Licensing: Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.

Check before planning

Licensing for Photographers is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.

Limits

Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0

Work environment

How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).

Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.

Rankings compare typical U.S. occupation-level work conditions; individual jobs and employers vary. Data: O*NET 31.0 Work Context and BLS wages (May 2025).
Condition	Level	Compared with other occupations	Most common answer (O*NET survey)
Contact with others	Moderate	Higher on contact with others than 55% of occupations compared	50% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others”
Dealing with the public	Very high	Higher on dealing with the public than 84% of occupations compared	45% of surveyed respondents chose “Very important”
Teamwork	Very low	Lower on teamwork than 93% of occupations compared	41% of surveyed respondents chose “Very important”
Freedom to make decisions	Moderate	Higher on freedom to make decisions than 50% of occupations compared	41% of surveyed respondents chose “A lot of freedom”
Time pressure	Moderate	Higher on time pressure than 54% of occupations compared	59% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day”
Conflict situations	Low	Lower on conflict situations than 72% of occupations compared	59% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month”
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people	Low	Lower on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 72% of occupations compared	64% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month”
Consequence of error	Very low	Lower on consequence of error than 83% of occupations compared	36% of surveyed respondents chose “Not serious at all”

Work-pressure profile

Time pressure: moderate
Conflict situations: low
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: low
Consequence of error: very low

Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.

Full answer distributions