Job Duties of Photographers
Photography is a career choice with many options. They may work for newspapers, television stations, art galleries, advertising agencies, portrait studios or many other venues. Despite the variety, all photographers have many duties in common.
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Duties
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Photographers work with the subject, background and with their camera and lighting equipment to create the desired shot. They may need to arrange the subject, background and lighting to fit the needs of a client (such as for an advertisement or a portrait) or they may leave them untouched to reflect events as accurately as possible.
News photographers must accurately identify the people and events in the photo so their names and activities can be accurately reported. Photographers process the images and enhance or edit them as needed for the assignment.
Considerations
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While taking a photograph is the work of an instant, many shots are taken to assure the best image is used. Nature photographers may have to wait hours or even days for the right weather conditions. Photographers usually use their own equipment.
While commercial, news and portrait photographers may make recommendations as to the best images to use, the final selection mainly falls to the editor or the client.
Photographers often work long and/or irregular hours. Event photographers often work evenings and weekends, when weddings, team sports and other events take place.
News and nature photographers often travel and work in dangerous conditions, including severe weather, accident scenes and battle zones. The best pictures often require getting as close to the subject as possible, which bystanders may find objectionable or even gruesome (in the case of crime, accident or war scenes).
Self-employed photographers often spend a majority of their time marketing their skills to seek assignments.
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Education and Training
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Most photographers learn basic skills as a hobby, and then take photography courses in high school and college. Many colleges offer degrees in photography, photojournalism etc. Coursework in business, journalism, advertising, marketing, science are recommended, depending on the work desired.
Knowledge of copyright laws and business ethics is essential so that photographers are justly paid for their work. Digital images can be more easily manipulated, making it easier for people to claim work as their own or to falsify events.
Salary
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Photography wages vary, depending on the nature of the work. The median annual earnings of salaried photographers were $26,170 in May 2006, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. Staff photographers are generally better paid than their self-employed counterparts, who rarely are able to support themselves solely through photography.
Advancement
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Many photographers start work as photographers assistants, helping them with lighting, equipment handling and processing. Once they create a portfolio with samples of their own work, they proceed to other photography positions.
With increased experience, photographers may become photography editors or photography teachers/professors.
Outlook
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According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, photography jobs are expected to grow by 10 percent by 2016, about as fast as average. Because photography is a popular hobby, there will be many people competing for available jobs.
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