Photographer
Photographers take and process pictures of people, places, products and events.
- Starter salary£17,000 a year
- Experienced£45,000 a year
- Typical hours39 to 41 a week
What you'll do
As a photographer, you could:
- discuss a project with the client and agree the 'brief'
- find and prepare locations for the photo session
- set up equipment and lighting, and take photographs
- edit and process images, using industry software
- check colour match accuracy and image quality
- select the best images for the client to use online or in print
Working environment
You could work in a creative studio.
Your working environment may be physically demanding and outdoors in all weathers.
Skills and knowledge you'll need
You'll need:
- knowledge of the fine arts
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- customer service skills
- excellent verbal communication skills
- the ability to work well with others
- to be flexible and open to change
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- the ability to work well with your hands
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently
How to become a photographer
You can get into this job through:
- a university course
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- working towards this role
University
You could do a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree in:
- photography
- visual arts
- commercial photography
- art and design
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a foundation degree or higher national diploma
- 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
College
You could take a college course in photography. This might help you to find a job as a photographer's assistant in a studio.
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for these courses vary.
Apprenticeship
You could apply to do an apprenticeship to get into this role, for example, a Photographer Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship.
This apprenticeship takes around 1 year and 6 months to complete, and is a mix of training in the workplace and off-the-job study.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship
Work
You could start as a photographer's assistant and work your way up. It's normal to specialise in one kind of photography, like fashion, advertising, wildlife or photojournalism.
Career path and progression
Freelance work is common and you may decide to set up your own business .
There are opportunities to work in different areas, for example:
- product advertising
- property marketing
- aerial photography
With extra training, you could work as a press, police or armed forces photographer.
You might also move into specialist fields, such as medical photography and illustration or astrophotography .
Photography is very competitive, so you'll need creativity and technical skills to make a living. You'll also need finance for equipment, a space to work in and business, marketing and admin skills.
You could increase your income by selling your images independently.
Career tips
You'll need a portfolio of your work to show your skills, interests and experience in photography. It will also help you to get noticed if you post examples of your work online.
Professional and industry bodies
The Association of Photographers offers membership for anyone with an interest in professional photography.
You can also apply to join the British Institute of Professional Photography .
Guides for this industry
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