What You'll Do

  • 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.
  • Manipulate and enhance scanned or digital images to create desired effects, using computers and specialized software.
  • Perform maintenance tasks necessary to keep equipment working properly.

Essential Skills

Active Listening 3.75/5
Speaking 3.75/5
Service Orientation 3.25/5
Reading Comprehension 3.12/5
Critical Thinking 3.12/5
Active Learning 3.12/5
Monitoring 3.12/5
Social Perceptiveness 3.12/5
Complex Problem Solving 3.12/5
Judgment and Decision Making 3.12/5
Coordination 3.0/5
Time Management 3.0/5

Career Fit Overview

Use this summary to understand the kind of profile this role rewards. It helps you judge whether this career looks like a stronger match than your current role, a nearby move worth exploring, or a broader path to compare more seriously.

Top passions

  • Maker: Building and fixing energizes you. You like tangible results and practical tools.
  • Artist: Creating original work and expressing ideas feels natural.
  • Organizer: Bringing order to data and processes satisfies you.

Common styles

Innovation, Attention to Detail, Dependability, Adaptability, Perseverance

Want a personal read on fit? Take the free assessment and compare this career to your current role, nearby alternatives, and broader stronger-fit options.

Key Abilities

This career demands strong capabilities in the following areas:

Near Vision 4.0/5
Oral Expression 3.88/5
Originality 3.88/5
Visualization 3.88/5
Far Vision 3.88/5
Oral Comprehension 3.62/5
Visual Color Discrimination 3.62/5
Problem Sensitivity 3.38/5

Technologies & Tools

Adobe Acrobat Adobe After Effects Adobe Creative Cloud software Adobe Illustrator Adobe InDesign Adobe Photoshop Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Apple Final Cut Pro Apple macOS Blinkbid Cradoc fotoBiz Email software Facebook Genbook Google Drive HindSight InView Intuit QuickBooks Light Blue Software Light Blue Microsoft Access Microsoft Excel

Work Environment & Strengths

Common Strengths for This Career

  • Innovation (High importance: 4.57/5)
  • Attention to Detail (High importance: 4.37/5)
  • Dependability (High importance: 4.29/5)
  • Adaptability (High importance: 4.1/5)
  • Perseverance (High importance: 4.09/5)

Want to see how YOUR strengths align with this career?

Take Free 15-Min Assessment →

How to Become One

This career typically requires vocational school, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. Some specialized training or certification may also be required.

Similar Careers to Explore

Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film

99.7% similar profile

Sound Engineering Technicians

99.0% similar profile

Craft Artists

98.9% similar profile

Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers

98.4% similar profile

Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers

98.0% similar profile

Interior Designers

97.9% similar profile

Floral Designers

97.7% similar profile

Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers

97.4% similar profile

Also Known As

This career is known by many different job titles across industries. Here are all the variations:

Advertising Photographer Aerial Photographer Automotive Photographer Biological Photographer Biomedical Photographer Commercial Photographer Crime Scene Photographer Digital Photographer Event Photographer Fashion Photographer Finish Photographer Food Photographer Forensic Photographer Freelance Photographer Graduation Photographer Industrial Photographer Marine Photographer Medical Photographer Nature Photographer Newborn Photographer News Photographer Newspaper Photographer Newspaper Photojournalist Ophthalmic Photographer Photo Editor Photo Journalist Photo-Optics Technician Photographer Photographic Specialist Photojournalist Portrait Photographer Preschool Photographer Product Photographer Real Estate Photographer Sales Photographer School Photographer Scientific Photographer Sports Photographer Still Photographer Street Photographer Studio Photographer Underwater Photographer Vehicle Photographer Wedding Photographer Wildlife Photographer

Career Fit FAQs

Is this career a good fit for me

This page shows the role itself. To see personal fit, use the assessment to compare your interests, motivations, and strengths against this career and against the role you are in now.

Can this help if I want to stay in my field

Yes. Many people use career pages like this to compare nearby roles in the same field and see whether they need a full switch or a better-fit version of the work they already know.

What should I compare first

Start with the daily tasks, the preparation level, and the work-style signals on this page. Then use the assessment to see whether this role looks like a stronger fit than your current role or just a different title.