Pro Photographer's income

[joshua_dollins]

Annually what do photographers make (you personally, or photographers as a

whole) it seems difficult to find stats for this compared to stats for other

professions.

[philg]

It isn't a profession since there is no way to exclude new people from entering the field (true "professions" include medicine, law, river boat pilots, etc.). Consequently, the average earnings are negligible. In the average town, only the wedding photographers are making a decent living. In bigger cities, some newspaper photojournalists can earn $50,000 per year after paying their dues. It would be hard to think of a career that pays less.

[joshua_dollins]

Yeah I've heard wedding photographers have one of the most overpaid jobs making about 2500-5000 in some cases for a days work. Of course you'd need to do quite a few weddings to do well. I ask because I have been approached by the local newspaper (idahostatesman) about a job after entering some work for a contest they ran. At first they thought I'd submitted the photos for a story.

[remco-jan.woldhuis]

In the Netherlands the average income for a professional photographer is about 18.000

Euro/year....

[marc_van_lommel]

It's sad to say but since the digital revolution there will less money be made by the average 'professional' photographers ... and the internet isn't helping much either. And now in Belgium the government isn't helping either because they are scrapping the trade from the list as a protected profession.

[Jochen_S]

I know several no-more photographers. Their income had prevented starvation, but as a employed photographer you'll earn no fortunes in Germany. There are by far too many idealists, ready to proof their abilty to live on prayers, willing to challenge you.

 

When I was applying for a apprenticeship in 1989, I already read stats about a 75% drop out rate of apprentice ship survivors with journeymen diplomas into other professions.

 

During my neglectable sidejob career I was payed a little bit more than a unskilled worker but that company depended on my knowledge and parts of my gear were involved too. Here in German cities there are huge crowds of wannabe PJs so those few having such a job are payed not too well. Especially starving out newcomers seems a common policy.

 

If you are really good you might get along, but you'll need a bunch of luck and modesty too.

[ellis_vener_photography]

Ibelieve the average income for a professional photographer in the USA is somewhere

around $25,000. That's not gross billings, but what the photographer pays himself or claims

as taxable income and of course that is before federal and possibly state income taxes. The

Bureau of Labor and Statistics ha these numbers. You can call PPA on Monday (404)

522-8600 and someone ther will have more exact numbers.

[nigel d]

Google is your friend. Try the US Bureau of Larbor Statistics. Photographers is here:

 

http://www.bls.gov/oes/2004/may/oes274021.htm

[ellis_vener_photography]

<I>Yeah I've heard wedding photographers have one of the most overpaid jobs making

about 2500-5000 in some cases for a days work</I><P>That may be what they might gross

for a day of weddign shooting but it doesn't take into account: cost of tools and materials,

transportaion costs, rent, utilities, insurance policies (if yo uare smart -- and it is unlikely

that f yo uare charging those kind of rates you aren't smart -- you have health and

professional insurance plans) , salaries for staff, marketing costs, taxes, sales and client

meeting times or processing time. All of those are going to vary from assignment to

assignment and from photographer to photographer.

[ransomsix]

To add to what Ellis said:

 

A wedding is never one days work. There are pre-wedding meetings, post production, post-wedding image consultations, album prep, etc.

 

Even if you're paying an assistant to do that work, it's still got to be paid for. A wedding is several days work in most cases. Especially to do it well. People think it's easy money... not necessarilly. Also, most geographic areas have wedding "seasons" so you aren't necessarily shooting 52 weekends a year at those rates.

 

What a photographer makes, wedding or otherwise, is going to depend on the market, and the industry. Like any other field, incomes are all over the board.

 

Do good work, and work hard and it will hopefully fall into place.

[derrick_morin___fallon__ne]

Thank you for setting the record straight! I am evolving from part time to full time wedding photographer and it is unsettling to hear from those who see this as easy money, or only one days work.

[qtluong]

Professional photography is what I'd called a "professionalized hobby", as are sports, music, writing, and the arts in general. Like in those fields, there is a very wide disparity of incomes, with the vast majority at the low end and

some (<a href = "http://www.terragalleria.com/">like me</a>)

doing not too bad. Here are some

<a href = "http://www.pickphoto.com/articles/2005IncomeSurveyResults.asp">

brighter looking numbers</a>.

[jonmichael]

I don't know what kind of photography the question is aimed at. But agree, that the incomes varry. I do know a photographer who has millions of dollars. He traveled the U.S. selling his fine art photography in art shows and galleries. His work is also being sold as posters. So there is hope.