I'm starting my Senior year of high school in the fall and for a few years I've been thinking of going into Photography. Do Photographers make good money?
2006-07-18 05:53:41 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Business & Finance ➔ Careers & Employment
I'm a high school career counselor so I will ask you, "what do you consider good money"?
The next thing I'll ask is do you have a camera and is taking photographs something that you enjoy doing? It does no good to talk about how much a photographer makes until I know if you have the skill to be one. But I will indulge your curiosity a little and say a photographer's income could vary based on the level of experience/education. You could make as low as $12.10/hr or as high as $31.25/hr. The income increases as you gain more experience, knowledge/education. For example if you contract for a company to do specialized work your income could be as high as $60K-$80K. That type of work usually requires up to 3 years (or more) of experience and a college degree. The college degree means you've developed a porfolio (samples) of work and and your work has been evaluated by experts in the field who are also teaching you the fundamental and advanced skills required to be a good photographer.
So you can decide whether $60K or more is good money. For many that would be the beginning. I'm guessing those that do freelance work are making that income and much more. However, in most cases you are an independent business person and you have to provide your own health/dental insurance ... and of course pay taxes. Simply put that income does not represent your net or take home income ... you'll have some necessary living expenses.
Anyway I hope this information helped.
2006-07-18 06:38:37 · answer #1 · answered by mloessel 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
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2016-07-21 22:52:56 · answer #2 · answered by Willy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The easiest answer is that they don't make much money, if any at all. Some work may sell here and there, but rarely do such photographers make enough money to live on. Their main income is from other sources, not their photography. I have sold several works out of various venues all over the country, but if I had to live on what I make from that, I would have been dead long ago. When you are not working in aspects of photography like you listed such as weddings and commercial, you better not plan on earning your living with photography. Of course there are always exceptions, but in this case they are few and far between. Only the very naive think they can just go out and take photos and easily sell them and make lots of money. steve
2016-03-16 01:32:31 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Photographers are very much like actors or lawyers. A few that are well-known and sought after make a lot of money. Some have steady work flow and make a decent living. The rest barely make ends meet or work elsewhere and only do photography for extra income.
Then there's competition with "amateurs". There are plenty of older people (usually men, sometimes couples) who used to dabble into photography when they were younger, but went into it full-time after they retired. They usually work for fun, and often charge just enough to cover their costs, since they are not dependent on photography for income.
So if you feel like you have what it takes to become a professional photographer, go major in photography. But just in case, get a minor in accounting...
2006-07-18 06:07:25 · answer #4 · answered by NC 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes they do, if you're in the right field. You need to go into headshots. This world is all about the big break. To get into any interviews for videos, TV, movies etc. you have to bring headshots. Sometimes you even have to bring headshots to interview with companies that what to represent you and take new headshots. You can charge from $295 to $595 for a basic package. First, get a good digital camera, back drops, and business cards. Next, shoot some pictures of a few family and friends to build a portfolio to show anyone that will be interested later. Now you're ready provided you're taking good shots.
Learn "photoshop" and "vector". These will save you later in business. Progress into learning about "green screen" so you can drop in digital backdrop images without having to find the perfect setting.
Good luck and remember, "Everyone wants to be someone and without your help they they may never get seen".
2006-07-18 06:06:01 · answer #5 · answered by ken p 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's like any field, 5% of them do. The rest work at Walmart and Sears for $7 an hour. It's a great job if you can do travel and work for Time, or National Geographic, but it's hard to do.
2006-07-18 05:57:05 · answer #6 · answered by natex14 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It depends on what you think is Good. Can they make a living? Yes, Do they make big money? No If you have your own business, you have more potential to make Big money, but only if you do your job better than anyone else in your field.
2006-07-18 05:59:40 · answer #7 · answered by Michael S 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you work at Wal-Mart....the answer is no, but photographers are basically like artists.....some are super rich and well known,while most are somewhere in the middle and some are starving for their art. If you love photography, do it because you love it, and maybe one day you might profit from it.
2006-07-18 05:59:16 · answer #8 · answered by mrselange 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Im going to be a photographer too. But it depends what kind of photography you want to do...i cant decide between concert photography, fashion photography,or photojournalism...but i think im going with photojournalism...cause you can travel more. Its way harder than concert photography. Money wise....it depends how good your picutures are....and who you sell them to.
2006-07-18 06:00:50 · answer #9 · answered by amanda rose 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Only if they are very good at it and few are that good.
To do photography you need a lot of technique, but it is also much of an art. You need talent.
2006-07-18 05:59:59 · answer #10 · answered by Hi y´all ! 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋