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Photographer : Salary and conditions

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  1. Job description
  2. Salary and conditions
  3. Entry requirements
  4. Training
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Case studies

  • The typical range of starting salaries is between £10,500 and £21,250. Many entrants to the profession start as assistants, resulting in some extremely low starting salaries - sometimes less than £10,000.
  • Salaries at the top end of the profession typically range from £25,000 to £65,000 but can be much higher for those who become famous or highly sought-after.
  • As with other creative professions, salaries vary enormously. Many photographers work freelance so what they earn is linked to what they are able to charge and how much work they obtain. For this reason, income is likely to vary from year to year.
  • Those who choose to build up a self-employed practice, as is normal in fine art for example, have even more variable earnings. Income is often supplemented by other related activities, such as teaching.
  • Hours can be long and unpredictable. When work is available, it may be financially difficult for freelance practitioners to turn it down, unless they are already working at maximum capacity. At other times, however, there may be periods with little or no work. In some areas of photography, working days and hours will be led by demand. For example, wedding photographers are likely to be at their busiest on Saturdays during the ‘wedding season’, and sports photographers will expect to work weekends and evenings to cover fixtures and events.
  • Working conditions may be uncomfortable, involving all weather conditions, remote locations or cramped studios. In certain fields of photography, such as documentary photography, work may also be dangerous, particularly when on assignment in war zones or unstable countries.
  • A reasonable degree of fitness may be necessary for some areas of work, such as sports photography, which involves the use of bulky and heavy telephoto lenses and equipment.
  • In most areas of photography, work is concentrated in London and a few other large cities, with the exception of wedding/social photography, which is spread across the country.
  • Job security is not high, especially in the early days when reputation and a solid client base are yet to be established.
  • Photography tends to be male-dominated, but there are moves within the industry to address the gender imbalance. More women than men work as agents and photographic stylists.
  • Travel is an integral part of many specialist photographers' lives and may include travel within the UK and overseas.
 
AGCAS
Written by AGCAS editors
Date: 
July 2011
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