Photographers
Description OES Code: 34023
Photograph persons, subjects, merchandise, or other commercial products. May develop negatives and produce finished prints. Include Scientific Photographers, Aerial Photographers, and Photojournalists.

Wages, California
Entry-Level Hourly Wage $7.43
25th Percentile $8.03
50th Percentile $9.94
75th Percentile $14.92

Wages, San Joaquin County
Entry-Level Hourly Wage $7.80
25th Percentile $8.18
50th Percentile $9.53
75th Percentile $12.52

Wages by California County
• OES Survey
• CCOIS Survey

Hours & Benefits
Civil service, industrial, and news Photographers work a standard 40-hour week with time and a half for overtime. Benefits include paid vacations, holidays, and sick leave. Life, health, retirement and accident insurance policies may be fully or partially paid by employers.

Employment Trends, California
Employment 1998 6,400
Projected Employment 2008 7,600
Percent Change 1998-2008 18.8%
Separations 1998-2008 1,000

Employment Trends by California County

Working Conditions
Most Photographers work indoors in clean, air-conditioned surroundings. Exceptions are News Photographers who may work indoors or out under all conditions of weather, lighting, and vantage points. News assignments may be dangerous. Normal or corrected vision and good color perception are essential. There is often pressure to meet deadlines.

Advancement
Civil service Photographers and union newspaper Photographers advance to more responsible jobs as they gain experience and pass required tests. Most photographic studios are small and opportunities for advancement to supervisory levels are limited. Photographers can usually increase their earnings by developing a good reputation in a salable specialty and by gaining experience and mastery of their craft. Self-employment is also a popular option.

Getting the Job & Other Information
Applicants should prepare a portfolio of their photographs and apply directly to photographic studios or companies that employ Photographers. Those interested in civil service positions should contact the personnel offices of government agencies for information about examinations.

College students can obtain job information and references from their college placement offices. Networking is an important source of employment contacts in this occupation. Applicants should also register with California Employment Development Department Job Service offices, private employment agencies, unions, and professional associations. Newspaper advertisements and trade publications are also sources of job leads.

For a list of current job listing, browse CalJOBS or America's Job Bank.

Education and Training
The minimum entrance requirement is graduation from high school; however, employers prefer experienced applicants who are college graduates. All newspaper Photographers should have previous experience, and sometimes a college degree is required.

Prospective Photographers should take classes in photography, art, and chemistry. A photographic rating in the armed forces is helpful. Several four-year colleges offer courses in photography. Many community colleges offer two-year vocational courses leading to an Associate of Arts degree in photography. Applicants with college training and little on-the-job experience can enhance their employability by completing one or more internships. This is especially true for beginning photojournalists. Most of the larger newspapers and magazines offer internships in the summer months.

Skills & Other Requirements
The basic skills involved in all photography are the same: a thorough
understanding of camera operation, lighting, composition, darkroom
procedures, and the special properties of films and papers, and the ability to use combinations of cameras, films, lenses, filters, and lighting to create and to produce the final image or picture. Computers will be playing an important part in future professional photography. Experience with computer programs to alter and manipulate photographic images will be increasingly needed.

References
California Occupational Guide #51

Related Occupations: Photo Finishing Occupations, #245, Photographic Equipment Repairers, #265

Training: California Training and Education Providers (CTEP).