Any decent paying jobs in photography?

Question

Does someone have any suggestions if I were to major in photography for a career? I've recognized photojournalism as a possibility but I'm not sure how much they make. Working with photography would be a perfect career but a decent pay would would also help a lot. By decent I mean able to live comfortably but not rich by any means. Any ideas?

Answer 1

Photographers used to be able to make a decent living.  With the digital era comes the "everyone is a photographer" attitude.  Sure many people still hire people to photographer their weddings etc, but dealing with people that try to scan and steal your work is tiresome.

If you have extra space then work out of your home and then when you get known you will need to move to a larger place.  You wont make much working for someone else.  Learning Photoshop is a must!    

Answer 2

Absolutely, but it's a very competitive field. Photojournalism tends to pay less than a lot of other kinds of photography. I would say photojournalism ranges from $30K/year to $100K/year at the top newspapers. However, newspapers are a dying business. It's next to impossible to find a staff job these days, and paper staffers are getting laid off left and right.

Wedding photography has a huge range. The average wedding photographer who is successful in the business probably makes in the $40-$60K/year range. The top names easily clear six figures (some charge $10K-$20K per wedding.) The average is around $2000-$2500 per wedding, and you obviously have to subtract all your overhead out of that.

Commercial photography can be very lucrative, but you have to be at the very top of your field. There is no room for error in commercial and advertising photography. The best photographers in these fields can make $200K+ year. This is, however, very rare.

It's a difficult, but rewarding, industry to make a living in. As important as your skills as a photographer are, your business, marketing, and networking skills are just as much, if not more, important. If you want to get into this industry, make sure you either take a class or otherwise read up on business.

Good luck.

Answer 3

a freelance more in likley. do weddings and things like that.