Career Path to Top

Being a photographer means photographing anything: people, places, or commercial products. This also may include developing negatives, printing, or using photoshop or other digital programs. Right now the photographic industry is going digital, so it is important to know how to use a camera, all the equipment, and a computer as well.

To become a photographer one should have some type of art degree and be a self-starter. Artists usually work for themselves so they need to be able to find jobs and clients and manage their own affairs. It is really helpful to be a problem solver, both artistically and with clients. In addition, other skills needed to be a successful photographer are observation, creativity, stamina, flexibility, and active listening and learning.


There is no real "career ladder" for this job, you should just have as much experience as possible in a single focus or a wide range. So three steps to attaining this job are formal school training and a degree, experience, and then more experience. In high school I recommend taking photography and just taking photos everywhere. Some top photography colleges in California are: the Academy of Art University in San Francisco (estimated annual tuition of $18,225) and Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara (estimated annual tuition of about $35,000).

According to Cindy Pavlinac of Art Works Downtown the best thing about being a photographer is being your own boss and sharing your art with the world. As an artist you can choose your own focus and not have a “typical career path" and there is so much room for creativity. The worst part is: being your own boss and lack of steady income. The average wage for this position ranges from $19,822 for entry level workers and $60,882 for experienced workers.

To read more about this field you can look at asmp.org (American Society of Media Photographers) go to museums, find gallerys, and view powerful images. A good local place to get information is Art Works Downtown in San Rafael. One of the photographers there is Cindy Pavlinac, my supervisor.



To find out about jobs for this industry you can post your resume online, join organizations such as ASMP, or join an art center. But mostly you have to find jobs yourself through references or word of mouth.

As a last word of advice from Cindy Pavlinac: keep true to your own vision, develop and protect it.



(information from: http://www.cacareerzone.org/flash/profile.html?onetSoc=27-4021.00&clusterId=ONET2 and http://www.linkedin.com/in/cindypavlinac)