Five Photography Careers that Pay the Bills

Here are five photography careers to consider.

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Photography Careers: Make a Living Doing What You Love

It might seem like stating the obvious, but photography is about much more than just taking pictures. In fact, photography careers are critical to a wide range of industries, and they often require knowledge of modern imaging technology as well as traditional photographic equipment. So you can forget that mental image of the old-time photographer under a black drapery—today, there are a multitude of diverse careers in the field, from portrait photography to photojournalism. Read on to find out about five types of photography careers that will not only pay the bills but satisfy your creativity.

1. Portrait Photographer

From weddings to school photos to holiday cards, portrait photographers are on site with their trusty camera equipment to capture the moment. They may operate out of their own studios as well as working on location, and if they are self-employed or own their own business, they'll have a wide variety of other job responsibilities, like billing clients, making appointments, processing images and framing photos.

2. Commercial Photographer

Commercial photography, also called industrial or corporate photography, encompasses a range of photography careers that specialize in helping clients market their products or services. Commercial photographers take pictures of everything from buildings to merchandise to company employees, for media such as catalogs, advertisements and websites. In addition, they may document equipment or projects for company records and reports. This is often one of the more lucrative careers in photography.

3. Scientific Photographer

If you've got a background in science or engineering as well as a love of photography, then scientific photography can satisfy both your areas of interest. Scientific photographers document a variety of subjects in order to record experiments, illustrate technical information and bring to life images not normally visible to the eye. They often use special imaging techniques and equipment such as micrography, infrared photography, underwater photography and many more. Usually, scientific photographers work for government agencies, research facilities or universities.

4. Photojournalist/News Photographer

Photojournalists document people and events for newspapers, magazines and other publications. Whether they use only images to tell their stories or whether they also accompany them with words, photojournalists must be skilled storytellers. Press or news photographers usually work for newspapers either on staff or as freelancers, and cover local or national events such as sports, politics or court proceedings. It's a competitive field that demands training, experience and talent; but it can be extremely rewarding.

5. Freelance Photography

As a freelance photographer you can be your own boss rather than working on staff at a studio, publication or other company. There are opportunities for freelance photography careers in just about any industry, from news photography to event photography to fashion photography. Though it can be challenging to establish yourself in the business, the constant variety of assignments means you'll never be bored.

Get Ready for Photography Careers

No matter which photography career appeals to you, rest assured that it is possible to make a living in the field if you have the right training for the job.

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