Photographers are people of art. Their work very often goes from one project to another, from one order to another. While some of them find full-time employment in photo studios or magazines, many choose to work as freelancers.
Photographers constantly have to advertise themselves to customers and prospective employers. It is for this reason that they need to have a decent photographer resume. This article will tell you about the features that a photographer should consider when creating a resume.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics, or BLS, pegs the average
photographer’s salary
at $38,950 per year and $18.73 per hour.
Still hesitant about your Resume?
How to Format a Photographer Resume
Before you start filling out the corresponding sections, it's worth understanding what the best format for a resume for photographer is. It's very simple: you need to use standard formats.
Despite the fact that a photographer is a creative profession, the general layout of a job application should not differ much from the traditional ones. It is because hiring managers don't change. That is why it is important to create your resume using official photographer resume examples.
Resume Format [Examples]
WRONG ❌
- To put a custom background in a resume for photographer
- To use exotic fonts
- To use bolding, italicizing, and capitalizing for no reason
- To join different sections into one
- To use more than one page
- To use photos
RIGHT ✅
- To use reverse-chronological resume template format (to focus on work experience)
- To stick to 12pt font size
- To divide the document into sections
- To use bolding, italicizing, and capitalizing to emphasize the most important information
- To use bullet points
- To put creative and efficient header format
Photographer Resume [Sample]
Here is a photographer resume template you can tailor to your needs. Note that you should mention both hard and soft photographer resume skills.
We encourage you to explore the resume examples developed using our
We've developed them for dozens of professions in all kinds of industries: from customer service to engineering. And we will keep updating the list each week with new professions with examples.
Resume Objective & Resume Summary
The first sections of your resume must include the resume summary or resume objective.
In the summary section, you need to emphasize your main selling points in the short version. Also, it must describe what goals the company can achieve with your help.
The resume objective also tells about goals. But it is a description of the job seeker's intentions. In other words, it is a short annotation about who you are and what job you are searching for.
Resume Summary [Examples]
Take a look at the following right and wrong resume sample for a summary.
WRONG ❌
“I have a BA in photography. Passionate about my work. I have a good portfolio of studio macro pictures. Love to take landscape photos and different genres. I have a good reputation with my colleagues and former clients. Open to any opportunities on the job market.”
RIGHT ✅
“Award-winning photographer with 5 years of studio photo experience. I have managed more than 500 shooting sessions and created more than 50,000 professional shots for almost 50 different clients. Specialized in different genres and can create a new elite client base.”
As you can see, a resume for photographer should include a summary with numbers showing your accomplishments.
Resume Objective [Examples]
A photographer resume objective should demonstrate your ambitions and plans. The section sets the tone for the rest of the resume photographer.
WRONG ❌
“A photographer who loves to shoot jewelry wants to find a new job in the same field due to a disagreement with a previous employer. I have a good resume as a photographer. Looking for a nice team in a studio with a good reputation.”
RIGHT ✅
“A digital photography specialist with 5 years of experience wants to unleash his full potential in the “El Clásico” photo studio and publish his work in the most fashionable glossy magazines. Also wants to create an editor training course for young students.”
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Resume Experience [Examples]
Everybody knows how to be a good photographer. You need to create excellent photos. But how to get a position in a good company? You just need to have sufficient work experience! That is why any sample photographer resume includes the experience segment. Only a person with experience can make a business more successful.
In addition to identifying the dates and the position you occupied at the previous place of work, it is also worth mentioning what your key duties were. Describing quantitative results is a great addition. The best way to arrange such lists is by using bullet points.
Entry Level Photographer Resume [Experience]
But what should be in the resume for photographer with no experience? Hiring managers won't even look at your paper if it has no experience segment. The right decision will be to add all kinds of activities that are related to photography.
It could be non-commercial projects, volunteer photo shootings, photographer assistant jobs, photo shooting of a party or similar event, work responsibilities related to photography, and other freelance photography work.
Entry Level Photographer [Sample]
A photographer job description for resume must include important activities and recent positions. Look at the following resume photographer samples to get the idea.
WRONG ❌
Photography Experience:
- Never worked as a photographer, but took many beautiful photos
Other Experience:
- Worked as a waitress for 10 years
- Have experience as an Uber driver
RIGHT ✅
Freelance Photographer
2020–2021
- Sold more than 30 pictures on photo stocks.
- Shot three weddings. Received good referrals and reviews.
- 3 times became a finalist in different photo contests and received certifications. Won “Canon photo of the month” contest.
- More than 50 times have been published in the university newspaper.
Photographer Resume Skills and Education
Before you get to the resume skills section, you need to first manage your education part. The education section in the photographer resume template has standard requirements. You need to put your degree, years, and place of study.
It is great if you can mention some activities that commonly refer to the job requirements. But you don't need to list every achievement and every grade you received in class. Present the most outstanding accomplishments.
Photographer Education for Resume [Examples]
Each photographer resume description has a standard education section. However, it is possible to handle this photographer resume section wrong.
WRONG ❌
BA in Photography, University of San Francisco
- Received recognition from classmates and teachers
- Actively participated in the activities of the university
- GPA 2.2
RIGHT ✅
BA in Photography, University of San Francisco
2019–2021
- Took part in the creation of a photo exhibition dedicated to tolerance and equality
- A photo project about homeless pets has been published in a local magazine
- Won 2 landscape photography contests
Photographer Resume Skills
Never lie about photographer resume skills. Write only the ones you really have. But this does not mean that you need to list all of them. Write down only the coolest and those that are necessary for this job.
Reread the job description. Try to organically integrate the necessary skills into your experience section as achievements by using bullet points. If you can't think of photographer skills for resume you can use, here are some popular options.
Personal Skills
- Perceptiveness
- Creativity
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Attention to Detail
- Patience
- Self-Motivation
- Adaptability
Proficiency in Different Genres of Photography
- Legislature Photography
- Product Photography
- Street
- Portraits
- Nature
- Macro
- Sports
- Fashion
- Documentary
Software Skills
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Lightroom
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe InDesign
- CorelDRAW
- Capture One Pro 9
- Corel Paintshop
- Gimp
Other
- Hardware and technical knowledge and skills
- Knowledge of composition
- Editing skills
- Speaking a foreign language
Photographer Skills for Resume [Sample]
For example, in the job description, you have: “Communication, leadership, fashion photography, creativity.” Here is how the sample photographer resume may look in such a case.
WRONG ❌
- Communication
- Leadership
- Fashion photography
- Creativity
- Adobe Photoshop
RIGHT ✅
- Organized and took part in 5 shootings of fashion models for different purposes.
- Led a team that created a photo exhibition dedicated to tolerance and equality.
- Designed 10 unique illustrations in Adobe Photoshop from my own pictures for festivals and advertising campaigns.
Additional Information
In the additional information for the photographer job resume, you can add those details that may interest the recruiter and increase the chances of being hired. It is important not to repeat yourself and write information related to the job description for resume.
This is the right place to share your awards, publications, and other activities. You must not overfill this segment. Remember that it is a less important section, and you still need to pay enough attention to other parts to create a job-winning resume.
Additional Information on Resumes for Photographer [Examples]
WRONG ❌
Hobbies
Awards
- Won the sausage eating speed competition at Oktoberfest
- Took second place in the youth football championship 2002 representing my school
RIGHT ✅
Awards
- 2021 Finalist at “Les yeux sont le miroir de l'âme” competition
- 2018 Won “Canon photo of the month” contest
- 2015 Finalist at “Young photography competition of Liverpool”
Publications
- 1 photo in “Life” magazine
- 5 images on the “London light” Facebook page
Additional Activities
- Special guest at “Le festival annuel du nombre d'or de Marseille”
- Jury Member, Sydney Street Photography Festival
- Regularly volunteer on Mr. Sims street
Final Words
Writing a resume for a photographer is a complex process. You need not only to comply with all the requirements but also to reflect your talent. It is not possible to write it based just on a given template. Each case is unique and needs an individual approach. Only with time can the necessary skill be developed, which can help quickly unleash the full potential of the applicant.
If you are not sure about how to write a photographer resume, it is better to turn to our resume editing service to get a foundation from which you can build your applications in the future.
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