Food Photographers


Overview

Food Photographers

Introduction

Have you ever seen a photo of a steak, salad, or slice of strawberry shortcake that made your mouth water? Images like these are the creations of skilled food photographers. These artists work hard to make their viewers crave a dish without the help of the foods appealing presence, taste, aroma, and texture. Food photographers work to create and capture these beautiful and enticing images of food for magazines, cookbooks, restaurant promotional materials, and Web sites (including social media channels). They work with food stylists ...

Quick Facts


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Median Salary

$44,000

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Employment Prospects

Fair

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Minimum Education Level

High School Diploma|Some Postsecondary Training


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Experience

Experience as an assistant to a food photographer or other type o


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Skills

Digital Media|Drawing/Design|Organizational


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Personality Traits

Artistic|Creative|Organized

Earnings

Earnings vary widely for photographers. The average annual salary for food photographers was $44,000 in 2024, according to PayScale.com. Ten percent of food photographers earned $35,000 or less, and the top 10 percent earned $51,000 or more.

Median annual earnings for salaried photographers were approximately $40,760 in May 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The lowest paid...

Work Environment

Food photographers spend time in their own studio, which is generally well lit and ventilated, especially if the professional develops and prints his or her own pictures (if they use traditional photography). Photo chemicals used in developing and printing can be harsh to work with, but gloves and other protective clothing should prevent the chemicals from irritating the photographers skin. The...

Outlook

Employment for all photographers is expected to grow by 4 percent from 2023 through 2033, according to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). This is about as fast as the average for all careers. The growth of digital cameras and improvements in digital technology have enabled more businesses to create, store, and access photographic images on their own. Also, the photography field has always been...

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