Food Photographers
Overview
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. They work with food stylists to make the food look as ...
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
Earnings vary widely for photographers. The average annual salary for food photographers was $44,000 in 2019, 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 $34,000 in May 2018, 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
According to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), employment of photographers is expected to decline 6 percent through 2028. 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 attractive to many people, so competition for jobs is strong. There ...