Photography Instructors
Overview
Introduction
Photography instructors teach students at nearly every academic level how to shoot pictures, develop film, make prints, edit digital images, and evaluate finished photos. They work in high schools, teaching students the basics of shooting and printing black-and-white photography. They also teach at the college level, leading more advanced classes in shooting techniques, color film developing and printing, art history, and digital imaging. Others may work in settings such as trade schools or community centers. Another option is as a ...
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
Earning potential will be largely determined by where the instructor teaches. A community center does not have a large enough budget to pay the same amount as a university. For this reason, instructors can earn as little as $10 an hour to as much as $149,560 a year or more.
The U.S. Department of Labor reports that art teachers working at postsecondary educational institutions earned a m...
Work Environment
To teach students both technical and hands-on skills, photography instructors work in both a classroom setting and the darkroom. The darkroom contains chemicals that are toxic to ingest and harsh on the skin. For this reason, instructors and students alike are advised to handle these materials with care, using gloves when mixing them and tongs when developing prints.
Outlook
Demand for all high school teachers, regardless of specialty, is expected to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations through 2028, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Job opportunities for photography teachers (along with all art teachers) should be fair. Art education programs are often the first to be eliminated when state or local education budgets are cut. At the colleg...
