Photography

As a photographer, you probably have a strong urge to share your work with other people. This is natural, and it is something that you can actually do with the help of the internet. You could create an online gallery for your photos if you want to go through the process of developing a website, but you could also use a free photo sharing site. This will allow you to display your photos for all the world to see without having to create an actual website for them. Here is a list of some of the most well-known photo sharing sites on the web.

• Bilddagboken
• DeviantART
• Flickr
• Fotki
• Fotolog
• GazoPa Bloom
• ImageShack
• Imgur
• Ipernity
• Jalbum
• Kodak Gallery
• Lafango
• Lockerz
• Memeo
• MobileMe
• Ourstory
• Panoramio
• PBase
• Phanfare
• Photobucket
• Photoshop.com
• Picasa
• Piczo.com
• Pinterest
• Radar.net
• Selfportrait.net
• Shutterfly
• SmugMug
• Snapfish
• Streamzoo
• TinyPic
• Webshots
• Woophy
• Zenfolio
• Zooomr

How to Choose the Right Photo Sharing Site

Some of the sites listed above have fees associated with them, so you need to be careful about which one you use. You may not have to pay anything at all, but you won’t know that until you actually look into the sites. Some of them have a limit to the number of photos you can upload, and some of them have a limit to the size those photos can be. All of that needs to be taken into consideration.

You may be able to find some of those sites that allow you to sell other people the rights to your photos. If you’re looking to make some extra money on top of your photography scholarships, this could be a perfect opportunity for you. Take the time to really assess the sites listed above, and you should be able to find something that works perfectly for your photography.

Anyone learning how to become an artist will tell you that good lighting is everything. This applies to photography, painting, sculpting, and every other art form you can think of. Creating good lighting may be as simple as opening a window, but there are times when you have to take matters into your own hands. Before you ruin a shot because you have a bad source of light, you might want to learn some of the basics right now. That way your next photography project doesn’t look it was directed by Mr. Magoo. Let’s take a look at the process you may have to go through to create good lighting for your photos in the future.

Seek out Natural Light

If you have a chance to use natural light for your photo, try that first. This is going to give the image a warm glow that you just can’t find with artificial light. The best time to do this is usually around sunset because the sun rays are a much prettier color then than they are throughout the day. Also, the low laying light will minimize awkward shadows and create a uniform tone to the picture. The results will speak for themselves.

Use Daylight Bulbs

If you can’t access natural sunlight, then you may want to try to recreate it the best you can. Those $.60 bulbs you have in your lamps at home aren’t going to cut it. Try to get daylight white light bulbs, as those will look the most vibrant in a photo. Other bulbs have a yellow hue that does not look good in a photo, and they aren’t nearly as bright as the daylight bulbs. You may spend a little more for these in the long run, but they will do wonders for your photos.

Get Professional Light Stands

You can pick up some home-grown photography lamps for pretty cheap online, and then you can use them to create good lighting for your pictures. They will probably come with a set of umbrellas to disperse the light in a space, and they will be adjustable to fit the image you are trying to capture. You can usually fold these down to be smaller than a set of golf clubs, so you should be able to take them with you whenever you need to go on a photo shoot. My lighting stands fit in the leg room for my back seat, so I know they are pretty portable – depending on what you drive of course.

Practice Three Point Lighting

Three point lighting is ideal for most photography and videography. In this, you will need to have a main source of light in the front, a secondary source of light on the side, and a small source of light in the back. This will cancel out the shadows and create depth in an image. If you do this incorrectly, you may end up with too much light in one area. Play around with positioning, and you should be able to get the right look for whatever you are shooting at the time.

A good photographer knows what kind of lighting he or she needs for a shot. If you don’t have what you need right now, make adjustments so you get the right look from the start. This may be as simple as shooting at a different time, or it may involve an entirely different location. That is up to you. Play around with your options until you get the best look possible for your photos.

You don’t need a degree to be a professional photographer. You could just take photos on your own and establish a business based on your talents. This is going to limit your job opportunities though, so it is important to weigh the pros and cons of getting a degree before you give up on it completely. Some of the best colleges online offer degree programs nowadays, so you may not have to leave home to get the education you need. It just depends on what options you want to take. Here are some salary statistics for bachelor’s degree graduates so you can determine if the time is worth the money in the long run.

Salary by Job

Of course, the job that you hold as a result of your degree is going to influence your earnings. The better the job, the better the pay. Common salary fluctuations for this job factor include:

• Commercial Photographer: $52,426 per year
• Freelance Photographer: $39,400 per year
• Graphic Designer: $33,402 per year
• Photo Editor: $44,660 per year
• Print Production Manager: $39,443 per year
• Still Photographer: $37,500 per year

Salary by Years of Experience

The amount of experience you have as a photographer will determine how likely people are to hire you. This will make a big difference in your earning potential over time. Common salary fluctuations for this job factor include:

• Less than 1 year: $34,622 per year
• 1-4 years: $36,975 per year
• 5-9 years: $44,697 per year
• 10-19 years: $55,825 per year
• 20 years or more: $70,000 per year

Salary by Industry

There are several industries that you can work in as a photographer, and any one of them could prove profitable over the course of your career. Common salary fluctuations for this job factor include:

• Advertising Agency: $58,000 per year
• Art Education Services and Sales: $32,164 per year
• Magazine: $53,000 per year
• Marketing, Advertising & Media Management: $51,500 per year
• Museum: $35,489 per year
• Publishing: $54,000 per year

Salary by Employer Type

Some employers are willing to pay a lot of money for photographers. Others are a bit, how do I put this….cheap. You have to keep that in mind when you start applying for work. Common salary fluctuations for this job factor include:

• Company: $46,435 per year
• Non-Profit Organization: $35,347 per year
• Private Firm: $38,974 per year
• School District: $42,268 per year
• Self-Employed: $32,500 per year
• State & Local Government: $65,000 per year
• University: $34,824 per year

Salary by Location

If you live in an area with high demand for photographers, you will be more likely to make a lot of money in this career. Common salary fluctuations for this job factor include:

• California: $45,996 per year
• Illinois: $43,448 per year
• Massachusetts: $55,000 per year
• New York: $49,588 per year
• Ohio: $34,131 per year
• Pennsylvania: $34,537 per year
• Texas: $40,972 per year

Salary by Company Size

You don’t have to work for a big company to make a lot of money, but it can’t hurt to look for a job with a large corporation. Common salary fluctuations for this job factor include:

• 1-9: $33,840 per year
• 10-49: $41,093 per year
• 50-199: $42,167 per year
• 200-599: $45,052 per year
• 600-1999: $48,834 per year
• 2000-4999: $56,000 per year
• 5000-19999: $63,725 per year
• 20000-49999: $56,000 per year
• 50000+: $65,000 per year

Think about the money you could make with a bachelor’s degree and figure out if it is worth your time or not. Hopefully you can find a job no matter what you decide to do with your education.

How cool would it be to be a professional photographer? You’d get to spend every day just taking pictures of the world around you. As glorious as this may sound, the fact is that it may not be enough to pay your bills at the end of the day. Most professional photographers don’t make a lot of money unless they manage to land big clients or great reputations. Figuring out what you may make in this profession is difficult because there are so many elements to take into consideration. The lists below highlight some photographer salary statistics in the United States that you can use to approximate your salary in the future.

Salary by Years of Experience

One of the primary factors that will influence your salary as a photographer is the amount of experience you have in the field. The more experience you have working in photography, the more in-demand your services will be. The average photography salary range by years of experience is as follows:

• Less than 1 year: $10,778 – $40,190 per year
• 1-4 years: $18,121 – $80,822 per year
• 5-9 years: $20,511 – $68,197 per year
• 10-19 years: $19,834 – $65,188 per year
• 20 years or more: $18,246 – $101,014 per year

Salary by Industry

Photographers can work in many different industries, and any one of those industries could lead to huge profit margins in the long run. You may choose your workplace based on the kind of photography you like to take, but you may also want to think about the money you can earn there. The average photography salary range by industry is as follows:

• College/University: $14,597 – $56,221 per year
• Magazine: $35,000 – $53,000 per year
• Marketing, Advertising & Media Management: $25,600 – $46,452 per year
• Photographic Products: $17,879 – $60,525 per year
• Photography Processing: $14,899 – $132,281 per year
• Retail: $42,500 – $66,749 per year

Salary by Company Size

Most people assume that big companies will lead to big paychecks, but that is not always the case. You may actually make more in a smaller company if it has a lot of capital to work with. The average photography salary range by company size is as follows:

• 1-9: $17,344 – $72,129 per year
• 10-49: $16,800 – $74,500 per year
• 50-199: $21,794 – $213,046 per year
• 200-599: $24,051 – $87,410 per year
• 600-1999: $17,687 – $47,816 per year
• 2000-4999: $29,395 – $44,750 per year
• 5000-19999: $22,500 – $64,000 per year

Salary by Employer Type

The type of employer you work with will also determine how much money is available for your monthly paycheck. You may earn more working for a government office than you would working for Liberty University online. The average photography salary range by employer type is as follows:

• College or University: $32,000 – $46,684 per year
• Company: $19,339 – $68,902 per year
• State & Local Government: $29,800 – $72,000 per year
• Non-Profit Organization: $36,116 – $63,871 per year
• Private Practice: $17,687 – $69,181 per year
• Self-Employed: $17,566 – $114,960 per year

Salary by Gender

Your gender is not going to play a direct role in determining your salary, but it is interesting to note the pay differences between men and women in the field. The average photography salary range by gender is as follows:

• Male: $17,754 – $67,033 per year
• Female: $12,255 – $59,617 per year

Salary by Location

A good location could make all the difference when it comes to how much you can make as a photographer. With the right economy and job market, you could easily make great money in this line of work. The average photography salary range by location is as follows:

• California: $23,387 – $133,197 per year
• Georgia: $15,101 – $120,769 per year
• Michigan: $25,600 – $73,000 per year
• Minnesota: $10,067 – $58,604 per year
• New York: $19,866 – $66,418 per year
• North Carolina: $13,226 – $39,305 per year
• Texas: $21,331 – $91,707 per year

Salary with Benefits

Your benefits will boost your salary up a bit, so you may want to note what most people make with specific benefits in your profession. The average photography salary range by benefits is as follows:

• 401(k): $22,647 – $72,248 per year
• Casual Dress/Atmosphere: $20,426 – $65,084 per year
• Cell Phone: $19,866 – $97,651 per year
• Flexible Schedule: $12,000 – $65,436 per year
• Life Insurance or Disability: $17,754 – $67,409 per year
• Paid Holidays: $30,270 – $66,748 per year
• Paid Sick Leave: $30,000 – $67,177 per year

Look over all of the salaries listed above and see what you may be earning in the future. If you have a true passion for photography, you will hopefully get paid to do what you love someday.