Photography Careers: Emploment

Photographers held about 131,000 jobs in 2000. More than half were self-employed, a much higher proportion than the average for all occupations. Some self-employed photographers contracted with advertising agencies, magazines, or others to do individual projects at a predetermined fee, while others operated portrait studios or provided photographs to stock photo agencies.

Most salaried photographers worked in portrait or commercial photography studios. Newspapers, magazines, television broadcasters, advertising agencies, and government agencies employed most of the others. Most photographers worked in metropolitan areas.