The salary of a freelance wedding photographer

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Professional wedding photographers record images for wedding ceremonies and festivities. Photographers are employed to cover everything from preparations to the formal ceremony itself, as well as capture images of guests in attendance. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) classifies all professional photographers within the same occupational category regardless of their particular subject matter. More than half of all professional photographers are self-employed.

1. Salary

   • According to the BLS, photographers in the personal services industry earn an average mean salary of $47,910 as of 2010. This equates to an hourly rate of $23.03 when divided into the confines of a standard 40-hour work week, but wedding photographers work irregular schedules. Photographers in the personal services industry earn over 25 percent more than the national mean average for professional photographers across all industries, which is $17.30 per hour or $35,980 per year, according to the BLS.

   Industry Salary Comparison

   • Photographers in the personal services industry earn the sixth-highest average wages nationwide according to BLS statistics. Their annual average salary of $47,910 is 32 percent higher than that of photographers in the scientific and technical services industry, which is $32,630 per year. Wedding and personal service photographers earn 40 percent less than the top paying industry for the occupation, the motion picture and video industry. Photographers in that field earn an average $76,210 per year.

   Salary by State

   • The District of Columbia is home to the highest annual salary for professional photographers, who earn an average rate of $56,110. Photographers earn less than $27,000 a year on average in six states, including Alabama, Tennessee, West Virginia, Missouri, Iowa and Kansas. Photographers in New York City out-earn those in all other cities in the United States with an average rate of $26.21 per hour or $54,940 per year.

   Relevant Background and Skills

   • Professional wedding photographers enter the field in numerous ways, and there is no concrete educational path that those aspiring to join the profession have to take. While formal education on photography concepts such as composition, lens principles and light characteristic is helpful, most professional wedding photographers garner experience on the job or in an apprentice role with an established personal photography services firm. A concise portfolio, which captures a photographer's range and skill, is industry standard and is a vital tool used by freelance photographers in soliciting customers.

Source: www.ehow.com

Tags: professional photographers, services industry, wedding photographers, earn average, industry earn, personal services