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The key ingredient to a successful photo shoot is the location. The best location is vital for creating images that don’t just meet the brief but are truly exceptional. This is why location scouting for a photo session is a very important step in the pre-planning stage of your photo session.
Of course, the right venue will vary depending on the subject matter of your photography. From romantic wedding photography to a casual family photo session, corporate brand shots to freestyle creative sessions, the setting you need can change dramatically from one project to the next.
Whether you’re a family photographer, a wedding photographer, or someone who works across various photography styles, you’ll find a wonderfully diverse range of unique photo shoot venues out there. It’s just a matter of looking around for an amazing location that matches your needs to a T.
How do you find the best location? It all depends on what you want to get out of the photo session, so it’s essential to have a clear creative vision before you start comparing options.
Think about what you want to achieve, the look and feel you want to capture in your images, and then start scouting a venue that matches all your needs. Here are a few popular options worth considering.
Choosing a location for your next photoshoot can be challenging. There are many different factors you need to consider before deciding on a space, so here’s what you need to take into account when comparing venues.
Searching for some ideas to help you find the ideal spot for your next photo shoot? Here are a few ideas to get you thinking.
With enough research and clear goals for your project, you’ll be able to snag the ideal venue. A great place to start when researching photo shoot locations is online websites that allow you to explore various listings in an area. In choosing a location, remember to keep in mind factors such as your desired aesthetic, your budget, and the venue’s accessibility to ensure that you and your team have a fun photo shoot that yields beautiful photos!
In a world where 85% of American adults own a smartphone, photography has become an accessible hobby for virtually anyone. Yet professional photographers are still in high demand. The number of professional photographers in the next 10 years is expected to grow by 9%—nearly double the average projected growth rate across all industries—according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
There are an estimated 38,420 working photographers in the United States. The career path offers myriad focus areas, such as wedding and event photography, family portraiture, headshots, photojournalism, advertising, fashion, and magazine shoots. A rapidly growing sector is stock photography; other photography jobs may focus on architecture, automobiles, landscapes, or science.
Giggster analyzed May 2021 data from the BLS to determine the hourly and annual wages of photographers across 20 of the most populated metropolitan areas. Metros are listed alphabetically and include the main city along with surrounding towns and suburbs.
The BLS categorizes photographers as photographing landscapes, merchandise, people, or other subjects. These workers may use lighting when shooting a subject to enhance certain features and employ editing software when producing prints or images. The occupational field includes science photographers, photojournalists, and commercial and industrial photographers; it excludes similar professions such as camera operators, video and film, and television.
Averages and medians were calculated to broaden the scope of annual and hourly wages. An average is calculated by adding all the salaries and dividing by the number of salaries used. The median is calculated by the middle point, where half the salaries are higher, and half are lower.
The average hourly wage for photographers in the U.S. is $23.18, with an average annual wage of $48,210. When calculating by median, the hourly wage for photographers is $18.73, with an annual wage of $38,950.
Keep reading to see how much photographers are paid in 20 major metros.
- Photographers in metro: 1,100
- Average annual wage: $63,580
- Median annual wage: $61,000
- Average hourly wage: $30.57
- Median hourly wage: $29.33
- Photographers in metro: 530
- Average annual wage: $55,270
- Median annual wage: $50,340
- Average hourly wage: $26.57
- Median hourly wage: $24.20
- Photographers in metro: 1,390
- Average annual wage: $53,340
- Median annual wage: $46,910
- Average hourly wage: $25.64
- Median hourly wage: $22.55
- Photographers in metro: 340
- Average annual wage: $41,790
- Median annual wage: $36,510
- Average hourly wage: $20.09
- Median hourly wage: $17.56
- Photographers in metro: 970
- Average annual wage: $44,440
- Median annual wage: $36,100
- Average hourly wage: $21.37
- Median hourly wage: $17.36
- Photographers in metro: 520
- Average annual wage: $53,180
- Median annual wage: $45,340
- Average hourly wage: $25.57
- Median hourly wage: $21.80
- Photographers in metro: 380
- Average annual wage: $52,390
- Median annual wage: $38,590
- Average hourly wage: $25.19
- Median hourly wage: $18.55
- Photographers in metro: 780
- Average annual wage: $39,890
- Median annual wage: $33,750
- Average hourly wage: $19.18
- Median hourly wage: $16.23
- Photographers in metro: 400
- Average annual wage: $33,500
- Median annual wage: $30,220
- Average hourly wage: $16.11
- Median hourly wage: $14.53
- Photographers in metro: estimate not available
- Average annual wage: $51,340
- Median annual wage: $46,550
- Average hourly wage: $24.68
- Median hourly wage: $22.38
- Photographers in metro: 1,000
- Average annual wage: $53,090
- Median annual wage: $48,860
- Average hourly wage: $25.52
- Median hourly wage: $23.49
- Photographers in metro: 630
- Average annual wage: $49,380
- Median annual wage: $48,320
- Average hourly wage: $23.74
- Median hourly wage: $23.23
- Photographers in metro: 3,260
- Average annual wage: $62,730
- Median annual wage: $55,770
- Average hourly wage: $30.16
- Median hourly wage: $26.81
- Photographers in metro: 560
- Average annual wage: $47,050
- Median annual wage: $43,000
- Average hourly wage: $22.62
- Median hourly wage: $20.67
- Photographers in metro: 690
- Average annual wage: $44,590
- Median annual wage: $32,920
- Average hourly wage: $21.44
- Median hourly wage: $15.83
- Photographers in metro: 770
- Average annual wage: $66,140
- Median annual wage: $59,100
- Average hourly wage: $31.80
- Median hourly wage: $28.41
- Photographers in metro: 630
- Average annual wage: $65,810
- Median annual wage: $74,880
- Average hourly wage: $31.64
- Median hourly wage: $36.00
- Photographers in metro: 300
- Average annual wage: $41,270
- Median annual wage: $36,640
- Average hourly wage: $19.84
- Median hourly wage: $17.61
- Photographers in metro: 480
- Average annual wage: $38,020
- Median annual wage: $29,780
- Average hourly wage: $18.28
- Median hourly wage: $14.32
- Photographers in metro: 650
- Average annual wage: $70,440
- Median annual wage: $60,720
- Average hourly wage: $33.86
- Median hourly wage: $29.19