Money · 1 of 5
What photographers make
Typical
$44,660
Starting out
$30,820
Established commercial
$91,810
The national median is $44,660 a year, and the bottom tenth sit near $30,820. Read this range carefully: a large share of photographers are self-employed and paid per job, so steady full-time work all year is the exception rather than the rule. The top tenth reach $91,810, and the gap between the ends is mostly business skill, not camera skill.