Fresh off the press (okay, fresh off my computer) is the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition. The electronic version was released in December 2009 and the print version should be released within a few weeks.
[Edit: Unfortunately, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics web page content changes with time so there are few static pages with archived data.]
Although it’s been described as “up-to-date and reliable”, it seems rather simplistic and behind-the-times in its descriptions. For example, it explains that “photographers take pictures of people, places, or things.”
It also mentions that photographers use film to create a picture but digital technology is being used more and more. It goes on to say that some photographers even use computers!
The handbook may be intended for students but one might wonder how many teens will ever go to a government web site for anything. Besides, who selects a career from a catalog?
For the occupation we love to call “photographer” here are some points worth noting, in case you didn’t already know:
Photographers who work for themselves have a lot of freedom. They can choose the type of pictures that they want to take. They can make their own schedules. However, they may not always have a job to do. They must find people who want pictures. This can be stressful.
Self-employed photographers must also have a thorough understanding of copyright laws in order to protect their work.
Most photographers spend only a small portion of their work schedule actually taking photographs. Their most common activities are editing images on a computer—if they use a digital camera—and looking for new business—if they are self-employed.
To protect their rights and their work, self-employed photographers require basic knowledge of licensing and copyright laws, as well as knowledge of contracts and negotiation procedures.
Job growth, however, will be constrained somewhat by the widespread use of digital photography and the falling price of digital equipment. Improvements in digital technology reduce barriers of entry into this profession and allow more individual consumers and businesses to produce, store, and access photographic images on their own. News and commercial photographers may be the most adversely affected by this increase in amateur photographers and non-copyrighted photos. Declines in the newspaper industry also will reduce demand for news photographers to provide still images for print.
As for the last quote, about the reduced barrier of entry into the photography profession, according to US statistics, from 2006 to 2008, the number of people who call themselves a “professional photographer” has increased by almost 25%.
I would guess that most of these newcomers are not business photographers, corporate photographers, or advertising photographers. My bet would be for an invasion of new photographers into the wedding/portrait world, entertainment photography, sports photography, and micro-stock.
Many (inexperienced) photographers (wrongly) assume that wedding photography is easy money; entertainment photography is about getting into concerts for free and meeting celebrities; sports photography is about getting into games for free; and micro-stock is money for nothing.
It’s only experienced photographers who understand that business is behind the photography business. Being a professional photographer is not about taking pretty pictures. It’s about producing working photographs that communicate a message for the client whether that client be a corporation, a newspaper or a bride.
