Facts

• The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics reports photographer salaries for 2009 were approximately $36,370 across the country. These figures include only employed, freelance and contract photographers, not paparazzi (who may make triple that annual figure with one single celebrity snapshot). For the 2,400 Pennsylvanian photographers reported in the 2009 BLS wages study, the median salary was $31,660 -- $4,710 less than the national average.
  
  

Ranges

• Not all of Pennsylvania's photographers earned salaries below the national average. Pennsylvania's top photographers, in the state's 90th percentile of earners, took home approximately $50,860 per year. At the other end of the spectrum, Pennsylvania's lowest-paidphotographers earned approximately $20,420 per year.
  
  

Considerations

• While no one single entry point is required to earn a salary as a photographer in Pennsylvania, prospective photographers may find that a college degree in photography, photojournalism or art may be helpful to separate their resumes from the applicant pool. Photographers may get on-the-job training through internships, apprenticeships or from other experienced workers and can also attract attention to themselves by placing a portfolio of their work on a website.
  
  

Outlook

• The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 12 percent rise in employment of photographers and 17,500 new jobs across the country through 2018, but it cautions that competition for photography jobs will be high. The BLS suggests portrait photography as a growing industry and cites applicants with computer and technology skills as having the best chance at securing a salary.