Comments on: Best and Worst Jobs 2010

By: Study Finds Photography Undesirable as a Job

Study Finds Photography Undesirable as a Job — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 20:42:44 +0000

[...] (via A Photo Editor) [...]

By: Polskey

Polskey — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 23:09:46 +0000

Ha ha ha – Love it. I think I might become a podiatrist although I have no idea what it is. I hope to god this is not true, as much as I love photography as a career I still have a desire to be able to live in a house bigger than a cardboard box (london house prices are CRAZY) and travel further than the Isle of Wight!

By: Alleh Photography

Alleh Photography — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 17:16:39 +0000

Probably best to read clearly before making comments. The photographer statistic only considers salary positions which do not make up the bulk of the income generated in the photography world. As a freelancer the income potential is far greater or far worse probably for most people as they just wont have what it takes but the opportunity exists to make a huge amount of money at least by the standards from that report.

By: Bob

Bob — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 01:55:02 +0000

@m2,

Here *sunshine* lemme see if I can brighten your life a lil:

“But the bureau’s examination of Brooks’s records found not one 2003 graduate at any degree level whose reported wages and employment tenure were enough to generate even $50,000 of earning potential.

Indeed, of the 45 graduates reported by Brooks as employed full time, the average income was about $26,000, the report said. The average indebtedness of this group was around $74,000″.
http://ddunleavy.typepad.com/the_big_picture/2005/07/investigation_c.html

Of course this was back when things were a bit better.
Btw – Consider net income, and ROI, over the entire career.

By: Have I made it clear… – EG Hamlin

Have I made it clear… – EG Hamlin — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:28:20 +0000

[...] dependent on how passionate I am about fine art photography. Now based on the article I read at A Photo Editor about the best and worst jobs in 2101 it seems like fine art photography is the way to go. It [...]

By: Fotógrafos são apaixonados pela profissão « Toca dos Fotógrafos

Fotógrafos são apaixonados pela profissão « Toca dos Fotógrafos — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 22:29:04 +0000

[...] A Photo Editor. 0 [...]

By: m2

m2 — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 20:17:49 +0000

So, again i come across some crappy statistic on your website, I am not even out of college yet and I made more than 17,000 dollars on photography this year, i think you go and seek out the worst information.

By: David

David — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 03:49:09 +0000

@tait,

Not so fast. Those salaries are for the three people who found work as philosophers.

By: a fan

a fan — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 03:36:45 +0000

“An artists with an MBA sounds like a powerful combination. Anyway, here’s to the decade where the artists take over. That will probably be frustrating for some people, hopefully not you…” from a previous post.

By: Bob

Bob — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 01:02:36 +0000

@Debra Frieden, It’s can be easier to disregard “income” when one comes from a wealthy family :)

I am not one of those that likes her work much.
If you are looking for a true value, it is not found outside of yourself. It is not to be found in what others think of you, your work, or the speculative financial value of either. Value comes from within.
Having said that, there are examples of artists that do good work and don’t need to starve. Along with countless “starving artists” that can’t pay their bills and also can’t afford to create their art. Just because a photographer is a professional in another career does not mean they can not also create meaningful work.

By: Bob

Bob — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 00:47:25 +0000

@billy kidd, call it love, passion, photography, business, hobby, or semantics. It doesn’t matter what you call it or what you believe. There is a reality which exists, regardless. The bottom line is gravity. There are no free lunches. What one does is generally an asset or a liability. Besides direct costs, there is also the concept of “opportunity costs”. Which brings in the consideration of ROI . If one’s beliefs and behavior (including the “passionate painter”) are consistent with reality there is a better chance of success.

Of course the painter could try to get around this state of *gravity*. Maybe go back to nature, live in a cave. Eat grubs and roots, and make paint from berries and bat guano. For those of us that choose to live in this social construct we call civilization there are responsibilities.

By: Debra Frieden

Debra Frieden — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 22:15:29 +0000

@Dani, True it is sad. Other examples of increasing value of photographic work: Henri Cartier-Bresson, Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Annie Leibovitz, Cindy Sherman, Jill Greenberg, Chuck Close.

By: Dani

Dani — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 21:21:00 +0000

@Debra Frieden, Well, she followed her passion and also ended her own life. While the world loves to collect and sell the work of dead artists, I hope we can find a more optimistic example.

By: Jason Grubb

Jason Grubb — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 20:52:25 +0000

Doesn’t have to be that way… I think great photographers, who specialize, can make a great deal of income!

By: Cliff Questel

Cliff Questel — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 20:23:38 +0000

Geez. they don’t even list Graphic Designers. NUCLEAR PLANT DECONTAMINATION TECHNICIAN, those they list.

By: christian

christian — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 13:28:24 +0000

One of the reasons I enjoy being a photographer is BECAUSE I am in control of how much I do or do not make….both financially as well as creatively.

By: Rafa Pérez

Rafa Pérez — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 11:59:09 +0000

At least, they haven´t done the study in Spain. Here, the photojournalist appears between the dumb and the nuts.

By: Kent Johnson

Kent Johnson — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 03:13:53 +0000

I knew there was a reason I never wanted a JOB as a photographer !~)

By: Debra Frieden

Debra Frieden — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 03:01:41 +0000

@Bob, No, what I am saying is she followed her passion, which took her to some odd and out of the way places, creating some great images. She followed her passion, regardless of income, and her photographs are coveted by the art community. Some artists and photographers maintain prints, negatives and copyright for long term value. I am giving only one example of how a photographer may not see a high dollar value in the immediate, but may expand to have their work valued far higher over time. Sadly, I wish we did have a crystal ball for the speculative issue. ;-p

By: Bob

Bob — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 02:44:34 +0000

@Debra Frieden, LOL, How much of that did Diane get? ;P
Is this a strong foundation for creating images or speculating?

By: Debra Frieden

Debra Frieden — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 01:02:11 +0000

One of my fathers friends purchased a photo by Diane Arbus of a boy holding a hand grenade years ago for a hundred dollars.

They recently sold it for $170,000.

Follow your passions. Keep shooting!

By: JeffGreenberg

JeffGreenberg — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:00:09 +0000

“I wonder where freelance falls on the list?”

From way below to way above & points in-between.

By: John F.

John F. — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 23:15:49 +0000

@jesse,
Shouldn’t be a surprise. 15 years ago film was still king. Lots of labs. For the last 10 years digital is king. Lots of labs out of business.

By: Jason Lindsey

Jason Lindsey — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:18:44 +0000

I love being a photographer and make a very good living at it!

Thanks to all those that helped and continue to help me in this journey.

Jason Lindsey

By: Laura Johansen

Laura Johansen — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:32:34 +0000

@CynthiaWood, from Wikipedia,

“A roustabout is a labourer typically performing temporary, unskilled work. The term has traditionally been used to refer to traveling-circus workers or oil rig workers.”

Many a day I have asked myself… really, how is this *that* different from working in a circus ? ( Aside from their superior earning power, of course )

By: billy kidd

billy kidd — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:11:00 +0000

@Jeff Singer, Thats only for the top earners!

By: Jeff Singer

Jeff Singer — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 20:54:56 +0000

Wait a minute… Annie Leibovitz only makes $62,000 a year!?!?!? No wonder she’s having so many financial problems!

Jeff

By: Cynthia Wood

Cynthia Wood — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 19:41:54 +0000

What the heck is a Roustabout? (I know. Google. But still, I wanted to ask.)

By: Von R Buzard

Von R Buzard — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 19:35:57 +0000

I see these list every year. Thing is lists like these will include Part-Time positions, photographers right out of school trying to build a portfolio by working at Lifetouch.

I don’t put much faith in these unless they show how they define Photographer

By: andrew urban

andrew urban — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 19:27:01 +0000

yea, quite a dismal outlook… yet, like Billy said, luckily our work comes out of the love of shooting!