What Is the Beginning Pay for a Food Photographer?
- The mean annual salary for photographers was $35,980 in 2010, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The median annual salary was $29,130. The lowest-paid 10th percentile earned an annual salary of $17,350 or less, while the lowest-paid 25th percentile earned an annual salary of $20,710 or less. The highest-paid 75th percentile earned $43,700 or more, while the highest-paid 90th percentile earned an annual salary of $63,400 or more.
- Some food photographers, and photographers in general, are paid by the hour. The mean hourly wage for photographers in 2010 was $17.30, according to the BLS. The median hourly wage was $14. The lowest-paid 10th percentile earned an hourly wage of $8.34 or less, while the lowest-paid 25th percentile earned an hourly wage of $9.96 or less. The highest-paid 75th percentile earned $21.01 an hour or more, while the highest-paid 90th percentile earned an hourly wage of $30.48 or more.
- The beginning pay for a food photographer varies by industry. Photographers employed in the motion picture and video industries earned the highest pay by industry in 2010 reported by the BLS, with an hourly mean wage of $36.64 and an annual mean salary of $76,210 that year. Photographers employed in the radio and television broadcasting industry earned an hourly mean wage of $20.89 and an annual mean salary of $43,450, and photographers employed in the newspaper, periodical and directory industry earned an hourly mean wage of $19.51 and an annual mean salary of $40,580.
- The beginning pay for a food photographer also varies by geographical location of employment. According to 2010 BLS reports, Washington, D.C., was the top-paying geographical location for photographers in 2010, with an hourly mean wage of $26.98 and an annual mean salary of $56,110. The metropolitan area of Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Connecticut was the top-paying metropolitan area for photographers that year, with an hourly mean wage of $33.12 and an annual mean salary of $68,880. The Central New York nonmetropolitan area was the top-paying nonmetropolitan area for photographers, with an hourly mean wage of $25.03 and an annual mean salary of $52,070.