Ug......

[metroshane]

http://www.payscale.com/salary-survey/aid-14239/

Median Salary By State
For All People with Jobs as Photographers
# reporting:65937
Avg age of report data:461
Currency:US - Dollars

California (8433)(Range: 18455 - 26569)
22512
Florida (5470)(Range: 24770 - 24770)
24770
New York (5090)(Range: 31180 - 31180)
31180
Texas (4181)(Range: 23200 - 23200)
23200
Michigan (2820)(Range: 26680 - 26680)
26680
Pennsylvania (2620)(Range: 24830 - 24830)
24830
Georgia (2301)(Range: 17415 - 22255)
19835

 

[Chase]

If I'm reading that right...that is flat out depressing!

 

[voodoocat]

I think most of the money taking pictures is in portraits. The lady that did my senior pictures was very well off.

 

[metroshane]

Yes, but you don't know that she got her money doing photography. It is indeed very depressing.

 

[voodoocat]

Sure, I'm just assuming. But when I got my senior portraits done she was located in a stripmall. When I was getting married, I visited her at her new location which was a beautifully renovated home in a higher retail traffic area. So either her business was doing good, or she has a rich husband. The cheapest wedding package she had was $1600.

 

[Dew]

headshots and portraits i guess are the money-makers :? ... but heh, we can do it all in the name of art? :greenpbl:

 

[metroshane]

art-schmart...I need money!

 

[nukie]

we can do it all in the name of art? :greenpbl:

Thats just what people who can't make money off it say. (but then, I'm doing it in the name or art too!)

 

[terri]

I've gotten several little jobs hand-coloring people's B&W images, or digitally restoring old family photos. The most I've gotten for a job was $200 - and only cause it was a large image. But I'm happy to say I get paid something, sometimes, after dropping the bucks I have to get into this hobby. I view it as a hobby, not expecting it to ever pay my mortgage....and I'd still do it without my little hand-coloring jobs. Since I have no major expectations, every dollar I get is kind of like a reward. But I wouldn't want to stop, ever, getting out there and capturing images, even if I didn't get another dime.

I need that artistic release, bay-bay!!!

 

[whatsafrog2do]

I'm not giving up my day job.

 

[urameatball]

well, I'm not sure about what professionals do, but do they actually spend 40-50hrs a week working? I would think a lot of photographers actually work around 10-20hrs a week (on average). Meaning a 20000 annual isn't "too" bad .