Photographer Resume Examples, Job Description & Skills

What to Highlight in a Photographer Resume

Photography is a uniquely creative field with a variety of related skills and talents. When you want to get hired as a photographer, how do you showcase that you’re the right person for any photography jobs you want to achieve?

Photography is by nature very creative, and that means you need a variety of creative skills to succeed as a photographer. However, remember that a hiring manager will see plenty of resumes from candidates who state they’re creative. You need to show your creativity and your hard skills with achievements, experience, and knowledge from previous photographer jobs.

Ready to learn how to write a resume that stands out? Let’s get started.

The Structure of a Photographer Resume

Your photography resume structure will depend on what resume format you choose. Your options are a chronological resume, a functional resume, and a combination or hybrid resume. However, these resume formats usually won’t change the content in your resume, just the structure of the resume. Here’s the sections you’ll need for your photography resume.

Contact information

The resume header is located at the top of your resume and includes your contact information, such as your full name, phone number, and professional job profile link, such as your LinkedIn page. A photographer resume might also include a link to a website resume showing past photography jobs and your portfolio.

Resume summary or objective

Next is your resume summary or resume objective. This is a 2-3 sentence paragraph at the beginning of your resume that showcases all of your best skills, achievements, and information. In a summary, you’re giving a brief interview of your top skills and experiences; in an objective, you’re also stating your overall career goals.

Skills

There are many technical skills that you need to know to be a photographer, and just as many creative skills. Here are some of the skills you should consider including on your photographer resume for best results:

• Photo shoots
• Digital photography
• Lightroom functionality
• Retouching
• Digital imaging software (Adobe Photoshop, Capture One)
• Camera types (DSLR, Canon, Action, 360)
• Family portraits
• Customer satisfaction
• Photo editing

These skills generally show that you know how to handle yourself around a camera. The skills section should include both hard skills and soft skills so that it indicates a wide array of the talents you hold, not just a thin sliver.

Work history

If you have any previous experience in the photography field, you can include it in your experience section. You can include work experience as a professional photographer, freelance photographer, lead photographer, or an entry-level photographer. Additionally, you can include any projects or jobs that might have developed important skills that aren’t based around actually taking pictures, like communication skills.

Education

Many photographers get a degree to really learn more about their field and network within it. If you have a bachelor’s degree in photography, list it here. If you don’t have college experience, you can include your high school experience instead.