# Photographers

> Photograph people, landscapes, merchandise, or other subjects. May use lighting equipment to enhance a subject's appearance. May use editing software to produce finished images and prints. Includes commercial and industrial photographers, scientific photographers, and photojournalists.

- **SOC code:** 27-4021.00
- **Canonical URL:** https://singulariki.com/roles/role-27-4021-00
- **Also known as:** Commercial Photographer, Photographer, Photojournalist, Portrait Photographer, Advertising Photographer, Graduation Photographer, Newspaper Photographer, Photo Editor
- **Frame:** "AI exposure" means task overlap (how codifiable the work is), not jobs lost or a forecast. Every figure below is traced to a named public dataset.

## What this work is

**Core tasks** (O*NET):
- Adjust apertures, shutter speeds, and camera focus according to a combination of factors, such as lighting, field depth, subject motion, film type, and film speed.
- Create artificial light, using flashes and reflectors.
- Transfer photographs to computers for editing, archiving, and electronic transmission.
- Determine desired images and picture composition, selecting and adjusting subjects, equipment, and lighting to achieve desired effects.
- Use traditional or digital cameras, along with a variety of equipment, such as tripods, filters, and flash attachments.
- Take pictures of individuals, families, and small groups, either in studio or on location.
- Manipulate and enhance scanned or digital images to create desired effects, using computers and specialized software.
- Test equipment prior to use to ensure that it is in good working order.
- Enhance, retouch, and resize photographs and negatives, using airbrushing and other techniques.
- Estimate or measure light levels, distances, and numbers of exposures needed, using measuring devices and formulas.
- Perform general office duties, such as scheduling appointments, keeping books, and ordering supplies.
- Review sets of photographs to select the best work.

**Emerging tasks** (O*NET):
- Engage in research to learn technological developments and techniques or to develop new photographic procedures and materials.
- Operate drones to capture aerial photographs and videos, following all regulatory guidelines.

## Skills, tools, capabilities

**Knowledge, skills & abilities** (O*NET, highest importance first):
- Customer and Personal Service _(knowledge)_
- Sales and Marketing _(knowledge)_
- Computers and Electronics _(knowledge)_
- Near Vision _(ability)_
- Oral Expression _(ability)_
- Originality _(ability)_
- Visualization _(ability)_
- Far Vision _(ability)_
- Administration and Management _(knowledge)_
- Active Listening _(essential_skill)_
- Speaking _(essential_skill)_
- English Language _(knowledge)_

**Skills in demand:**
- Visualization _(Specialized Skill)_
- Active Listening _(Common Skill)_
- English Language _(Common Skill)_
- Adobe Photoshop _(Specialized Skill)_
- Psychology _(Specialized Skill)_
- Social Perceptiveness _(Common Skill)_
- Reading Comprehension _(Common Skill)_
- Deductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- Critical Thinking _(Common Skill)_
- Complex Problem Solving _(Common Skill)_
- Active Learning _(Common Skill)_
- WordPress _(Specialized Skill)_

**Tools & technology:**
- Adobe Photoshop _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Adobe Acrobat _(hot technology)_
- Adobe After Effects _(hot technology)_
- Adobe Creative Cloud software _(hot technology)_
- Adobe Illustrator _(hot technology)_
- Adobe InDesign _(hot technology)_
- Apple macOS _(hot technology)_
- Facebook _(hot technology)_
- Intuit QuickBooks _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Access _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Excel _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Word _(hot technology)_

## AI exposure & outlook

- **AI task-overlap index:** 59th percentile (Moderate) across all occupations — composite of current-era exposure studies (ai-exposure-index-v1).
- **Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.):** 44th percentile (Moderate) — source: felten_aioe.
- **LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou):** 58th percentile (Moderate) — source: eloundou_gamma.
- **AI assistant applicability (Microsoft):** 79th percentile (High) — source: microsoft_applicability.
- **Frey–Osborne (2013, historical computerization estimate):** 15th percentile — kept separate from current-era studies.
- **Remote-capable (Dingel–Neiman):** yes — task structure, not who actually works remote.
- **Projected employment (BLS 2024–34):** 1.8% growth (About average); 12.7k annual openings; 151.2k → 154k jobs.
- **Pay & employment (BLS OEWS, May 2024):** median $42,520; 51,230 employed.

## How people actually use AI here

Anthropic Economic Index — measured AI conversations mapped to this occupation's tasks:

- **Automation vs augmentation:** 43% automation, 48% augmentation (usage-weighted).
- **Autonomy median:** 4.0 (higher = AI acts more independently).
- **Dominant collaboration mode:** task iteration.

**Tasks most handed to AI here:**
- Manipulate and enhance scanned or digital images to create desired effects, using computers and specialized software. _(4.2% of measured AI use; task iteration)_
- Determine desired images and picture composition, selecting and adjusting subjects, equipment, and lighting to achieve desired effects. _(4.0% of measured AI use; task iteration)_
- Review sets of photographs to select the best work. _(0.5% of measured AI use)_

**Example prompts (honest phrasings of the tasks above — starting points, not endorsed instructions):**
- Help me manipulate and enhance scanned or digital images to create desired effects, using computers and specialized software.
- Help me determine desired images and picture composition, selecting and adjusting subjects, equipment, and lighting to achieve desired effects.
- Help me review sets of photographs to select the best work.

## Sources

- **O*NET** (30.3) — U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)** (May 2024) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS Employment Projections** (2024–2034) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **Anthropic Economic Index** (v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27)) — Anthropic. https://www.anthropic.com/economic-index
- **Microsoft “Working with AI”** (working-with-ai) — Microsoft Research. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/
- **“GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.)** (arXiv 2303.10130) — OpenAI / academic. https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130
- **AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE)** (Felten, Raj & Seamans) — academic. https://github.com/AIOE-Data/AIOE
- **Frey & Osborne (2013)** (frey-osborne-automation) — academic. https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/publications/the-future-of-employment/
- **Dingel & Neiman (2020)** (dingel-neiman-workathome) — academic. https://github.com/jdingel/DingelNeiman-workathome

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_Generated from Singulariki's joined dataset; data snapshot 2026-06-02T21:00:32.945303+00:00. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-27-4021-00_