Select and assemble equipment and required background properties, according to subjects, materials, and conditions.

“Select and assemble equipment and required background properties, according to subjects, materials, and conditions.” is a core task performed by Photographers. Among the occupation's 29 rated tasks, workers place it 14th by importance (#16 most important). About 100% of workers say it is relevant to their job.

This is a single occupation-specific task statement from O*NET. The figures below describe how central the task is to the job and what independent studies measure about AI and this kind of work — not a prediction that the task will be automated.

Work activities this task rolls up to

O*NET groups concrete tasks into broader work activities shared across many occupations.

• Select materials or equipment for operations or projects. in Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Set up equipment. in Handling and Moving Objects

AI exposure

The OpenAI / Eloundou “GPTs are GPTs” study rates this task E0. No direct exposure — current language models give little or no time savings on this task.

Exposure measures whether a model could meaningfully speed the task up — it is an estimate of overlap with model capabilities, not a measure of whether the work will be done by software. The study's intermediate score (β) for this task is 0.00. Automation potential label: T0.

Other tasks in this occupation

• 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. · importance 4.9
• Create artificial light, using flashes and reflectors. · importance 4.9
• Transfer photographs to computers for editing, archiving, and electronic transmission. · importance 4.8
• Determine desired images and picture composition, selecting and adjusting subjects, equipment, and lighting to achieve desired effects. · importance 4.8
• Use traditional or digital cameras, along with a variety of equipment, such as tripods, filters, and flash attachments. · importance 4.8
• Take pictures of individuals, families, and small groups, either in studio or on location. · importance 4.7
• Manipulate and enhance scanned or digital images to create desired effects, using computers and specialized software. · importance 4.7
• Test equipment prior to use to ensure that it is in good working order. · importance 4.6
• Enhance, retouch, and resize photographs and negatives, using airbrushing and other techniques. · importance 4.6
• Estimate or measure light levels, distances, and numbers of exposures needed, using measuring devices and formulas. · importance 4.5
• Perform general office duties, such as scheduling appointments, keeping books, and ordering supplies. · importance 4.5
• Review sets of photographs to select the best work. · importance 4.5
• Set up, mount, or install photographic equipment and cameras. · importance 4.5
• Determine project goals, locations, and equipment needs by studying assignments and consulting with clients or advertising staff. · importance 4.4

See all tasks on the Photographers page.

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

• O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

@misc{singulariki-task-9356,
  title  = {Select and assemble equipment and required background properties, according to subjects, materials, and conditions.},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/tasks/task-9356}
}