A comprehensive new survey examining the state of the photography industry has revealed that only 4.2% of photographers worldwide earn more than $300,000 per year from their work, with slightly higher rates among American photographers at 6%. The findings come from the State of the Photo Industry Survey 2024, which provides detailed insights into photographer demographics, income levels, and industry trends.
The extensive survey was conducted by Professor Heather Morton from the Photography program at Sheridan College in Ontario, Canada, with support from Rob Haggart of PhotoFolio.com and thephotographersunion.com. Over a six-week period in May and June 2025, the study collected responses from 1,294 photographers across 43 different countries, with the majority of participants located in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
The demographic breakdown reveals significant patterns in the industry's composition. Men comprise 71.4% of respondents, while women account for just 27.3%. The survey shows that photography remains a field dominated by experienced professionals, with the most common age range being 40-49 years old, representing one-third of all working photographers who participated. The next largest age groups are 50-59 years old at 23% and 30-39 years old at 22%. Notably, only 30 photographers aged 29 years old and younger responded, representing less than 3% of the total.
Experience levels among respondents reflect the industry's age demographics, with 32% reporting 25 years or more of professional experience. Even the least experienced group still represents a significant portion, with 15% of respondents having less than a decade in the industry. This extensive experience base correlates strongly with income levels, though interestingly, those with the most experience don't necessarily report the highest overall income.
Income distribution across the industry shows that most photographers worldwide earn under $50,000 in net income from photography annually. However, substantial portions earn higher amounts, with 27.2% earning between $50,000 and $99,000, and 21.5% earning between $100,000 and $199,000 annually. Among American photographers specifically, 14% of the 714 U.S. participants earn at least $200,000 per year from photography work.
The survey identified a notable gender disparity in earnings, similar to patterns seen across many industries. A higher proportion of women report income under $50,000 compared to men, while significantly more men report incomes above $100,000. However, Morton notes that this income gap may be partially explained by demographic differences, as female respondents are generally younger than their male counterparts. Photography's historically male-dominated nature means it will take time for more diverse generations to gain the experience levels that typically lead to higher fees.
For photographers who establish base creative fees, which represents nearly 68% of respondents, daily rates are notably high, particularly in the United States. American photographers with base daily fees charge an average of $3,034, though the median rate is $2,500. These figures highlight the premium pricing that established photographers can command in the market.
Licensing and usage arrangements show considerable variation across the industry, with no clear consensus on best practices. When it comes to charging for usage, 27.3% of respondents charge additional fees for usage rights, while 29.4% include social media and web usage in their base fee. This split demonstrates that photographers employ very different approaches to handling image licensing, reflecting the diverse nature of client relationships and market demands.
The integration of video services has become increasingly important in the modern photography landscape. Nearly half of responding photographers (47.3%) report doing mostly still photography with some video work, making this by far the most popular approach. However, a significant portion (39%) still exclusively focuses on stills, even as the industry becomes increasingly hybrid. Additionally, 12% split their work evenly between stills and video, while only 1.7% primarily focus on video with some still photography.
Professional specialization areas show clear preferences among survey respondents. Portrait and lifestyle photography emerged as the most popular genres, each attracting more than 400 respondents, though many photographers work across multiple genres. Corporate headshots and branding photography ranked as the next most common specializations, followed by food, event, product, and architecture photography. Interestingly, very few respondents work professionally in sports, landscape, automotive, or real estate photography.
The complete 12-page State of the Photo Industry Survey 2024 report is available for free on Morton's new Substack, where she provides additional analysis of key survey results. The comprehensive report covers additional topics including industry optimism levels, the most successful professional photography marketing techniques, and other insights that weren't covered in the initial findings. This data provides valuable benchmarking information for photographers looking to understand their position within the broader industry landscape.
