← All 785 jobsFile 27-4021
Photographers
Also filed here: Photographer, Photo
Mostly untouched
AI barely touches this work so far. The BLS expects 0.7% fewer of these jobs by 2035.
- Rank
- #594 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- -0.7% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $44,660 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 145,000 in the US, with about 10,700 openings a year
The work, 18 activities
The job description, marked up.
Every activity in this job, the biggest first. Tap a line for the evidence.
- deleAI does this
- +AIAI helps
- stetStill yours
AI helps with this: Set up equipment27%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 511 conversations, and it got them there 95% of the time.
Still yours: Operate audiovisual or related equipment11%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Determine operational methods or procedures10%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 221 conversations, and it got them there 93% of the time. In this job the work is hands-on, so AI can only assist.
AI helps with this: Process digital or online data7%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 202 conversations, and it got them there 81% of the time. In this job the work is hands-on, so AI can only assist.
AI helps with this: Create visual designs or displays5%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 78 conversations, and it got them there 40% of the time.
AI helps with this: Select materials or equipment for operations or projects5%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 222 conversations, and it got them there 93% of the time. In this job the work is hands-on, so AI can only assist.
AI helps with this: Apply decorative finishes5%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,208 conversations, and it got them there 62% of the time.
Still yours: Maintain operational records5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Replenish inventories of materials, equipment, or products5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Study details of artistic productions4%
AI performed this in about 1 in 1,233 Copilot conversations and completed it 86% of the time.
AI helps with this: Confer with clients to determine needs or order specifications4%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 502 conversations, and it got them there 54% of the time.
AI helps with this: Maintain electronic, computer, or other technical equipment3%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,196 conversations, and it got them there 94% of the time.
Still yours: Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Research technology designs or applications2%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 149 conversations, and it got them there 89% of the time.
AI helps with this: Create decorative objects or parts of objects2%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 559 conversations, and it got them there 51% of the time.
AI helps with this: Arrange displays or decorations1%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,323 conversations, and it got them there 65% of the time.
AI does this: Prepare informational or instructional materials1%
AI performed this in about 1 in 51 Copilot conversations and completed it 92% of the time.
AI helps with this: Obtain formal documentation or authorization1%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 585 conversations, and it got them there 93% of the time.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 99 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
Even shrinking, it should still see about 10,700 openings a year as people retire or move on.
BLS on AIAI generated images substitute for some photographers. Source ↗
Nearby
Where your skills travel.
Jobs that share the most work with this one, where AI does less of it.
How to read this file.
deleAI does this. In US Bing Copilot conversations from January to September 2024, AI itself performed the activity, completed it and made a real difference often enough to count.
+AIAI helps. People brought the activity to AI as their own goal, and it usually got them there.
stetStill yours. It barely shows up in AI use, AI rarely finishes it, or in this job it needs hands.
Shares are weighted by how much each activity matters in the job, using O*NET. Microsoft’s own AI applicability score for this job is 0.25, higher than 79% of jobs.
Doing an activity is not doing a job. The researchers behind this data warn against reading it as job loss, and so do we. It is US data; the shape of the work travels.
Sources: Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025) · O*NET OnLine, 27-4021 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Check another job.
Know someone in this job? Send them the file.