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Job Definition
View MoviePhotograph persons, subjects, merchandise, or other commercial products. May develop negatives and produce finished prints.
Job Zone

Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. Some may require a bachelor's degree.

Interests
Artistic - Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Investigative - Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
Knowledge
Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Skills
Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
Equipment Selection - Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
Tasks
Develop and print exposed film, using chemicals, touchup tools, and developing and printing equipment, or send film to photofinishing laboratories for processing.
Produce computer-readable, digital images from film, using flatbed scanners and photofinishing laboratories.
Direct activities of workers who are setting up photographic equipment.
Employ a variety of specialized photographic materials and techniques, including infrared and ultraviolet films, macro-photography, photogrammetry and sensitometry.
Engage in research to develop new photographic procedures and materials.
Set up photographic exhibitions for the purpose of displaying and selling their work.
Load and unload film.
Develop visual aids and charts for use in lectures or to present evidence in court.
License the use of their photographs through stock photo agencies.
Mount, frame, laminate, and/or lacquer finished photographs.
Photograph legal evidence at crime scenes, in hospitals, or in forensic laboratories.
Take pictures of individuals, families, and small groups, either in studio or on location.
Adjust apertures, shutter speeds, and camera focus based on a combination of factors such as lighting, field depth, subject motion, film type, and film speed.
Use traditional or digital cameras, along with a variety of equipment such as tripods, filters, and flash attachments.
Create artificial light, using flashes and reflectors.
Wages

In 2008, the California average annual wage was $46,260.00.

Most people employed in this occupation were paid between $18,590.00 and $76,610.00.

Outlook

During 2006, there were approximately 13,800 people employed in this field in California. It is projected that there will be 15,900 employed in 2016. This occupation will have about 210 openings due to growth and about 300 replacement openings for approximately 510 total annual openings. This occupation .

Colleges and Training
Below are college programs that are generally associated with this occupation. To view colleges that offer these programs, click on the titles below.
Photography - A program that focuses on the principles and techniques of communicating information, ideas, moods, and feelings through the creation of images on photographic film, plates, digital images and that may prepare individuals to be professional photographic artists. Includes instruction in camera and equipment operation and maintenance, film and plate developing, light and composition, films and printing media, color and special effects, photographic art, photographic history, use of computer applications to record or enhance images and applications to the photography of various subjects.
Similar Occupations
Set and Exhibit Designers - Design special exhibits and movie, television, and theater sets. May study scripts, confer with directors, and conduct research to determine appropriate architectural styles.
Sound Engineering Technicians - Operate machines and equipment to record, synchronize, mix, or reproduce music, voices, or sound effects in sporting arenas, theater productions, recording studios, or movie and video productions.
Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Motion Picture - Operate television, video, or motion picture camera to photograph images or scenes for various purposes, such as TV broadcasts, advertising, video production, or motion pictures.
Film and Video Editors - Edit motion picture soundtracks, film, and video.
Photographic Process Workers - Perform precision work involved in photographic processing, such as editing photographic negatives and prints, using photo-mechanical, chemical, or computerized methods.
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