Visual and performing arts

How to become a photographer

Official title: Photographer

Also called: Photojournalist, Wedding photographer, Fashion photographer, Commercial photographer, News photographer, Sports photographer, Aerial photographer

Photographers use cameras to take photos of people, places and things, then edit and process them to create high quality images.

Main tasks

Set up still or video cameras or related equipment
Determine technical requirements of productions or projects
Convert data among multiple digital or analogue formats
Operate still or video cameras or related equipment
Create computer-generated graphics or animation
Apply finishes to artwork, crafts, or displays
Maintain records, documents, or other files
Maintain inventories of materials, equipment, or products

How to become one

You usually learn on the job to become a photographer and experience and a qualification may be useful. You usually don’t need specific NCEA levels for this job, but Level 2 may be useful. Other requirements: experience in photography or fine arts and examples of your work; a New Zealand Diploma in Photography (Level 5 or 6); a Bachelor of Fine Arts; a driver licence.

See the full Tahatū profile

Ways in

Certificates and diplomas: Advanced certificates and diplomas in photography. TEC links this job to study in visual arts and crafts. Qualifications: NZ Dip in Photography. Usually 1 year. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $42,000 a year one year after study and $53,000 five years after; 38% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).

Pay · Past change · AI and this job

Median pay: $65,000 a year, a TEC estimate before tax.
Upper: $122,000 a year
TEC shows pay for this job by the hour: median $31.25 an hour.
TEC's pay figures are estimates only. TEC says they must not be used to set pay, in pay negotiations or in visa applications.
Change in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses: Steady (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
People employed in the group Photographers: 2,244 at the 2018 Census and 2,355 at the 2023 Census (+4.9%). Past change, not a forecast.
Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, by the ILO's global estimate.

Who does this work

About 2,000 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
In the group Photographers, 52% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
Where people in the group Photographers work (2023 Census): Auckland 36.7%, Canterbury 12.5%, and Wellington 10.6%.

Questions people ask

How do I become a photographer?

How much does a photographer earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $65,000 a year, before tax.

Has the number of people working as a photographer grown in New Zealand?

It has held steady: TEC records the number of people doing this job as steady between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses. This is past change, not a forecast.

Will AI change the work of a photographer?

Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

Tertiary Education Commission (Tahatu Career Navigator): Tahatu career ideas: descriptions, tasks, pay estimates, people employed, employment change 2018 to 2023, entry requirements, registration, interest scores (Site scrape 2026-10 (816 career ideas, sitemap lastmod 2026-10-01)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census totals by topic for individuals 2013, 2018, 2023 (CEN23_TBT_004): employed by occupation, ANZSCO V1.3, summed to unit group (2023 Census (CEN23_TBT_004)), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census 2023: employed by regional council, occupation (ANZSCO V1.3 unit group) and sex at birth (2023 Census), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

This content is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahatu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. All or some of the information has been modified by Peernovo. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this content.

Qualification information from NZQA, used under CC BY 3.0 NZ.

This work is based on/includes Stats NZ's data which are licensed by Stats NZ for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Census data via Figure.NZ.

Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

Sources: Tertiary Education Commission, Tahatū Career Navigator (career ideas, pay estimates, entry requirements and study options, CC BY 4.0, modified by Peernovo); Stats NZ, 2023 Census (via Figure.NZ) and the National Occupation List (CC BY 4.0); NZQA qualification information (CC BY 3.0 NZ); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Links between career ideas and ANZSCO groups, degree fields and broad job groups are Peernovo's.

These results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.

Graduate outcomes: these results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.

Updated 4 October 2026