How to become a Photographer

Also called: Advertising photographer, Aerial photographer, Architectural photographer, Chief photographer, Commercial photographer, Fashion photographer, Industrial photographer, Medical photographer, Microphotographer, News photographer, Photographer (commercial illustrator), Photo-journalist

Photographer operates still cameras to photograph people, events, scenes, materials, products and other subjects.

Main tasks

• Taking photographs for advertising, or other commercial, industrial or scientific purposes and to illustrate stories and articles in newspapers, magazines and other publications
• Taking portrait photographs of persons and groups of persons
• Studying requirements of a particular assignment and decide on type of camera, film, lighting and background accessories to be used
• Determining picture composition, making technical adjustments to equipment and photograph subject
• Operating scanners to transfer photographic images to computers
• Operating computers to manipulate photographic images
• Adapting existing photographic images to create new digitised images to be included in multimedia products
• Using airbrush, computer or other techniques to create the desired visual effect

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $61,440 a year. The middle half earn $41,940 to $103,812 a year.
• Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, by the ILO's global estimate.

Related jobs

• Interior designer
• Decorator
• Visual merchandiser
• Library officer
• Gallery/Museum and related technician
• Chef (excluding pastry chef)

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Questions people ask

How much does a Photographer earn in Singapore?

Median full-time pay is $61,440 a year (Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg)). The middle half earn $41,940 to $103,812.

Will AI change the work of a Photographer?

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

Sources

• Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg): Resident Occupational Wages (Occupational Wage Survey) (June 2024 (data.gov.sg update 2026-04-01)), Singapore Open Data Licence v1.0, 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

Updated 4 October 2026