How to Create a Photographer Resume (with Images)

2024 Author: Samantha Chapman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 09:13

Photography is a fundamentally visual profession, so it's important that your resume is much more than just a sheet of paper. Here are some steps you can take to ensure that your resume not only highlights your technical skills, but also shows your artistic and creative side.

Steps

Part 1 of 4: Knowing Your Specialization

Step 1. Choose a branch of photography that interests you

Fashion, lifestyle, advertising, nature and food are just some of the most popular areas of photography. You need to know what your strongest skills are before you get started.

• Fashion photography requires a particular eye for current trends and the scenographic aspect. Do you enjoy working with models and celebrities? Do you consider fashion as an art? If you know how the fashion industry works, you will be able to create a place for yourself in this environment.

  

• Advertising / commercial photography is the most prominent. It is a mixture of fashion, products, food and portraiture. Photos should be able to sell or promote a product effectively. For those who intend to earn, this is a very lucrative field.

  

• Travel and wildlife photography require a lot of similar skills. Be prepared to leave your comfort zone to get the best photographs. Both require, in fact, a lot of field work and a lot of travel. On the other hand, they need little modification.

  

• Food photographers should be lovers of culinary art. You don't necessarily have to be a professional cook, but you need to know the various ingredients that make up a dish. You also need to invest in a good quality telephoto lens for enlargements.

  

Step 2. Evaluate your career in photography

What prompted you to start? For example, if you have always enjoyed photographing couples, you may be suitable for photographing weddings.

Step 3. Look at all your photographs and consider your best shots

You alone know what types of shots work best for you. Keep in mind that your future employers will also want to know your area of expertise.

• Organize your best photos in a folder. Look at them with a critical eye.
• Have you won any awards for a particular photographic style? Sort those shots in an orderly manner and put them first in your collection.
• Print your best photos in medium format after identifying the most significant ones. Look at them once more and remember the emotions you felt when you took them.

Step 4. Show the photographs to your peers or friends

Listen carefully to their opinion. It will certainly be constructive criticisms that will allow you to give a new perspective to your work and make it more incisive.

• Ask them to explain in detail why they prefer some photographs over others.

  

• Also ask them to write to you what they believe are your strongest skills and weaknesses as a photographer. This will help you develop better critical thinking.

  

• Remember to thank them for their advice and criticism. You may need them in the future too.

  

Step 5. Create the resume based on your strengths

If you are good at multiple fields of photography, pick one you want to specialize in and highlight it on your resume.

Step 6. Evaluate the pros and cons

Write them down separately if you can't decide what type of photography you want to build your career on.

• Some genres of photography require an assistant.

  

• Some sectors of photography require more specific equipment. For example: if you are a wildlife photographer, you will need waterproof equipment.

  

• How do you cope with social networks? If you don't like meeting new people, fashion or commercial photography is not for you.

  

• You will meet temperamental and irascible models or clients in the fashion industry. Decide if it's worth dealing with them despite the potential earnings.

  

Part 2 of 4: Writing the Resume

Step 1. This part can be divided into four areas

You must include personal information, school / professional experience, technical skills and a collection of your most significant works. Personal information aside, to express the rest you will also have to use your creativity (your portfolio).

• Be honest. Enter truthful information. You certainly don't want to start off on the wrong foot!
• Mention only the details that are relevant to the area you want to try your hand at as a photographer.
• Consider citing volunteer work you may have done in the past as a photographer.

Step 2. Write down your personal information

Your name, address, email, and phone number should appear at the top of the resume.

Step 3. Enter in detail qualifications, degrees and specializations, especially if they are related to photography

If they aren't, they're fine anyway. Keep in mind that your employers want to know all your past experiences.

Step 4. List your professional experiences in reverse chronological order (starting with the last job)

This will be the most important part of your resume, in addition to your portfolio.

• Clearly state your previous work experience by starting with the company name and adding your position and overall duration of employment.
• Briefly describe your responsibilities for each assignment. For example, if you were the assistant of a fashion photographer, mention your experience with the camera, work in the studio, lighting, set design, booking, etc.
• Specify your experience with graphic editing software and special photographic techniques that can set you apart from other candidates.
• List all your published photographs. You must add references to the books and journals in which they were inserted, specifying the date / month / year. Include copies of these works of yours in your portfolio as well.
• Make a list of the accolades or awards you have received in the past for your photographs.

Step 5. Include references or letters of recommendation

Choose well-known and important people who can guarantee your competence and professionalism in the sector. If they have worked with you in the past, their opinion will carry some weight.

• First, contact your references by phone or email. Explain which job you are applying for and why you need their support.
• Ask them if they prefer to be listed as a name or if you can add the phone number as well.
• List their names in the 'References' section of the resume, along with their titles, job positions, phone numbers and / or email addresses.
• For each contact, he explains which different job positions he held in the company.
• Ask for a recommendation from those people whose opinion you think may be relevant to the job you aspire to.

Step 6. Check if your prospective employer requires a cover letter

In this, you should explain why you are eligible for that position. Adding references will help you, especially if you don't have much photography experience.

• The cover letter must have a formal tone.
• Do not write more than two paragraphs in the body of the letter. The reader shouldn't be overwhelmed.
• If you are going to email it, type it in the body of the email, unless otherwise specified.
• If you will be using the postal service, you should put it in the envelope so that it is pulled out before the resume.

Step 7. Create a portfolio that illustrates all of the above skills, your personality and your creativity

Part 3 of 4: Create a Portfolio

Step 1. Photography is a visual medium and potential employers will want to see the whole of your work

Once you know what your job opportunities are, create the book to take with you for interviews. Present it in a way that matches the type of job you plan to fill.

• Go through all the photos you've taken over time as a professional. You will have to select your most satisfying works.

  

• Put together an impressive portfolio. If you feel your skills are limited, ask a friend for help or pay a designer to teach you a few tricks. It is a one-time investment that you can make at any time.

  

• Make prints of your photographs to keep them with you. The interview could take place in an informal setting, so having the printouts on hand will save you from having to reach for a computer.

  

• All your photographs should be high resolution (more than 5 mega pixels) and professionally finished. The ideal dimensions for a high quality print are the standard ones: 8 x 10 inches (20, 32 x 25, 4 cm), 12 x 9 inches (30, 48 x 22, 86 cm) or 10 x 13 inches (25, 4 x 33.02 cm).

  

Step 2. Create a portfolio on the web

Use the internet to share your works with an employer and your peers. You can also post your resume on a website - just send the link.

• You can purchase a domain on the web through hosting sites such as wordpress.com, domain.com, or godaddy.com.
• Select a site name and check if it's available, so you can register it in your name and use.
• Blog hosting sites like Wordpress, Blogger and Typepad.com have ready-made templates for photographers who want to put their work online. You can use a free format or pay a certain amount to access the more elaborate ones.
• Use your website to showcase your creativity, as well as your graphic designer skills.
• Use social networks like tumblr, DeviantART and Flickr to post your photos online. Show potential employers that your photos have been liked by indicating the number of comments or "likes".

Step 3. Compose a book

Every photographer should have one with them to deal with interviews. Employers may ask for this during the interview, so it's best to be prepared.

• Mention your personal data in the portfolio. Also add contact information, just like you would your resume.
• Web companies, such as blurb.com and myprintfolio.com, print and ship the album to you as a hardcover book.
• To organize your works, choose a specific volume. Your photos should be large enough to be appreciated and should follow each other to reflect your talent and artistic sensibility.
• Purchase a simple binder for any additional photographs that don't fit your portfolio.
• Add captions when needed. Sometimes a photo speaks for itself and is best left as it is, with no comments.
• Print the album at home with your printer. Make sure the products are of high quality.
• Search online for a printer in your area to have the book printed.

Part 4 of 4: Submit the Resume

Step 1. Check your resume before submitting it

Even if you are short on time, you need to follow this step before shipping it.

• Update your resume the day before submitting it. If you have acquired a new skill in photography or if you have achieved new goals, check to see if you have added them to your resume.
• Check if your c.v. is appropriate for the job you are applying for. You will be facilitated in this task by knowing what your future employer expects of you.
• Make sure all sections of the resume are clearly distinct. Highlight the most important goals.
• Make sure the content flows logically and is easy to read. You will have already done it with your portfolio: apply the same principles to your resume.
• Typographical errors rarely create a good impression. Check the text carefully to make sure there are no spelling, grammar or syntax errors.

Step 2. Ask your prospective employer how he would like to see your resume / portfolio

Once you know this, you can use any of the following methods for delivery.

• Copy resume and photo album to DVD or flash drive. Create folders and name them before sending them to your potential boss.

  

• If you plan to email your resume with photos, write your cover letter explaining what attachments it contains, along with the file names themselves.

  

• Recruiters sometimes prefer a resume and cover letter in PDF format that you can send or upload online. Adobe Acrobat is a software used to save an MS Word document as a PDF file.

  

• Handing it all in personally is the best way to let your personality shine through. Make sure you bring your resume and portfolio, as well as DVD / stick with your work. Most employers are not interested in keeping a hard copy of your work. However, someone may request them in some other form.

  

Step 3. Wait a week before contacting the company again

This step is only valid if they haven't told you when they will call you back.

• Thank your interviewer in a short email or handwritten note after completing the interview. Do it as soon as possible.

  

• Make yourself available to be contacted by phone or email at any time after the interview. They might call you for a second or third interview.

  

• Don't be pushy. If they tell you they will call back, be patient.

  

Advice

• Organize your resume according to your strengths. If you are a recent graduate of a prestigious photography faculty, please list your academic credentials before your experience. If you do not have a degree, but you have worked closely with a famous photographer, put your education last and list your work experience first.
• Try to make a good first impression. Try to make your resume as unique as your photography style in order to increase your chances of being called for an interview.
• Think about the presentation. Since you work in a creative industry, make sure your resume and bio reflect your artistic and creative talent. The layout and graphic layout should generate interest in you and your work.
• Take precautions when posting your photos online. Make sure they are copyrighted, Creative Commons licensed, or watermarked to prevent them from being used.