Photographers build service orientation, judgment and decision making and complex problem solving skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators (78%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators | 78% | $55,490 | +24% | None |
| 2 | Craft Artists | 77% | $46,080 | +3% | None |
| 3 | Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers | 76% | $39,390 | −12% | None |
| 4 | Special Effects Artists and Animators | 73% | $102,030 | +128% | Bachelor's degree |
| 5 | Graphic Designers | 73% | $62,960 | +41% | Bachelor's degree |
| 6 | Prepress Technicians and Workers | 71% | $48,690 | +9% | None |
| 7 | Floral Designers | 70% | $37,360 | −16% | None |
| 8 | Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance | 70% | $97,150 | +118% | None |
| 9 | Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers | 69% | $52,540 | +18% | None |
| 10 | Desktop Publishers | 68% | $55,290 | +24% | None |
Compared with Photographers, median $44,660. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as photographers (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
78% skill match · $55,490 · +24% pay
Management of Financial Resources
No work-context factor stands out as unusually hard in O*NET data.
77% skill match · $46,080 · +3% pay
Management of Financial Resources · Management of Material Resources · Repairing
No work-context factor stands out as unusually hard in O*NET data.
76% skill match · $39,390 · −12% pay
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators (78% skill match, median $55,490), Craft Artists (77% skill match, median $46,080) and Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers (76% skill match, median $39,390), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 19 pay more than photographers at the median. The biggest increases: Art Directors (+157%, $114,850), Special Effects Artists and Animators (+128%, $102,030) and Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance (+118%, $97,150).
21 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.