How to become a photographer in Australia
Photographers operate still cameras to take photographs.
The all-jobs median is $1,852 a week. Jobs in the photographers group are projected to grow 12.8% between May 2025 and May 2035, about the same as the 13.3% projected for all jobs. Projections are indicative, not forecasts, and JSA says they don't yet reflect generative AI.
What the job involves
- Consulting with clients to determine objectives of photographic assignments
- Studying requirements of assignment and selecting type of camera, film, filter and lighting
- Working from a studio, and transporting and setting up equipment at assigned locations
- Measuring light levels and determining exposure
- Adjusting camera angles, aperture settings and subjects to achieve desired composition
- Adjusting lighting and filters to accentuate highlights and colours
How to get there
What it usually takes. A diploma or advanced diploma. This is the skill level Jobs and Skills Australia gives the photographers group, and some roles differ.
What people in the job have. Highest qualification held: 38% a degree or higher, 21% a diploma, 12% a Certificate III or IV.
Many jobs also need registration, a licence or a specific accredited course. Check the professional body or regulator before you choose.
Courses that can lead here
Estimate your ATAR and this page shows the gap to each course. Your marks stay on your device.
Victoria5 matches
VTAC lowest selection ranks, December 2025 offer round.
Diplomas and other ways in
NSW and ACT2 matches
UAC lowest selection ranks, December Round 2, 2025-26 admissions.
Diplomas and other ways in
Showing 1 of 2 matches. Search every course.
Queensland5 matches
QTAC course pages, ATAR/Selection Rank profile for semester 1, 2026.
Diplomas and other ways in
Showing 3 of 5 matches. Search every course.
Western Australia2 matches
TISC Course Search: lowest ATAR offered for 2026 entry and guaranteed offer ATARs.
Bachelor of Creative Media in Photography · Murdoch, Perth70.00 guaranteed Bachelor of Design in Photography · Curtin, Perth60.20Matched on course names, 14 across four admissions centres. A lowest selection rank includes adjustment points and moves every year. Check prerequisites and whether the course is accredited for this job.
Graduate outcomes, national
Undergraduates surveyed about four to six months after finishing, in 2025, across all providers. Full-time work is among those available for it. All graduates: 75.4% and $77,000. These are national figures for the study area, not for this course or uni, and a first-year salary says little about later pay. Source: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025.
Does it fit your interests?
Strongest interest areas for this kind of work: Realistic, Artistic, Conventional.
From O*NET ratings for "Photographers", the closest US occupation in JSA's correspondence (a good match). US ratings are a guide to Australian jobs, not a measurement of them.
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Share your storyJob data: © Commonwealth of Australia, Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profiles, February 2026 and Employment Projections, May 2025 to May 2035 (Victoria University), CC BY 4.0. Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO 2013 Version 1.2 to O*NET-SOC 2019 Taxonomy correspondence.
Graduate outcomes: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025, National Report Tables (Social Research Centre, for the Australian Government).
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database 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. Curve ATAR has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.