This is impossible to answer without knowing the person asking the question. “One person’s meat is another person’s poison” is an old saying before the health and environmental problems of meat we now understand were even known.
Every potential Wildlife Photographer needs to answer the question for themselves weighing their own circumstances, character, and abilities. This post will give some of the questions that need to be asked and some of the answers that you might not know.
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Potential Wildlife Photographers have to look at what aspects of their career are important to them. These would be Income, Art, Temperament, Independence and Teaching.
Some General Points
The launch and development of the smartphone in the last 15 years means that there are billions of people with telephones that can produce photographs of outstanding quality. This significantly affects the competition for both salaried and entrepreneurial jobs not only directly but also because of the large numbers of previously employed photographers who are now looking for new careers.
Enterprise System
Does the Potential Wildlife Photographer see themselves as an employee with a salary, benefits, and a long-term work position or as an entrepreneur making their career from selling their photographic work and/or photographic services?
There are two issues behind the question. If the photographer is looking for a career where they can work hard but still have time for life outside work and seldom have to worry about income security then they are looking for a job with an established company. If they are focused on succeeding, having freedom in how they operate and are prepared to work extra hard then a freelance career suits them best. It must be realized that they will only earn once they have established themselves well and built a reputation. Once established and recognized a good income is possible. The freelance option also opens the chance of super wealth if the photographer is able to supply the luxury fine art market where cost bears little relationship to input. The chance of this is very small and only a select few make it, but we should dream.
Income
Salaried Positions
Indeed.com provides what appears to be good salary information. They give the average salary of a Photographer in the USA as $43,856 within a range of $18,425 to $103 104. This was on 6 February 2023, based on “320 salaries collected over the last 36 months” by themselves. This is compared to average salaries of $27,627 for a teacher, $93,503 for a chemical engineer, and $31,341 for a cashier.
For comparison, Glass Door gave a range of k$30 to k$100 with an average of k$47 and US Labour gave an average of k$ 41.
This gives a hint of how well photographers are paid but the only way to find out is to analyze adverts or to sign up with agencies and start looking. Impossible.com has no data for wildlife photographers presumably because they had too little information
It appears that there is not a large demand for wildlife photographers and their salaries are modest, so this is not the career for one who wants to live a luxurious life.
Freelancing
Understanding what a Freelance photographer can expect to earn is even more difficult Indeed.com gives an average of $ 21,056 (with a range of $15,566 to $57,093) while Adorama put it at between $30,000 and $75,000 per year.
So on average Freelancers appear to earn less than salaried photographers which make sense as those who are struggling and eventually fail account for the low minimum and the maximum only makes sense if those few top freelancers who earn many times more are not included.
Photography is a really competitive industry and requires serious effort to succeed. If you have the talent and make a serious effort, it can offer a very creative and profitable career.
Art & Recognition
If an “Artistic Life” and public recognition as a significant artist are important requirements then a freelance wildlife photography career is definitely a great one, It gives artistic freedom and has art as a large part of its day.
Work Environment
The wildlife Photographer works in an environment that is based on the habitat of the subject. For animals which seem to be the preferred subject for fine-art photography this most often is the outdoors and frequently in remote areas. So it’s a great career for the person who enjoys the outdoors, is passionate about nature and looks for new experiences.
Temperament
It also requires long waits and patience for the chance to photograph the animal possibly in demanding environments and weather. So the photographer who likes and is used to the outdoors will find it an important aspect of a good career
A photographer with a love of nature and a commitment to conservation will gain the maximum enjoyment from spending long periods in magnificent unspoiled environments very much on their own.
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Independence
Possibly one of the real benefits of freelance wildlife Photography is that it allows as much independence as the photographer desires and is by its nature a one-on-one between photographer and animal with at most some transport and logistic support should the photographer so desire.
Photographic assignments are often in new areas with new animals and behaviors in countries with different cultures and practices which is a great attraction for most Photographers.
Teaching
Well-known and recognized Wild Life Photographers come to teaching as a way of spreading their unique knowledge of the animals they photograph and the techniques they use. Education can be through books, videos, workshops, and eventually practical field trips based on the photographers’ unique knowledge. Photographers with a desire to teach will see this as adding to the positives of a career in Wildlife Photography.
If these are the aspects an individual considers important Wildlife Photographer is a good career.