Artistic professions have their own rules, so you need to create the right photographer CV to get an invitation to an interview. You don’t know what to include in your application documents and what to omit? Are you wondering how to stand out from the dozens of candidates for a good position? Read on and you will learn our tips for creating a modern photographer’s CV!

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Photographer's CV

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Photographer’s CV – how to enter personal data?

You might think that there is nothing easier than typing in personal information, but this section in a photographer’s resume causes a lot of problems. The reason may be the certainty that it cannot be done wrong. Learn a few simple rules for entering data into a photographer’s CV and create a document tailored to current trends

  • All you need to do is: name, surname, phone number and e-mail address.
  • Optionally, enter: job title (e.g. product photographer) and city of residence.
  • Do not provide: date of birth, exact address, marital status, etc.
  • You can place the portfolio at the top or bottom of your photographer resume. It is best if it is added in the form of an active link.
  • You can include information about your readiness for relocation.
  • At the end, always check the correctness of the data entered. Even a typo in your email address will prevent employers from contacting you. Read your photographer resume even several times.

Where to start writing a photographer’s CV?

If creating application documents stresses you out, divide the process into smaller stages. You can tackle any task in this simple way. The first step to creating a photographer’s resume will be to write a concise but concise professional summary.
Why does the description of your career goal give you an advantage over others?
Modern standards for writing a photographer’s CV assume that it should include a professional summary. However, many people skip this step. By remembering about it, you will make your candidacy stand out!
What else does you get from putting a professional summary at the very beginning of a photographer’s CV?
A recruiter who reviews hundreds of applications a day does not read them from cover to cover. By writing a few sentences in which you include your most important strengths, you can encourage him to learn more about your candidacy and open your portfolio.

Tips on how to write a professional summary in a photographer’s CV + example

CV Photographer
  • Try to keep it concise. A photographer’s resume should be concise, but not long. In times when we live faster and faster, people lose interest in what they read after a while. Ideally, you should fit in a maximum of 50-65 words.
  • Answer the questions: who are you, what is your experience, what are your most important achievements? You can also name the best clients for whom you have photographed.
  • Describe your professional goal, i.e. what you want to achieve in the company you are applying to. What skills do you want to improve? After all, the best learn all their lives. Show that you are a professional who wants to learn even more.
  • Use the language of benefits, your goal is to convince the recruiter to your candidacy with the help of a photographer’s CV.

Sample job offer for a photographer:

Requirements:

  • Photoshop – advanced support – retouching of product photos (layers/masks, transformation, blemish removal, etc.)
  • Knowledge of photo processing: color correction, photomontage, photo editing
  • Taking packshot photos
  • Preparing products for the session
  • Flash, continuous and available light operation
  • Set the correct exposure and composition of your photo

Expect:

  • Hands-on experience in product photography retouching – portfolio of jobs
  • A high level of commitment to the tasks entrusted to you
  • A high sense of aesthetics
  • Readiness to work according to our proprietary procedures
  • Collaborate with your creative team
  • Ability to work under time pressure

Professional summary in a photographer’s resume bad example:
“A photographer with five years of experience working in e-commerce. I know Photoshop at an advanced level. I am committed and motivated. I encourage you to familiarize yourself with my portfolio.”

Photographer resume template professional summary good example:
“I’m a photographer with five years of experience working for the e-commerce sector, mainly brands such as X and Y. I’ve done the shoots in collaboration with the creative team, from the preparation of the composition, the setting of the lights and the shooting, to the editing in Photoshop, which has no secrets from me. My unique style can be seen in the attached portfolio. In your company, I would like to learn more advanced photography techniques.”

Why is experience important in a photographer’s resume?

Representatives of creative and artistic professions often work as freelancers, collecting individual orders. Any form of employment is valuable for your photographer resume. If you have worked for one company for a long time, it will be a very valuable entry in your CV. It will show that you are a person who fulfills your duties well and can develop in one position.

A photographer’s CV can therefore highlight the most important clients from recognizable brands. If you don’t have that experience, focus on the job description that includes the techniques and programs you can use.

CV Photographer

CV photography – what to keep in mind when describing your experience?

  • Remember to use the keywords included in the job advertisement in your photographer’s resume . These are, for example, the names of specific programs and skills. Medium and larger companies use CV scanning programs that capture individual phrases. If you skip them, your documents may not even be opened by the recruiter.
  • Check the correctness of the spelling, avoid stylistic and spelling mistakes and typos. Also, take care of the aesthetics of this column – use bullets, bold and appropriate division of the text.
  • List responsibilities in a professional manner, describing exactly what you did. Remember about all important tasks to show yourself as a candidate ready to take on difficult challenges.
  • If you have special achievements, list them. This will prove that you are a real expert.
Photographer CV template

CV photographer – template of the section with experience

A good example of an experience description in a photographer’s resume:

06.2020-11.2023 Company XYZ
Position: Product Photographer
Main responsibilities:

  • preparation and arrangement of products before taking photos
  • taking advertising photos and spin packshots
  • Adjust photos, adjust color and contrast in Photoshop
  • preparing photos for publication on websites and social media

Additional responsibilities:

  • development of advertising campaigns in cooperation with the marketing department
  • creating and updating a database of product photos

04.2017-02.2021 Freelancer
Main customers:
Gazeta XY – creating reports on events in the town hall
Gazeta YZ – making a photo report for the column “Życie Krakowa”

Achieve:
2021 – 1st place in the National Advertising Photography Competition
2022 – Implementation of new packshot standards, which contributed to an increase in product sales by 15%

Bad example of an experience description in a photographer’s resume:

2020-2023 XYZ Company
Photographer
Obligations:

  • preparing the station before taking photos
  • Packshots
  • photo editing in Photoshop
  • updating the database of product photos

Skills in a Photographer’s Resume – Everything You Need to Know

In the profession of a photographer, it is skills that play a key role. What you can do can be seen in your portfolio, but you also need to take care of your CV.

  • Remember that the Curriculum Vitae should be concise. It is best if it fits on one, maximum two A4 pages. So list only your most important competences.
  • At the top, place those items that coincide with the requirements indicated in the job advertisement.
  • Don’t forget about either hard skills, i.e. technical ones, or soft skills, related to your personality (e.g. teamwork).
  • You can simply write down the items you want or specify how well you have mastered them. Use a graphical scale (dots, squares, etc.) to better illustrate to recruiters, for example, your proficiency in Photoshop.

CV photographer – examples of hard skills

  • Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom;
  • fashion photography;
  • product photography;
  • wedding photography;
  • interior and architecture photography;
  • event and reportage photography;
  • Macro photography;
  • creating panoramas and HDR photos;
  • knowledge of printing techniques and preparation of photos for printing;
  • knowledge of underwater photography techniques;
  • knowledge of the principles of composition and framing of photos;
  • ability to work with flashes and constant lighting;
  • ability to photograph in various lighting and weather conditions;
  • social media management and branding;
  • knowledge of English at a level (e.g. very good, fluent or B1, B2, C1, C2, etc.);
  • managing the budget of photographic projects.

CV photographer – examples of soft skills

  • Creativity and innovation;
  • communicativeness;
  • Timeliness;
  • self-reliance;
  • flexibility and adaptation to changing conditions;
  • ability to work in a team;
  • patience and calmness at work under time pressure;
  • excellent work organization;
  • openness to customer needs;
  • independence and initiative;
  • empathy and the ability to build relationships;
  • great commitment to the tasks entrusted to them.
CV photography

CV photographer – how to describe education?

This section should be described in a concise manner, including a date range, the name of the university, the field of study, and the degree obtained. Also list trainings, webinars, workshops and courses. Although education is not necessary to practice the profession of a photographer, it is worth including it, because it is an important section in every resume. If you have graduated from a field related to art, it will be a huge advantage. The studies cover a lot of theoretical issues, in addition, practical classes are held there. The material allows you to gain broad and specialist knowledge. Majors that are valuable in a photographer’s CV are, m.in:

  • photography;
  • mediaworking;
  • media art – photography and multimedia;
  • photography and creation of the visual message;
  • visual studies;
  • film, television and photography;
  • art history.

Photographer’s CV template of education description:

09.2018 – 08.2021 Academy of Fine Arts im. Eugeniusz Geppert in Wrocław
Direction: Media Art – Photography & Multimedia
Title obtained: Bachelor

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What courses will be a valuable item in a photographer’s CV?

The courses are an excellent form of learning for people without a professional education and a way to improve skills for art graduates. This section can be at the bottom of your photographer resume or in the side column below skills. If you want to highlight the completed workshops more, you can even write them above the skills.

Examples of courses for a photographer’s CV:

  • commercial photography;
  • product photography for e-commerce;
  • formal photography;
  • black and white photography workshops;
  • dog photography workshops;
  • a course in the basics of photography;
  • operation and practical use of flash units;
  • photo editing in Adobe Camera RAW;
  • portraits from A to Z.

CV photographer – should you write your interests?

Cover letter photographer

Include your interests, especially if they are related to creative artistic activity, but other areas can also be valuable. If you write that you like a sport, such as jogging, you will show that you are an active person. The hobby section of a photographer’s CV should be at the very end of the document, just above the CV clause.

Examples of hobbies for a photographer’s resume:

  • visiting contemporary art galleries;
  • creating photographic exhibitions;
  • running a photo vlog on the YouTube channel;
  • creating and editing videos;
  • creating animations;
  • developing your Instagram profile;
  • observation and photographing of nature;
  • creating reportages on social and cultural events;
  • new technologies and trends in photography;
  • clay carving;
  • graphic design.

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Cover letter photographer – get a chance to stand out

Many candidates send the same photographer’s CV to all places, without changing it for a specific offer. This can be a big mistake, because with a lot of competition, only some of the documents are really analyzed. A photographer cover letter can be a chance for you to get the attention of a recruiter. This is the official form of an application document in which you address a specific person directly.

Tips on how to write an effective photographer cover letter:

  • Try to make it more informative than the CV itself. It should not be a copy of the Curriculum Vitae, treat it as an opportunity to show more of your skills and advantages.
  • Keep it short. You should not write too much in your application documents. Choose the most important points you want to convey and create content based on them.
  • Use a positive message, after all, the photographer’s cover letter is supposed to encourage the recruiter to get to know you better. Introduce yourself as a candidate who has a lot of interesting things to say at the interview.
  • Like a photographer’s resume, a cover letter must include keywords from the job posting. When the ability to work under pressure is required, for example, write that you can handle time pressure, which was useful when implementing a seasonal project for brand XYZ.
  • Justify your skills, you can write where and under what circumstances you used them.
  • Highlight achievements and successes. Employers are willing to hire people who make a real contribution to increasing profits in the company.

The photographer cover letter and photographer CV can be your ticket to the next important steps in your career. So make sure they look good!

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