Salary
Average Salary: $59,000
Expected Lifetime Earnings: $2,463,132
The odds are you won't be making nearly as much money as the models and celebrities you're taking pictures of.
Fashion photographers make about $59k a year, which definitely won't grant you the glamorous lifestyle that glimmers from the glossy covers of magazines. If you want to write your name on the wall with caviar (we don't know why you would), you need to find another profession.
What's worse is that the vast majority of people who try to flash their cameras in this field never make it anywhere near the $59k mark. Plenty of wannabes do it for free or sink their inheritance money from dear Aunt Flo into it—all in the hopes that somebody, anybody, will notice their work and give them that big break. The fact of the matter is that counting on a big break usually leaves you with a broken heart.
Even if you start to break into the business, you'll be about 20 blocks down from Easy Street.
Some magazines don't pay at all, or just cover your expenses and not your time. If you're selling your photos in galleries (which is a big IF), they'll typically take a cut of the asking price, and if you're just starting out, your asking price won't be much. Are you getting the picture here? There's not a lot of money in it. Want to try your hand at something else? Maybe wedding photography? Some wedding photographers take in over $100k a year. How scary can those bridezillas be?
If you're lucky enough to crack the upper echelon of the fashion photography world, the money can be great. Like, really, really, great. According to Clio McNicholl, photo editor for Allure, her magazine pays experienced photographers up to $130,000 for a spread. That's nothing to sneeze at.
But even if you're lucky enough to hit a huge payday, it might be a feast or famine kind of thing. You might make a ton of money on one project, but then not book anything for months, years, or ever again. The art world is fickle. One minute, it seems like you're happily married, and the next you're being served divorce papers.
If you're willing to take the risk, the rewards can be huge. Just don't be surprised if bridezilla black and whites are what end up paying your rent.