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Photographer
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Build my resume Since 2011, Dyonte had been building up his experience as a photographer: He’d been lucky enough to land a junior photographer role after graduation. A couple of jobs later, he was ready to advance further—but he knew he needed some good photographer resume examples to help build some momentum.
A good friend recommended our guides on what makes up a winning resume format, and Dyonte felt relief. With some awesome tools in hand, he knew he could fast-track to his next position and continue capturing unforgettable shots.
Don’t worry: Not everyone’s lucky enough to get such an early start in their career, but making a solid resume and writing a thoughtful cover letter will give you a leg up and empower you to find success like Dyonte!
Show technical skills
- So, you’ve got the technical side of photography down pat? Awesome! Now’s your chance to flaunt those skills that go right into the heart of producing quality work and totally charm potential employers.
- Did you use lighting techniques to produce stunning images that amplified engagement? Are you a whiz at Photoshop, knowing every trick in the book? How about your familiarity with studio gear—can you operate and maintain all the essential equipment?
- You want to complement those technical competencies with soft skills (cue eye for detail, patience, customer service, and creativity), some of which deserve a mention in your resume career summary.
Add relevant links
- Recruiters aren’t just going to take your claims to be the best at face value. They’ll only award you a phone screen if you let them peek at your work, and what better way to do that than tossing some choice links into your freelance photographer resume?
- Adding the links to your LinkedIn profile and portfolio invites recruiters into your professional world, allowing them to see your endorsements, potential, and other job-relevant information. It’s all about revealing the full spectrum of your potential.
- Ensuring your LinkedIn profile and portfolio website are customized to showcase relevant work in photography is pretty non-negotiable if you’re serious about attracting the right attention.
Using projects
- Just because you’re a bit unseasoned doesn’t mean you’re unprepared for action. But here’s the thing: recruiters might be raising an eyebrow or two. So how about shining a light on relevant projects?
- Job-specific projects call attention to the skills and experiences that could make you an asset if brought on board. They illustrate your readiness and potential, a slick move that helps chill out concerns about whether you have enough mileage in the field.
- Right under your work experience, lay your projects section out kind of your work history entries, i.e., highlighting the project’s name, timeline/duration, and notable accomplishments with genuine numbers to back them up.
Emphasize career growth
- Ah, having navigated the waters for quite a while, you’re finally in control. Shedding light on your outstanding career journey could be the trick to nudge the odds in your favor.
- The reverse chronological format is the way to go. Kick off by showing off your wins in your most current role (think lead photographer) and then, wind back to the gems from your internship days.
- However, zero in on roles that are directly relevant to the job, making sure your word of choice mirrors the language of the job description.
Fit into the job
- “Is my child safe in your hands?” That’s a question clients will throw your way before giving you a chance. The key takeaway here is that showcasing safety awareness can go a long way in boosting your chances of bagging that job.
- Recount moments where you tailored your approach to enhance children’s comfort, taking into account their emotional state, willingness to cooperate, and age. Not to mention these stories can provide powerful content for your photographer cover letter.
- “Developed a comfortable setting for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers to capture natural expressions, leading to a 37% increase in repeat customers” makes for a great example here.
Capitalizing your interests
- Starting out is tough, no doubt! We totally get it Adding one or two extra sections to your resume for additional clout could wow the recruiter and sway them in your favor, even over more-experienced folks.
- For instance, if you’re a certified professional photographer, don’t shy away from bragging about it in your resume. It’s a clear signal that you’ve put in the extra effort to level up your skills.
- Sliding a section summarizing resume-worthy hobbies and interests right below your certifications is another trick to strengthen your applications. Impressive mentions could include nature photography, theatre extra, and urban exploration.
Accent your artistic skills
- For a creative photographer seeking a competitive edge, now is the perfect moment to zoom in on your artistic skills. Essentially, just how good are you at creating visually stunning and emotionally resonant images?
- You want to showcase in-demand skills like photo manipulation and lighting mastery in action throughout your masterpiece, complemented by how you’ve blended your creative flair and technical know-how to crush projects.
- One could, for example, talk about that time they refined over 1200 photographs of Porche interiors through Wacom Intuos Pro, with a whopping 9.6/10 score from the marketing team.
Keep work history punchy
- Real estate photographers with only a few years of experience snapping properties should focus on beefing up their work history, seeing to it that every detail screams excellence.
- The game plan? Make the most of the well-liked reverse chronological format and kick off your bullet points with strong action verbs. Then, quantify your accomplishments and sprinkle in some industry-relevant lingo, and you’re already setting yourself up to score that job interview.
- Now, about your resume length, three work experience sections, each with four bullet points and all fitting nicely within a single page is the sweet spot.
Tick the right boxes
- For those in the business of immortalizing love stories, you want to be the pro behind the lens who can turn a couple’s special day into a gallery of timeless snapshots. Ticking off the right boxes in your resume could set things in motion for your candidacy.
- How about at least one section demonstrating a proven track record of nailing wedding shoots? Pair that with your mastery of handy software and equipment (cue Canon EOS R5, Fundy Designer, HoneyBook, Rawsie, and TinyPNG), and you’re the tech-savvy, memory-making pro they want.
- The cherry on top? Include a hyperlink to your wedding photo portfolio, inviting, recruiters into a world where your lenses spin love stories like no other.
Choosing a resume template
- Planning successful professional car shoots takes some exceptional organizational chops, and a resume that calls attention to your knack for keeping things in line can leave a mark on recruiters.
- How about you stick with the classic single-column resume template? It’s clean, professional, and a breeze to read, which means hiring managers can breeze through your narration without any hassle
- Of course, you’ve got to hit those resume basics (we’re talking header, work history, skills, and education). And a snappy resume summary echoing your relevant experience and intention for the role? Chef’s kiss.
Go for subtle colors
- Color plays a massive role in making images and videos pop, right? Take it from us—gussying up your photographer-videographer resume with a little bit of it is one way to pique recruiters’ interest and flaunt your creative edge.
- For this case, you’ve got the leeway to move past the all-too-common monochromatic resume design and instead use an eye-catching color (think light purple? for the header, the university you attended, and former/current places of work.
- Go easy on the color usage, though. While it can be tempting to splash a rainbow across your work like the pro creative you are, too much will actually affect readability, which might turn off potential employers.
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Stephen is the co-founder and CEO of BeamJobs. He started his career in data fulfilling the dream of little kids everywhere: working for an insurance company. He then moved on to work in edtech for a company called Chegg before venturing out to start BeamJobs. Things have come a long way after countless “learnings” (fancy word for mistakes), and BeamJobs has now helped 2.5M+ people create their perfect resume. Stephen and BeamJobs have been featured on awesome sites like Business Insider, Chicago Tribune, Dallas News, Baltimore Sun, the Daily Press, Zendesk, HubSpot, and loads more.
