Photographer Although I Also Do Some Design And Graphic Design 

(Female, Age 34) from Rockford, IL

This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 34 who works as a Photographer Although I Also Do Some Design And Graphic Design in Rockford, IL. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.

At a Glance

Current Job

Basic data on your current job

Job Title Photographer Although I Also Do Some Design And Graphic Design
Salary $40,000
Other Compensation None Set
Hours/Week
Company Size (not answered)
Location Rockford, IL
Years Experience 5 years

Career Ratings

Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)

Years in Career 0
Education (not answered)
Income Rating 0 / 10
Interest Rating 0 / 10
Work-Life Rating 0 / 10
Fulfilment Rating 0 / 10

Current job Q&A

Describe the type of organization you work for.
I work for a small business that employs a few photographers and a few graphic artists and designers. We provide design and art services to individuals as well as corporate clients.

Describe your job role and responsibilities.
I photograph events, people, products, animals or just about anything. I process the images myself and turn them over to our company, that in turn sells them to individuals or businesses. At times, I also work with our designers and graphic artists with the photographs that I have taken and we incorporate my images into brochures, newsletters, posters, or whatever our clients need with the photographs that I have taken.

Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
I have medical and dental and vision insurances. I also have the ability to work flex-time. I have paid time off.

Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
I feel as if I am fairly compensated especially since I have the ability to work flex time. Flex time allows me the time to do things that I would not be able to do under the restrictions of a 9-5 job.

Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
I work with others on a daily basis. I generally go into the office and work with others at least part of my day. The other part of my day I am providing services to individuals or businesses so I am work with others at that time too. I love that my job entails doing something new and different everyday. I also love that it allows me to be creative. I dislike some of the deadlines that I have to meet and sometimes I feel like I don’t have enough time to work on a particular project. I also dislike when a company makes me stick to formal guidelines and doesn’t ask for my creative opinion.

Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes

Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes

Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
I work in both a office and out in the field. I prefer being out in the field because that is more of my natural environment where I am actually taking pictures. The office is ok but it is more restrictive, i.e. deadlines, meetings, formality.

Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 6
Benefits: 7
Hours: 8
Co-Workers: 3
Supervisors: 2
Job Title: 5
Level of Responsibility: 4
The Actual Work: 1

A day in the life of…

Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:

5am to 6am
6am to 7am
7am to 8am 7:45 checked voice mail on cell phone to see if there were any messages that were work related. Made notes of calls that I had to return.
8am to 9am 8:30 arrived at the office and checked voice mail on work phone and made notations of calls I needed to return. 8:50 checked schedule to see where I was needed in the field.
9am to 10am 9:15 Staff meeting for everyone at the office. Staff meeting consisted of discussing new projects, old projects, plans for upgrading equipment in the office, hiring new employees etc… I updated our office with what I was currently working on and what future work was coming up for me.
10am to 11am 10:45 staff meeting lets out
11am to 12pm 11:00 start returning phone calls to clients that have questions about their projects, upcoming photo shoots, etc..
12pm to 1pm at lunch
1pm to 2pm 1:00 Commute to client’s business 1:45 Meeting with clients to discuss the scope of their ideas for a marketing brochure and how they would like to have thier product featured. My role was to share with the client how I can help them achieve their goals regarding their marketing ideas and how I planned to do this for them.
2pm to 3pm Still in meeting with client discussing their ideas for project.
3pm to 4pm Meet with additional staff member of client’s business to discuss my part of the overall project. Again, my role was to share with the employees how I could help them to achieve their goals of running a successful marketing campaign.
4pm to 5pm Commute back to the office. 4:30 make notations regarding the meetings I had earlier with clients regarding their ideas, guidelines, instructions etc…
5pm to 6pm Return a few more phone calls. Check schedule for the next day. Stop in owner’s office to touch base with her about what transpired over the meeting I had with the new client. We discussed a few ideas and made plans later in the week to get together to discuss it again.
6pm to 7pm Checked voice mail on cell to see if there were any additional work related messages. 6:15 left work for the day.
7pm to 8pm
8pm to 9pm
9pm to 10pm
10pm to 11pm
11pm to 12am

Table of Contents

How you got your job

How did you get your current job?
I met someone working at the business itself at an art show and they suggested that I come in and talk to a co-owner who was looking to fill a photographer job.

What was the application process?
I brought in a photography portfolio and resume. I also filled out a paper application.

Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
I did have a short interview but it was basically decided beforehand that I would get the job as the person I met was a co-owner of the business and she said that she would be willing to hire me but at least needed to formally introduce me to the other co-owner.

If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
I was asked questions about what companies I worked for/or with. I was asked what type of photography I had experience with. I was asked what kind of projects I have done. I was asked what type of clients I had worked with.

Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
My employer did properly prepare me as they allowed me to follow another photographer to see how they did their job. This allowed me to organize myself and learn what was required of me when I contacted businesses etc…

Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
There was no formal training for my job per se but my employer new that I was well versed in photoshop and other photo editing programs. My employer also knew that I had previous experience working with individuals and companies.

Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
My educational background gave me the technical skills to be proficient in my job. For example, I learned photoshop which is the editing program that most professional photographers use to tweak their images. My educational background also gave me the social skills to be able to work with people of various backgrounds with various needs.

If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
I did not have a formal internship.

If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
I would suggest at least getting an undergraduate degree. I would also suggest working with someone in the field as as intern or with an agreement that they would be willing to mentor. Continuing education is also a good way to keep fresh and updated.

What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
A person needs good social skills because they will be working with all kinds of people with varied needs. It is important to be able to communicate well. Organization skills are necessary because there are always deadlines to meet and things need to be prioritized correctly. Technical skills are a must because the client has to had confidence in your ability to get the job done correctly the first time.

Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
I have a Master’s Degree in an unrelated field but I also have a undergraduate art degree with an emphasis in Photography. I believe my education has served me well in my field and I don’t think I would be as comfortable in the field without it.

What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
I would suggest that they pay attention to detail and always make notations of how a client envisions their project to be done. Don’t be afraid to ask questions as it is better to be inquisitive then to assume or guess you know what a client might want. Always touch base with your client as the project goes along to make sure you are on the right path as well as to give them an update as to where you are in the process. This makes them feel comfortable as well as makes you accountable and responsible for completing things in a timely manner.

Long-term career plans

Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
My current employment is part of my career plan as I would eventually like to go into business for myself. The experience that I am obtaining now will certainly help me along the way.

What are your current career goals?
My current career goals are to market some of my images. I have had numerous images published but I would like to market some as well (perhaps as cards, t-shirts, calendars, etc…). I would also like to own my own photography business.

Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
I took the long route into finding my way to the field I am in. If I could have done it differently I would have bypassed the Sociology undergraduate and Social Work graduate degrees and I would have went to a college that specialized in creative arts degrees.

Prior work history

Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:

Title Length Salary Description
Prior Job 1 Social Worker 5 35000 I assessed an individual’s disability or disabilities and ensured that they received para-transit if necessary. I also worked with various social service agencies in developing a program to help train those with disabilities so that they could functionally use public transportation.
Prior Job 2 Free-lance Photographer 5 varied depending on jobs I worked with several companies in providing photographs that they incorporated in their brochures, magazines, newsletters, journals, and websites.

Educational background

Please list your educational background:

High School GPA:2.5

GPA School Degree
College (Undergraduate)
or Technical/Vocational
3.3 Western IL Univ Sociology
Graduate or Professional
(Masters or Doctorate)
3.3 Loyola Social Work

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