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Who are freelance photographers? The United States Department of Labor defines them as photographers who are self-employed. As many as one half of the entire profession are classified as such.

The professional photographer must have many skills to be successful. They need to have good eyesight, good hand-eye coordination, and a great deal of artistic ability. The artistic ability requirement is very important. Anyone can take photographs. Inexpensive portable cameras and the lowering price of digital camera have put the art more in the reach of everyone than any time in the past. For a photo or a professional to stand out in a field that is virtually flooded with amateurs, they must really shine. So, what are freelance photographers? They are obviously professionals with a great deal of artistic talent.

Many colleges offer courses in photography and even photojournalism, but these teach the technical skills involved in the craft. In many ways, artistic ability cannot be taught. The artist can, however, develop their talent by practice and experience. The photography professional demonstrates this practice and experience by the preparation of a portfolio. It shows both what the persona has done and can do.

Many professionals specialize in one of the many types of photography. They may specialize in nature , portraits, fine arts, or photojournalism. They might also do work under contract for an employer, but they are not employed full time or exclusively. The United States Department of Labor reported 122,000 people employed as photographers in 2006 with one half of them listed as self employed or freelance.

The Labor Department report also points out that these professionals must have other skills besides the obvious ones in photography. These skills include financial management, record keeping, dealing with the public, and finding customers. The wide spread use of digital cameras and computer editing programs have made computer software skills another essential element of the resume.

The freelance photographer may be a portrait studio owner working comfortably indoors in their own studio or they may be a photojournalist braving the rigors and dangers of a war zone to capture history in a photograph. It is a wide and very varied field, but the common elements are independence and artistic ability that makes their photos stand out from among the millions of images taken daily.

Aazdak Alisimo writes about freelance photographers for FreelanceEventPhotographers.com.