- O*NET-SOC code
- 27-4021.00
Photograph people, landscapes, merchandise, or other subjects. May use lighting equipment to enhance a subject's appearance. May use editing software to produce finished images and prints. Includes commercial and industrial photographers, scientific photographers, and photojournalists.
- Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08
High· relative
LowFour relative bandsVery highGroup-level value
Scale, basis and source
Four relative bands (Low / Moderate / High / Very high)
831 detailed occupations in the BLS Employment Projections table. Assigned per National Employment Matrix (NEM) code, so occupations sharing a NEM code carry the same band
- Data source: AnthropicPublished: 2026-03
0.195
0.000Range of values carried here0.745Scale, basis and source
Observed exposure index, 0–1 as published
Mapped onto O*NET tasks
Published per SOC 2018 occupation; every O*NET occupation with the same SOC 2018 code carries this value
- Data source: ILOPublished: 2025
0.39
0.09Range of values carried here0.70Group-level value
Scale, basis and source
Generative AI exposure index, 0–1 as published
Published per ISCO-08 unit group. Linked to this occupation, wholly or in part, by applying U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (ISCO-08 to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to 2018 SOC) as published
What kind of figure this source publishes
The BLS category is a relative rank, not an absolute level, and it is not a first-hand measurement: it groups an occupation's percentile ranks across several published studies into four bands. It is not an employment or wage forecast, not a probability of adoption, and it does not separate automation from augmentation.
Task-level exposure
Show 22 hidden tasks29 rated tasks · 22 tasks with β ≥ 0.5 (75.9%)
β = direct exposure (E1) + 0.5 × exposure when tools are available (E2), per the source repository's definition.
- Source unit: O*NET 27.2 tasks → O*NET 31.0 occupation code
- 1 rated task is not in the O*NET 31.0 task list; its score is kept as published for O*NET 27.2.
- Source
- OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" exposure rubric
- Release
- gh-main-0471612
- License
- MIT License, Copyright (c) 2024 OpenAI
| Task (O*NET 20.1) | Claude.aiRaw / share % | APIRaw / share % |
|---|---|---|
Manipulate and enhance scanned or digital images to create desired effects, using computers and specialized software.27-4021.00 | 0.078761.7 | 0.107572.7 |
Determine desired images and picture composition, selecting and adjusting subjects, equipment, and lighting to achieve desired effects.27-4021.00 | 0.034326.9 | 0.033722.8 |
Review sets of photographs to select the best work.27-4021.00 | 0.00584.5 | 0.00261.8 |
Transfer photographs to computers for editing, archiving, and electronic transmission.27-4021.00 | 0.00252.0 | 0.00221.5 |
Take pictures of individuals, families, and small groups, either in studio or on location.27-4021.00 | 0.00221.7 | 0.00181.2 |
Adjust apertures, shutter speeds, and camera focus based on a combination of factors such as lighting, field depth, subject motion, film type, and film speed.27-4021.00 | 0.00221.7 | —0 |
Develop visual aids and charts for use in lectures or to present evidence in court.27-4021.00 | 0.00191.5 | —0 |
Values in this tab are predicted labels, not observations. Eloundou et al. (2023) published two rating regimes — human raters and GPT-4 — and the β shown here is derived from the GPT-4 rater basis alone; the same task can take a different value under the other regime. The unit and the meaning differ from the observed shares (%) in the other tabs, so do not place them on the same axis.
| Task (O*NET 27.2) | βE1 + 0.5 × E2 |
|---|---|
Perform general office duties, such as scheduling appointments, keeping books, and ordering supplies.O*NET Task ID 9354 | 1.0 |
Take pictures of individuals, families, and small groups, either in studio or on location.O*NET Task ID 9343 | 0.5 |
Adjust apertures, shutter speeds, and camera focus according to a combination of factors, such as lighting, field depth, subject motion, film type, and film speed.O*NET Task ID 9344 | 0.5 |
Use traditional or digital cameras, along with a variety of equipment, such as tripods, filters, and flash attachments.O*NET Task ID 9345 | 0.5 |
Create artificial light, using flashes and reflectors.O*NET Task ID 9346 | 0.5 |
Determine desired images and picture composition, selecting and adjusting subjects, equipment, and lighting to achieve desired effects.O*NET Task ID 9347 | 0.5 |
Review sets of photographs to select the best work.O*NET Task ID 9350 | 0.5 |
Estimate or measure light levels, distances, and numbers of exposures needed, using measuring devices and formulas.O*NET Task ID 9351 | 0.5 |
Manipulate and enhance scanned or digital images to create desired effects, using computers and specialized software.O*NET Task ID 9352 | 0.5 |
Determine project goals, locations, and equipment needs by studying assignments and consulting with clients or advertising staff.O*NET Task ID 9355 | 0.5 |
Enhance, retouch, and resize photographs and negatives, using airbrushing and other techniques.O*NET Task ID 9357 | 0.5 |
Produce computer-readable, digital images from film, using flatbed scanners and photofinishing laboratories.O*NET Task ID 9360 | 0.5 |
Employ a variety of specialized photographic materials and techniques, including infrared and ultraviolet films, macro photography, photogrammetry and sensitometry.O*NET Task ID 9362 | 0.5 |
Engage in research to develop new photographic procedures and materials.O*NET Task ID 9363 | 0.5 |
Set up photographic exhibitions for the purpose of displaying and selling work.O*NET Task ID 9364 | 0.5 |
Develop visual aids and charts for use in lectures or to present evidence in court.O*NET Task ID 9366 | 0.5 |
License the use of photographs through stock photo agencies.O*NET Task ID 9367 | 0.5 |
Photograph legal evidence at crime scenes, in hospitals, or in forensic laboratories.O*NET Task ID 9369 | 0.5 |
Transfer photographs to computers for editing, archiving, and electronic transmission.O*NET Task ID 20558 | 0.5 |
Develop and print exposed film, using chemicals, touch-up tools, and developing and printing equipment.O*NET Task ID 20559 | 0.5 |
Write photograph captions.O*NET Task ID 20560 | 0.5 |
Send film to photofinishing laboratories for processing.O*NET Task ID 20561 | 0.5 |
β = E1 + 0.5 × E2 · E1 = tasks where direct LLM access alone cuts time by at least 50%, E2 = tasks where software built on top of an LLM cuts time by at least 50%. Values take only 0 / 0.5 / 1.0.
Data sources & licenses — O*NET®, Anthropic Economic Index, Eloundou et al. (2023): see full notices on the Credits page
All O*NET 31.0 task statements (28)
All O*NET 31.0 task statements for this occupation (English, as published; task type core or supplemental). Exposure values are not listed here; they are in the table above, next to each task statement as worded in the O*NET version each source used.
| Task (O*NET 31.0) | Type |
|---|---|
| Take pictures of individuals, families, and small groups, either in studio or on location. | Core |
| Adjust apertures, shutter speeds, and camera focus according to a combination of factors, such as lighting, field depth, subject motion, film type, and film speed. | Core |
| Use traditional or digital cameras, along with a variety of equipment, such as tripods, filters, and flash attachments. | Core |
| Create artificial light, using flashes and reflectors. | Core |
| Determine desired images and picture composition, selecting and adjusting subjects, equipment, and lighting to achieve desired effects. | Core |
| Test equipment prior to use to ensure that it is in good working order. | Core |
| Review sets of photographs to select the best work. | Core |
| Estimate or measure light levels, distances, and numbers of exposures needed, using measuring devices and formulas. | Core |
| Manipulate and enhance scanned or digital images to create desired effects, using computers and specialized software. | Core |
| Perform maintenance tasks necessary to keep equipment working properly. | Core |
| Perform general office duties, such as scheduling appointments, keeping books, and ordering supplies. | Core |
| Determine project goals, locations, and equipment needs by studying assignments and consulting with clients or advertising staff. | Core |
| Select and assemble equipment and required background properties, according to subjects, materials, and conditions. | Core |
| Enhance, retouch, and resize photographs and negatives, using airbrushing and other techniques. | Core |
| Set up, mount, or install photographic equipment and cameras. | Core |
| Direct activities of workers setting up photographic equipment. | Core |
| Engage in research to develop new photographic procedures and materials. | Core |
| Mount, frame, laminate, or lacquer finished photographs. | Core |
| Transfer photographs to computers for editing, archiving, and electronic transmission. | Core |
| Produce computer-readable, digital images from film, using flatbed scanners and photofinishing laboratories. | Supplemental |
| Employ a variety of specialized photographic materials and techniques, including infrared and ultraviolet films, macro photography, photogrammetry and sensitometry. | Supplemental |
| Set up photographic exhibitions for the purpose of displaying and selling work. | Supplemental |
| Load and unload film. | Supplemental |
| Develop visual aids and charts for use in lectures or to present evidence in court. | Supplemental |
| License the use of photographs through stock photo agencies. | Supplemental |
| Develop and print exposed film, using chemicals, touch-up tools, and developing and printing equipment. | Supplemental |
| Write photograph captions. | Supplemental |
| Send film to photofinishing laboratories for processing. | Supplemental |
0.20/ 3· Robot exposure index
Scale, basis and source
Each physical task is graded 0–3 by the setting in which robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated could do it (0 none · 1 purpose-built robot settings such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line · 2 structured facilities such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port · 3 unstructured settings such as a private home or a construction site), and the grades are averaged by share of working time
Physical tasks among this occupation's O*NET 29.3 tasks
Anthropic estimated the grades and time shares with Claude Opus 5 using web search, as of 2026.
The robot exposure index is a different measure from the AI exposure figures on this site and cannot be added to or compared with them. It does not measure actual adoption or cost, and 0 also covers occupations with no physical tasks.
Tier of each physical task
Robot environment tiers (E0–E3)
E0 noneDetails
Rated not doable by robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated, even in a purpose-built setting
E1 purpose-built robot settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting built around the machine, such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line
E2 structured facilitiesDetails
Rated doable in a human work facility that an institution keeps to a working standard, such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port
E3 unstructured settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting that no institution keeps to a working standard, such as a private home or a construction site
Only tasks classified as physical are listed; other tasks have no tier in the source.
| Task (O*NET 29.3) | Robot environment tier |
|---|---|
| Take pictures of individuals, families, and small groups, either in studio or on location. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Adjust apertures, shutter speeds, and camera focus according to a combination of factors, such as lighting, field depth, subject motion, film type, and film speed. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Use traditional or digital cameras, along with a variety of equipment, such as tripods, filters, and flash attachments. | E0 none |
| Create artificial light, using flashes and reflectors. | E0 none |
| Determine desired images and picture composition, selecting and adjusting subjects, equipment, and lighting to achieve desired effects. | E0 none |
| Test equipment prior to use to ensure that it is in good working order. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Perform maintenance tasks necessary to keep equipment working properly. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Select and assemble equipment and required background properties, according to subjects, materials, and conditions. | E0 none |
| Set up, mount, or install photographic equipment and cameras. | E0 none |
| Engage in research to develop new photographic procedures and materials. | E0 none |
| Mount, frame, laminate, or lacquer finished photographs. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Produce computer-readable, digital images from film, using flatbed scanners and photofinishing laboratories. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Employ a variety of specialized photographic materials and techniques, including infrared and ultraviolet films, macro photography, photogrammetry and sensitometry. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Set up photographic exhibitions for the purpose of displaying and selling work. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Load and unload film. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Develop and print exposed film, using chemicals, touch-up tools, and developing and printing equipment. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Send film to photofinishing laboratories for processing. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
Occupation information
Employment outlook (BLS)
- Employment, 2025
- 145K
- Projected employment, 2035
- 144K
- Change (2025–35)
- -0.7%
- Median annual wage, 2025
- $44,660
- Typical education needed for entry
- High school diploma or equivalent
Korea classification links (KSCO)
Links from the current release of the Korea Occupation Direct Crosswalk v1.1, made by AI Changing Work. Relation values are read from the O*NET-SOC occupation side.
| KSCO code | KSCO title | Relation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29421 | 사진작가 | This occupation is broader | confirmed |
| 29422 | 사진기자 | This occupation is broader | confirmed |
| 29423 | 사진가 | This occupation is broader | confirmed |
Relation and status definitions(kr-direct v1.1)
ILO occupational description
AI Changing Work links the ISCO-08 unit groups below to this occupation by applying the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (2018 SOC to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to ISCO-08) as published, without case-by-case selection; each link may be whole or partial.
- ISCO-08 3431Photographers
The definition, tasks and examples below are the ILO's description of that unit group, not of this occupation.
Photographers operate still cameras to photograph people, events, scenes, materials, products and other subjects.
Tasks
- (a) taking photographs for advertising, or other commercial, industrial or scientific purposes and to illustrate stories and articles in newspapers, magazines and other publications;
- (b) taking portrait photographs of persons and groups of persons;
- (c) studying requirements of a particular assignment and decide on type of camera, film, lighting and background accessories to be used;
- (d) determining picture composition, making technical adjustments to equipment and photograph subject;
- (e) operating scanners to transfer photographic images to computers;
- (f) operating computers to manipulate photographic images;
- (g) adapting existing photographic images to create new digitized images to be included in multimedia products;
- (h) using airbrush, computer or other techniques to create the desired visual effect.
Example occupations
Aerial photographer · Commercial photographer · Industrial photographer · Photographer · Photo journalist · Portrait photographer · Scientific photographer
Sources: ILO ISCO-08 — details: Credits
ESCO occupational vocabulary
Each entry below is matched to this occupation in the published ESCO-O*NET Crosswalk (version 1, 2022). The match types are that crosswalk's; the wording is AI Changing Work's.
- photographerESCO 3431.1Same scope
Photographers take pictures using digital or film cameras and equipment. Photographers may develop negatives or use computer software in order to produce finished images and prints.
- video artistESCO 2651.12This occupation is narrower
Video artists create videos using analogue or digital techniques to obtain special effects, animation, or other animated visuals using films, videos, images, computer or other electronic tools.
- photojournalistESCO 3431.2This occupation is broader
Photojournalists cover all kinds of news events by taken informative images. They tell stories by taking, editing and presenting images for newspapers, journals, magazines, television and other media.
Source: European Commission, DG EMPL — ESCO API 2026-08-08 (bridge v1.2.1)
License: CC BY 4.0 (EU Reuse Notice)
ESCO reuse terms and the modification notice are in Credits.
France classification links (ROME)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and ROME 4.0 job profiles, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side. Links marked “provisional” were adopted on the judgments of two judges from the same model family (Claude) alone, or by an operator rule applied to their judgments, so they rest on weaker evidence than confirmed links.
| ROME code | ROME title (French) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| E1201 | Photographe professionnel / Photographe professionnelle | Same scopeprovisional |
| E1208 | Chef / Cheffe de studio de photographie | This occupation is broaderprovisional |
| E1114 | Reporter / Reportrice | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: France Travail — Répertoire Opérationnel des Métiers et des Emplois (ROME 4.0), version 61, last updated 15 June 2026 (https://www.data.gouv.fr/datasets/repertoire-operationnel-des-metiers-et-des-emplois-rome). Licence Ouverte 2.0.
ROME codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET-SOC occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a France Travail correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: fr-direct v1)
Spain classification links (CNO-11)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and CNO-11 occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| CNO-11 code | CNO-11 title (Spanish) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 3731 | Fotógrafos | Same scopeprovisional |
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), National Classification of Occupations 2011 (CNO-11, Royal Decree 1591/2010) — www.ine.es · Licensed CC BY 4.0. CNO-11 codes and Spanish titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not an INE correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: es-direct v1)
Germany classification links (KldB)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and KldB occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| KldB code | KldB title (German) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 23322 | Berufe in der Fotografie - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | Same scopeprovisional |
| 23323 | Berufe in der Fotografie - komplexe Spezialistentätigkeiten | This occupation is broaderprovisional |
| 23393 | Aufsichtskräfte - Fototechnik und Fotografie | This occupation is broaderprovisional |
Source: © Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit — Klassifikation der Berufe 2010 – überarbeitete Fassung 2020, https://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de. KldB codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own mapping (eigene Zuordnung) and are not a Bundesagentur für Arbeit correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: de-direct v1)
Japan classification links (JSCO)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and JSCO occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| JSCO code | JSCO title (Japanese) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 225 | 写真家，映像撮影者 | This occupation is narrowerprovisional |
Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Japan Standard Occupational Classification (Dec. 2009, MIC Notification No. 555). JSCO codes and Japanese titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a MIC correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: jp-direct v1)
Sources, licenses and AI Changing Work's modification and translation notices for this page: Credits & sources