There's more than one job in photography: What they don't tell you about working in the photo industry

For a long time, I thought that being a photographer meant just that: being solely a photographer. You either made it or you didn’t. You were either shooting campaigns, landing editorial spreads or chasing the next freelance gig. Anything outside that felt like a distraction or, worse, a sign you weren’t committed enough.

But over time, my understanding of what it means to have a career in photography has radically shifted.

Today I’m still a photographer, but I’m also a photo editor, curator and writer. I work across multiple disciplines within the photography world and, the truth is, each of these roles has made me a better, more reflective image-maker. They’ve taught me to see differently, to understand photography’s language more profoundly and to build a life that’s creative, sustainable and collaborative.

There’s a common misconception, especially when you're just starting, that you need to pick one path and stick to it – that if you're not behind the camera full-time, you're somehow less "serious" or "successful".

But the photography industry is far bigger and more layered than many people realize. It’s an ecosystem, and like any creative field it thrives on a wide variety of roles. Some people are technicians. Some are storytellers. Some are producers, editors, critics or designers, and many of us are a mix.

When I began editing and curating other people’s work, I found that it unlocked something in my own. Looking at images with a critical eye, thinking about sequencing, pacing, narrative and mood, helped me edit my own projects more effectively. I started to ask better questions: What is this image doing in the story? What’s missing? What’s it saying next to the image before it?

Writing about photography pushed this further. Putting into words what a body of work is trying to communicate sharpens your understanding of visual language. It gives you tools, and those tools feed right back into the act of making.

These tools aren’t only found in creative roles, either. In commercial and editorial photography, there are digital technicians working behind the scenes making sure that every frame is backed up and color-consistent.

There are assistants, often emerging photographers themselves, learning on the job, solving problems and keeping things running smoothly. There are retouchers who help bring a photographer’s vision to life in post, and producers who coordinate everything from call sheets to catering.

Meanwhile, in the world of photobooks and exhibitions, there are designers thinking about layout and typeface, publishers navigating paper stocks and bindings, and curators finding new ways to frame and present work.

Photo editors are commissioning and shaping stories. Critics and writers are placing those stories into historical and cultural context. And archivists are quietly preserving entire bodies of work for the future. Each one of these roles plays a part in how photography is created, understood and remembered.

One of the most valuable things I’ve learned is that it’s okay, even powerful, to be more than one thing. To build a practice that is plural, not singular.

Photography has always been about looking, and expanding my roles has taught me how to see from different angles.

So if you're struggling to 'make it' as a photographer, consider widening your lens. Get curious about the other roles that keep this industry alive. Not only can they offer creative and financial stability, but they might open up new pathways in your own work – ones you didn’t even know were there!

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