Photographer's Assistants

ANZSCO ID 399915

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
620
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
48%
Female Share
64%
Average age
33

Summary

Photographer's Assistants assist Photographers in taking and developing photographs.

Tasks

  • Assists qualified photographers in photo shoots.

  • Sets up studio for shoots.

  • Arranges cameras and film.

  • Organises lighting and other photographic equipment.

  • Locates props for photo shoots.

  • Takes photos.

  • Develops and print photos.

  • Scans photos into a computer.

  • Edits and formats pictures and saves them to disk.

  • May mount photographs and set up exhibits.


Outlook

Employment Outlook

JSA produces employment projections to show where likely future job opportunities may be. Employment projections data are only produced for occupations at the broad four digit Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) level. While data are not available for this occupation, projections data are available for the parent occupation, Other Technicians and Trades Workers, under the outlook section.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 48% of people employed as Photographer's Assistants work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 18 percentage points below the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 43 hours per week in their main job. This is similar to the all jobs average (44 hours per week).

    Sources:Full-time share and full-time hours: ABS, 2016 Census, customised report. Compared to the all jobs average.


Industries

Main industries

1
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
63.0%
2
Retail Trade
7.9%
3
Other Services
6.9%
4
Information Media and Telecommunications
3.5%
5
Other industries
8.2%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

40.3% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

36.1% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

11.0% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

5.3% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

5.7% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

0.5% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.0% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

1.1% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Photographer's Assistants All Jobs Average
NSW 40.3 31.6
VIC 36.1 25.6
QLD 11.0 20.0
SA 5.3 7.0
WA 5.7 10.8
TAS 0.5 2.0
NT 0.0 1.0
ACT 1.1 1.9


  • Around 82% of Photographer's Assistants live in capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 62%.

    Victoria and New South Wales have a large share of employment relative to their population size.

    The regions with the largest share of workers are:

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Share of workers across Australian states, territories and regions, in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Worker profile

Age and gender

Age In Years
33
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
64%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Photographer's Assistants is 33 years. This is younger than the all jobs average of 40 years.

    A large share of workers are aged 25 to 34 years.

    Females make up 64% of the workforce. This is 16 percentage points above the all jobs average of 48%.

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile and gender share compared to the all jobs average.

Age Profile (% Share)

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Bracket Photographer's Assistants All Jobs Average
15-19 5.7 5.0
20-24 13.4 9.3
25-34 35.4 22.9
35-44 23.1 22.0
45-54 13.4 21.6
55-59 4.9 9.0
60-64 2.6 6.0
65 and Over 1.5 4.2
Median Age 33 40

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Employment Pathways

Education, training and experience

Formal qualifications are not essential to work as a Photographer's Assistant. Although some workers have a Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification or a university degree in photography or photo imaging.

Visit

  • Course Seeker to search and compare higher education courses.
  • ComparED to compare undergraduate and postgraduate student experiences and outcomes.
  • My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
  • AAPathways website to explore Health Industry, Plastics, Rubber & Cablemaking and Property Services VET training pathways.

Highest Level of Education (% Share)

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
Type of Qualification Photographer's Assistants All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 0.5 10.1
Bachelor degree 32.2 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 21.6 11.6
Certificate III/IV 13.1 21.1
Year 12 23.2 18.1
Year 11 3.6 4.8
Year 10 and below 5.8 12.5

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.


Skills and Knowledge

Employers look for Other Technicians and Trades Workers who are reliable, work well in a team and have a strong work ethic.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 55%

    Active listening

    Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

  • 46%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 45%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 45%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 43%

    Active learning

    Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.

  • 43%

    Complex problem solving

    Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

  • 43%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 43%

    Critical thinking

    Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

  • 43%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 43%

    Judgment and decision making

    Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.

  • 43%

    Management of personnel resources

    Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.

  • 43%

    Monitoring

    Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.

  • 43%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 43%

    Time management

    Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.

  • 43%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 41%

    Operations analysis

    Understanding needs and product requirements to create a design.

  • 41%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 41%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.

  • 39%

    Learning strategies

    Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.

  • 30%

    Operation and control

    Controlling equipment or systems.


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 72%

    Customer and personal service

    Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.

  • 69%

    Sales and marketing

    Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

  • 68%

    Computers and electronics

    Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

  • 65%

    Fine arts

    Compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

  • 54%

    English language

    English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

  • 53%

    Communications and media

    Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.

  • 53%

    Administration and management

    Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.

  • 51%

    Psychology

    Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.

  • 50%

    Clerical

    Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.

  • 41%

    Production and processing

    Raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and ways of making and distributing goods.

  • 41%

    Technical design

    Design techniques, tools, and principles used to make detailed technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

  • 35%

    Economics and accounting

    Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.

  • 35%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 35%

    Mechanical

    Machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

  • 33%

    Education and training

    Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

  • 32%

    Personnel and human resources

    Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.

  • 29%

    Sociology and anthropology

    Group behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

  • 25%

    Law and government

    How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.

  • 20%

    Telecommunications

    Transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

  • 20%

    Public safety and security

    Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 57%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 57%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 57%

    Near vision

    See details that are up-close (within a few feet).

  • 55%

    Far vision

    See details that are far away.

  • 54%

    Originality

    Come up with unusual or clever ideas, or creative ways to solve a problem.

  • 52%

    Brainstorming

    Come up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.

  • 52%

    Colour discrimination

    Notice differences between colours, including shades of colour and brightness.

  • 52%

    Visualization

    Imagine how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

  • 52%

    Problem spotting

    Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.

  • 50%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 50%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 48%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 46%

    Inductive reasoning

    Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.

  • 45%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 45%

    Sorting or ordering

    Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

  • 43%

    Finger dexterity

    Put together small parts with your fingers.

  • 43%

    Manual dexterity

    Quickly move your hand to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.

  • 43%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 43%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 41%

    Arm-hand steadiness

    Keep your hand or arm steady.


Activities

These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.

  • 77%

    Thinking creatively

    Using your own ideas for developing, designing, or creating something new.

  • 73%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

    Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.

  • 70%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 70%

    Influencing people

    Convincing people to buy something or to change their minds or actions.

  • 68%

    Communicating with the public

    Giving information to the public, business or government by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 66%

    Planning and prioritising work

    Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.

  • 64%

    Handling and moving objects

    Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, moving and manipulating objects.

  • 62%

    Making decisions and solving problems

    Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.

  • 59%

    Doing physically active work

    Use your arms, legs and whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling objects.

  • 58%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 58%

    Working with computers

    Using computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

  • 57%

    Managing payments and orders

    Monitoring and controlling resources and the spending of money.

  • 57%

    Working with the public

    Greeting or serving customers, clients or guests, and public speaking or performing.

  • 55%

    Coordinating the work of a team

    Getting members of a group to work together to finish a task.

  • 52%

    Scheduling work and activities

    Working out the timing of events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.

  • 52%

    Negotiating and resolving conflicts

    Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.

  • 51%

    Coming up with systems and processes

    Deciding on goals and figuring out what you need to do to achieve them.

  • 51%

    Providing office support

    Doing day-to-day office work such as filing and processing paperwork.

  • 46%

    Assessing and evaluating things

    Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.

  • 42%

    Checking for errors or defects

    Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials for errors, problems or defects.


Interests and demands

Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.

Interests

Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.

  • 86%

    Creative

    Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.

  • 67%

    Practical

    Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

  • 48%

    Enterprising

    Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.

  • 33%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 29%

    Analytical

    Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.

  • 19%

    Administrative

    Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.


Values

Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
  • 71%

    Independence

    Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.

  • 67%

    Relationships

    Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.

  • 62%

    Achievement

    Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

  • 52%

    Recognition

    Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.

  • 50%

    Working conditions

    Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.

  • 38%

    Support

    Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.


Demands

The physical and social demands that workers face most often are shown below:
  • 96%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 94%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 93%

    Competition

    Compete with others, or be aware of competitive pressures.

  • 84%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 82%

    Contact with people

    Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.

  • 82%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 80%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 79%

    Unstructured work

    Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.

  • 78%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 78%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 74%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 74%

    Physically close to people

    Work physically close to other people.

  • 71%

    Using your hands to handle, control, or feel

    Spend time using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls.

  • 70%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 70%

    Letters and memos

    Write letters and memos.

  • 66%

    Spend time standing

    Spend time standing at work.

  • 65%

    Outdoors, exposed to weather

    Work outdoors, exposed to the weather.

  • 63%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 62%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 62%

    Responsible for outcomes

    Take responsibility for the results of other people's work.

Occupational Information Network
O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 27-4021.00 - Photographers.


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