Photographer resume for studio, staff and freelance jobs
Whether you're applying to a studio, a newsroom or a brand's in-house team, a photographer resume has to translate shoots into business terms: clients, volume, turnaround and published work. This to-do has your agent write that from your notes and your portfolio link, as an editable Word file.
The prompt
- Write my photographer resume for [JOB LINK OR TYPE OF ROLE]. Contact: [NAME, CITY, EMAIL, PORTFOLIO OR INSTAGRAM]. My specialty: [E.G. WEDDINGS, PRODUCT, EVENTS, REAL ESTATE, PHOTOJOURNALISM]. Work history: [STUDIOS, CLIENTS, PUBLICATIONS, DATES]. Gear and software: [CAMERAS, LIGHTING, LIGHTROOM, PHOTOSHOP, CAPTURE ONE]. Write bullets with numbers (shoots per month, images delivered, turnaround, repeat clients, where my work was published), a 'Clients and publications' line, and keep it one page and ATS-friendly. Send me a Word file.
What to change
- [JOB LINK OR TYPE OF ROLE]: Paste the job link, or describe the role, like "in-house e-commerce photographer".
- [NAME, CITY, EMAIL, PORTFOLIO OR INSTAGRAM]: Contact line with your portfolio. Your agent looks at it to understand your style and clients.
- [E.G. WEDDINGS, PRODUCT, EVENTS, REAL ESTATE, PHOTOJOURNALISM]: Pick the one or two you want to be hired for. The resume is tuned to that specialty.
- [STUDIOS, CLIENTS, PUBLICATIONS, DATES]: Paste notes or attach your old resume. Freelance and second-shooter work counts.
- [CAMERAS, LIGHTING, LIGHTROOM, PHOTOSHOP, CAPTURE ONE]: Only list gear and software you know well. Studio jobs often ask for strobes and tethered shooting.
Example result
- Mei Chen
- Seattle, WA · mei.chen@email.com · meichenphoto.com
- Summary
- Product and e-commerce photographer with 7 years in studio and on location. Shoots 200+ SKUs a week to brand guidelines, handles lighting, retouching and delivery to the web team on schedule.
- Experience
- Studio Photographer, Cascade Outdoor Co. · 2021 – today
- • Photograph 200–250 products a week (apparel, footwear, gear) on white, flat lay and ghost mannequin
- • Built a tethered Capture One workflow that cut the time from shoot to web-ready image from 3 days to 1
- • Direct models and stylists on 2 seasonal lifestyle shoots a year for catalog and paid ads
- • Keep color consistent across 4 studios with calibrated monitors and a shared color checker routine
- Freelance Photographer · 2017 – 2021
- • Shot product, food and headshots for 40+ small businesses; 60% became repeat clients
- • Second shooter at 35 weddings, covering candids and family portraits
- Clients and publications
- Cascade Outdoor Co. · Pine & Pour Coffee · Seattle Food Weekly · Northwest Living magazine
- Skills
- Studio lighting (strobes, softboxes, continuous) · Tethered shooting · Capture One · Lightroom Classic · Photoshop retouching and compositing · Color management · Art direction · Image asset management
- Gear
- Canon EOS R5 · Profoto D2 lighting kit · Macro and tilt-shift lenses
- Education
- A.A. Photography, Seattle Central College
How to do it with todo.is
- Fill in the [brackets], starting with your specialty.
- Paste the to-do in todo.is or message it to your agent on Telegram.
- Your agent checks your portfolio, writes the resume and gives you a Word file.
- Want a second version for another specialty? Ask "make a wedding photographer version".
Tips for a better result
- Make one resume per specialty. A studio product job and a wedding studio look for different proof.
- Numbers matter even in creative work: SKUs per day, images delivered per event, turnaround times, repeat clients.
- Keep gear short. One line with your main body, lighting and lenses is enough unless the job asks for more.
- Link a portfolio page that matches the job, not your homepage with everything.
- Ask your agent to resize and compress 6 portfolio images into a PDF if the application wants attachments.
photographer resume: FAQ
- Do photographers need a resume? For staff, studio, agency and newsroom jobs, yes. Freelancers often use a portfolio site, but brands and agencies still ask for a resume or a client list.
- Should I list my camera gear on my resume? Briefly. A one-line gear section helps for technical roles. Skills like lighting and retouching matter more than brand names.
- How do I list freelance photography work? Group it under one "Freelance Photographer" entry with dates, then bullets for the number of clients, types of shoots and best-known clients or publications.
- Can the agent help with my portfolio images too? Yes. It can resize, compress, convert formats and build a PDF portfolio from photos you attach.
JavaScript is required to use the todo.is app.