Do you think you’ve captured the pulse of the photography industry? Who still holds the title of most used camera: Canon, Nikon, or Sony? What are the top 3 most used lenses? Which profession of the photographer makes the most money and which profession makes the least? What genre of photography has suffered the biggest loss during the pandemic?
As a former (art) teacher, I did a pop quiz for you. Jot down your answers, then enjoy these insightful findings from the Photography Industry’s 2022 State report. Zenfolio and Arrangement and see how you did.
In this study, 3,398 photographers were surveyed, across 97 different countries. 71% of respondents are full-time or part-time self-employed photographers, the rest are hobbyists, students and full-time employees.
Gear
Now, see if you’re right: here are some intriguing findings from this year’s extensive report.
The endless rivalry between Canon and Nikon has been prominent for years, but an interesting new kid has emerged: Sony. Photographers of all levels, from beginner to professional, are still mainly drawn to the top two giants: Canon and Nikon, which are the choice of more than 70% of respondents. Sony and Fujifilm accounted for 15% and 7%, respectively. Canon [does happy dance] overall lead.
As the agencies go, Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, Nikon D850, Canon EOS R5and Sony a7R IV These are the 4 camera models most used by survey photographers.
What followed was a statistic that surprised me: about 50% of respondents had switched to mirrorless. Most of the photographers who have made the switch are in specialties where a lighter, less obtrusive camera makes sense: documentaries, lifestyle and travel.
Looking at all photographic specialties, zoom lenses have outperformed prime lenses. Can you guess which lens is used the most? The answer surprised me. That’s what I mentioned in a previous article is the “jack of all trades, no master”: 24-70mm. Behind is 70-200mm in second place and “nifty 50” in third.
Income
Commercial and food photographers are majors with many earning more than $100,000. Specialties with few people reporting making over $100k are lifestyle, still life, family, documentary, landscape and fashion.
Whether the photographer is part-time or full-time and whether they work for themselves or their employer, the biggest earning potential lies in the “commercial” category. People who focus on “art” have the lowest earning potential. What may not be expected is that online digital download and print sales beat direct sales in 2021. This is likely due to COVID restrictions and growing acceptance. of online sales in general.
Although most respondents cited Instagram as the primary way to showcase their work, word of mouth still leads in terms of how most respondents generate new customer base.
Impact of COVID
It’s been 2 years since the pandemic ravaged our lives and one of the focus of the study was understanding the state of photographers now. Research shows that 43% of full-time self-employed photographers will lose more than 40% of their revenue by 2021. Respondents who identify as part-time self-employed are most negatively impacted during COVID. Nearly half reported a loss of more than 40% of conventional revenue. Boudoir and Events reported the biggest drop in earnings due to COVID. Despite these dismal reports, optimism remains as more than 50% of photographers predict 2022 will be busier.
Did you do well on your pop test? As a summary, here are the answers to your questions woven above.
1: Canon is used the most, followed by Nikon, then notably Sony and Fuji.
2: Word of mouth generates new customers.
3: Commercial photographers make the most money.
4: Fine art photographers make the least, followed by travel and still life photographers.
5: The most used lens is 24-70mm.
6: About 50% of respondents have switched to mirrorless cameras.
7: Boudoir biggest loss of income in 2021.
Thanks to Zenfolio and Format for their extensive research and I look forward to reporting back on the findings next year. You can click this to read the full 68-page report.
Are there any statistics that surprise you? Leave a comment below
