Can Agents Work?

Jobs / Design, media, and writing / 27-4021.00

Photographers

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.

US jobs
51,760
Median wage
$44,660 a year
Job family
Design, media, and writing

Can agents do the work of photographers?

We read the evidence at the level of the job family, Design, media, and writing:

  • Task levelPartialOnly adjacent evidence. OSWorld-Verified includes tasks in image, slide, and document apps, and the best agent passes 90.2% of all its computer tasks. No task-level benchmark in our collection scores the quality of design or writing work.
  • Project levelNot yetOn the Remote Labor Index, which includes graphic design, video, 3D, audio, and web projects from freelance platforms, the best agent completed 15.8% of projects to a standard a client would accept. GDPval deliverables score higher (84.9% wins or ties against professionals, reported by OpenAI), but those tasks are one-shot and fully specified.

Benchmarks for the job family

These cover work in design, media, and writing, not always this occupation's tasks.

Typical tasks

From O*NET 31.0. Core tasks first. Few of these tasks have a benchmark today.

  • 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.
  • Create artificial light, using flashes and reflectors.
  • Determine desired images and picture composition, selecting and adjusting subjects, equipment, and lighting to achieve desired effects.
  • Transfer photographs to computers for editing, archiving, and electronic transmission.
  • Use traditional or digital cameras, along with a variety of equipment, such as tripods, filters, and flash attachments.
  • Manipulate and enhance scanned or digital images to create desired effects, using computers and specialized software.
  • Take pictures of individuals, families, and small groups, either in studio or on location.
  • Enhance, retouch, and resize photographs and negatives, using airbrushing and other techniques.
  • Test equipment prior to use to ensure that it is in good working order.
  • Estimate or measure light levels, distances, and numbers of exposures needed, using measuring devices and formulas.
  • Perform general office duties, such as scheduling appointments, keeping books, and ordering supplies.
  • Review sets of photographs to select the best work.
Other job titles for this occupation (45)

Advertising Photographer · Commercial Photographer · Graduation Photographer · Newspaper Photographer · Photo Editor · Photographer · Photojournalist · Portrait Photographer · Sports Photographer · Studio Photographer · Aerial Photographer · Automotive Photographer · Biological Photographer · Biomedical Photographer · Crime Scene Photographer · Digital Photographer · Event Photographer · Fashion Photographer · Finish Photographer · Food Photographer · Forensic Photographer · Freelance Photographer · Industrial Photographer · Marine Photographer · Medical Photographer · Nature Photographer · Newborn Photographer · News Photographer · Newspaper Photojournalist · Ophthalmic Photographer · Photo Journalist · Photo-Optics Technician · Photographic Specialist · Preschool Photographer · Product Photographer · Real Estate Photographer · Sales Photographer · School Photographer · Scientific Photographer · Still Photographer · Street Photographer · Underwater Photographer · Vehicle Photographer · Wedding Photographer · Wildlife Photographer