NOC 53110: Photographers
What photographers do
Photographers operate still cameras to photograph people, events, scenes, materials, products and other subjects. They are employed by photographic studios, newspapers, magazines, museums and government, or they may be self-employed.
Main duties
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
- Study requirements of a particular assignment and decide on type of camera, film, lighting and background accessories to be used
- Determine picture composition, make technical adjustments to equipment and photograph subject
- May operate scanners to transfer photographic images to computers
- May operate computers to manipulate photographic images
- May adapt existing photographic images and create new digitized images to be included in multimedia/new media products
- May use delicate instruments, such as optical microscopes attached to cameras
- May process exposed film
- May use airbrush, computer or other techniques to retouch negatives
- Medical photographers may work closely with medical illustrators.
- Photographers may specialize in areas such as portrait photography, commercial photography, scientific photography, forensic photography, medical photography, digitized photography, multimedia photography or photojournalism.
Job titles under NOC 53110
24 job titles are classified here, including aerial photographer, commercial photographer, forensic photographer.
- aerial photographer
- chief photographer
- commercial photographer
- evidence photographer - forensic
- fashion photographer
- finish photographer
- forensic photographer
- industrial photographer
- medical photographer
- multimedia photographer
- multimedia picture illustrator
- news photographer
- photographer
- photography supervisor
- photojournalist
- photomicrographer
- police photographer
- portrait photographer
- racetrack finish photographer
- retoucher - photography
- scientific photographer
- still photographer
- street photographer
- wildlife photographer
Employment requirements
- A bachelor's degree in visual arts with specialization in photography or Completion of specialized training in photography in high school, college or specialized training schools or Extensive on-the-job training under the supervision of a photographer is required.
- Experience in, or knowledge of computerized photography or digital imaging may be required.
- Creative and technical ability, as demonstrated by a portfolio of work, are required.
Photographers wages in Canada
Low, median and high hourly wages from Job Bank’s 2025 wage data. Annual figures assume full-time work (1,950 hours a year).
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Canada | $17.50/hr | $24.04/hr | $48.63/hr |
Toronto ON | $17.60/hr | $21.75/hr | $58.74/hr |
Montréal QC | $17.80/hr | $24.00/hr | $39.35/hr |
Vancouver Lower Mainland region, BC | $18.00/hr | $21.00/hr | $32.48/hr |
Calgary AB | $15.68/hr | $21.60/hr | $34.95/hr |
Edmonton AB | $17.43/hr | $20.91/hr | $31.08/hr |
Ottawa ON | $17.87/hr | $21.93/hr | $34.29/hr |
Québec City Quebec region, QC | $18.00/hr | $24.00/hr | $36.85/hr |
Kitchener-Waterloo Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie region, ON | $17.60/hr | $20.15/hr | $28.09/hr |
Halifax NS | $17.82/hr | $23.08/hr | $34.55/hr |
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Newfoundland and Labrador | $20.16/hr | $22.66/hr | $27.46/hr |
Nova Scotia | $17.70/hr | $25.12/hr | $33.51/hr |
New Brunswick | $15.65/hr | $18.64/hr | $32.30/hr |
Quebec | $18.00/hr | $24.00/hr | $36.85/hr |
Ontario | $17.60/hr | $21.00/hr | $50.00/hr |
Manitoba | $16.00/hr | $22.06/hr | $29.14/hr |
Saskatchewan | $17.23/hr | $21.08/hr | $27.94/hr |
Alberta | $15.24/hr | $22.88/hr | $31.62/hr |
British Columbia | $18.00/hr | $21.00/hr | $31.25/hr |
Using NOC 53110 for your resume or Express Entry profile
- IRCC asks you to make sure the main duties listed for your NOC match what you actually did at your job. If they don’t, look for another unit group whose duties do.
- Describe your own work in your own words. Recruiters and ATS software look for concrete tools, results and scope, not text copied from the NOC.
- Applying from outside Canada? Run your resume through the Canadian resume format checker to catch things Canadian employers don’t expect, like a photo or date of birth.
- Use the job title the employer’s posting uses. The 24 titles above are how the same work is named across employers.
Not in this group
Similar jobs classified under a different NOC code:
- Film and video camera operators (NOC 52110)
Frequently asked questions
What is the NOC code for photographers?
Photographers are NOC 2021 unit group 53110. Example job titles in this group include aerial photographer, commercial photographer, forensic photographer, industrial photographer.
What TEER is NOC 53110?
NOC 53110 is TEER 3 (College or apprenticeship (under 2 years)). Usually requires a college program or apprenticeship of less than 2 years, or more than six months of on-the-job training. TEER 0, 1, 2 and 3 work counts as skilled work experience for Express Entry’s Federal Skilled Worker and Canadian Experience Class programs.
How much do photographers earn in Canada?
Job Bank's 2025 wage data puts the median at $24.04/hr, about $47,000 a year full-time, with a range of $17.50/hr to $48.63/hr.
Related occupations
Sources: Statistics Canada, National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 Version 1.0; Employment and Social Development Canada, Job Bank wages (2025). Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. OfferJetAI is not affiliated with the Government of Canada. Check IRCC’s NOC guidance before you apply.