Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operators
Perform work involved in developing and processing photographic images from film or digital media. May perform precision tasks such as editing photographic negatives and prints.
What it pays
Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operators earn a median of $19.52/hr — about $40,500 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $14.47/hr; the top 10% earn $33.08/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operators earn a median of $19.52/hr — about $40,500 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $14.47/hr; the top 10% earn $33.08/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
What you'd actually do
- Select digital images for printing, specify number of images to be printed, and direct to printer, using computer software.
- Create prints according to customer specifications and laboratory protocols.
- Produce color or black-and-white photographs, negatives, or slides, applying standard photographic reproduction techniques and procedures.
- Set or adjust machine controls, according to specifications, type of operation, or material requirements.
- Review computer-processed digital images for quality.
- Operate scanners or related computer equipment to digitize negatives, photographic prints, or other images.
How you get there
Typical entry-level education: High school diploma. Overall preparation: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
The feel of the work
Much of the work happens outdoors. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)
Working for yourself
About 39% of photographic process workers and processing machine operators are self-employed.
Who it tends to fit
This work tends to fit people who are hands-on, organized and detail-focused and creative.
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Quick questions
- How much does a photographic process workers and processing machine operator make?
- The median pay is $19.52 per hour — roughly $40,500 a year, with the real range running from about $14.47/hr (10th percentile) to $33.08/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Do you need a degree to be a photographic process workers and processing machine operator?
- The typical entry-level education is: High school diploma. Overall preparation level: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
- What does a photographic process workers and processing machine operator actually do all day?
- Select digital images for printing, specify number of images to be printed, and direct to printer, using computer software. Create prints according to customer specifications and laboratory protocols. Produce color or black-and-white photographs, negatives, or slides, applying standard photographic reproduction techniques and procedures.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.