Description: Photojournalists are visual storytellers who utilize technical expertise, the aesthetics of framing and composition, and instincts to provide visual images for news articles and magazines.

Knowledge Required:  Photojournalism requires a willingness to work in high-pressure settings, work independently, meet strict deadlines, and make decisions on the fly.  

Skills: Creativity, artistic ability, manual dexterity, attention to detail, patience, computer, business, and interpersonal skills.

Career Path:  A bachelor’s degree in photojournalism, or journalism coupled with a photography program, can improve employability. Employers will require photojournalists to have portfolios of their work.

Best Cities for this job: District of Columbia, Connecticut, New York, California, and Illinois.

Median Annual Income: National: $41,000, CA: $46,000

Future Growth: The Bureau of Labor Statistic predicts that employment of photographers is projected to grow by 13 percent from 2010 to 2020, though salaried jobs in particular may be more difficult to find as more companies contract with freelancers rather than hire their own photographers.

From the field: "This job is just really unique—it gives you an opportunity to see and do things that you never do in your normal everyday life.” – Sean Hiller

Did You Know?: Photojournalism has been an important part of journalism since the late 1880s. While photographers documented noteworthy news stories from as far back as the early 1800s, it took advances in the printing industry to make it feasible for photos to easily appear in print.