Resume template · Updated October 2026
Photographer resume template
Short answer
Olivia gives a photographer's resume presence on screen with its full-width blue header band, and prints skills above experience so lighting, capture and retouching are read first. The fictional sample shoots products for an outdoor retailer's online store after four freelance years photographing homes and interiors, and holds an FAA drone certificate, named in the summary because the template prints certifications near the end.
Download the photographer sample
Hannah is a fictional commercial photographer. Replace every detail with your own before you send it.
The files are made in your browser by Resumity's own exporters, from this sample. The builder opens it as your own resume: click any line to replace it. Free plan, no watermark.
Why Olivia suits a photographer resume
Photographers usually send a resume as a link next to a portfolio, read on a screen. Olivia is the template built to stand out there: a full-width blue band with the name and contact details in white. Below it the page is plain, with skills printed before work experience as labelled rows, so Capture One and studio lighting come first.
Second choice: Meridian. Meridian has no colour at all and the same skills-first order; better if the resume will be printed or you want the photographs to supply all the colour.
What goes in each section, in Olivia's order
Olivia prints its sections in a fixed order, the same in the PDF and the Word file. Here is that order for this sample, and what to put in each section.
- Professional Summary. Two kinds of photography at most, and who pays for them: product for e-commerce, interiors for architects, events for agencies. Mention a drone certificate here if aerial work is part of the job, since Olivia prints certifications near the end.
- Skills. Technical rows hold the photographic craft (lighting, focus stacking, colour management, aerial); Tools holds capture and editing software and the kit you are fluent with. Name Capture One or Lightroom Classic specifically, because studios standardise on one.
- Work Experience. Give volume and turnaround for studio work (products a week, same-day delivery) and client types and counts for freelance work. One bullet on a technical problem you solved, such as shooting reflective products, tells a studio manager more than a gear list.
- Education. A photography degree, associate degree or certificate, with year. If you trained by assisting, say so in the experience section and keep this line short.
- Certifications. For drone work in the US, list the FAA Remote Pilot Certificate. The FAA says the certificate itself does not expire, but holders must complete online recurrent training every 24 calendar months, so stay current before offering aerial work.
The sample resume as text
The same content as the files above, so you can copy a line or compare it with your own.
Hannah Lindqvist
Commercial Photographer, Product and Architecture
Denver, CO | hannah.lindqvist@example.com | (720) 555-0152 | portfolio.example.com/hannah-lindqvist | linkedin.com/in/sample-hannah-lindqvist
Commercial photographer with eight years shooting products for e-commerce and interiors and exteriors for architects and property firms. Runs tethered studio sets in Capture One, retouches to a brand style guide, and holds an FAA Remote Pilot Certificate for aerial stills and video.
Experience
Studio Photographer, Talus & Pine Outfitters, Denver, CO (05/2021 to Present)
- Shoot about 120 products a week on white and in lifestyle sets for the online store, working from a self-written shot list and lighting guide.
- Moved the studio to tethered capture in Capture One with naming presets, so images reach the web team the same day instead of three days later.
- Built lighting setups for reflective and dark gear (jackets, stoves, eyewear) that cut retouching time per image by about a third.
- Direct two studio assistants and plan sample flow with the merchandising team.
Freelance Photographer, Self-employed, Denver, CO (03/2017 to 04/2021)
- Photographed more than 200 homes and 30 commercial interiors for brokers, builders and two architecture firms.
- Added aerial stills and video after earning the FAA Remote Pilot Certificate, checking airspace rules before every flight.
- Delivered edited galleries within 48 hours, with licensing terms set out in every quote.
Education
AAS, Photography, Bluebird Canyon Technical College (05/2016)
Certifications
- Remote Pilot Certificate, small UAS rating (Part 107), Federal Aviation Administration (2019)
Skills
Product photography, Architectural and interior photography, Studio strobe lighting, Focus stacking, Retouching and colour management, Aerial photography, Capture One, Adobe Lightroom Classic, Adobe Photoshop, Profoto strobes, Tilt-shift lenses, DJI drones, Running a set with assistants, Client shot lists
How to make the sample yours
Swap product work for your genre
Wedding and event photographers show bookings per season, second-shooter work and gallery delivery times; photojournalists show publications and deadlines. Keep the volume-and-turnaround pattern and change the nouns.
Turn gear into problems solved
Instead of listing lenses, write the shot they made possible: tilt-shift for straight verticals in interiors, focus stacking for small products, polarisers for glass.
Show the workflow after the shutter
Tethering, naming conventions, retouching to a style guide and handing files to a web or print team are what in-house studios hire for. The sample's same-day delivery bullet is one example.
State licensing plainly for freelance work
One line saying you set usage terms in every quote shows a client-facing business. Leave fees off the page.
Point the portfolio link at the matching gallery
Applying for a product studio role? Link straight to the product gallery rather than the home page of your site, so the reviewer sees the relevant work first.
Keywords to keep where they are true
Terms this kind of resume is usually searched for. Use the posting's exact wording, and only for work you have done.
- commercial photography
- product photography
- e-commerce photography
- architectural photography
- studio lighting
- tethered capture
- Capture One
- Adobe Lightroom Classic
- Adobe Photoshop
- retouching
- colour management
- shot lists
- aerial photography
- image licensing
Mistakes to avoid
- A gear list in place of results. Camera bodies and lenses do not tell an employer how many usable images you deliver or how fast.
- Photos on the resume itself. The portfolio link does that job, and images make the page heavy and hard to read.
- Offering aerial work without a current remote pilot certificate, or the equivalent where you work.
- Mixing every genre you have shot. Pick the one or two the job uses and leave weddings off a product studio application unless they show a skill it needs.
How the sample PDF reads in text extractors
We exported this sample with Resumity's PDF exporter in Chrome on 2026-10-29 and read the file back with three open-source text extractors. This shows whether software that turns a PDF into text can recover it; it is not a test of any commercial applicant tracking system. How we test templates.
| Extractor | Name, email, phone | Headings | Bullets intact |
|---|---|---|---|
| pdf.js 4.10.38 | All found | 5 of 5 | 7 of 7 |
| pdftotext (Xpdf) 4.00 | All found | 5 of 5 | 7 of 7 |
| pypdf 6.13.0 | All found | 5 of 5 | 7 of 7 |
Frequently asked questions
Should a photographer put a photo of themselves on the resume?
No. Your portfolio shows your eye, and the resume should show how you work. None of these templates prints a photo.
How do freelance photographers list clients?
As one freelance entry with dates, client types and counts (200 homes, 30 commercial interiors), plus two or three named clients if the work is public and relevant.
Do photographers need a degree?
It is rarely required. Studios and agencies hire on portfolio and reliability; a degree or certificate helps more for teaching, museum and some corporate roles. List what you have in one line.
Is a drone licence worth adding?
If the job includes aerial stills or video, yes. In the US that means the FAA Remote Pilot Certificate, which needs online recurrent training every 24 calendar months; other countries have their own rules, so check your national aviation authority.
How do I show I can work on set with a team?
Say who you directed (assistants, stylists, models) and whose brief you worked from (an art director, a merchandiser, a shot list). Studios want photographers who keep a set moving.
Will applicant tracking systems read this Olivia PDF?
The sample PDF read back with its contact details, all 5 section headings and all 7 bullets intact in three open-source text extractors (pdf.js, pdftotext and pypdf). Commercial systems such as Workday, Greenhouse or Taleo were not tested, and each employer configures its own.
Guides and templates for this resume
Sources, checked 29 October 2026
We opened every page below on that date. Pay, rules and requirements change, so check the source before you rely on a detail.
- Federal Aviation Administration: Become a Certificated Remote Pilot (Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate; initial knowledge test; holders must complete online recurrent training every 24 calendar months (found by web search on 2026-10-29; the page blocks automated fetching))
- Federal Aviation Administration: I don't see an expiration date on my Part 107 remote pilot's certificate. Do I have to take a test annually? (the certificate does not expire; completing the online recurrent training renews aeronautical knowledge recency for 24 calendar months)
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