Photography Schools in Utah

The U.S. is home more than 124,900 photographers. Around three in five are self-employed and in 2014, three in 10 photographers worked part-time. they work in a variety of environments. For example, aerial photographers spend a significant amount of time working in planes and helicopters, while portrait photographers work in studios or on location. News and commercial photographers travel often so they may spend their days taking photos in different locations across the U.S. or overseas.

While an education is not always required to become a photographer—portrait photographers may receive on the job training, many employers in this and other fields prefer to hire photographers with a good technical understanding of photography, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This is especially true of news and commercial photographers, scientific photographers, aerial photographers, and photojournalists. These photographer’s often hold a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Fortunately, most art and design schools offer photography programs, and many traditional colleges and universities have programs as well. Utah, which is home to around 41 Title IV degree-granting colleges and universities, has an impressive number of schools that offer photography degrees. Just a few of the best include Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo and the University of Utah in beautiful Salt Lake City.

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Utah Photography Schools

Utah’s collection of colleges consists of four private not-for-profit, 25 private for-profit, and 12 public schools. Whether public or private, all Title IVs are eligible for federal financial aid programs. This means that even the most expensive private schools are accessible to gifted students with financial need. Scroll through the list below to review the best schools in Utah for aspiring photographers, and what they have to offer.

Cedar City
Southern Utah University (SUU) - Degrees Offered: BFA in Studio Arts with a Photography Emphasis

Logan
Utah State University - Degrees Offered: BFA in Art with a Photography Emphasis

Ogden
Weber State University - Degrees Offered: BFA in Visual Arts with a Photography Emphasis; Minor in Photography

Orem
Utah Valley University (UVU) - Degrees Offered: BA, BS, AAS in Art and Visual Communications with a Photography Emphasis, BFA Photography

Provo
Brigham Young University (BYU) - Degrees Offered: BA in Design with a Photography Emphasis, BFA in Photography

Salt Lake City
The University of Utah – Degrees Offered: BFA, MFA in Art with a Photography & Digital Imaging Emphasis

Westminster College – Degrees Offered: BFA with a Photography Emphasis

St. George
Dixie State College of Utah – Degrees Offered: BA, BS in Art with a Photography/Digital Imaging Emphasis

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Full Sail University

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Winter Park, FL & Online

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Southern New Hampshire University

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Online

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Online

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Buenos Aires, Argentina & Online

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Employment and Salary Trends for Utah Photographers

Utah is home to 18,280 professionals working in Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media (ADESM) occupations. Of this group, 710 are salaried photographers averaging $33,700 per year up from $29,400 in 2010 when the state was home to 650 photographers. Nationwide, the median pay for photographers is $30,490 per year.

As mentioned, three in five photographers are self-employed, so it is safe to assume that the population of photographers in the state is much higher. These individuals typically earn more and enjoy greater employment growth as well. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the "Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers” industry has the third highest concentration of employment for photographers and members of this group average $47,180 per year. Further, employment of Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers is projected to grow nine percent for the 2014-2024 decade.

Projected growth, says the BLS, will be due to the demand for portrait photographers, which will persist as people continue to want new portraits. In addition, corporations will continue to require the services of commercial photographers to develop compelling advertisements to sell products. Nationwide, employment for photographers is projected to grow three percent for the 2014-2024 decade, which is slower than the average for all occupations. At this rate, the industry is expected to add around 3,900 new jobs in the coming years. Overall growth will be limited because of the decreasing cost of digital cameras and the increasing number of amateur photographers and hobbyists, says the Bureau.

In addition, stock photographic services available online give individuals and businesses access to stock photographs for a fee or subscription, possibly dampening demand for photographers. Declines in the newspaper industry will reduce demand for news photographers to provide still images for print, says the Bureau. Employment of photographers in newspaper publishing is projected to decline a staggering 41 percent for the 2014-2024 decade, according to the BLS.

The industries with the highest levels of employment for photographers are:

Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
Radio and Television Broadcasting
Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers
Motion Picture and Video Industries
Other Personal Services

The Industries with the highest concentration of employment for photographers are:

Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
Radio and Television Broadcasting
Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers
Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers
Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water

The top paying states for photographers are:

District of Columbia ($66,410)
New York ($54,030)
California ($52,750)
Hawaii ($47,740)
New Mexico ($46,220)

The top paying industries for photographers are:

Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing ($76,090)
Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories ($69,230)
Motion Picture and Video Industries ($67,160)
Scientific Research and Development ($63,530)
Other Information Services ($61,090)

The states with the highest employment levels for photographers are California, New York, Florida, Texas, and Illinois.

While employment growth for photographers is projected to be slower than average overall, Utah-based photographers can do a few things to increase their chances of finding employment without having to move to California or New York. Consider checking into portrait studios, local publications, technology firms, schools, creative agencies, and design studios. And stick to major cities such as Salt Lake City, West Valley City, Provo, Orem, West Jordan, and Sandy. Also worth exploring are Ogden, St. George, and Layton.

Awesome Animation Fact: Every scene in Pocahontas (1995) was rewritten at least 35 times. Susannah Grant, Carl Binder, and Philip LaZebnik were the trio of writers that worked off a specific story outline, over and over again, for Pocahontas. Grant would go on to write Erin Brockovich (2000), for which she earned an Oscar nomination. -mental_floss

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Photography Schools in Utah

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