photographer

American  

[fuh-tog-ruh-fer] / fəˈtɒg rə fər /

noun

photographers plural

1. a person who takes photographs, especially one who practices photography professionally.

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photographer British  

/ fəˈtɒɡrəfə /

noun

1. a person who takes photographs, either as a hobby or a profession

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• photographers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of photographer

First recorded in 1840–50; photograph + -er ¹

Explanation

Do you frequently take pictures with a camera? Then you're a photographer. It's especially common to call someone a photographer if they do this as a paid job. Soon after photography was invented in the 19th century, people who were passionate about this new art form came along — the first photographers. In the 1840s, they were also known as photographists. The process of making photographs has become less complicated over the years, but photographers remain just as enthusiastic about it. Whether you take photos as a hobby or hang your shingle as a professional, go right ahead and call yourself a photographer.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

photographer photographers

She began her career as a staff photographer for The Daily Item in Massachusetts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026

I started my career in the 1980s, and I was an analog photographer.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

That phrase, engraved on some quarters photographer Blaise Hayward was counting in his New York City kitchen in July 2023, intrigued him.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

Cook was a bookseller, photographer and gallerist, and at one point we hear Oliver recall the rhythms of their home life, her partner printing pictures while she wrote poems at the kitchen table.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

By early afternoon on Sunday, May 18, duBeth was on a helicopter above the ruined landscape with newspaper photographer Roger Werth, flying over the North Fork of the Toutle River.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone

Metres away, other photographers yelled instructions to ornately dressed young women who held their fingers in victory signs and arched their backs for the camera.

From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026

Many more drove straight in and out, away from the view of media and photographers.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

“The couple and the guests wrestled their way through the streets against photographers and tourists from the church to the mayor’s office—hand-to-hand combat.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

The pumps are blowing air in the water to kill the algae with oxygen; the only ducks I saw were lined up at the edge, refusing to jump in even when approached by photographers.

From Slate ● Jun. 19, 2026

Haley Daley, wearing a sparkly blouse, was posing for a wall of photographers who wanted to snap her picture.

From "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein