photographer
Americannoun
-
photographers
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Shot by photographer Annie Leibovitz, the photos are largely colorless and show Pugh posing in and on the car in a black leather jumpsuit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Among those wounded on October 17 was his client Ahmed Benmezroua, a 27-year-old independent photographer who had been attending his first protest in Paris.
From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026
A local photographer captured the moment she raised her hand in the three-finger Hunger Games salute, eliciting loud cheers from the crowd.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
He had witnessed this psychology in action as Jackson’s photographer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
He was an excellent photographer, so Fabyan also ordered him to take photos of Shakespeare’s First Folio for Gallup’s team.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
We are profoundly grateful to the journalists, editors, photographers, producers, designers, business teams and countless other colleagues who brought this publication to life across its many chapters.
From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026
Howard’s documentary features interviews with fellow photographers, models, magazine editors, writers, former assistants and art dealers, including Larry Gagosian, who reminisces about meeting Avedon for the first time in New York in the mid-1970s.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
And to continue sharing new visions of Baltimore, a citywide “Flashback Open Call” invited contemporary photographers to submit work for a rotating presentation within the show—expanding the city’s family album.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026
"We work with tens of thousands of small restaurants on their food imagery, including funding professional local photographers," the spokesperson told the BBC.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
Still, I had to swallow my own disappointment as I watched photographers snap pictures that would later appear in USA Gymnastics magazine, Sports Illustrated, Time for Kids.
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
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