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:
Curry recurs in Téa Leoni’s excellent sitcom as Sir Rudolph Halley, the imperious, amoral owner of the tabloid paper where Nora, Leoni’s character, works as a photographer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
At one point, Burnham stopped to play some chords on a guitar next to a Ukrainian soldier in the back of a soundproofed van, an AFP photographer saw.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
He added their photographer was "wicked" capturing "some really impressive shots" of the spectacle and guest reactions.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
Julian Master is an American photographer who documents our globalized, connected public life and the sometimes strange juxtapositions it creates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
The photographer was now circling the fishbowl with the black eye of the camera aimed at Ralph.
From "Ralph S. Mouse" by Beverly Cleary
Many journalists were especially outraged because of the extreme dangers faced by Mexican reporters, editors, columnists and photographers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
"They recruited US citizens to engage in sham marriages, arranged sham wedding ceremonies complete with officiants, wedding attire, photographers, and attendees," McDonald said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
In Chapineria, west of Madrid, the flames had torn through dozens of vehicles at an industrial park, leaving charred shells behind, AFP photographers saw.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Wall texts remind us that the equipment and materials photographers use for their craft are all dependent on mining of one sort or another.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
The sea lions did not move when photographers walked among them.
From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
