Ever wonder what the average age of professional photographers is? Dave Good of Rangefinder magazine writes,

Ed Lee is the group director of InfoTrends Worldwide Consumer and Professional Imaging Services. “The number of female photographers has grown,” he says. Now it’s a 2/3-to-1/3 split of males to females, a pickup from last year.” Forty percent of them are part time, while 28 percent, he says, are full time. “And it’s a younger female at that,” he says. “Age 45, and younger,” according to the 2011 & 2012 InfoTrends Professional Photographer Study. “It comes down to the economy,” Lee says. “With families still struggling, people are turning to part-time photography as a way to bring money into the home.” He sees the photo business as a changing of the guard. “The average age of the full-time male photographer is 50. The average age of the full-time female photographer is 41.” The implication is that more full time male photographers are retiring. “You’re going to see a shifting towards an even higher percentage of females.”

The magazine’s entire Business Trends Report 2012 is worth a read if you’re at all interested in how the photo industry is changing.

State of the Industry: Business Trends 2012 [Rangefinder]

Thanks for sending in the tip, Phil!

Image credit: Photo illustration based on Tree rings by eric.rayner@btinternet.com