A majority of photographers anticipate business growth in 2022 as many pandemic restrictions are lifted, a new photo industry survey suggests. The 2022 State of the Photography Industry conducted by Zenfolio and Format asked close to 3,400 photographers from around the globe a range of questions about the state of the industry in 2022 as the two companies continue to track the impact of the pandemic, the business adjustments made, industry trends, and future outlook of photographers. Of those surveyed, 89% of photographers were “cautiously optimistic” about business this year, more than two years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

That comes as 64 percent of photographers said that 2021 ended slower than expected. Only around 11 percent of those surveyed expected business to decline through the rest of 2022, however. More than half of the respondents said that they adapted how shoots were conducted during the pandemic, while 20 percent generated revenue online and more than 46 percent took on new types of shoots or clients.

For 2022, 56.5 percent expect business to improve, and 32.2 percent expect it to remain steady. Only 11.3 anticipate a decline.

The photo industry survey included respondents from more than 70 different countries, with half of the respondents based in the U.S. Roughly 19 percent of the photographers in the survey are portrait photographers—more than any other category—with 8.7 percent shooting weddings.

Nearly 55% of the pandemic-affected respondents said they adapted by changing how they conducted photo shoots, with things such as physical distancing. And 20% focused on generating revenue online, mostly from selling prints and digital downloads directly to clients or through online stores and marketplaces. Some also brought in revenue from selling photography courses and training.

The Zenfolio and Format survey also examined how photographers find new clients. The majority—61 percent—come from word of mouth. That is followed by 40 percent through a website, 38 percent on Instagram, 25 percent on Facebook, and 22 percent on a Google search.

In terms of gear, DSLRs remain a favorite amongst photographers, with the majority of respondents using a Canon EOS 5D or Nikon D850. Canon was the favorite brand of choice, followed by Nikon, with 15 percent shooting Sony and 7 percent using Fujifilm. Favorite lenses are 24-70mm, 70-200mm and 50mm optics.

Even though most digital cameras can shoot both still images and video, the survey reflected that still photography is by far the primary medium for most of the survey participants. with 64% shooting stills and 35% shooting a mix of still and video. Only 11% outsourced video production to someone else.

Last year’s survey reported that only 10% exited photography as a full-time profession at the height of pandemic restrictions. Now that typical events benefiting from photography are filling up family, school and business calendars with reunions, celebrations, conferences, school and sports activities, photographers will hopefully benefit from a robust rebound in 2022. 

The full report on the 2022 State of the Photo Industry survey is available from Zenfolio and Format.

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