Lead Photographer

Job Title: Lead Photographer – School Photography (Charleston, SC)

Company: The Artists Collective

Location: Charleston, SC (Johns Island / West Ashley area)

Job Type: Independent Contractor (1099) — Part-time, Recurring/Seasonal

Pay: $50–$100 per hour, negotiable based on experience, plus potential for sales commission

About Us

The Artists Collective is a Texas-based portrait and photography studio expanding its school photography program into South Carolina. We partner with early education programs to deliver professional, polished picture day experiences for children and their families — the kind of images parents actually want to keep.

The Role

We're looking for a Lead Photographer to run picture days for three schools in the Charleston area, with more likely to join the roster as our South Carolina program grows. This is recurring seasonal work — expect multiple shoot days per school across the school year (individual portraits, sibling groups, and staff photos), not a single one-off gig. If you do great work and the schools grow, this role grows with them.

What You'll Do

Lead on-site picture days at daycare/preschool and early education campuses, photographing children from infants through pre-K
Work efficiently through a classroom-by-classroom rotation schedule, keeping pace while staying warm and patient with young children
Capture individual portraits, sibling/family groupings, and staff photos to a consistent, professional standard
Coordinate with school directors and front-office staff on the day of the shoot
Represent the studio professionally — you're often the only face parents and staff see from us
Help introduce photo packages/products to parents and staff on-site, with commission potential tied to sales performance

What We're Looking For

Proven experience with school, daycare, or similar high-volume/fast-paced portrait photography (picture day experience strongly preferred)
Comfortable and confident working with infants and young children in a classroom setting
Own professional camera equipment and lighting; able to work efficiently without slowing down a tight schedule
Reliable, punctual, and organized — able to follow a detailed shoot-day schedule
Strong people skills with school staff, parents, and kids alike
Based in or near Charleston, SC
Reliable transportation required — you'll be traveling to different school sites for each shoot day
Sales or customer-facing experience a plus, given the commission opportunity

Compensation & Growth

Pay is negotiable within a $50–$100/hour range depending on experience, with the potential to earn additional commission based on photo package sales. This starts as work across three schools, but we're actively growing in the Charleston market — strong performers will be first in line as we add more school accounts.

How to Apply

Send a resume and a link to your portfolio (or a few samples of past school/family photography work) to [email protected] Tell us a bit about your experience working with young children and any picture-day or volume-shoot experience you have.

Pay: $50.00 - $100.00 per hour

Expected hours: 4.0 – 12.0 per week

Work Location: In person