Lighting designers optimize the way an audience perceives a performance.
Lighting designers work in a wide range of settings but essentially perform the same job function: achieving a desired lighting effect. Their skills and services may apply to a store display room, museum exhibition, theater set or photography studio, among other settings. They are generally expert electricians who also have a keen eye for aesthetics and visual design. Salaries for lighting designers vary depending on the specific industry they work in and what kind of hours they work.
Job Description
Lighting designers may be expected to work long and irregular hours, particularly if they're working on the set of an upcoming play or other performance that requires hours of rehearsal with lighting. Those who work on a movie set may also work long hours, though like many crew members, lighting designers are often protected by union restrictions. Lighting designers must cooperate and collaborate with other members of the design and set team. They are usually expected to be present at performances and openings, which typically happen at night.
Pay Scale
Lighting designers' salaries are contingent on a number of factors, mainly their level of experience and the industry they work in. Lighting designers on movie sets, professional stages and fashion photography sets make some of the highest salaries in the business. According to Interior Design Schools, a professional lighting designer's salary begins at $30,000 a year on average. Experienced lighting designers working in high-profile industries can expect to make as much as twice this figure. According to Glassdoor, the average salary for a lighting designer in the United States is $46,428 per year. The average hourly wage is around $16.43.
Employment Options
Lighting designers are often self-employed, offering their services to different clients as freelancers. Others work directly for production or design companies, who send their lighting designers out on jobs. These full-time employee jobs typically include benefits such as health care and retirement options, whereas self-employed lighting designers must resolve these issues on their own.
Job Outlook
Job outlook for lighting designers is contingent on the state of the industry they mainly work in. For those who work in the entertainment industry, they need to be where the action is; New York and Los Angeles offer the best prospects for lighting designers hoping to work on the sets of movies, TV shows and theatrical works.
