The State of the Photo Industry Survey is returning for 2026, with organizers hoping to build on last year’s extensive dataset to create a clearer picture of how professional photographers are navigating an industry that continues to evolve rapidly. Led by photography professor Heather Morton alongside Rob Haggart of A Photo Editor , the survey aims to collect information on everything from photographer income and licensing practices to promotional strategies, video adoption, and overall industry outlook. The project has increasingly become increasingly important within the professional photography community for its attempt to quantify a business landscape that is often discussed anecdotally but rarely measured at scale. Why Industry Surveys Matter to Working Photographers For many photographers, particularly freelancers and independent creators, reliable business benchmarks can be difficult to find.…