photographer

territory manager

order picker

sales representative

customer support representative

Edge Imaging Inc.

A typical day with edge imaging can be fairly stressful due to the large number of students you’ll be photographing. It’s common to photograph 300/day solo. With proper time management this is not an issue during an 8 hour shift.  You’re also responsible for delivering the images you shot. They provide prepaid fedex bags and require you to deliver these bags to a shipping facility after your day is done. (This is paid work if you log your hours) at the end of the week you’ll need to log the hours worked and driven yourself. (They pay for your driving time per km)

You’ll learn a lot about setting up a studio with multiple lights in different environments. You’ll also learn other basic photography skills such as white balance and using a grey card. Along with social skills. 

Management is great, they seem to really care about their employees and the quality of the work. 

The culture is great, they hire very personable people, however, often times you’ll be working solo. 

Hardest part of the job is keeping pace while still maintaining a high quality of image. Along with the early start times occasionally driving up to 40 minutes in the early morning and up to an hour back home in traffic. 

The most enjoyable part of the job is working during the grad season, however not every photographer will have a chance to get there. 

Job security is very low. There’s a strong chance you will be laid off a couple months in, however, they call you back for the next season. 

In order to move up in the company you’ll need to start as a junior photographer. The next season you’ll be hired back with a title change to senior photographer and a small raise. Next step is lead photographer. Lead photographers have the most job security and are guaranteed to stay on for a whole season. 

Overall, this is a very fun, sometimes stressful job, that you’ll learn a lot doing and make fantastic connections. However, it is not enough on its own as the job security is not amazing.

Take a job here only if you are desperate.  The wages are bad and the demand is high.  The management has the worst communications skills of any job I have ever had, really, the worst.  If I didn't have to live through it I would have imagined it to be a bad comedy of errors; once my supervisor went away for a a few days and we were informed of her absence only by her "vacation" reply on her email.  This place is a joke!  

They have a Christmas party each year, but only invite the full-time staff, and not the seasonal staff, even though the seasonal staff are working over Christmas time.  No only are the contract staff not invited, a concerted effort is put into trying to keep it a secret from them.  

They get away with not paying benefits or giving any sort of job security by hiring people on "contract" and then laying them off last minute.  The way employees are treated is a little unbelievable, I saw people laid off with 30 minutes notice after months of being asked to work weekends and overtime.   


One of the things that disgusted me the most was the "food drive" that was put on by the company for a local food bank.  The company asks the employees to donate (Edge Imaging receives a plaque for this, to display in the foyer to announce their altruism), meanwhile they pay just cents above minimum wage and lay people off so frequently that it is their employees that are the demographic that need to use food banks!

I witnessed the lowest morale of any environment I have ever worked in.  The people that work here long enough become like zombies.  Also, a lot of "cliques" and managers playing favourites.  The company does not seem to understand the value in good, trained and professional management.  In the end I think they lose, no one with self worth will stay at a job here.  They will lose all hard working and talented people because they refuse to pay living wages, provide job stability, benefits, a pleasant work environment, or competent management.

When you first arrive the company appears to be bright, exciting, innovative, and successful. The company seems to be like a community of friends working together to provide quality service. They prepare you by giving you roughly a week of training an then once the school season begins that's when the madness breaks loose. If you go into retouching they show you the ropes of Photoshop as well as using a tablet. 
You try your hardest to offer quality, but they push quantity so much that it becomes so easy to forget about quality. They went from wanting excellent photos to "just okay" photos, and this seemed like a weird and questionable move, but no one really voiced their opinions. 
Many of the co-workers are friendly, but at the same time they seem reserved and they already have formed cliques that aren't as welcoming as they'd make you believe they were. In fact, new contact employees were not invited to the Christmas diner and this caused some confusion and really bought the morale of the new hires down.
The hardest part of the job was keeping up with the pace. As mentioned they want quantity over quality and they want the product out of the door as fast as they can. But this causes many issues and complaints from their customers.
The most enjoyable part was doing the best I could, working with a positive manager, meeting like minded individuals to form connections and friendships with, as well as doing something I enjoy.
Another issue is a lack of communication regarding your future with the company. One day they give you the impression you will return next year, the next day there are rumours that your contract will end in a week.
If you have a few months to kill and are in need of a job, then this might be the perfect match for you.

I would get to my assigned school for 7am, set up all equipment on hand *camera,laptop & all lighting and cables* i would then prepare for staff photo's and individual photo's, my typical day would end when the last bell rung. On a good day i would finish at 2:30pm.

I learned a lot about time management and how to deal with children and staff members on a daily basis, i also learned about the Canon DSLR camera..and how to transfer the images from the camera to my laptop in an instant with the given programs.

My Co-workers were great, they were always there to lend a hand..and they were there for me on the spot..i could even email or give them a phone call..and they would answer right away..they were co-workers i could trust 100%..a great bunch people for sure.

In regards to the hardest part of the job, that would have to be the speed i had to work at..it was not easy to keep on the ball when the pressure was on..but i learned from that also..to pick up the pace when need be..the school photo days were long and fast paced all the time..so i eventually got the hang of everything :)

The most enjoyable part of the job was seeing these kids smile and how they interacted with me,,just an amazing feeling..because every photo counted and the parents need to be happy also..so i took pride in my work.

Working for Edge Imaging was a great experience. They have paid training, which is great if you want to learn photography. They provide all the equipment you get to take home and go right to the school in the morning, without stopping by to pick up equipment. They've streamlined everything like posing and setup/teardown into a consistent and easy-to-understand system. It's a mix of working on a team, sometimes 2-4 photographers. but you also get to go solo at smaller schools, which is great if you prefer a team/solo balance.
They also pay you for milage in your own vehicle which was an  amazing addition.

One thing I will note if hours of long noise overwhelmyou , this job is NOT for you. You will often be placed in a gym with sometimes hundreds of loud students, which get's very noisy and frustrating when you're trying to communicate with your subject. This wasn't my experience every day. but it was at least 1-3 times a week. 

Job Security:
It's not a great position if you're looking for long-term consistent work. They operate from Late August to December, with the option of staying on for grad photos till January. After that, You'll slowly be scheduled off and then let go until they contact you for the next season. The hours are also inconsistent, you may work anywhere from 2-8 hours in a day, and not be scheduled everyday of the week. 

. No room for growth(although promised it).

.Worked alot of OT with no pay(worked for free). After photographing a full day, would have do additional admin hours for my TM who seemed to nvr get around to doing their own Tasks.

.Would get new contracts signed/business renewals and yet my TM was the one that got commission and bonus.

. Spent so much on gas for all the driving that I lost money rather than made money.

.It's an extremely thankless job. Teachers complain about picture day and make you feel like you are intruding on their day. Many times they would leave the gym and tell you page them when your finished with individual photos. So you're having to photograph the children and supervise them at the same time.
 
.Grad season-expect no breaks. Students come late for their appointments ALL THE TIME and you constantly have to play catch-up which means no breaks.

.Was promised advancement by TM and given more tasks for my leadership quality and in the end they recanted on their promise and went with someone who was less qualified than me. Yet I was expected to train them.

.Also company lacks diversity but their school population in some areas are Non-white. Need staff to reflect this demographic.




The management at Edge is solid, understanding of personal scheduling, helpful to newer employees and give more than enough training before the job starts. I've worked with people who were very inexperienced and people who had done it for years, and it was possible for everyone to be successful on the job regardless of experience level.

I felt like I had to post this because most of the complaints I notice in the negative reviews on here seem to be about the job itself, and not the company. Yes, you need to move heavy equipment, deal with loud rooms full of children, and get up early to be ready for a shift. But that's the work, and Edge takes every reasonable step to make sure you are prepared and able to do the work. They're also very up front with you about the hours and the seasonal nature of the job. It's the type of job where if you know what you're getting into, listen to your supervisors and other more experienced coworkers, and be patient on the job, you'll be able to do it.

The only people I saw leave the job in a negative way were those who brought it on themselves and became unnecessarily confrontational, incapable, or problematic on the job.

The position is good for someone who is passionate about photography but doesn't know where to start. You don't need much experience basics would do. 
Since you are photographing children from kindergarten to high school, you will be on your feet a lot. Sometimes it will be relaxed, sometimes it will drain you completely.
The support you get in terms of technical expertise and backup is immense. Edge is a well-oiled machine; you don't have to worry about sorting or getting details. The job packets and the software, plus the provided equipment, make your job go easily. The only unpredictable part is the children and how the school operates.
Sometimes the job will make you realise why you picked up a camera and the joy it brings or it will make you quit photography entirely.
There is no benefits asscociated with the photographer position, No pension, No healtcare, no dental or vision or anything of such sorts

Nothing but  great things to say about the job itself. If you are even slightly interested in photography (experience or not) you will be successful in this role if you put the effort in.  You undergo a week of thorough training where any questions you have will be answered. Even after the training if you are still unsure about your abilities, the team leads always make sure to have someone help you out. 

The work can be stressful at times as you are dealing with a large volume of children as you would expect. Your team is always there to support you however and it gets easier after that first shift. Personally, I felt a lot more confident in my ability to engage with the subjects and the equipment with every shift.

The only con would be the lack of hours at times. Since you are essentially shooting based on available schools, there isn't a guaranteed amount of hours per week. Slows down towards the winter but gives you time to pursue other ventures on the side if you wish.

Other than that a great job that I have enjoyed greatly throughout my time with Edge. 

You must be able to lift 50lbs minimum, not 20lbs. A typical day starts with you unloading your kit from your vehicle to the school. The school may or may not have a designated path or entry way for you and your kit, and that's where the fun begins at 7:30 am, every morning. You receive great training, but once on the job, you realize that you might not have been given all of the proper gear or even information for you to be able to do your job properly. This job is based on numbers and the amount of quality photos you can take in a day, so it becomes very competitive between you and your co-workers. You are also only chosen to continue in your position as a school photographer and then grad photographer if you have quality photos and a rapid shooting speed during the day. In our cohort of 30 new trainees, only 5 people were chosen to stay on for the full year, so you do HAVE TO UNDERSTAND that by November 1st, you will probably be unemployed.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Photographer 122 salaries reported	$19.96 per hour
Territory manager 5 salaries reported	$61,000 per year
Order picker 10 salaries reported	$19.00 per hour
Sales representative 6 salaries reported	$50,833 per year
Customer support representative 2 salaries reported	$21.25 per hour

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