Photographer Salary
Official ONS earnings for the UK, covering 21,000 jobs.
Median salary
£30,396
gross, per year, all employees
▲ 8.7% change on the previous year
Full-time only
£32,643
Mean
£35,229
Jobs measured
21,000
What a typical photographer takes home
On the median of £30,396, 2026/27 tax year, England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates, no pension or student loan.
Take-home a month
£2,117
Take-home a year
£25,405
Income Tax
£3,565
National Insurance
£1,426
What most photographers actually earn
Half of photographers earn between £23,931 and £36,213. Earning above £36,213 puts you in the top quarter of the profession.
The full pay range
Each bar is the salary at that percentile — the 25th means a quarter of photographers earn less than this.
Photographer salary by region
4 of 11 GB regions have a published figure for this occupation.
| Region | Median | Mean |
|---|---|---|
| London | £33,804 | £34,837 |
| South East | £32,538 | £35,174 |
| Scotland | £30,172 | £30,791 |
| Wales | £28,366 | £32,338 |
Where this figure comes from
- ONS occupation group
- Photographers, audio-visual and broadcasting equipment operators
- SOC 2020 code
- 3417
- Measure
- Gross annual pay, all employees
- Edition
- ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
ONS doesn't measure “photographer” as its own category. These figures are for the wider group “Photographers, audio-visual and broadcasting equipment operators”, which includes this role alongside others. ONS group combines photographers with audio-visual and broadcasting equipment operators.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures are estimates from a survey of PAYE jobs and are not financial advice.
Photographer salary FAQs
What is the average Photographer salary in the UK?
The median is £30,396 a year and the mean is £35,229, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Those cover all employees; full-time employees alone have a median of £32,643.
How much does a photographer earn per hour?
Across the UK the median hourly rate is £16.25 excluding overtime, or £17.18 for full-time employees. ASHE publishes hourly pay by occupation nationally only.
What is a good Photographer salary?
Half of photographers earn between £23,931 and £36,213. Anything above £36,213 is in the top quarter for the role.
Has photographer pay gone up in the last year?
ASHE puts the year-on-year change in the median at +8.7% for this occupation in the UK. That compares the latest survey with the one before it and is not adjusted for inflation.
How many photographers are there in the UK?
ASHE counts around 21,000 employee jobs in “Photographers, audio-visual and broadcasting equipment operators” (SOC 3417) in the UK. Self-employed work is not included.
Is this figure official?
Yes. It comes from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, an accredited official statistic based on employer PAYE records.
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