Photographer Salary in Scotland
Official ONS earnings for Scotland.
Median salary — Scotland
£30,172
gross, per year, all employees
▲ 13.3% change on the previous year
Mean
£30,791
What a typical photographer takes home
On the median of £30,172, 2026/27 tax year, Scottish rates, no pension or student loan.
Take-home a month
£2,106
Take-home a year
£25,277
Income Tax
£3,487
National Insurance
£1,408
What most photographers actually earn
Half of photographers across the UK earn between £23,931 and £36,213. Earning above £36,213 puts you in the top quarter of the profession.
This range is UK-wide — ONS publishes no regional breakdown of the spread for this occupation.
The full pay range
Each bar is the salary at that percentile — the 25th means a quarter of photographers earn less than this.
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 Scotland?
The median is £30,172 a year and the mean is £30,791, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Those cover all employees; ASHE publishes no full-time split at regional level.
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, so there is no separate rate for Scotland.
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.
Do photographers in Scotland earn more than the UK average?
The median in Scotland is £30,172 against £30,396 across the UK, 0.7% lower.
Has photographer pay gone up in the last year?
ASHE puts the year-on-year change in the median at +13.3% for this occupation in Scotland. That compares the latest survey with the one before it and is not adjusted for inflation.
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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