Cost guide · London 2026

Photographer Day Rates in London (2026)

A London photographer's creative day rate commonly sits between £1,200 and £3,500, with half-day portrait and personal-branding sessions from around £600. The creative fee is just one line — studio, makeup, styling and retouching are billed on top.

Typical creative fees by shoot type

ShootHalf-dayFull-day
Portrait / personal brandingfrom £600£900–£1,500
Fashion lookbook£800–£1,200£1,500–£2,500
Editorial / magazine£1,000–£1,800£1,800–£3,000
Brand campaign£2,000–£3,500+

What drives the rate

Mariya Harley shoots fashion, editorial and personal branding in London with 10+ years and 300+ commercial shoots; portrait and personal-branding sessions start from £600. See services.

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Common questions

What is a typical photographer day rate in London?

London photographer day rates commonly run £1,200–£3,500 depending on shoot type, experience and usage rights. Half-day portrait or personal-branding sessions start from around £600. Studio, makeup and retouching are billed on top of the creative fee.

Why do photographers charge for usage rights?

Usage (licensing) sets where and how long images can run. A social-only licence is cheaper; full commercial usage across ads, billboards and packaging costs more because the images do more commercial work. It's separate from the shoot-day fee.

How much is a half-day photoshoot in London?

A half-day (about 4 hours) starts from around £600 for portrait or personal branding, £800–£1,200 for fashion, before studio hire, makeup and retouching.

More cost guides

Photoshoot cost calculator →Best photo studios (ranked) →Studio hire prices →Photographer day rates →Branding shoot cost →