HOW TO HIRE · PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEO

How to hire an event photographer in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

Event photographers need no licence in the UK. Here is the licence to ask for, the guest-privacy point, and what to put in the brief.

  • Search and compare — no account needed
  • Nearest to you first
  • One score from Google, Trustpilot and Locufy reviews

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring an event photographer in five steps

  1. Write the briefThe running order, the must-have shots, the people who matter, and how the photos will be used.
  2. Match the licence to the useParty album, company website, press release, advertising: each needs the licence to say so.
  3. See a full event galleryOne whole event, not a showreel, so you can judge the dull-light and crowded-room shots.
  4. Tell guests they may be photographedOn the invitation or at the door, with a way to opt out — the photos are personal data.
  5. Agree delivery in writingHow many edited images, how fast, and in what sizes.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

Photographing conferences, launches and parties is unregulated in all four UK nations — there is no event photographers' register. The checks are a full gallery from a similar event, references and a written brief and contract. No law requires an event photographer to hold insurance, but venues often ask every supplier for public liability cover before letting them in.

Ask for a complete gallery from an event like yours and a client you can ring. Ask the venue what it requires, then ask the photographer for the certificate.

Copyright and your licence

Section 11 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 makes the author — the event photographer — the first owner of the copyright in your event photographs. It passes to you only by a written assignment signed by them (section 90); what you normally receive is a licence.

Read the licence clause: can you use them on a website, in press or in advertising? Ask for a written assignment if you need the copyright. legislation.gov.uk →

Commercial use, and private events

Section 85 of the 1988 Act protects photographs commissioned for private and domestic purposes — a family party — so the photographer needs your consent to publish them. A company event is not private and domestic, so for a business the licence clause decides who may use what.

For a private party, agree portfolio use in writing; for a business event, get the commercial licence you need in writing. legislation.gov.uk →

ICO data protection fee

Your details and photographs of everyone at the event are personal data in the hands of an event photographer. Unless exempt, a business handling personal data pays the ICO data protection fee (£52 or £78 a year for most small firms) and appears on the ICO's public register. Guests in the pictures are data subjects too, so how the images are used should be clear to them.

Look the business up on the ICO register, and ask when your files will be deleted. gov.uk →

VAT

Photographing an event is standard-rated: 20% VAT is due on the hours on site, the edited set and any prints. Once taxable turnover is above £90,000 a year, registration is compulsory, and the VAT must then appear as its own line on the bill.

Ask for the VAT number before paying the deposit, and see the event coverage and the 20% listed apart. gov.uk →

“May I see a full gallery from an event like mine?”

A good answer: A whole conference, launch or party, start to finish, including the badly lit corners.

“What licence do I get to use the event photographs?”

A good answer: A written licence that matches your use: internal, website, social media, press, or paid advertising.

“How quickly can you deliver, and how many photographs?”

A good answer: A number range and a turnaround — some events need a handful of images the same evening.

“How do you handle guests who do not want to be photographed?”

A good answer: A sticker or lanyard system, or a word at the door, and those images left out.

“Will you use our event photographs in your portfolio?”

A good answer: Only if you agree, and only the images you approve.

“Are you on the ICO register, and how long do you keep the files?”

A good answer: Yes, with a business name you can search, and a set deletion period.

“Do you carry public liability insurance for this venue?”

A good answer: A certificate in the name the photographer trades under, at the level the venue asks for.

Getting the quote right

  • Who actually attends the event — the photographer you spoke to or an associate, plus any second shooter, employed or subcontracted
  • Hours on site, arrival time, and the overtime rate
  • The shot list or brief attached
  • Number of edited images, sizes, and the delivery time
  • The licence: who may use the photographs, where and for how long
  • Travel and any extras such as same-day edits or prints
  • The payment terms: deposit, balance and when each is due
  • The VAT number, and VAT on the event coverage set out as its own line

Walk away if

  • Only a showreel, never a full event gallery
  • No written licence, or one that does not cover the use you described
  • No answer on how guests can opt out
  • Unwilling to say how quickly images will be delivered
  • No insurance when the venue requires it
  • A plan to post your private event online without asking
LOW
£250
TYPICAL
£400
HIGH
£730

What an event photographer costs: £250–£730 per event

Event photographers price by the event or by the hour on site, with the number of edited images, a fast turnaround and a commercial licence moving the price. Event Photographer price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Event photographers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. BriefRunning order, key people, must-have shots, and how the images will be used, agreed in writing.
  2. Recce or venue callLight, space, restrictions on flash and access, timings.
  3. The eventArrival before guests, coverage to the brief, discreet with guests who opted out.
  4. Backup and editFiles copied the same night; selection and editing to the agreed turnaround.
  5. DeliveryAn online gallery or files in the sizes agreed, with the licence in writing.

Shot list
The must-have photographs, agreed before the event.
Licence
Your permission to use the images — what you buy, rather than the copyright.
Same-day edit
A small set of images delivered during or straight after the event.
Opt-out lanyard
A visible sign that a guest does not want to be photographed.
Usage period
How long a commercial licence lets you use the images.
Raw files
Unedited camera files; usually not supplied.

AFTER

When the job is done

Download and file the imagesSave the full set in two places and note the licence terms with them.
Check against the briefEvery must-have shot, the number of images and the delivery date.
Remove anyone who opted outBefore the images go on a website or social media.
Review the bookingSay how the event coverage went: only booked jobs carry reviews. Under four stars, you can send the problem to them first to put right.

STEP 1Write to the event photographer firstDescribe the problem with the coverage, the date, and the fix you want. Because every service contract carries a term of reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, you can require a free repeat or a cut in the price.
STEP 2Ask Locufy to help put it rightWhen you score a booked event photographer below four stars, you choose whether the event photographer sees the problem first. We follow it through, then you review.
STEP 3Get consumer adviceWith no ombudsman for event photographers, advice on the coverage and a referral to Trading Standards come through Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Small claims, as a last stepIf the event photographer still will not refund or put it right, a small claim needs no solicitor: £10,000 is the limit in England and Wales, £5,000 for simple procedure in Scotland, £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring an event photographer: questions people ask

No. No licence or register applies to event photographers in any UK nation; the brief, the licence and a full sample gallery are the checks.

The photographer, under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, unless they assign it in writing. You get a licence, so make sure it covers how you will use the pictures.

Photographs of identifiable people are personal data. Tell guests in advance that photographs will be taken and how they will be used, and give a simple way to opt out.

£250 to £730 an event, typically around £400. Hours on site and the turnaround move the price. Prices by hours on site and turnaround are in the event photographer price guide; add your town above for photographers near you.

For a private party, usually not: a leisure service booked for a specific date is excluded by regulation 28(1)(h) of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013. A business booking has no consumer cancellation right at all. Either way, the written cancellation terms decide.

Raise it in writing against the brief. A trader must use reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015; where an event cannot be reshot, a price reduction is the remedy.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in photography & video

How to hire: Event VideographerHow to hire: Headshot PhotographerHow to hire: Wedding PhotographerHow to hire: Live Streaming ServiceHow to hire: Portrait PhotographerHow to hire: VideographerHow to hire: Product PhotographerHow to hire: Drone PhotographyAll 701 hiring guides →

Event photographers near you

Event photographers in LondonEvent photographers in ManchesterEvent photographers in BirminghamEvent photographers in GlasgowEvent photographers in BelfastAll event photographers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 11 — first ownership
  2. Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 90 — assignment
  3. Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 85 — privacy of commissioned photographs and films
  4. gov.uk — pay the data protection fee
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  6. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue
  7. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  8. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — exceptions to the right to cancel
  9. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  10. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register