HOW TO HIRE · PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEO

How to hire a headshot photographer in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

Headshot photographers need no licence in the UK. Here is the licence you need for business use, what to ask and what the quote should list.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a headshot photographer in five steps

  1. Say where the headshot will be usedWebsite, profiles, press, print. The licence must cover every use.
  2. See a full set from one sessionNot just the best frame — the range shows how a photographer directs.
  3. Agree retouchingNatural, light or heavy, and how many images.
  4. For a team, agree consistencySame background, light and crop for everyone, and a plan for absentees.
  5. Get the licence in writingBusiness use, for how long, and whether staff can keep using theirs after they leave.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

Headshot photography is open to anyone across the UK: no register, no licence, no required qualification. A full session gallery, references and written terms are the checks.

Ask for an unedited contact sheet from one session.

Copyright and your licence

Section 11 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 makes the author — the headshot photographer — the first owner of the copyright in your headshots. You get the copyright only if they sign a written assignment (section 90); otherwise the contract gives you a licence.

Read the licence clause: can you use them on your website, in press and in print? Where ownership matters, get a signed assignment. legislation.gov.uk →

Business use is not private

Section 85 of the 1988 Act protects photographs commissioned for private and domestic purposes. A headshot for work is not that, so what the photographer and you may each do with it depends entirely on the written licence.

Agree in writing whether the photographer may show your headshot in a portfolio. legislation.gov.uk →

ICO data protection fee

Your details and headshots of you or your staff are personal data in the hands of a headshot 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. For a team, the employer is sharing staff images with the photographer, so agree retention in writing.

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

VAT

Headshots are standard-rated, so 20% VAT applies to the session, the retouching and the business licence. 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.

For a team booking, ask for the VAT number your finance team will need and for the 20% shown under the per-person total. gov.uk →

“Where can I use the headshots under your licence?”

A good answer: Website, social profiles, press, print — listed — and for how long.

“Can I see every frame from one headshot session?”

A good answer: A contact sheet showing the range, not just a finished favourite.

“How much retouching is included?”

A good answer: A number of retouched images and the style, natural by default.

“For a team headshot day, how do you keep everyone consistent?”

A good answer: Same lighting, background, crop and file settings, written down for future hires.

“Will you use my headshot in your portfolio?”

A good answer: Only if you agree in writing.

“How quickly will I get the final headshot files?”

A good answer: A turnaround in days, with the sizes for web and print.

“Are you registered with the ICO?”

A good answer: Yes, with a searchable business name.

Getting the quote right

  • Who actually attends the office or studio — the photographer you booked, a retoucher or assistant, employed or subcontracted
  • Session length or number of people, and the location
  • Number of retouched images per person and the turnaround
  • The licence: business uses covered and the period
  • File sizes for web and print
  • Travel or studio costs
  • The VAT number, and VAT on the headshot session given as its own line

Walk away if

  • No written licence for business use
  • Licence ends when an employee leaves, without that being explained
  • Heavy retouching by default
  • No contact sheet or proofs
  • Unclear turnaround
  • Portfolio use assumed without asking
LOW
£110
TYPICAL
£200
HIGH
£350

What a headshot photographer costs: £110–£350 per session

Headshot photographers price by the session or per person for a team, with retouching and the scope of the business licence moving the price. Headshot 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

Headshot 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. BriefUses, style, background, clothing, number of people.
  2. Set-upLighting and background ready before the first sitter.
  3. The sessionDirection on expression and posture; a few minutes per person for a team.
  4. SelectionProofs to choose from, with the number of finals agreed.
  5. Retouch and deliverFinals in the agreed sizes, with the licence in writing.

Contact sheet
All the frames from a session, for choosing.
Commercial licence
Permission to use images for business.
Usage period
How long the licence lasts.
Crop
The framing of the final image — square, portrait, banner.
Retouching
Editing light, skin and detail.
Team day
One session photographing many staff on the same set-up.

AFTER

When the job is done

File the headshots with the licenceKeep the terms with the images so marketing knows what is allowed.
Check the crops and sizesSquare and portrait crops, web and print sizes, as agreed.
Record the set-up for next timeBackground, light and crop for future team members.
Write the reviewYour account of the headshots helps the next person choose. If they fell short, use the make-it-right step before the review is published.

STEP 1Raise the headshots with them in writingSay what was agreed and what happened. If the headshots missed the standard of reasonable care and skill (Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49), the remedy is a repeat at no cost or a price reduction.
STEP 2The make-it-right stepA review under four stars for a headshot photographer starts with a choice: send it to them first to fix, with us following it through, then publish the review.
STEP 3No regulator — use the consumer helplineA complaint about the headshots has no register or ombudsman behind it. Ring 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; they can pass a case to Trading Standards.
STEP 4If money is still owedYou can take the headshot photographer to the small claims route — the county court small claims track up to £10,000 in England and Wales, simple procedure in the sheriff court up to £5,000 in Scotland, and the small claims court up to £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a headshot photographer: questions people ask

Taking headshots needs no licence in any UK nation.

The photographer, under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, unless they assign it in writing. Your licence decides how you can use it.

Yes. Business use is not private and domestic, so the written licence must cover the website, profiles, press or print you plan.

£110 to £350 a session, typically around £200. Retouching, the number of people and the licence move the price. Single-session and team-day prices are in the headshot photographer price guide; your town above shows photographers near you.

Only if the licence allows it; agree that before a team session.

Raise it in writing. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires reasonable care and skill; ask for a reshoot or a price reduction.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in photography & video

How to hire: Portrait PhotographerHow to hire: Event PhotographerHow to hire: Product PhotographerHow to hire: Family PhotographerHow to hire: VideographerHow to hire: Property PhotographerHow to hire: Event VideographerHow to hire: Wedding PhotographerAll 701 hiring guides →

Headshot photographers near you

Headshot photographers in LondonHeadshot photographers in ManchesterHeadshot photographers in BirminghamHeadshot photographers in GlasgowHeadshot photographers in BelfastAll headshot 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. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  9. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register