HOW TO HIRE · PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEO

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

No register or animal licence applies to pet photographers in the UK. Here is what to ask about your pet's welfare, the pictures and the price.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a pet photographer in five steps

  1. Tell them about your animalAge, temperament, fears, health, and whether it is used to strangers or a studio.
  2. Choose the settingHome, a park or a studio. Your pet's comfort matters more than the backdrop.
  3. Ask how they handle animalsTreats you approve, breaks, no forcing a pose, and you stay with your pet.
  4. Agree what you receiveNumber of edited images, files or prints, delivery date.
  5. Decide about online useCommissioned private photos cannot be published without your consent.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

Photographing animals for owners needs no licence in any UK nation, and no register of pet photographers exists. England's 2018 animal licensing regulations cover selling pets, boarding, hiring out horses, dog breeding and keeping or training animals for exhibition — not photographing your animal with you there.

Rely on full galleries, references and how the photographer talks about handling animals.

Copyright and your licence

Section 11 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 makes the author — the pet photographer — the first owner of the copyright in your pet photographs. Ownership moves only through a signed written assignment (section 90), so normally you are buying a licence.

Read the licence clause: can you print them and share them? If you need to own the copyright, ask for it to be assigned in writing. legislation.gov.uk →

Your privacy right in commissioned photographs

Section 85 of the 1988 Act gives anyone who commissions photographs or a film for private and domestic purposes the right to stop copies being issued, shown in public or put online. The pet photographer owns the copyright but needs your permission to use your pet photographs in a portfolio, advert or competition.

Agree in the contract whether your images may be used, and where. legislation.gov.uk →

ICO data protection fee

Holding photographs that often include you and your home makes a pet photographer a processor of personal data. The ICO data protection fee — £52 or £78 a year for most small businesses — is payable unless an exemption applies, and payers are named on the ICO's public register.

Check the ICO public register for the trading name, and agree a deletion date for your files. gov.uk →

VAT

A pet shoot is standard-rated, so 20% VAT applies to the session, the edited images and any prints of your animal. 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, and whether the session fee and the print prices for your pet's photographs include the 20%. gov.uk →

“How do you work with nervous or reactive pets during a photography session?”

A good answer: Slow introductions, short sessions, breaks, and stopping if the animal is stressed.

“What treats or toys will you use during the photography, and can I approve them?”

A good answer: Only what you agree, with allergies and diets respected.

“Can I stay with my pet throughout the photography session?”

A good answer: Yes — you handle your animal, the pet photographer directs.

“Where do you photograph pets, and is it safe for mine?”

A good answer: An enclosed space or a lead for outdoor shoots, away from roads, with water and shade.

“How many edited pet photographs do I get, and when?”

A good answer: A number, the format and a delivery date.

“Will you post my pet's photos online or in your portfolio?”

A good answer: Only with your written consent.

“What happens if my pet will not settle?”

A good answer: A free or reduced reshoot, written in the terms.

Getting the quote right

  • Who actually attends — the photographer, plus any animal handler or assistant, employed or subcontracted
  • Session length, location and number of animals
  • Number of edited images and the format
  • Digital files or prints, and their prices
  • Travel to your home or a location
  • The reshoot policy if your pet will not settle
  • The VAT number, and VAT on the pet session listed on a line of its own

Walk away if

  • Forcing poses or holding an animal against its will
  • Treats given without asking
  • Outdoor shoots off-lead near roads
  • No full gallery to show
  • Your photos posted online without consent
  • No delivery date
LOW
£50
TYPICAL
£150
HIGH
£250

What a pet photographer costs: £50–£250 per session

Pet photographers price by the session, with digital files, prints and travel often charged on top. Pet 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

Pet 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. BookingYour pet's temperament, health and the location agreed.
  2. Settling inTime for the animal to get used to the photographer and the space.
  3. The shootShort bursts with breaks; you handle, the photographer directs.
  4. EditingSelection and editing to the agreed delivery time.
  5. DeliveryA private gallery or files, with the licence terms.

Session fee
The photographer's time; images may cost extra.
Digital files
Edited photographs as downloads.
Licence
What you may do with the photos — usually print and share.
Private gallery
Online viewing only you can open.
Reshoot
A second session if the first could not go ahead properly.
Portfolio use
The photographer showing your pet's photos, only with consent.

AFTER

When the job is done

Save the photographsTwo copies, before the gallery closes.
Check what was deliveredNumber of images, files and prints.
Record your consent choicesWhich images, if any, the photographer may use.
Leave feedbackWrite about the pet session honestly — punctuality, care, the result. If it was under four stars, the make-it-right step gives them a chance to fix it first.

STEP 1First, a written noteGive the pet photographer the details of the session and a reasonable date to respond. Section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 implies reasonable care and skill into the contract, and sections 55 and 56 give you a repeat or a reduction.
STEP 2The make-it-right stepA review under four stars for a pet photographer starts with a choice: send it to them first to fix, with us following it through, then publish the review.
STEP 3Advice and Trading StandardsIf the pet photographer ignores you about the session, call 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 — no regulator covers this work, but they can involve Trading Standards.
STEP 4If money is still owedYou can take the pet 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 pet photographer: questions people ask

No. Photographing your pet is not a licensable animal activity, and no licence or register applies to pet photographers in any UK nation.

The photographer, under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, unless assigned to you in writing.

Not without your consent if you commissioned them for private and domestic purposes — section 85 of the 1988 Act.

£50 to £250 a session, typically around £150. Location, files and prints move the price. Session, file and print prices are in the pet photographer price guide; enter your town above for photographers near you.

No law requires it. Ask whether they hold public liability cover, especially for studio or home shoots.

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: Family PhotographerHow to hire: Portrait PhotographerHow to hire: Newborn PhotographerHow to hire: Event PhotographerHow to hire: Headshot PhotographerHow to hire: Wedding PhotographerHow to hire: VideographerHow to hire: Product PhotographerAll 701 hiring guides →

Pet photographers near you

Pet photographers in LondonPet photographers in ManchesterPet photographers in BirminghamPet photographers in GlasgowPet photographers in BelfastAll pet photographers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018
  2. Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 11 — first ownership
  3. Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 90 — assignment
  4. Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 85 — privacy of commissioned photographs and films
  5. gov.uk — pay the data protection fee
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  7. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue
  8. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  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