Photographers, audio-visual and broadcasting equipment operators: salary in the UK
About £28,188 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +5.2% on last year
£2,855 a month About £2,349 a month after tax 20 thousand full-time jobs
Gross pay before tax, including bonuses, commission and overtime. Not included: benefits in kind such as a company car. About the data
Pay range
The dark part is the middle half of full-time employees (25% to 75%); the light bar runs from 10% to 90%. ONS doesn't publish the highest or lowest salary, and x means a figure wasn't published.
Pay by year
The median went from £25,118 in 2021 to £34,261 in 2026 (+36%); for all full-time employees in the UK it changed by +31% over the same years.
Figures by year
| P10 | P25 | Median | P75 | P90 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | x | £21,750 | £25,118 | x | x |
| 2022 | x | £22,910 | £25,039 | x | x |
| 2023 | x | £25,786 | £29,858 | x | x |
| 2024 | x | £25,376 | £29,709 | x | x |
| 2025 | x | £26,775 | £32,567 | x | x |
| 2026 | £26,478 | £29,604 | £34,261 | £41,584 | x |
ONS figures for each year, not adjusted for inflation. Years before 2021 used a different occupation classification, so they can't be compared. Earlier years are ONS's revised figures; the latest is provisional.
Half of full-time employees in this occupation earn less than £34,261 a year and half earn more. That is 16% less than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
The middle half earn between £29,604 and £41,584; one in ten earns less than £26,478.
Ranked by median, it is number 217 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £2,349 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £2,348 in Scotland.
The median for men is £34,315 and for women £33,935, a gap of 1% in men's favour. This compares full-time salaries only and doesn't account for seniority or hours.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | £26,478 | £2,207 |
| 20th | £28,138 | £2,345 |
| 25th (P25) | £29,604 | £2,467 |
| 30th | £30,325 | £2,527 |
| 40th | £32,148 | £2,679 |
| Median (50th) | £34,261 | £2,855 |
| 60th | £36,379 | £3,032 |
| 70th | £38,464 | £3,205 |
| 75th (P75) | £41,584 | £3,465 |
| 80th | x | x |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £34,315 | £37,891 | 16 |
| Women | £33,935 | £34,649 | x |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £28,188 | £2,349 |
| Scotland | £28,180 | £2,348 |
After Income Tax and National Insurance for 2026 to 2027, with the standard tax code and no pension or student loan. Work out your own take-home pay · Take-home pay on £34,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 88 job titles to SOC 3417 Photographers, audio-visual and broadcasting equipment operators. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Audio engineer
- Audio visual manager
- Audio visual technician
- Audio-visual aids operator
- Audio-visual manager
- Av technician
- Backline technician
- Backstage technician
- Boom operator
- Broadcast technician
- Camera operator
- Cameraman
- Cameraman's assistant
- Chief cameraman
- Cine technician
- Cinema operator
- Cinematograph operator
- Cinematographer
- Commercial drone pilot
- Digital imaging technician
- Director of photography
- Dubbing editor
- Dubbing mixer
- Film assistant
- Film recorder operator
- Film technician
- First camera assistant
- Focus puller
- Lighting designer
- Lighting manager
- Limelight operator
- Media resources officer
- Media technician
- Mixer
- Performing arts technician
- Photo operator
- Photo-litho operator
- Photographer
- Photographer's assistant
- Photographic artist
- Photographic assistant
- Photographic operator
- Photographic technician
- Photogravure studio operator
- Projectionist
- Recorder
- Recording engineer
- Rigger
- Second camera assistant
- Sound assistant
- Sound balancer
- Sound control operator
- Sound controller
- Sound designer
- Sound editor
- Sound engineer
- Sound mixer
- Sound recordist
- Sound technician
- Soundman
Show all 88 titles
- Stage technician
- Studio assistant
- Studio engineer
- Tape operator
- Technical lighting director
- Technical manager
- Technical operator
- Technician
- Telecine operator
- Theatre lighting director
- Theatre sound manager
- Theatre stage technician
- Theatre technician
- Video camera editor
- Video camera engineer
- Video camera operator
- Video camera technician
- Video equipment operator
- Video operator
- Videographer
- Videotape recorder operator
- Vision control engineer
- Vision engineer
- Vision mixer
- Vision supervisor
- Visual aids officer
- Visual aids technician
- Vt operator
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Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2026 provisional, Table 14.7a (full-time employees, gross annual pay, UK, tax year ending 5 April 2026). Provisional figures may be revised.