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NUJ Rate for the Job:
Photography / news
Updated: 2025-07-09
These rates have been reported by members of the National Union of Journalists and others, and printed in the Freelance, newsletter of London Freelance Branch. They are sorted by publisher/publication, then by date (most recent first). TIP: Use the "Find in page" command under your browser's "Edit" or "Search" menu to be sure of finding all occurrences of a publication/publisher. AND do note the year in which the rate was reported! See also the Freelance Fees Guide, which gives general recommendations. And read the disclaimer and the key to exactly what the entries mean.
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Photography - whether paid by the day, the hour or per picture - whose primary use is in a national newspaper. (Generic rates for publishing groups appear at the end.) See also regional newspapers. If you are interested, the archived rates are here. | ||||||
Tell us what you've been paid for Photography / news |
Freelance Fees Guide
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| Publication / Programme - details & terms | Group | Year |  |
Total paid | GR |
XXXX |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Express first pic in story - rates paid to agency freelances by nationals, according to Jon Harris, chair of National Association of Press Agencies and managing director of news agency Cavendish Press, quoted in Press Gazette - £150 first pic in story, add £50 per pic thereafter | _TMG | 2022 |  |
150.00 | GR | XX |
| Daily Mail Large live pic - rates paid to agency freelances by nationals, according to Jon Harris, chair of National Association of Press Agencies and managing director of news agency Cavendish Press, quoted in Press Gazette | _Assoc | 2022 | |
160.00 | GR | XX |
| Daily Mail Medium live pic - rates paid to agency freelances by nationals, according to Jon Harris, chair of National Association of Press Agencies and managing director of news agency Cavendish Press, quoted in Press Gazette | _Assoc | 2022 | |
130.00 | X | |
| Daily Mail small pic - rates paid to agency freelances by nationals, according to Jon Harris, chair of National Association of Press Agencies and managing director of news agency Cavendish Press, quoted in Press Gazette | _Assoc | 2022 | |
100.00 | GR | XX |
| Daily Mail print use of 1 photo | _Assoc | 2019 | |
160.00 | ||
| Daily Mail Video (10 sec) plus article - | _Assoc | 2018 | |
270.00 | O | |
| Daily Mail unauthorised use - first offered £130 | _Assoc | 2015 | |
200.00 | ||
| Daily Mail DPS picture feature (5 images) | _Assoc | 2014 | |
1500.00 | ||
| Daily Mail unauthorised use - first offered £130 | _Assoc | 2014 | |
200.00 | ||
| Daily Mail unauthorised use - first offered £130 | _Assoc | 2014 | |
200.00 | ||
| Daily Mail online video of an environmental activist - licensed for non-exclusive online use | _Assoc | 2020 | |
50.00 | ||
| Daily Mail online Quarter-page photo | _Assoc | 2018 | |
180.00 | X | |
| Daily Mail Online stills | _Assoc | 2016 | |
80.00 | XX | |
| Daily Mail Online raw video, length unspecified | _Assoc | 2016 | |
150.00 | ||
| Daily Mail online 2022 image used without permission or credit online , terms - Issued retrospective invoice Non Exclusive, Single Use Only, One Year From Date of | 2024 | |
350.00 | |||
| Daily Mirror Scotland Large photo - rate paid to agency freelances by nationals, according to Jon Harris, chair of National Association of Press Agencies and managing director of news agency Cavendish Press, quoted in Press Gazette | _TMG | 2022 | |
80.00 | GR | XX |
| Daily Mirror Scotland Medium photo - rate paid to agency freelances by nationals, according to Jon Harris, chair of National Association of Press Agencies and managing director of news agency Cavendish Press, quoted in Press Gazette | _TMG | 2022 | |
65.00 | GR | XXX |
| Daily Mirror Scotland Small photo - rate paid to agency freelances by nationals, according to Jon Harris, chair of National Association of Press Agencies and managing director of news agency Cavendish Press, quoted in Press Gazette | _TMG | 2022 | |
50.00 | GR | XXX |
| Daily Mirror Scotland Headshot - rate paid to agency freelances by nationals, according to Jon Harris, chair of National Association of Press Agencies and managing director of news agency Cavendish Press, quoted in Press Gazette | _TMG | 2022 | |
37.50 | GR | XXX |
| Daily Mirror Large photo - rate paid to agency freelances by nationals, according to Jon Harris, chair of National Association of Press Agencies and managing director of news agency Cavendish Press, quoted in Press Gazette | _TMG | 2022 | |
150.00 | GR | XX |
| Daily Mirror Photo across column - rates paid to agency freelances by nationals, according to Jon Harris, chair of National Association of Press Agencies and managing director of news agency Cavendish Press, quoted in Press Gazette | _TMG | 2022 | |
100.00 | GR | XX |
| Daily Star paid for unauthorised use of a photo | 2024 | |
150.00 | |||
| Daily Star first pic in story - rate paid to agency freelances by nationals, according to Jon Harris, chair of National Association of Press Agencies and managing director of news agency Cavendish Press, quoted in Press Gazette - add £50 for every pic thereafter | _TMG | 2022 | |
300.00 | GR | XX |
| Daily Star 1 photograph , terms print use only | _TMG | 2019 | |
150.00 | ||
| Daily Star 2 photos | _NS | 2014 | |
200.00 | ||
| Daily Star words +pic | _NS | 2014 | |
125.00 | ||
| Daily Star 2 photos | _NS | 2014 | |
200.00 | ||
| Daily Star words +pic | _NS | 2014 | |
125.00 | ||
| Daily Telegraph Two pics in one story or single front page pic - rates paid to agency freelances by nationals, according to Jon Harris, chair of National Association of Press Agencies and managing director of news agency Cavendish Press, quoted in Press Gazette | _BarcB | 2022 | |
165.00 | GR | XX |
| Daily Telegraph Three or more pics in one story - rates paid to agency freelances by nationals, according to Jon Harris, chair of National Association of Press Agencies and managing director of news agency Cavendish Press, quoted in Press Gazette | _BarcB | 2022 | |
200.00 | GR | XX |
| Daily Telegraph Commission for one day photography, for UK assignments - rates paid to agency freelances by nationals, according to Jon Harris, chair of National Association of Press Agencies and managing director of news agency Cavendish Press, quoted in Press Gazette | _BarcB | 2022 | |
175.00 | GR | XX |
| Daily Telegraph words + 1 pic | _BarcB | 2014 | |
25.00 | XXXX | |
| Daily Telegraph words + 1 pic | _BarcB | 2014 | |
25.00 | XXXX | |
| Express 1 image for website - | _TMG | 2018 | |
80.00 | X | |
| Financial Times daily rate for story coverage and portrait photography | _Nikkei | 2022 |  |
300.00 | GR | |
| Financial Times picture editing day, 8 hours, all photo desks - up from £139 | _Nikkei | 2020 | |
145.00 | X | |
| Financial Times day | _NI | 2018 | |
160.00 | GR | |
| Guardian news photo feature - 5 days' work, travel exes paid - 900 words @ £287 = (via #FreelancerPayGap) | _GMG | 2020 | |
319.00 | X | |
| Guardian day | _BarcB | 2025 | |
298.00 | ||
| Guardian day rate (over 4 hours) - house agreement rate | _GMG | 2025 | |
304.85 | HA | |
| Guardian gallery or slideshow (for all images in it from one supplier) | _GMG | 2025 | |
102.50 | HA | |
| Guardian flash (use of image in a video) | _GMG | 2025 | |
30.75 | HA | |
| Guardian speculative image up to 5 square inches | _GMG | 2025 | |
82.00 | HA | |
| Guardian speculative image over 5 square inches | _GMG | 2025 | |
153.75 | HA | |
| Guardian stock image - minimum | _GMG | 2025 | |
63.44 | HA | |
| Guardian stock image - 50 to 80 square inches | _GMG | 2025 | |
110.95 | HA | |
| Guardian stock image - 216 to 432 square inches | _GMG | 2025 | |
215.65 | HA | |
| Guardian day rate (under 4 hours) - house agreement rate | _GMG | 2025 | |
210.62 | HA | |
| Guardian Photojournalism feature - long form | _GMG | 2022 | |
500.00 | X | |
| Guardian 20 photo picture story | _GMG | 2019 | |
100.00 | XXXX | |
| Guardian 18-photo story in Uganda | _GMG | 2019 | |
350.00 | ||
| Guardian 1 pic, terms 1 use online | _GMG | 2019 | |
100.00 | ||
| Guardian via Rex Shutterstock agency use of stock photo of Sajid Javid MP; terms - 50% split with Rex Features which is now Shutterstock; they do not bother to pay until they owe you £50 | 2022 | |
4.19 | XXXX | ||
| Irish Daily Star commissioned job , prod/exes 50 cent per mile | _INM | 2014 | |
81.00 | XX | |
| Mail Online 5 images online | _Assoc | 2016 | |
90.00 | ||
| Mail online first of a set of photos used online | _Assoc | 2019 | |
40.00 | X | |
| Mail online 2 photographs | _Assoc | 2019 | |
200.00 | ||
| Mail online 30-second video | _Assoc | 2019 | |
60.00 | XXX | |
| Mail online 5 photos | _Assoc | 2014 | |
100.00 | XXX | |
| Mail online words + 1 pic | _Assoc | 2014 | |
40.00 | XX | |
| Mail online 5 photos | _Assoc | 2014 | |
100.00 | XXX | |
| Mail online words + 1 pic | _Assoc | 2014 | |
40.00 | XX | |
| MailOnline basic video shot on phone and posted on socials | _Assoc | 2024 | |
200.00 | ||
| Metro day on location covering sporting event - prod/exes petrol 45p/mile licensed for single edition print & online | _Assoc | 2014 | |
150.00 | GR | XXX |
| Metro day on location covering sporting event - prod/exes petrol 45p/mile licensed for single edition print & online | _Assoc | 2014 | |
150.00 | GR | XXX |
| Metro online 1 photograph , terms online use only | _Assoc | 2019 | |
100.00 | ||
| Mirror 1 photograph (less than 5 square inches), terms print use only | _TMG | 2019 | |
130.00 | ||
| Mirror online set of five picutres - licensed re-use at 40-20-10 | 2023 | |
200.00 | |||
| Mirror online 2 photographs, terms online use only | _TMG | 2019 | |
200.00 | ||
| Neue Zuercher Zeitung (Zurich) day | 2025 |  |
450.00 | |||
| New York Times day | _NYT | 2025 | |
650.00 | ||
| New York Times photojournalism day rate | _NYT | 2022 | |
450.00 | GR | O |
| Observer Large action Rugby Union Sports image from previous day via rex/Shutterstock, after they take their 50 per cent = | 2022 | |
2.08 | XXXXX | ||
| Politico Europe day | 2025 | |
500.00 | |||
| Politico day | 2025 | |
500.00 | |||
| Scottish Sun video (length unspecified) | _NI | 2017 | |
50.00 | XXXX | |
| Scottish Sun First pic online | _NI | 2017 | |
30.00 | XXXX | |
| Scottish Sun Second pic online | _NI | 2017 | |
20.00 | XXXX | |
| Scottish Sun Every pic after second, online | _NI | 2017 | |
10.00 | XX^9 | |
| Scottish Sun Fee cap no matter how many pix used | _NI | 2017 | |
100.00 | XX^9 | |
| Sun paid for unauthorised use of a photo on three different web pages | 2024 | |
600.00 | |||
| Sun photo the width of a column - rate paid to agency freelances by nationals, according to Jon Harris, chair of National Association of Press Agencies and managing director of news agency Cavendish Press, quoted in Press Gazette - above that size £100 to £231, daily commission for photos £135 to £165. | _NI | 2022 | |
78.75 | GR | XX |
| Sun online 3 photographs | _NI | 2019 | |
450.00 | ||
| Sunday Independent (Ireland) payment following copyright infringement in print and online (retrospective licence) | _INM | 2019 | |
609.00 | O | |
| Telegraph day | _BarcB | 2025 | |
225.00 | ||
| Telegraph online use of 1 photo | _BarcB | 2019 | |
25.00 | X | |
| Telegraph print use of 1 photo | _BarcB | 2019 | |
150.00 | ||
| The Times pics 11-25 sq inches £90, over 25 sq inches £139 - rate paid to agency freelances by nationals, according to Jon Harris, chair of National Association of Press Agencies and managing director of news agency Cavendish Press, quoted in Press Gazette | _TMG | 2022 | |
54.00 | GR | XX |
| The Times and Sunday Times portraits and photojournalism day rate | _NI | 2022 | |
300.00 | GR | |
| Times day | _NI | 2025 | |
250.00 | ||
| Times 1/3 page image in world news - net fee, after Solent Images takes 50% | _NI | 2023 | |
65.00 | GR | X |
| Wall Street Journal day | _NI | 2025 | |
500.00 | ||
| Al Jazeera use of one (exclusive) photo in a documentary: 1 use in programme only 10 years world non-exclusive | 2022 | |
1000.00 | |||
| Andaolu Agency full day photo shift | 2022 | |
200.00 | |||
| Andaolu Agency (Turkey) half day photography | 2022 | |
225.00 | |||
| Associated Press 6 minute raw footage edit feature - including expenses (via #FreelancerPayGap) | 2020 | |
450.00 | |||
| Associated Press TV 30-second video | _AP | 2017 | |
110.00 | ||
| BBC Use of one photo, once - | _BBC | 2022 | |
250.00 | ||
| BBC News Website online picture essay | 2014 | |
270.00 | |||
| BBC world news Europe one photo plus caption | _BBC | 2019 | |
75.00 | ||
| EPA (European Press Agency) day | 2021 | |
180.00 | |||
| Guardian Networks (IT support) 1 photo, 5 inches square | _GMG | 2014 | |
71.00 | GR | |
| Guardian Networks (IT support) 1 photo, 5 inches square | _GMG | 2014 | |
71.00 | GR | |
| ITV one archive photo - worldwide usage | _ITV | 2018 | |
400.00 | X | |
| One member's going rate Video: commissioned news feature report | 2016 | |
720.00 | GR | ||
| One member's going rate Video: one second of archive, per platform per second (1 minute broadcast once = £360) | 2016 | |
6.00 | GR | ||
| One member's going rate Video: day shooting | 2016 | |
400.00 | |||
| One member's going rate Video: commissioned filming and editing day | 2016 | |
600.00 | GR | ||
| One member's going rate Video from archive: one minute for TV & internet = 60 * £6 per second * 2 platforms (UK only) | 2016 | |
360.00 | GR | ||
| One member's going rate Video from archive: per second per platform, world licence | 2016 | |
36.00 | GR | ||
| One member's going rate Video: shot & edited 2-3 minute package (a day's work) | 2016 | |
500.00 | GR | ||
| One member's going rate Video: news day rate, up from £300 | 2016 | |
400.00 | GR | ||
| One member's going rate Video from archive: per second per platform, UK only | 2016 | |
6.00 | GR | ||
| Press Association (via Alamy) photographs licensed as "Alamy Novel Use" - meant for charities and schools, low income etc. - but it was a press release from PA which appeared in multiple major newspapers... | 2023 | |
0.04 | XXXX | ||
| Reuters shifts - covering breaking news and features (plus mileage at 45p/mile) , terms - you, [Photographer]... agree that Reuters may publish and distribute the Content to Reuters customers, which include other news organizations around the world, for their further use, display and publication. | _Reuter | 2023 | |
225.00 | ||
| RTP (Portugal) "11 minutes" (videography?) news gathering | 2016 | |
500.00 | |||
| TV programme 2 photographs in TV programme, terms - PSR rights for unlimited transmissions including catch-up services, valid for 5 years | 2019 | |
500.00 | |||
| UK tabloid newspaper single image - online use only | 2018 | |
500.00 | |||
| UK tabloid newspaper single image - print use - rights deal not reported | 2018 | |
500.00 | |||
| Unnamed university pictures in an exhibition | 2017 | |
650.00 | |||
| Yahoo! news photoshoot , terms - all rights to Yahoo, in an astounding contract | _Yahoo | 2025 | |
250.00 | ||
| Key to the rates, by column: |
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| 1 Publication / Programme, any details of work and licence | ||||||
| 2 Owner at the time the rate was reported, where known | Group | |||||
| 3 The year in which the rate was reported | Year |
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| 4 Currency: either or or (US) | |
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| 5 Amount paid (total of basic licence and extra licences for web use, database resale...) | Amount |
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| 7 "Going Rate" according to experienced NUJ members - do try to better it: | GR |
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| or Minimum rate set out in NUJ House Agreement: | HA |
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| 8 Underpaid, in the fallible opinion of the Freelance editor: | | 50.00 | X |
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| or Just sometimes we're pleasantly surprised: | | 1500.00 | O |
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Other rates:
| Type of work: | In the "sector": (click or tap below!) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Words, per 1000 | News | Local | Mag | online | Book | PR | Other |
| Words, other | News | Local | Mag | online | Book | PR | Other |
| Photography | News | Local | Mag | online | Book | PR | Other |
| Broadcasting | News | Local | Other including podcasting | ||||
| Shifts | News | Local | Mag | online | Book | PR | Other |
| Other: | Cartoons | Crosswords | Illustration | Punditry | Retainer | Teaching | Tip-off | Translation | ||||||
| Recently reported rates | all from the past few months |
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Have better rates? Submit them (we won't tell it was you)
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