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Portrait photographer companies in London

524 portrait photographer companies have a registered office in London, and 140 of them were formed in 2025 or 2026. In their latest accounts, the typical one held £16,321 in cash and owed £13,356 at year end.

Companies House register, 1 September 2026, and accounts filed in the last twelve months. Compared with the official category “Portrait photographic activities” (SIC 74201).

The numbers

Portrait photographer companies in London compared with the same category across the UK. Typical figures are medians.
MeasureLondonUK
Registered companies5242,590
Formed in 2025 or 2026140 (27%)23%
Being struck off or in liquidation48 (9.2%)8.9%
Typical cash at year end£16,321100 accounts£6,956
Typical amount owed at year end£13,356284 accounts£12,096
Typical number of employees1292 accounts1

What this means if you’re starting one

Cash is tight in this trade

At year end the typical portrait photographer company in London holds £16,321 in cash and owes £13,356; that cash figure is lower than 92% of UK industries.

Typical operators end the year holding less cash than they owe, so there is little slack if takings dip or a big bill lands early.

Most of these businesses are run by one or two people

The typical portrait photographer company in London reports 1 employee; the top quarter has 1 or more (292 filings).

You are mostly up against owner-operators. Your own hours are likely to be your biggest cost, and the easiest one to undercount.

You can start without much equipment

The typical portrait photographer company in London carries £5,796 of equipment and other fixed assets after depreciation, lower than 71% of UK industries.

Most of the cost of entry is time and running costs rather than kit, so a small test is cheap.

Planning a business like this in London?

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What these figures can’t tell you

Companies are counted where their registered office is, which may be an accountant or a home address rather than a shop. Sole traders and partnerships are not on the register, and electronically filed accounts cover roughly 60–75% of accounts filed each year. The figures describe companies that exist; they cannot prove demand for your idea or predict whether it will work. How the figures are built.

Other businesses in London

All business benchmarks in London