Insurance for Photographers

Photographers often have a blend of technical and creative skills - they need to know how to operate camera equipment, but they also need to have an artistic eye in order to take captivating photos. A photographer could take many career paths: they could work at a newspaper producing photos to appear alongside news articles, they could work in-house at a company taking photos of their products and marketing campaigns, but many go the independent route and work for a variety of clients, perhaps specializing in one industry or type of photography.

Independent photographers often purchase and store their own equipment, travel for assignments, and deal directly with their customers. As business owners providing a professional service, they face a number of risks that require insurance to ensure their business and assets are protected in any situation.

The most expensive part of starting and maintaining a photography business is probably the equipment. In addition to a pricey camera that can cost thousands of dollars, professional photographers usually need multiple stands and tripods, lenses, film, backup batteries, and more. Expensive gear can easily be ruined if you’re taking photos in the rain, someone knocks something over, or there’s some other type of accident. Expensive camera equipment is also a tempting target for thieves. Camera Insurance is of high importance.

In addition to protecting themselves from costly equipment theft or damage, photographers must also take care to preserve the photos they’ve taken. Many assignments will be “once-in-a-lifetime” experiences, like weddings or important cultural events, meaning lost photos can’t simply be re-shot. A faulty memory card can end up being a pretty big deal. And even if photos are preserved, customers might not always be satisfied with them. If a customer doesn’t feel they received the services promised in your agreement, they could sue.

Just like other small business owners, photographers who work for themselves face numerous risks in the course of doing business, and they need insurance to protect themselves.

Yes. At a minimum a wedding photographer should carry General Liability insurance to protect you from liabilities of lawsuits and other common claims. This will protect your business if you are faced with lawsuits arising from the wedding event.

The cost of having to repair or replace your camera gear will put a huge dent in your pocket. Protect your camera gear with property insurance as a part of a Business Owner's Policy (BOP) or Inland Marine coverage.

There are several types of insurance policies that video photographers should have in order to make sure you have the most comprehensive insurance portfolio to protect your business. The types of insurance policies you need will depend on several factors about your business, such as whether you travel to sites, clients come to your premises, or you have employees. To start, though, there are two critical policies that are the most important for video photographers. General Liability and Professional Liability.

General Liability - General Liability insurance provides protection for your business if you are sued for bodily injury or property damage to a third party. An example would be if a client slips and falls on your premises, or you knock over your tripod and put a hole in a clients’ wall.

Professional Liability/Errors & Omissions - Also known as E&O, this is extremely important if for any reason you are unable to deliver what you promised. E&O comes in when you deliver a video to a client that is not up to par, is damaged, or they think you did not do what you agreed to do. A common claim is forgetting to put a memory card in and then losing the video that you thought you took.