Photographer Insurance

What is Photography Liability Insurance?

Photographer insurance is a type of policy customized to cover a professional photographer’s specific needs. Choosing the right type of coverage for your business is important as it can protect your finances from potentially devastating lawsuits.

What Type of Insurance Do You Need as a Photographer?

Most photographers need general liability insurance if they get sued over injuries or property damages. For example, if there was an accident at a photo shoot, your clients could sue you. Besides having general liability insurance, it’s also a good idea to consider having business property insurance to protect your equipment. It’s also called photography equipment insurance.

Why Do I Need Photographer Insurance?

If you are a professional photographer, everything you do at work might be risky. When your clients pay you money to do something they can’t do, they have the right to sue you if something goes wrong. For example, you could be liable for the cost of reshooting a session or compensating a client because you accidentally lost their images.

All these situations are covered by photographer liability insurance. Even if you get in a dispute with a client, your policy will cover the costs of defending any allegations against you.

How Does Photography Insurance Work?

Photographer insurance covers your equipment at a specific address, usually your studio or the place you work from. In case your camera gets damaged or stolen, commercial property insurance will cover you from financial losses.

Do I Need Insurance as a Freelance Photographer?

Every freelance photographer should consider having photography business insurance to protect your business. As a self-employed photographer, you may risk many unforeseen situations, such as property damages, dissatisfied clients, injuries, thefts, etc.

Besides general liability and business property insurance, freelance photographers should also consider having public liability insurance. This photographer insurance policy can help you cover damages if you are sued for professional mistakes.

Do Wedding Photographers Need Public Liability Insurance?

Any professional photographer should consider having public liability insurance for photographers to protect themselves in case they make a mistake while working, and that includes wedding photographers.

I Need to Add a Client/Venue as an Additional Insured. How Do I Do This?

To add an additional insured to an insurance policy, consult your insurance company agent and review your policy. Usually, you will need to fill out an additional insured endorsement for. These forms should be available online, so consult your agent about them.

What Does Photographer Insurance Cover?

Insurance companies usually offer several types of business insurance policies:

Business Property Coverage

Every professional photographer knows that investing in your photography business costs money. Professional equipment for photographers is essential and expensive, from specialized cameras and lenses to computers, you use to edit your photos. Your business can be affected if any of these and many other vital items get stolen or damaged.

Business property coverage can help you replace or repair your equipment and furnishings like tables, file cabinets, desks, and others if they are damaged or destroyed by some peril. Common perils include fire, vandalism, and storms. However, always read your policy thoroughly to ensure the risks are covered.

General Liability Coverage

This type of photographer insurance coverage can help you pay for medical and legal expenses if a piece of your equipment injures someone and you get sued.

For example, if your camera fell and smashed a glass table at a wedding, this coverage can help you cover the costs of replacing or repairing the table. The amount your insurance company will pay for property damage depends on the coverage limits you select when you buy the insurance policy.

Business Interruption Coverage

Business interruption coverage can help you replace the business income you lost due to a covered loss, such as damage from a fire or vandalism. If you don’t think your business could survive if a fire destroyed your studio, this type of coverage is something you should consider.

Professional Liability Coverage

This type of coverage can help you cover damages if you are sued because of professional mistakes you made while you were working. This insurance policy is also called Errors & Omissions or E&O insurance.

Data Compromise Coverage

Like other photographers, you might store private customer data on your business computer. In case of a data breach or cyberattack, this coverage can help you protect your business. Data compromise coverage pays for notification, credit monitoring services, and legal costs if you are sued over the incident.

Employment Practices Liability Coverage

If one of your employees sues you, this coverage can help you cover legal costs and potential damages.

Commercial Legal Expenses Coverage

When you run a business, there are many problems, such as a considerable amount of legislation to keep up with and other legal issues that can catch you unprepared. Some of the most common issues include tax, property, and employment disputes, which require a lot of time, effort, and money to resolve. This coverage can help you provide expertise and advice when you need it the most.

Read more about Product Liability Insurance

What Does Photographer Insurance Not Cover?

The general liability policy doesn’t cover injuries to staff members, photography equipment, data loss, negligence, or malpractice. You’d need to get insurance for photography equipment as well.

Does Photographer Insurance Cover Videographers Too?

Yes, videographers can also purchase insurance policies that many professional photographers use to protect their finances.

How Much Does Photographer Insurance Cost?

Liability insurance in photography costs can vary, but usually, photographers pay a median premium of $50-$60 per month. General liability insurance costs around $22 per month, while you can expect to pay around $42 per month for a business owner’s policy. The rate of liability insurance for photographers depends on the type of services you offer and other factors, including:

• The size of the business
• Number employees
• Risk factors

How Quickly Can I Get a Photography Insurance Policy & Certificate of Insurance?

Usually, getting a photographer certificate of insurance doesn’t take a long time (some insurance companies can get it for you in a few minutes). The process of getting the certificate is also straightforward. All you need to do is select an insurance policy, make the purchase, and you will receive the certificate in your inbox.

What are Photography Insurance Limits?

As a professional photographer, you can usually choose a policy limit of $1,000,000 or $2,000,000, depending on the coverage you require and the size of your business. The policy you select directly correlates with the amount of risk inherent to a specific event or your business. If you decide to invest more in a higher policy limit, you can potentially save yourself an additional $1,000,000 in out-of-pocket fees.

Finally, if you are running a photography business, you should always think one step ahead and protect your company with the right photographer insurance. Photographer’s insurance can cover many aspects and areas of your business and prevent you from dealing with serious legal issues and financial losses. From faulty media storage to dissatisfied clients or employees, insurance for a photography business can come in handy no matter how experienced a professional photographer you have become.

Are you still confused about photographer insurance, or do you need some help getting a quote for your business? Contact us today and get all the information you need fast and for free!

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