Owning a photography business comes with numerous risks, making business insurance essential to protect you from financial losses. Photographer insurance can replace expensive camera equipment if it’s stolen, or pay for medical bills for injured employees.
To choose an appropriate policy tailored to your specific needs, you’ll need to have a good understanding of how photography business insurance works.
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What Is Photographer Insurance?
Photography insurance is a specialized form of small business insurance created to safeguard photographers and their businesses from risks and liabilities in the work of picture taking. Small business insurance offers financial protection and peace of mind by providing coverage for legal disputes, injuries, and equipment damage or loss from theft, accidents and natural disasters.
Consider a scenario in which a client files a lawsuit against you, claiming breach of contract. In this example, the general liability insurance component of your small business policy would cover your expenses for legal representation and any potential judgment or settlement.
Who Needs Photographer Insurance?
Photographer insurance can play a significant role in protecting your business from unexpected costs. Photography professionals who would benefit from business insurance include:
- Event photographers
- Freelance photographers or videographers
- Nature photographers
- Passport photographers
- Operators of photography studios
- Portrait photographers
- School photographers
- Sports photographers
- Wedding photographers
What Does Photographer Insurance Cover?
Because you have many insurance options, starting with a business owners policy (BOP) is wise. A BOP offers three types of coverage for a range of potential issues. Buying a BOP often proves more cost-effective than purchasing the coverage individually.
A business owners policy bundles together these three coverage types.
General liability insurance. This insurance provides financial protection if your photography business is blamed for accidental injuries or property damage. It also covers legal expenses if the situation leads to litigation. For instance, during a birthday celebration photoshoot, the general liability coverage could pay for medical and legal expenses if a guest trips over your camera equipment and is injured.
Business property insurance. This insurance provides coverage for a business’s physical premises and equipment in the event of damage caused by an incident covered under the policy, such as a tornado. It protects leased and owned equipment, including studio furniture, backdrops, cameras, memory cards and business records.
Business income insurance. Also known as business interruption coverage, this portion of a business owners policy can keep your business afloat if you’re forced to shut down by unforeseen circumstances, such as a fire.
What’s Not Covered by Photographer Insurance?
Certain situations fall outside a photographer’s small business insurance, including:
- Flood damage to a business. For protection against flood-related losses, a separate commercial flood policy is necessary.
- Earthquake damage to your business. Similar to flood losses, you’ll need a separate policy if you want to cover earthquake damage.
- Intentional or fraudulent acts: Small business insurance typically does not cover damage resulting from deliberate or fraudulent activity.
- Unlawful dismissal. Without an employment practices liability policy, small business insurance may not cover claims about wrongful termination matters.
It’s important to be aware of these exclusions and consider additional or specialized insurance policies to cover any gaps.
Examples of Photographer Insurance Claims
Here are claim scenarios and the corresponding photographer insurance that would address them.
How Much Does Photography Insurance Cost?
Insurance companies take numerous factors into account when calculating a policy’s cost. Common ones include:
- Coverage needs. Your policy details, such as coverage types and limits, play a significant role in determining your premium. Policies with lower coverage limits generally come with lower costs than those with higher limits.
- Business size. The number of employees and the size of your payroll directly impact the cost of workers compensation insurance. More employees typically mean higher premiums.
- Other considerations. To estimate costs accurately, insurance companies also factor in elements such as your business assets, property ownership, claims history and location.
Ways To Save on Photographer Insurance
To cut your business insurance costs, try these savings strategies.
Gather quotes from several insurance companies. Business insurance policies can vary in price among insurers. To find the best deal, compare quotes from multiple insurance providers.
Bundle coverage with a BOP. Consider a business owners policy that combines essential coverages like general liability, business interruption, and commercial property insurance. Bundling these together is often cheaper than purchasing separate policies.
Correctly classify your employees for workers compensation insurance. Ensure they have accurate and detailed job descriptions that align with their duties. Proper classification can lead to savings on workers comp insurance. If you need more clarification, consult your insurance agent for guidance.
Join a professional organization or association. It may be possible to reduce your insurance premiums by joining a professional organization or association.
Pay insurance premiums annually. Consider paying your insurance premiums yearly rather than every month. The switch may qualify you for a discount from your insurer.
Bump up your commercial auto insurance deductible. Select a higher deductible for your commercial car insurance policy. A higher deductible will result in lower premiums, though you’ll be responsible for paying a larger amount out of pocket if you file a claim.
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Where Can You Get Photographer Insurance?
A reliable photographer insurance policy combines essential coverage types tailored to address the specific risks your company encounters. These insurance companies offer standard business insurance options such as business owners insurance, commercial auto insurance and workers compensation insurance, allowing you to customize a policy according to your needs.
- Acuity
- Allianz
- Allstate
- American Family Insurance
- AmTrust Financial
- Auto-Owners Insurance
- Berkshire Hathaway
- Chubb
- Cincinnati Insurance
- Clear Blue Insurance Co.
- CNA
- Erie Insurance
- Farmers Insurance
- Frankenmuth Insurance
- The Hanover
- The Hartford
- Liberty Mutual
- Nationwide
- State Farm
- Tokio Marine
- Travelers
- Utica First Insurance
- Westfield Insurance
Other Small Business Insurance Types
A business owners policy (BOP) provides a solid foundation. But your specific business needs may require additional types of coverage. Discussing your options with an insurance agent is wise to ensure you have sufficient protection.
Here are some valuable additional coverage options worth considering.
Commercial Auto Insurance
If you use a vehicle in your photography business for any task involving work, a commercial auto policy is a must. For example, a commercial auto policy is necessary if you use a van to transport camera equipment and backdrops from your studio to an event, because your personal auto insurance typically does not provide coverage when your vehicle is used for business purposes.
Like a business owners policy, commercial auto insurance policies combine several coverages.
- Bodily injury liability. It covers injuries to others that result from accidents caused by you or your employees.
- Property damage liability. This coverage pays for accidental property damage to a third party that you or your employees are responsible for.
- Combined single limit (CSL). This type of policy blends bodily injury and property damage coverage into a single overall limit, instead of having separate limits for each.
- Medical payments and personal injury protection (PIP). Regardless of fault in a car accident, PIP pays for medical expenses for you and your passengers.
- Collision insurance. If you or your employees are involved in an accident, this insurance covers the repair or replacement costs of your vehicle.
- Comprehensive insurance. This insurance provides coverage for incidents other than vehicle collisions, such as theft, vandalism, fires, floods and collisions with animals. It pays to repair or replace your vehicle.
- Uninsured motorist (UM) coverage. If you’re hit by a driver without car insurance or with insufficient coverage, UM covers injuries to you and your passengers. Certain states extend coverage to include damage to your car caused by an uninsured driver.
Workers Compensation Insurance
If you have even one employee, workers compensation insurance is required in most states. This insurance covers medical expenses, lost wages and disability benefits when your employees become ill or injured while performing job-related tasks.
Commercial Umbrella Insurance
With commercial umbrella insurance, you have an extra layer of liability protection that becomes effective if your other liability coverage limits have been reached. It’s like a safety net that goes beyond your existing policies, covering claims against you that exceed the thresholds listed in your policy.
Errors and Omissions Insurance
Errors and omissions insurance, also referred to as professional liability insurance, pays out if a client alleges that you didn’t fulfill your professional duties, regardless of the claim’s validity.
Consider a scenario in which you’ve been hired to photograph a wedding but accidentally miss the wedding date and fail to show up for the big day. The client could sue you for breach of contract. This insurance acts as a safety net for your business and covers the costs of legal representation, court judgments and settlements.
Hired and Non-owned Auto Insurance
When you or your employees drive rented or personally owned vehicles for business purposes, this insurance offers coverage for injuries and property damage to others. For example, if an employee uses a rented van to transport props for a photoshoot, the insurance would cover costs arising from an accident caused by the employee.
Inland Marine Insurance
Because a typical commercial property policy covers business property only in a specific location, photo and video professionals frequently opt for what’s called inland marine insurance. With this insurance, your cameras and other business property are covered wherever you take them.
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Photographer Business Insurance Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why would a photographer need insurance?
For photographers with at least one employee, workers compensation insurance is typically a legal requirement per state laws. Even beyond the legal obligation, it’s smart to invest in a business owners policy to safeguard your business from accidents that could lead to financial difficulties.
In case someone slips on your camera cord and is injured, for example, your coverage could pay for their medical expenses and alleviate the potential financial burden on your business.
What is liability insurance for a photographer?
Photographer liability insurance can provide vital financial protection for your business, shielding it from potential mishaps and expensive claims. For example, during a wedding photoshoot, if you accidentally break a $1,000 family heirloom, general liability coverage can come to your rescue by covering the cost of the damage.
Why would a photographer need professional liability insurance?
Running your own photography business exposes you to a variety of liability risks. For instance, if a client is dissatisfied with the service you provided and files a lawsuit, professional liability insurance can pay for the expenses of litigation.
