Insurance for professional photographers
As a professional photographer, you are in the business of capturing the most important moments in your clients’ lives. Whether you are a one-person operation or you employ a full team, your business deserves to be protected in the correct way. So, what type of insurance does a photographer need?
Photographers, like any other professionals, need to protect themselves and their equipment with the right insurance coverage – and there are serveral types of insurance for photographers to consider.
These include equipment insurance to cover damage or theft of their gear, liability insurance to protect against any accidents or injuries that may occur during a photoshoot, and even professional liability insurance to safeguard against any legal claims that may arise from dissatisfied clients. Depending on the size of your operation, workers compensation, key person life insurance and cyber liability insurance may need to be considered as well.
Insurance for photographers
Professional Liability Insurance
Also known as Errors and Omissions Insurance, Professional Liability protects you if a mistake is made. Even if you are an expert in your business, mistakes happen. And if your client thinks a mistake in your professional services caused a financial loss to them, they can sue you. Professional Liability Insurance can protect you against these claims from clients.
Here are some examples of when a Professional Liability Insurance policy would be imperative:
- Faulty memory card: What if you photographed an entire wedding and found out after the fact that your memory card failed? Not only are you and your client devastated, but they also make a claim against you for failure to deliver the photographs, as promised. Professional liability insurance could protect you and your business against claims of negligence even if you haven’t made a mistake and the loss was caused by an unavoidable technical glitch.
- Dissatisfied client: You are hired to photograph a wedding, but you forget to take pictures of the bride and groom’s dog dressed in a tux. You did your best, but there were hundreds of people who requested to be in photographs and you missed this one. Your client may make a claim against you for negligence regarding the failure to fully deliver the agreed upon photography services.
General Liability Insurance
General Liability Insurance, on the other hand, protects your photography business from another person or business’s claims of bodily injury, associated medical costs, and/ or damage to property.
Imagine these scenarios:
- Bodily injury: As a photographer, your job often involves equipment setup that can create a high-risk environment for slips and falls. What would happen if a client that you are working for tripped over a piece of high-cost equipment that you have set out for a photo shoot? General liability insurance could protect you against third-party claims for bodily injury and related medical costs for situations like this.
- Property damage: You are at an expensive hotel photographing a client’s wedding. You are working with an assistant to help with the photography equipment. Your assistant knocks over and breaks an expensive antique vase, which costs thousands of dollars. With general liability insurance you may be able to cover the cost to replace the vase, up to the limits of your liability policy.
Business Owner’s Package Insurance
You know that your largest investment is in your cameras and equipment. Protect that investment with camera equipment insurance, which can pay to replace your equipment if it is stolen or damaged. Having the right insurance for photography equipment can get your business back up and running quickly after a loss. A photographer’s Business Owners Policy (BOP) includes insurance for photography equipment such as cameras, lenses, computers and electronic storage devices.
Workers Compensation Insurance
A key part of running your photography business is keeping employees safe on the job. However, if one of your employees does suffer an injury, workers compensation coverage provides you and your employees with important protection. Even if you only have one employee or assistant, you assume their risk while they are working for you. It’s a smart idea to look into workers comp coverage (even if it is not required by the state).
Cyber Liability Insurance
As a professional photographer, you store large amounts of data on your computer, including high-resolution images, client information and payment details. The cost associated with this data being damaged, lost or stolen could be covered by cyber security insurance. In addition, if you have a website, take credit cards for payment, or stores customer information it’s essential that you have cyber security insurance. You can learn more about the importance of cyber liability insurance for a small business here.
Key Person Life Insurance
If you have a business partner, you might want to consider key person life insurance. Can you imagine what would happen if a vital person to your photography business were to pass away unexpectedly? How would this impact the business? This is where Key Person Life Insurance comes into play. Key Person Life Insurance is a life insurance policy purchased by a company on the life of the business owner, top executive, partner, or any one else who is critical to the success of the business. Learn more how key person life insurance works here!
Benefits of working with an Independent Insurance Agent to protect your photography business.
Working with an independent insurance agency benefits you. Because we are not tied to one carrier, we are able to compare your current coverage with a wide range of insurance companies to see is the best fit for your unique set of risks. We also have personal relationships with the underwriters we work with, so we are able to guide you through the entire insurance-buying process.
If you’re a small business owner, we’d love to talk to you about the specific risks your businses faces and how we can help you protect it. Every one of our protection advisors is an expert in business insurance. Contact us here and let’s get started!
A little more about Holley Insurance…
Holley Insurance was founded in 2000, and retains a core base of loyal clients. We have locations in Roanoke, Rocky Mount, and Forest, VA. As an independent insurance agency, Holley Insurance represents a carefully selected group of financially strong, reputable insurance companies. Therefore, we are able to offer you the best coverage at the most competitive price. If you’re interested in starting a quote online or having us take a look at your current policies, click here.