Photography Insurance Costs & Coverage
Nathan Weller is an Insurance Expert focusing on insurance for small business. He has 15 years experience in insurance operations, FNOL, and claims handling.
Photography insurance policies protect your photography or videography business from claims of negligence or damage to your equipment and property. General liability insurance for a photographer can range from $200 to $800 annually, and it will protect your business against claims of negligence.
Looking for quick and affordable photography liability insurance? Simply Business, our top-recommended photography insurance provider, can provide multiple options for your business in minutes.
Photographer Insurance Costs by Policy
Policies | Coverage Limits | Estimated Annual Premium | Deductible |
|---|---|---|---|
General Liability | $1 million per occurrence; $2 million aggregate | $200 to $800 | $0 |
Commercial Property | $35,000 (equipment only) | $175 to $700 | $1,000 |
Business Owners’ Policy (BOP) | $18,000 (equipment only) | $400 to $700 | $1,000 |
Inland Marine | $15,000 | $200 to $2,500 | $500 to $1,000 |
Professional Liability | $1 million per occurrence; $1 million aggregate | $400 to $1,500 | $500 |
Cyber Liability | $1 million per occurrence; $1 million aggregate | $50 to $1800 | $2,500 to $5,000 |
Many factors can affect the cost of photographer insurance, the most common of which are:
- Deductibles: A deductible is like co-insurance. The higher you are willing to pay on a claim, the lower your premium may go.
- Limits: The amount of coverage can raise or lower your premium, but a lower limit can also increase your risk exposure.
- Claims history: If you have a history of filing claims, then this may lead to a higher premium.
- Type of work: What you photograph or record—such as wild animals, models, aerial shots using drones, or anything in the adult film industry—can lead to a higher premium.
- Storage: How you store and maintain your customers’ prints, negatives, and personal identifying information is factored into your premium.
What Policies Do You Need?
There are several policies that photographers and videographers should consider. You want first-party coverage (property) to protect your equipment and liability for any potential claims against your business. The other policies are additional layers of protection you may want to select.
General Liability
Liability insurance for photographers, or general liability, is the most common policy and protects your business against claims of negligence. There are three areas of coverage:
- Property damage
- Bodily injury
- Advertising injury and libel
For example, you take photos of staged homes for a real estate company and while working in a home, your tripod falls over and breaks a glass table. This situation would be an example of a property damage claim.
Many event venues may require this coverage and request proof of insurance, which is also known as a certificate of insurance (COI). Sometimes, the venue will request to be an additional insured, which can add an extra $15 or $30 to your policy.
Commercial Property
Commercial property is first-party coverage that protects your owned structures and their contents. A studio, showroom, and furniture are all examples of what you would want to cover under this policy—or you can limit it to your equipment. A homeowner’s policy usually will not cover business activities, so even if your photography business is out of your home, you will still want to look into this coverage.
Typically, these policies have a blanket limit, which means there is one limit for all of the property at the listed location.
Business Owner’s Policy
A BOP is a package that combines liability and property. Its advantage is that it usually costs less than if you buy standalone policies for liability and commercial property. Typically, providers will let you add equipment coverage for your photography equipment.
Inland Marine
Inland marine insurance is property coverage for your equipment—it follows the equipment and isn’t limited to a specific location. This coverage helps if you drop and break your camera accidentally or someone steals your gear out of your car. When shopping for insurance, discuss whether this is included with a BOP.
Professional Liability
Sometimes referred to as errors and omissions (E&O), this is for situations usually not covered by a liability policy. For example, your contract promises a couple that you’ll capture their wedding day perfectly. When the newlyweds receive the pictures, they discover you didn’t take any pictures of family members or key ceremony moments and failed to deliver on your promise. This would be a situation where you could file a claim for professional liability.
Cyber Liability
Photographers do so much work online these days that you should consider cyber liability insurance. This protects your business from data breaches and cyberattacks.
Workers’ Compensation
If you have employees, then you will need to look into workers’ compensation. This will help your employees if they get injured while on the job.
Where To Buy Photographer’s Insurance
Most small business insurance providers will offer photography insurance, and you can check out our roundup of the best photography insurance companies. Simply visit a company’s website, or contact a local agent, to get a quote started.
- If you prefer to compare multiple quotes simultaneously, you can look into an online broker like Simply Business.
- Hiscox is a great provider for any home-based photographers because of the discounts it offers for home-based businesses.
- If your photography business is a side gig, Thimble offers liability insurance on a short-term basis.
Be prepared to answer questions about how many employees you have, your anticipated revenue, the types of work you photograph, and how long you have been in business.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Who Needs Photography Insurance?
If you are a photographer or videographer who charges for their work, then you need to consider purchasing insurance. If an event space contracts with you to take pictures, then you shouldn’t assume that its coverage extends to you. Should something go wrong, the first question it may ask you is for proof of your insurance. If your office and showroom are in your home, odds are that your homeowner’s policy won’t cover your videography equipment or any liability from your business.
How Much Does Photographer’s Insurance Cost?
Prices can vary from $200 to $800 annually. A general liability policy with The Hartford is approximately $259 annually—and this quote is for a $1 million dollar limit with $18,000 in equipment coverage. Meanwhile, NEXT Insurance provided a quote for $16.67 a month for $1 million in coverage, with property coverage being an additional $17 monthly.
What Does Photography Insurance Cover?
Photography insurance can protect your business from various scenarios—depending on the particular policies you include. Here are a few to consider:
- General liability: The officiant trips over your camera tripod and breaks their nose. This is an example of a third-party bodily injury claim.
- Professional liability: Because of the officiant’s broken nose, the wedding is delayed for 3 hours, impacting the couple’s departure for their honeymoon cruise. They decide to sue you. This is an example of a situation where professional liability insurance may step in and help.
- Property: While taking photos at a school dance, a guest knocks the camera out of your hand, causing it to fall and break. This is a claim you could file under your equipment coverage.
Bottom Line
As a professional photographer, people let you into their special moments so that you can capture and preserve those memories. To do that well, you have to invest in equipment, which will cost a hefty sum. Photography insurance for providers can bring you peace of mind—protecting your business, your equipment, and your employees—so that you and your clients can truly focus on the moment.
Simply Business makes getting insurance easy. By providing multiple quotes after a quick application, you can compare photography insurance costs from different carriers and find coverage that’s right for your business at an affordable price.
