Photography insurance: it’s a priority for professionals and hobbyists to protect them from financial loss regarding any of their assets, equipment, and potentially, the whole of their business.There are always quick-fix solutions for when disaster strikes. Smashed lenses can be substituted on the morning of a wedding. A camera can be borrowed if yours is stolen. But without insurance, your photography budget will take a severe hit.Insuring your photography gear and business always comes with certain risks. We’ve listed these below, along with solutions to common photography insurance mistakes that befall even the most experienced professionals. Don’t forget to protect your images too! A free Pixsy account lets you recover lost income from stolen images.
8 options for Photography Insurance
Even the smallest photography companies require expensive cameras, lenses and computer equipment. How do you go about protecting your investment? Let’s see your options.
1. Photography business insurance plans
The size and nature of your business determine what photography insurance you need, and at which price. In the U.S., for example, an individual can register themselves either as a sole proprietor or limited liability company (LLC). See the common types of business photography insurance you can choose from:
Business property coverage
It won’t matter who’s name the photography gear is under — yours or your company’s — what matters is whether it’s used to make money. If so, you’ll need business property coverage. This protects your technical/photography gear, as well as studio furnishings like desks and chairs. Sometimes it also covers your office premises.
General liability coverage
General liability coverage, also referred to as photography liability insurance, is another must-have, whether you’re photographing weddings or models in your studio. It could help pay for medical/legal costs in case of an accident (including consultations), or cover the replacement charge for any damaged items. Large clients will only hire you if you meet a minimum amount of coverage, so there’s really no option (or reason!) to avoid liability coverage.Other common business insurance types that you can consider as a photographer include:
Business interruption coverage
It replaces your income in case of fire or any other disaster.
Inland Marine Insurance
For when your property is stolen or damaged on location or in transit.
Auto Liability
For, say, when someone breaks your car window and steals all your lighting equipment.
Studio Employee Compensation
Pays medical bills and lost wages for work-related illness or injury.
2. Become a member of a Photography Society (for insurance)
Photography trade associations offer countless benefits to their members, and one of the most popular is insurance.The American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP), for example, is partnered with various photography insurance companies and programs. It’s not only for photography gear: the ASMP offers access to various forms of business liability and health plans for individuals, groups, and freelancers.For a yearly fee, this is obviously more affordable than other insurance options. You also get to enjoy various other perks such as photography festival/show discounts, portfolio listings, and free guides.
3. Using your Homeowner’s Insurance
Amateur, hobbyist, and dabbling photographers: take advantage of your insurance’s personal articles policy! This will differ between companies and countries, but many will specifically insure photography gear from theft and accidental damage, even if you travel.Will it affect your premium rate? That all depends on how many additional items you add, and the size of any claims you end up making. Make sure you specify any large or expensive items in your kit.Note that this won’t cover maintenance and any wear and tear. Furthermore, if you take photographs or sell work as an LLC, then your gear cannot be insured under a personal property or umbrella plan.
4. Photography equipment insurance for used gear
Second-hand cameras and lenses make the burden of budgeting so much more bearable. Thankfully, preowned photography equipment is insurable, even if the original seller didn’t give you any proof of purchase.The terms will vary between insurers. Some may ask for a list of the used gear, the nominal value of each item, and some proof of ownership. If the second-hand item is stolen or accidentally broken, then the insurer will usually pay out the market value. In practice, you should try and insure your used kit for a sensible replacement value.
5. Photography equipment insurance for different focuses
Sports, wildlife, and travel photography are just three specialties where insurance becomes…complicated.It’s not all about the risk to your equipment either. Football fans could trip up on your equipment. You might ruin a major play whilst trying to get a shot. An animal is startled by your flash and stampedes into your car — believe it or not, insurance companies specifically insure against these things!Remember that sports and wildlife photography are seasonal vocations. Luckily, there are many insurance companies who will cover you for set periods of time, rather than annually.
6. Equipment Insurance for Rented Photography Gear
Most lens rental companies offer insurance at the time of rental. However, you should always read the terms & conditions carefully. Will they pay the full replacement value? Do they cover loss/theft as well as damage? Will you have to put the full cost of the rented equipment on your credit card as a hold?Even if the company doesn’t offer insurance themselves, you can purchase short-term rental equipment coverage. The price may differ depending on whether you intend to use the item on or off-premises if the damage happens in another country, or if “loss of use” income is included.
7. Photography insurance for cyberattacks
Photography projects aren’t likely targets for a DDoS attack, but data phishing and malware intrusions can be a very real threat to any virtually-dependent business. Answer the invitation from a cyber hacker, and both your and your client’s photos will be exposed.Some insurers are starting to eliminate coverage for cyberattacks in their policies, and companies are buying up “Cyber liability”to cover the costs of data breaches. Without photography insurance, common sense is the best defense. Weak passwords and pre-loaded “dummy” passwords in cameras and other devices were the main blame for the infamous The KrebsonSecurity fiasco. More and more photography devices are shipped with Wifi capabilities, so take due diligence and protect your data with:
- Strong passwords – We’re our own worst enemy when it comes to cybersecurity. Take time to develop a robust password scheme.
- “Zero-knowledge” cloud services – Sites like Tresorit encrypt your data, making them safer than mainstream services.
- Photo encryption – One day, major manufacturers will embrace camera encryption. Until then, rely on these superb encryption apps.
- Direct sharing – Why not just hand your client their photos on a USB stick?
8. Insurance for Drones and Aerial Photography
New regulations and the risk of damage and/or injury make drones a deceptively risky venture for a photography business. One photographer was facing fines and jail time for crashing his camera drone into the Seattle Space Needle and then was fined $250 and ordered not to operate drones. Another was convicted for accidentally knocking a woman unconscious with his drone.For these reasons, brokers are increasingly asking about drone operations, and aerial photographers need to be aware of any premiums where unmanned aircraft are concerned. Even if a liability program covers all your business operations, you still need aviation risks checked off if you operate a drone. Otherwise, you won’t be covered if your business has a ”crash landing”, so to speak.
What to watch out for in photography insurances
Item Beyond Repair?
Typically, photography insurance covers the full cost of a repair, including shipping, parts, and labor. However, when your camera or lens is a write-off, some will source a replacement for you. To ensure a successful claim, you should keep records or photographs of the purchase price, date of purchase, and serial numbers.
Discontinued Lenses and Accessories
However, don’t expect your insurer to replace a lens, flash or camera that’s no longer in service. When choosing insurance, ensure you’re paying for “replacement value”, “day value” or some similar term. If so, you should be entitled to an item of similar specification.
Wear-and-Tear Policies
As previously mentioned, a standard equipment policy won’t cover the depreciation of a camera or lens. An “indemnity policy” will assess the ongoing condition of your gear, and match any replacement to its last usable state.
How much is a photography insurance?
A photography insurance rate will depend on the amount of risk associated with your work and business as a photographer. As you’ve learned, everything can count down to the last equipment and even where you work from in the world. Naturally, the type of insurance you choose or you are perhaps required to have for a photography project will also influence rates.According to Insureon’s data, for example, California photographers and videographers can expect to pay roughly $425 annually for general liability coverage, which is equal to the US median cost. For general liability insurance, photography studio owners pay a median premium of $27 per month, or $322 annually.There are many insurance companies that specialize in photography insurance — one popular example is Thimble where you can get a quote online and in 60 seconds by entering only a couple of details, such as your ZIP code and the type of your activity.Furthermore, with most providers, you can choose photography insurance by the hour, day, week, month, or for a custom period such as the duration of a certain project you take on.Look around the market and find the photography insurance that best suits your circumstances.
Beyond photography insurance: Other Ways to Protect Yourself
There are several means of protection to invest in as a photographer besides insurance. Here are a couple options to consider.
Contracts
These add an extra level of liability protection and can cover additional areas such as copyright and licensing insurance. Be sure to draft under your jurisdiction’s contract & photography laws.
Warranties
Most photography gear comes with a one-to-ten-year warranty. Keep that little card with your purchase, and you could save tonnes of money and insurance-induced-headaches.
Backup Equipment
If your entire photography setup is tragically lost, insurers can cover the downtime. However, if you don’t want that job opportunity or client to slip away, make sure you’ve got a second shooting bag that you can access when needed.
Apps & Gadgets
There’s a bunch of brilliant life hacks to help you avoid disaster. GPS trackers, alarm systems and even Registering with the Copyright Office are all forms of personal prevention.
Do you have any sage wisdom regarding photography insurance? Or perhaps a remarkable story about how amazing/useless your insurer turned out to be? If so, get in touch via Pixsy’s Facebook and Twitter, and we may feature it in a future blog post.
Now that you know all about photography insurance, make sure to learn about photo licensing agreements as well, or head to the Pixsy Blog for more content about your rights as a visual property owner. You can also register for a free Pixsy account here to start recovering any lost income for your stolen images online.
