FROM OUR PARTNERS

Best Photography Insurance of 2024

Bryan Keith

Having the right insurance coverage can give you peace of mind to protect your expensive equipment, and yourself from lawsuits that could expose you to costly claims. We’ve evaluated the best business insurance providers based on coverage, financial stability, customer satisfaction, and overall quality. 

Offers a range of insurance poilicies

$2,000,000

Coverage Up To

$0 - $2,000

Deductibles

Overview

Simply Business provides insurance policies for a range of professions and small businesses.

What we like

  • Various business insurance policies
  • Quotes from multiple providers
  • Fast and easy application
  • Strong customer satisfaction

What we don't

  • Policies are a through a third party
  • Claims must be filed through insurance provider

Serving 1,000,000+ Small Business Owners

hartford business insurance logo
4.9

$2,000,000

Coverage Up To

$1,000+

Deductibles

Overview

For more than 200 years, the Hartford Insurance helped over 1 million businesses just like yours.

What we like

  • Affordable insurance plans
  • Customized coverage to fit your business
  • Get covered within minutes
  • Near instant access to proof of insurance
  • Quick and easy to process claims

What we don't

  • NA

Covers a wide range of industries

$2,000,000

Coverage Up To

$1,000+

Deductibles

Overview

Coverwallet began its journey in New York City in 2015 operating under the Aon Insurance banner. At Coverwallet, you can access everything you need to keep your company well-protected at an unbeatable price.

What we like

  • A skilled advisor to assist you
  • Free quotes from multiple insurance carriers
  • Covers low risk to even some high risk industries
  • Online account management

What we don't

  • No brick-and-mortar offices
  • Deductible costs

Affordable plans and coverage provided within minutes

$2,000,000

Coverage Up To

$0 - $2,000

Deductibles

Overview

Next Insurance leverages AI technology to streamline the process to purchase insurance, track claims, and manage policies at no additional cost.

What we like

  • Affordable insurance plans
  • Customized coverage to fit your business
  • Get covered within minutes
  • Near instant access to proof of insurance
  • Quick and easy to process claims

What we don't

  • Not available in New York

Customized solution to fit your business needs

$2,000,000

Coverage Up To

$0 - $10,000

Deductibles

Overview

With a 100-year history of insuring businesses, Hiscox is well-known across America and globally. With more than 500,000 small business customers, Hiscox is fully aware and trained in the unique risks a business can face.

What we like

  • Established insurance company
  • Dual auto insurance
  • Customizable insurance for over 180 industries
  • Deductibles starting at $0
  • Affordable rates

What we don't

  • Limited US offices
  • Coverage limited to $2 million online

Flexible coverage by the year, month, day, or by the job

$2,000,000

Coverage Up To

$0 - $10,000

Deductibles

Overview

Thimble provides business insurance that can be tailored to your business by the year, month, day, or even the job. At Thimble, the process to getting the right business insurance is simple, scalable, and flexible.

What we like

  • Scheduled coverage options
  • Coverage by the job available
  • Buy a policy online within minutes
  • No hidden fees
  • Affordable plans
  • Drone insurance

What we don't

  • Not available in New York

What is photograpy insurance?

Photography insurance is a package policy that’s designed to protect videographers and photographers against liabilities, such as breach of contract, negligence, injury and etc. It also includes protection for your valuable equipment.

Who needs photograpy insurance?

Whether you’re a full-time, part-time, or freelance photographer, or videographer, you should consider business insurance to protect yourself from liabilities and damages. If you have a physical location or there is any chance that you could get sued, insurance coverage is needed.

Maybe you’re just getting started in the industry and are trying to reduce your expenses just starting out. You still need to consider situations that could get you into hot water and permanently shut down your business before it even gets off the ground.

What if you’re shooting photos for a wedding and a guest trips over an expensive piece of lighting equipment? Or if the video you shot for a real estate listing gets corrupted from water damage?

There are plenty of situations that photographers and videographers need to consider as possibilities and how they would be liable if a case was brought against them.

What insurance do photographers and videographers need?

There are several insurance policies that professionals should consider.

Business owner’s policy

A Business Owner’s Policy (BOP) is an insurance policy that can combine the protection that you get from most major liability and property insurance policies all-in-one.

This policy generally will include:

  • Liability protection
  • Commercial property insurance
  • General liability insurance

A Business Owner’s Policy can also have optional coverage that could be beneficial to you. Coverages such as cyber liability insurance, data breach protection, and business income for services provided off-premises are all possible optional coverages that can be added to a BOP.

For all the protection that BOP’s provide, it will not cover auto insurance claims, workers compensation, disability, and professional liability.

General liability insurance

General liability insurance will typically cover physical injuries, medical expenses, as well as third party property damage This policy provides a foundational benefit that it gives to business owners who have a physical location, such as a studio used for photography or videography. This type of insurance will cover you and your business from many major claims that could arise from doing business at your own location as well as out in the field working for clients.

When you are working at a client’s location, a guest trips over the wires you set out for shooting, and they break their wrist and are taken to the hospital where they need surgery. This could result in thousands of dollars in medical bills that they feel they should not have to pay because your equipment is the cause of the injury.

However, there are certain things that a general liability insurance policy will not cover. These instances include workers compensation injuries, motor vehicle accidents, and errors in professional services.

Workers’ compensation insurance

Do you have any full or part-time employees working for you? If you do, workers’ compensation insurance could be a requirement to protect you and your business when employees get injured while working.

Workers’ compensation insurance is especially important to photographers and videographers because their work can often involve dangerous acts in order to get the right shots for their clients.

An injury to an employee can be devastating for a business if there is no workers’ compensation coverage. Each state has different laws on requirements for workers’ compensation coverage, so it is important to research exactly how much coverage you need to comply with regulations.

Workers’ compensation will typically cover prescription medicines, hospital bills, and needed surgical procedures resulting from injuries sustained at work. However, this type of insurance will not compensate workers for their pain and suffering as well as job security after an injury.

Commercial property insurance

Commercial property insurance is another essential insurance coverage that photographers and videographers need to have to operate their business safely. This type of insurance will protect the property you own or rent such as the building or studio, filming equipment, and personal property.

Commercial property insurance primarily will cover your business’s physical assets from events such as theft, vandalism, fire, and bursting pipes. Natural disasters such as earthquakes, tornadoes, and floods are not covered unless specifically added to the commercial property insurance policy.

What are the limits of photography insurance?

A primary limitation that insurance policies have is the dollar amount of coverage for each policy. This amount can vary based on state regulations as well as the type of insurance. The limitation that insurance has is that if a claim requires a higher amount than the coverage that your policy has, you may have to pay for the difference out of pocket.

Another limitation to consider is that property insurance will typically not cover certain weather-related events unless added to the policy. If your primary business is operated in an area prone to natural disasters, you should strongly consider adding additional coverage.

How much does photography insurance cost?

Insurance for photographers and videographers can vary greatly and largely depends on a few factors. The factors that determine the cost of insurance for photographers and videographers are primarily the level of risk and the amount of equipment you have to insure.

Freelancers pay about $22 per month for a general liability policy which totals about $259 per year. A general liability policy will cover about $1 million and have a $500 deductible.

However, if you choose to opt for a complete Business Owners Policy, you can expect to pay about $42 per month which is a little over $500 per year. This will also give you about $1 million in coverage and have a $500 deductible.

How to choose the best photography insurance?

Here are some factors you should consider:

  • The amount of equipment you have: If you have a substantial amount of equipment that would be very expensive to replace, you need to take that into consideration
  • Your risk exposure: Does the type of photography you do put you or anyone else at risk for injury? If so, you will need more coverage to account for the risk
  • Your financial situation: A determining factor in the insurance policy that you decide to get is dependent on what you can and can’t afford

Getting the right insurance coverage is essential for all businesses; however, the unique challenges that photographers and videographers face make it even more important to protect their business.