Liability Insurance for Photographers and Videographers, Simplified
Liability insurance can be a lifesaver for a photographer or videographer if an unexpected accident or lawsuit strikes. It can also make your business more credible or help you open the door to new opportunities.
But understanding the ins and outs can be a daunting task. Frankly, it’s downright confusing for most people. This resource is here to help you navigate the world of liability insurance so you can make an informed decision and feel confident that you’re choosing the right coverage for your business.
What is photographer and videographer liability insurance and what does it cover?
General Liability Insurance
Think of general liability insurance as a safety net for your small business. It shields you from any wrongs that could cause harm to someone’s body, property, or reputation.
Say a customer trips over a light in your studio during a photoshoot and breaks their wrist, and they sue you. General liability insurance is designed to cover their medical bills and legal fees.
It can also pay for any damage you cause to your client’s property—like if you accidentally break something in their home during a portrait shoot—or if you face slander or copyright allegations over any of your photos.
See what Full Frame Insurance covers and compare event vs. annual policies to see which is best for you.
Products and Completed Operations
Products and completed operations coverage is like a shield for the products you sell and the services you provide. If someone gets hurt or something gets damaged because of your products or services, even after you’ve finished your work or sold your product, this coverage can help cover the costs of legal action taken against you, or other compensation that you become responsible for.
For instance, even the best photographers might have clients that aren’t happy with their final product for any reason. Maybe they don’t like how they look, maybe they don’t appreciate the edits you made, or maybe they simply expected something completely different than what they received. Product and completed operations coverage can protect you if they bring a suit against you in cases like this.
Personal and Advertising Injury
Personal and advertising injury coverage helps protect your business’s good name. It’s like a rainy day fund when someone accuses you of doing something wrong, like lying about a competitor or using someone else’s photos without permission. If you get accused of these things, you might end up in court, but this insurance can help cover the costs.
Medical Expense Limit
- Keep an inventory list including the date of purchase and price at the time.
- Take photos of the crime scene, the surrounding context of the incident, and/or any damage that occurs.
- Take reasonable steps to protect your equipment ahead of time. Invest in protective equipment and locks.
- Have a plan to leave any insured equipment in a secure place when not immediately in sight.
Damage to Premises Rented to You
Damage to premises rented to you coverage can protect your business from the cost of damage caused to a rented location, like a studio or office space. If you accidentally damage a rented space, it can help cover the cost of repairs.
This coverage is designed for short-term rentals, typically lasting a few days. For example, you might rent a studio to do a spring-themed portrait shoot and need coverage for the weekend. It should be seen as a supplement to, not a replacement for, comprehensive property insurance. If you’re renting a space for seven or more consecutive days, this policy only covers damage from fires.
Types of Claims We See at Full Frame Insurance
We get it, accidents happen. Some people may only get insurance because it’s required for their job, but it helps small businesses defend themselves from those accidents. Here are some claims professionals like yourself have been protected from with the right coverage.
All policies have conditions, limitations, and exclusions, please read the policy for exact verbiage. Claim scenario circumstances vary in nature and similar claims do not guarantee coverage. Gear that is unattended and stolen is not covered.
Additional (Optional) Coverage
You often have the ability to customize your coverage. That’s where additional coverage comes in. These optional coverages let you add to your coverage to cover additional things your base policy doesn’t cover.
Endorsements
Endorsements are like add-ons to your insurance policy. They can help cover risks that your base policy doesn’t. They can also change your coverage to fit your business better.
FFI offers the following endorsements to give your photography business the protection it needs:
- Camera Equipment Coverage (Inland Marine)
- Unlimited Additional Insureds
- Cyber Liability
- ‘Failure to Deliver’ Coverage (Professional Liability)
Camera Equipment Coverage (Inland Marine)
Camera Equipment Coverage (also known as “Inland Marine” Insurance) protects your business equipment. Maybe you’re a wildlife photographer who takes your gear into harsh terrain, or maybe you’re a videographer who travels for work. This insurance is made for things that move around, like cameras, lenses, and hard drives.
If any of that stuff gets damaged, lost, or stolen, camera equipment coverage can pay for fixing or replacing it. It does not cover anything permanent like buildings or lighting installations.
You may think your Homeowner or Renter’s Insurance covers your gear, but those coverages are intended for personal property. They usually either exclude business property or offer low limits. To protect your business property, you need camera equipment coverage.
Learn more about camera equipment coverage and who needs it.
Additional Insureds
Additional insureds are third parties (like extra people or organizations) that are covered by your insurance policy. This could include things like a venue, property owner, or event planner. It’s not for friends, business partners, your employees, other photographers (like a second shooter), or yourself.
For example, let’s say you’re filming an event and someone trips over your tripod and gets hurt. They could sue both you and the venue. If the venue is listed as an additional insured on your policy, your insurance can help cover the costs for both you and the venue.
Learn more in the “Additional Insureds” section on our frequently asked questions page.
Cyber Liability
As businesses rely more on technology, they face more risks of cyber attacks. Cyber liability insurance can protect you from losses caused by these attacks, such as data breaches or ransom payments. This insurance can also cover costs like legal fees and credit monitoring services for your customers who were affected by the attack.
For just $75, you can add a cyber liability insurance policy to your current Full Frame coverage and receive up to $100,000 in first-and-third-party coverage should you ever fall victim to cyber crime.
'Failure to Deliver' Coverage (Professional Liability)
Professional liability insurance, also known as Errors and Omissions (E&O) insurance can help protect you if you’re accused of not doing your job well, making a mistake, or causing harm or damage to a client.
For example, say that you agreed to shoot your client’s wedding, but when you get back to your computer, you find that your memory cards are corrupted and you can’t deliver the final portfolio.
Or maybe one of your models isn’t happy with how they were portrayed in one of your photo shoots and brings a suit against you saying you negatively impacted their career.
Professional liability insurance can keep you covered in situations like this if you break a contract, mislead someone, or do something wrong while on the job. It’s important to have this kind of insurance to protect yourself and your clients.
Common Questions & Clarifications
Insurance is kind of like wearing a raincoat over a tuxedo—you might not always need it, but when you do, you’re really happy it’s there!
Professional photographers make a living from their skills and the clients they interact with, but no job comes without risk. In the event that a client is injured, your crucial equipment is lost or broken, or something else threatens your livelihood, photographer’s insurance protects your personal assets and business reputation so you can continue doing what you love.
Coverage Limits are the most your insurance will pay for a specific kind of problem. If the claim costs more than the limit, you have to pay the rest yourself. Insurance policies have both per-occurrence and aggregate annual limits.
Imagine you have a general liability insurance policy for your small business. This policy helps protect you in case you get sued for things like property damage or bodily injury caused by your business activities.
Your policy might have Aggregate coverage and Occurrence coverage limits for bodily injury claims. The Aggregate limit is like a total limit for all bodily injury claims that happen during the policy period. The Occurrence limit is like a limit for each individual bodily injury claim.
Let’s say your policy has an Aggregate limit of $1 million and an Occurrence limit of $500,000 for bodily injury claims. If one person sues you, the company pays up to $500,000 under the Occurrence limit. If you have multiple claims, they’ll pay up to a total of $1 million under the Aggregate limit.
When you buy insurance, you pay for protection from certain risks (aka coverage). The cost of your insurance policy is the “premium.”.
A deductible is the amount of money you have to pay out of pocket before insurance coverage kicks in. For example, if you have a $500 deductible on your car insurance and there’s $2,000 of damage from an accident, you pay the first $500, and your insurance covers the other $1,500.
Exclusions are specific things that your policy won’t cover. For example, if your policy excludes earthquake damage, then it won’t pay out if your business is damaged by an earthquake. With FFI policies, some of the common exclusions are:
- Equipment that is rented, borrowed, or does not personally belong to the policyholder.
- Any theft that occurs from an unattended vehicle, even if it’s locked.
- Theft for which the owner does not file a police report. It is always the responsibility of the property owner to inform the police of any theft.
- Mysterious disappearances
Get more details about what is and isn’t covered in the Coverage Information section of our frequently asked questions resource page or see our exclusions page.
How FFI Simplifies Getting Insurance
Tailoring our A+ rated insurance coverages specifically for photographers and videographers allows us to keep your coverages high and costs low. Pay for the coverage you need for the year all at once, or get event-specific coverage when you need it.
The proof is in the people.
Really easy & just what I needed now that I’ve upgraded my gear and need to have that peace of mind. Hopefully, I won’t need to submit a claim in the future, but if I do, I hope it goes as well as the purchasing did.
Great, fast insurance at a perfect price. We work and shoot weddins internationally so it was super convenient to have fast, easy coverage for the few weddings that we had in the states this year. There were a couple of changes that I needed to make after purchasing a single-day policy and their customer support was super helpful and fast. Thank you, Full Frame!
The easiest and fastest insurance experience I’ve ever encountered! I was overpaying dramatically for my business insurance before I found Full Frame. I’m so glad I found them!
Quick easy and more affordable than other options. I called to get a question answered and it was a really nice experience, the lady I spoke with was really helpful and kind.
Easier way to get insurance for your event. Hopefully I will never have to use it. 📸📽️
Ordering was super simple. Hopefully if I need to make a claim one day, that will be simple.
We revolutionized how you get photography liability insurance. Simply answer a few questions related to your business and the coverage you need, and we’ll get you a quote and instant coverage with a certificate of insurance (COI) in 10 minutes or less! If you don’t need the coverage to start today, you can purchase it up to 90 days before you want your coverage to start.
No one loves insurance, but that doesn’t mean it needs to be difficult to manage your policy! Once you purchase your policy, you’ll get access to a personalized dashboard where you can add endorsements, additional insureds, or camera equipment coverage (Inland Marine) at any time—all online.
If you ever need to cancel your policy, you can do it from your dashboard without needing to speak with an agent.
We know no one is happy to file a claim. But, if you have to, you can easily file a claim online in just a few minutes through your online dashboard—just fill out the online form with your contact information and details about the incident.
After you’ve submitted a claim, our team gets a copy of the loss notice and you’ll receive an email with your claim number and the Claims Adjuster’s contact information
From there, within 24–48 business hours, our team will reach out by email or phone to gather any additional information needed in order to continue with the claim. The claim then gets reviewed by the carrier, and if it’s approved, we settle the claim!
We work hard to get claims paid out as quickly as possible, this usually just depends on when the claimant is able to provide us with the information needed. If a claim is not covered, you’ll receive a letter explaining why it was not covered.
We Don’t Have Sales Agents, We Have Service Agents
A lot of insurance agents work for commissions, not ours! Our licensed agents are here to answer all of your questions so you can make the best decision for your photography business. While some insurance companies might miss the mark when it comes to customer service, we’re always here to help you get the shot.
Available Monday through Friday, from 6 AM to 6 PM MST, our best-in-class support is ready to answer your questions over the phone or chat. Available at 844.670.1078, or info@fullframeinsurance.com
95% of customers are “very likely” to recommend FFI after working with our agents.
