Photographer Insurance Ontario

Insurance for Professional Photographers

As a professional photographer, no day looks the same in your line of work. Whether you spend the summers making the most of wedding season, prefer to shoot elopements in far-off destinations, or have a busy photography studio and spend most of your time doing family photos or commercial work, your job is a fine balance between the creative and the practical. On the one hand, you get to craft beautiful images that tell a story and make your clients happy. On the other, you have to balance the logistics of running a business.

While you offer a valuable business from capturing special memories to providing the key assets in a marketing campaign, you're also at risk for a range of perils. It's common for photographers to be caught up in issues like dealing with stolen photography equipment, breaking the news to a client that all their baby's newborn photos were lost due to corrupted memory cards, and more. That's why it's essential to have the right photographer insurance in Ontario. Protect yourself in the event of an accident or damaging allegation.

What is Photographer Insurance?

Essentially, photographer insurance is a unique business insurance policy tailored to your business' specific needs. No two photographers are alike in vision and sensibility, and so no two photographers are alike when it comes to finding the best insurance coverage to protect their interests.

No matter how careful you are, it's impossible to mitigate all risks. You might back-up all your photos to an external hard drive, but what happens if there is a fire in your studio? Likewise, even if you think no one is nearby while you're on a shoot, it's possible that a third-party might trip and fall on your tripod or cables. This may cause them bodily injury, and give them license to sue you. Also, it's important to note that if you work with another photographer who is not your employee, then they need to have their own insurance coverage as well. It's always best to be prepared for the worst-case-scenario.

Who Needs Photographer Insurance in Ontario?

Whether you are a wedding photographer and travel often for work, or you shoot family portraits out of your studio, it's essential that you have photographer insurance in Ontario. Just a few of the types of photographers who need to make sure they're adequately covered with the right photography insurance coverage include:

• Family portrait photographers
• Newborn and maternity photographers
• Engagement, elopement, and wedding photographers
• Commercial photographers
• Food photographers
• Drone photographers
• Travel photographers
• Freelance photographers

When you reach out to a Morison Insurance broker, we will help ensure that your photography business is properly protected. We work with leading insurance companies and will provide you with a competitive insurance quote that provides your business with the right insurance protection. 

Why is Photographer Insurance Necessary?

A photography business is exposed to many different types of risk that could leave a large financial strain on your business. Not to mention the expensive equipment that you require to live out your business. With the right photographer liability insurance, your business will have the proper coverages to ensure that in the event of a loss, you are financially protected. 

What is Covered with Photographer Insurance?

When you work with a licensed broker at Morison Insurance, our team will tailor your insurance policy to suit your needs exactly. We'll shop around various insurance markets to find you the most comprehensive coverage possible so you don't have to worry about not having enough coverage when something goes wrong. Your peace of mind is important to us. We want you to be able to focus on your craft and on gaining clients, not on your insurance needs. Leave that to us! Your tailored insurance policy can include any or all of the following types of common coverages.

Professional Liability Insurance for Photographers

Professional liability insurance is one of the most important types of coverage photographers can have. It is a must-have coverage for any large and small business insurance policy. Also called errors and omissions insurance, professional liability protects you against claims that state a client or third-party experienced financial damages because of an action, or inaction, that you took. For instance, this could include claims of breach of contract, claims of misconduct, negligence, failure to deliver a promised service and bad advice.

For example, a breach of contract claim that would be included under an errors and omissions insurance policy would be if a model claims you breached his or her contract and they were not paid correctly. Another instance where professional liability comes into play is if you were meant to deliver a set of photos to a client by a certain deadline, but were not able to follow through. Regardless as to the reason, if the client lost money because of your failure to deliver promised services, they could sue you. Errors and omissions insurance will cover the costs of your legal fees and any settlements that might be reached due to claims of negligence and the like.

Commercial General Liability for Photographers

Another integral coverage that any professional photographer or freelance photographer should have is commercial general liability insurance. Business general liability insurance will cover your legal costs if a third-party sues you due to bodily injury or third-party property damage. For example, if while administering your photography services in a client's home you break a valuable antique, you could be sued. Likewise, if a third-party is injured while you're taking photos such as spraining an ankle while you're posing them you could also face legal trouble.

Commercial Property Insurance for Photographers

If you own a studio, then you need to have commercial property insurance. This coverage is essential for protecting your studio and any assets within it from a range of perils. While different insurers offer different levels of coverage, typically this policy helps off-set the cost of repairing or replacing your commercial property in the event of an accident or natural disaster. It covers physical loss and external damage to the property and its contents. Without the right coverage, replacing such a loss on your own would be financially devastating. Typical perils that are part of a commercial property insurance policy include theft, vandalism and external disasters such as a fire.

Commercial Auto Insurance for Photographers

Do you use your personal vehicle to transport equipment and props from shoot to shoot? If so, then you need to make sure you have a commercial auto insurance policy. A standard personal auto insurance policy will not provide coverage once the vehicle is being used for commercial purposes. It is important to let your insurance broker know if this changes any time during your policy term. We want to ensure you are properly protected. 

Home-Based Business Insurance for Photographers

If you operate, or are planning to operate, a photography business from your home then you need to let your insurance company know especially if you have a home studio. Some homeowners insurance policies will not provide coverage for your home-based business. Often, you will need a separate add-on to protect your space, any equipment and props you are storing in the space, and to provide general liability coverage if you're seeing clients out of your home.

Tools and Equipment Insurance Coverage for Photographers

While it's a photographer's unique eye that sets them apart from the competition, it's no secret that this industry also relies heavily on costly equipment. Cameras, lenses, and tripods cost thousands of dollars not to mention computers, hard drives and studio lighting equipment. The costs really add-up. You've likely accumulated your gear over the years. Imagine having to replace it all at once? If you're robbed or you lose your equipment in a fire, it can be devastating to start over without financial support. By ensuring you have the right tools and equipment coverage for photographers, you can have peace of mind knowing even if you are unable to prevent theft of your equipment, you will be financially protected.

Cyber Liability Insurance for Photographers

These days, a lot of business takes place online. From sending photos to clients to communicating about shoots, you're going to accumulate a lot of information on your computer. Even sensitive information, such as a clients' financial details. Likewise, your photos themselves can be sensitive assets. Say you're working on a brand campaign launch for a new product, or you work as a boudoir photographer. If these images were stolen, you could be in a world of trouble.

Drone Insurance for Photographers

Do you have a drone? These days, more and more photographers are making use of specialized equipment like drones. With drone property insurance coverage, you're financially protected if you need to repair or replace any drones you use for your work. It also provides financial remuneration if the drone is damaged or stolen.

Drone Liability coverage can protect drone operators from third-party property damage or bodily injury liabilities while the drone is in use.

Business Interruption Insurance for Photographers If your equipment is stolen or your studio is damaged in a flood, it can be seriously frustrating not being able to work not to mention, costly. If you have employees who rely on you or can't afford to not work, then it's essential you have business interruption insurance. Depending on the insurance provider, this coverage will offset the cost of employee salaries, rent and other forms of income while your business is not operational up to the policy limits.

Media Liability Insurance for Photographers

This type of insurance provides coverage against allegations of disparagement, libel, slander, advertising injury and copyright infringement due to errors, omissions and negligence while gathering, creating and sharing your photographs. Sometimes, this coverage is included in a broader errors and omissions policy. This is essential for photographers to have especially in the event you are accused of copyright infringement.

Additional Coverage for Your Photography Business

To ensure you have all your bases covered, it's integral to talk to your dedicated Morison Insurance broker about what other types of coverage are available to you. For instance, if you travel a lot for work or attend weddings overseas, then you will need to let your insurance broker know.

How Much Does Photographer Insurance Cost?

The cost of photography insurance will vary depending on the types of insurance coverage your business requires along, your insurance history, details regarding your photography business, and many other factors. To receive an accurate photographer insurance quote, contact our top-rated team at Morison Insurance. 

What Impacts Insurance Rates for Photographers?

There are a number of different factors that impact insurance rates for photographers, which is why it's best to discuss your unique situation with your broker. However, to give you an idea of what sorts of factors can influence insurance rates, we've outlined a few common considerations below:

• Your past claims history.
• The size of your business.
• Whether you were insured in the past.
• The years of experience you possess.
• How much revenue you expect to make in the upcoming year.
• Where your studio is located.
• How much your equipment costs.
• Whether you travel for work.

What Information Do I Need to Purchase Photographers Insurance?

Before purchasing photographers insurance in Ontario, it helps to have an idea of what information you should gather before starting the application process. This will help keep you on-track and ensure that you are as prepared as possible. During the insurance application process, your broker may ask questions like:

• Is this your full-time or part-time job?
• How many employees do you have?
• Do you subcontract work? If so, what percent of your overall operations are subcontracted out?
• Do you have contracts in place with your sub-contractors?
• Do you request proof of insurance from your sub-contractors?
• Do you have insurance now?
• Have you been canceled/declined/non-renewed in the past five years?
• Have you had any claims in the past five years?
• What are your gross annual revenues?
• Do you do any work outside of Canada?

What Else Do I Need to Know Before Purchasing Photographer Insurance?

In addition to preparing answers to the above questions, you should also get any necessary paperwork in order before applying for photographer insurance in Ontario. For instance, you should gather:

• Payroll estimates
• Information on any previous insurance claims
• Annual revenue estimates

Where Can I Get Photographer Insurance?

You can get a photographer insurance quote from our top-rated insurance brokers at Morison Insurance. We are a locally owned and operated family business, thus, we treat all our clients like an extension of that family. We truly care about ensuring you have the best insurance for your needs, so you can focus on making your photography business thrive while having peace of mind that you're adequately protected. Our dedicated, licensed brokers will work with you to establish the best coverage for your needs, and be there for you as your needs change and your business grows.

To learn more about Ontario photographer insurance, give our team a call at 1-800-463-8074 or fill out the online form below.

This blog is written by our Morison Insurance team. It is provided for general information only. Insurance needs differ from person to person, and this article is therefore not a substitute for professional advice about your individual insurance needs which can be obtained by speaking to one of our brokers.