If you've established a photography business - heck, even if you aren't there yet - having photography insurance is critically important.
In fact, it's so crucial to your success that it's probably the single most important thing you can purchase when you're developing your business.
That's right - it's more important than your camera or your lens. more important than the rent you pay for your studio or office space.
It's even more important than the rent you pay for your studio or office space.
Why?
It's quite simple, really.
Photographer's insurance is the one thing that can rectify a terrible situation involving your business life.
If your gear gets damaged or stolen, your insurance will be there.
If your studio gets flooded or suffers a fire, your insurance will have your back.
If you get sued because a client gets hurt, you needn't worry because you'll have the proper coverage for such events.
You get the point...a lot can go wrong.
When you're trying to sift through all the important features of a photography insurance policy, it's helpful to be armed with a few questions so you're more informed.
Consider these four questions as being among the most essential to ask.
Do I need photography insurance even if I'm not a pro?
The short answer is yes, absolutely.
The long answer is this...
Even if you aren't a pro yet, even if you don't envision a future as a professional photographer, if you're photographing people that could suffer an injury in places that could suffer damage as a result of your work, you need to be covered. Your gear, which could be damaged too, need coverage as well.
That's where photographer's insurance comes in.
General liability insurance covers you in case someone you're photographing gets injured. That could be as simple as them slipping on an icy sidewalk and breaking their tailbone in front of your workspace or tripping over a cable inside your studio and breaking their arm.
If people get hurt on your watch, you're bound to face the consequences.
What's more, your gear could be damaged as you're out and about taking photos.
One driver running a red light could spell disaster not just for your body and your car, but your gear could be damaged as well. Having photographic equipment off-premises coverage ensures that if such a calamity happens that you can get your gear fixed or replaced and keep on working.
The point is that even if you don't have a professional studio, a business license, or even a name for your photography business, you still need to have photographer's insurance. It's too much of a risk without it!
What about errors and omissions coverage?
Another critically important aspect of photographer's insurance is having errors and omissions (E&O) coverage.
Where general liability coverage ensures you're protected in the event a client sues you for injury, E&O coverage protects you from claims of negligence by your clients.
Think of it as malpractice insurance for photographers.
Sometimes gear fails - your camera dies, a lens breaks, or a memory card fails.
Other times, the photos you take simply don't turn out because of human error.
You might even do it all right when taking the photos, but then when storing them, the files get corrupted and the images are lost.
Whatever the case, having professional liability insurance will cover any errors or omissions you make, as well as acts of negligence that a client might have claims to should you fail to do your job.
How to I insure my workplace?
General liability and professional liability policies aren't the only necessary coverage you need.
You also need to have a policy that covers your workspace, be that a studio, your home office, or your parent's basement.
For example, if you work out of your home, even if you have renter's insurance or a homeowner's policy, they might not extend coverage for your business property - things like your cameras, lenses, computers, studio lighting, and the like.
So, in the event of a fire or a burglary, your business property might not be covered.
I don't have to tell you that's not a good situation to be in...
To get covered, add a business personal property policy to your insurance portfolio.
That way, no matter what might go awry, you've got coverage up to the limits that you select so you can avoid a catastrophic loss of business property.
These policies often cover the damage from the incident as well, so in the event of a fire or a flood, you not only ensure your camera gear is covered, but your workspace is covered too.
Where do I begin finding photographer's insurance?
Fortunately for photographers, there are plenty of insurance options available today.
For my money, National Photographer's Insurance is at the top of the heap.
Not only does National Photographer's Insurance specialize in offering insurance policies for photographers, but they are also a small business - just like the one you're trying to build.
They understand the unique challenges of being a small business owner, so they can help tailor your coverage to meet your unique needs.
What's more, these guys offer all the policies mentioned above - general liability, photographic equipment off-premises, professional liability, and business personal property.
In addition, National Photographer's Insurance has policies to cover your business income and extra expenses in the case of a business closure due to a covered event, as well as a policy that covers your valuable papers and records.
That means you get comprehensive photographer's insurance coverage that will keep you protected from harm on all fronts.
National Photographer's Insurance is licensed in all 50 states, has nearly 50 years of experience in the field, and offers services to fit any need and any budget.
No matter where you're at in the process of building your photography business - and even if you never intend to go into business for yourself - be sure that you're protected, your gear is protected, and your business property is protected.
There's enough obstacles to overcome to build a successful business - you don't need to add not having insurance to that list! Do the smart thing and contact National Photographer's Insurance today.