Wedding Photographer's Insurance...What's That?

The issue of "photographer's insurance" was mentioned in a few

previous questions. What kinds of insurance is recommended for

wedding photographers and where is such obtained?

 

Since the cost of my weddings tends to be inexpensive ($1,000+/-),

all of these supportive and protective business expenses makes it

difficult to make a profit.

You really need liability insurance. Many venues require it before you can even shoot on their property. You may not be able to get it if you are not incorporated. If you are selling something, you are a business. Get an accountant to help you get set up right. If you don't you are asking for trouble from lawsuits, the IRS, or both.

 

Picking up a few buck on the side is one thing if you're young and don't have any significant assets, but you are risking everything you own if yo don't do things the right way.

You do not need to be incorporated to get a photographer's liability package. I have mine through Travelers and I am a "sole proprietor".

This is all very encouraging! (^0^)

 

"Liability" to cover what specific issues with regard to wedding photography? Injury, loss of film (images), illness, or what?

There are several types of insurance you need to get as a wedding photographer. At a minimum:

<p>

<ol>

<li>"Trip and fall" type of liability insurance: This covers the situation where there is an accident on your property or you cause an accident (camera bag hits a sitting guest at a reception) and get sued

<li>Malpractice Insurance - For film shooters, your film may be lost/damaged after you deliver the rolls to the lab. For digital shooters you may have a camera glitch that will ruin a couple of "must-have" shots or something unexpected like your car breaks down on the way to the wedding.

</ol>

<p>

Contact PPA. They have very reasonable rates that cover upto $50k per incident (and possibly more). This insurance is very cheap (considering the alternative) and is MANDATORY if you are a wedding photographer and getting PPA membership

I do not belong to PPA and I tend not to be a joiner. The studio owner I worked for also did not belong to PPA. I realize that PPA has insurance options. I might need to reconsider that.

 

I try to keep my costs low, but now I'm looking at PPA membership, insurance fees, increased advertising, in addition to all the other expenses and taxes. Making a profit and keeping fees reasonable for the client is becoming difficult.

Josh, I was wondering what Traveler's is costing, and what kind of coverage that includes? Liability and equipment insurance? I currently have insurance, but am considering updating my insurance, so any info. you could give would be helpful. Feel free to email me off the list, if you prefer.

 

Thanks!

You can also get insurance through WPPI and it is cheaper to join than PPA.

The problem with the PPA insurance is that the company they go through will NEVER get back to you with a quote. I gave up on them. I may be paying a bit more with my Travelers coverage, but I don't have time to sit on hold while some idiots in Chicago say "let me look for your application".

I also have Travelers Business Insurance. My policy is not inexpensive, but that's because

the coverage is very comprehensive.

 

I hate insurance companies, they're a necessary evil.

 

Todd, with all your lawyer and insurance questions, you're going to talk yourself into a

little closet with someone sliding food to you under the door. But when that happens be

sure the closet is insured and the food slider is an insured and bonded food preparer ; -)

"...you're going to talk yourself into a little closet with someone sliding food to you under the door."

 

Marc, I thought that's the way everyone lives.

 

I was very happy for 15 years of photographing weddings until I started thinking (read:worrying) too much!

I understand the need to insure against something like someone getting a totally ephemeral back injury from getting bumped by my camera bag, but I'm kind of curious about getting sued for something like missing a shot due to technical malfunction. It seems like in a previous thread someone discussed a contract clause that specified liability limitted to refunding their money etc. Wouldn't this cover something like the second concern? I'm young, probably naive, and I certainly have no assetts to speak of. How important is this? What's minimal coverage going to cost etc? Is it rude to even ask this? Feel free to email me if you'd rather reply off list.

Some contributors to this forum suggested that we should not talk about legal concerns, and it is cetrainly not appropriate to give legal advice, but wedding photography, for most of us, is a business, and I think it is appropriate to discuss some of these business concerns related to wedding photography.

 

I for one am learning much about many aspects of this business I overlooked in the past from these discussions.

 

Some of my responses may convey panic, but, in reality, I appreciate the suggestions (not "advice!"), and the discussion has directed my thinking to aspects of this business endeavor I have previously neglected.

 

Just because a person is young, such as in Matt's case above, doesn't insure against a vehicle collision on the way to a wedding, a sudden migraine, or a kidney stone, etc. Age has nothing to do with it. these are things we should consider.

 

I recall at one wedding, a young girl was running at the reception and crashed into my camera, which I was holding down by my leg. she hit her head. Fortunately she was not hurt, and her parents wern't looking to sue, but it could have been different.

 

In another situation, I set my Hasselblad on a table. A curious boy picked it up and dropped it on the hard church floor. Need I say what happened to it? I did not sue or make a big deal about it, but these things do happen. i should not have left my camera unattended.

 

I had lunch today with a buddy who teamed up with me frequently to do wedding photography, and I asked him about liability business insurance. Since he's in independent business marketing as a profession he totally agreed that such insurance is essential for wedding photographers.

 

I never considered it before. I think that is why it is most appropriate to discuss these issues here in addition to equipment and technique.

 

I'm going to contact my auto insurance company to see if they have business insurance.

 

Thank you for your suggestions.

Todd:

 

In light of your post and other recent ones regarding wedding pix law�I'm neither an insurance expert, nor a lawyer�just a CPA. That means I�m much more than laymen, but neither expert, nor certified in these matters. I have managed insurance, limited legal, and HR matters for small companies in my career as a CPA.

 

Consult an insurance expert on:

 

1. Equipment Damage and Theft. Nuff said�The kid knocked your Hassy on the floor!

 

2. General Liability. Example; You trip and knock granny off her seat�she�s now in a comma. Couple sues!

 

3. Errors and Omissions. Your lab�s part timer who�s a high schooler blasts 14 rolls of film that are out of canister to incandescent lights before it hits the tanks, and you�ve no product left. The client has no legal �recourse� with the lab�just you. They sue you. Your insurance covers damage to client. You subrogate your claim against lab to insurance company and they clean house on them. (Key point...stipulate on your lab orders that your photos are meant for resale and taken by a professional. This makes them responsible and answerable in the event of a mishap.)

 

Mary has it right�odds are you�ll NEVER see a judge or file a claim. This is especially true since you are VERY experienced. Shop to select a policy that fits your comfort zone and clientele.

 

In closing, a wise man/woman thinks before they leap. Your doing just that. As you know�done right this is good money, and GREAT fun, so DO NOT abandon your pursuit and love for wedding imagery as there are many couples who need your talent!

 

I�m aware that your debating DSLR.. Go digital and still fire film. Shoot both. It�s an insurance policy in of itself! You�ve my email address, contact me for tips on how to migrate�I�ll share my learned experiences�

 

Casey

Casey,

 

Thank you for your thoughtful and comprehensive list of specific insurance issues. I will follow your good suggestions (not "advice" of course!!!) ;>)

 

I'll get in touch regarding digital.

 

Todd

Hi Todd,

 

I gather your remarks are directed, in part, at me. I do not recall saying that legal issues should not be discussed. I did warn about seeking legal advice from the internet, however, usually after seeing responses that were wildly incorrect.

 

While there is no panic here, there is some concern. In one thread you replied in bold letters that you were not seeking legal advice when, in fact, you were and continued to do so in the same reply. (The discussion was deleted in the recent site shutdown) In all honesty, when you combine that type of analysis with wrong information, misfortune lurks nearby.

 

I hope you do not take offense. My intent was to be helpful and deter such misfortune from being visited upon you or others. Since you find my comments to be bothersome, I will avoid making them in discussions you are involved with and perhaps at all.

 

In a parting note I will mention that, on the PDN site, there was a legal question feature where an attorney responded in detail to legal questions with the usual disclaimer. On this site, there is no disclaimer (that I know of) about following advice from anyone much less a professional. I think the webmasters should explore this issue quickly. Posters may ignore warnings but will seize upon the lack of one when if they think they have suffered after following someone's "suggestions" found here.

 

Good luck!

<p>Try this link for PDN's insurance (and other) helpful PDF's.

 

<p><a href="http://www.pdn-pix.com/photodistrictnews/store/index.jsp">

http://www.pdn-pix.com/photodistrictnews/store/index.jsp</a>

John, my comment was not directed at you personally (especially since I didn't even recall who it was who suggested that we should not discuss legal issues or give legal advice on the forum).

 

I also do understand the reasons for your concern since most of us are not attornies.

 

Perhaps I was in fact asking for legal advice, though that was not how I viewed it at the time.

 

I can not see any reason why such "legal" issues as standard contract language and insurance considerations can not be discussed on a forum which is largely designed for persons conducting a business. How else can we get such information unless we buy books written by attornies or pay the high cost for direct legal advice through a law firm or purchase pre-printed generic wedding contracts?

 

Most of the issues we are discussing are standard practices throughout the USA and can be found on standard contract forms and in books written for businesses, so I don't think we are in danger of leading anyone astray.

 

Had it not been for these discussions I would not have even thought about the issue of personal liability insurance.

Todd,

 

More power to you and everyone for bringing up important issues in the photography business! Bringing up and discussing matters of concern to the community is important. It is inevitable and vital.

 

If there are standardized practices discussed then that is most useful. When there are particular situations discussed, there often is not a standard procedure. Some have posted questions of this sort with the obvious belief that they will recieve the correct 'answer' as opposed to people's thoughts, beliefs and ideas. There may be bad photography advice answers but the consequenses are more limited.

 

Books and forms are useful because the authors are usually very knowledgable and things are presently accurately in a generic sort of way. Sometimes boilerplate forms and generic references are insufficient for particular situations. In such scenerios, this site is an excellent source for issues to be raised. One can orginize the issues and concerns to be addressed. They can use the answers if they like (and preferably at their own risk) or seek some professional help.

 

In your instance, you may take an outline of a contract to a lawyer and have all the specialzed photography business practicalities spelled out for them. They could draft, correct or advise about the terms within. You can find someone affordable and get it all out of the way.

 

You could also be like our most recent business client. She came in for another issue and mentioned a business partnership she was contempleting. We said that it is important to set it up right with a useful agreement and that if she didn't hire us, hire somebody. Instead, she asked people in that type of business what to do and was advised that counsel is not needed and all you have to do is XYZ.

 

A year later she returned with an awful business dispute and legal mess which would have been avoided had she done as we advised. While there are no absolute guarentees, investing a few hundred dollars is excellent insurance against spending several thousand dollars or more and stress through the roof.

 

I wonder about the time when someone asked photographers on photo.net if a strobe flash will hurt a newborn's eyes instead of asking a medical expert. Hopefully all went well. While legal issues are more common in photogrpahy business than medical ones, the analogy is much the same. Regular contributers here know they accept risk for accepting the accuracy of comments here. Newcomers should know but, often do not. This is the last public post I will make on this issue (for a while). Good luck!

<p>Just out of interest, what level of public liability insurance do US based wedding photographers usually have?</p>

<p>This was being discussed on a UK forum and the generally accepted level was £2,000,000 which seems outrageously over the top.</p>

<p>When my brother was self employed in building and maintenance work his public liability was £2,000,000 for an occupation which has far greater risks involved.</p>

<p>I can't see how you could ever cause that value of damage and/or compensation clwhilst taking pictures at a wedding. Probably doing the same thing some of the guests are doing with no insurance.</p>

<p>Recently I was hired to shoot a rather complex destination wedding involving rehearsal dinner, post dinner activities, pre-wedding preparation of both bride and groom, church arrival, ceremony, church departure, happy couple shoot, and reception. I was busy shooting pre-wedding activities at the hotel and my 2nd shooter was assigned to shoot the arrival at the church.<br /> He failed to show up at the church. Actually I never saw him again after we had arrived at the hotel. I pounded on his room door to no avail. This threw off the entire plan of attack I had created. I scrambled to get over to the church but missed the arrival. I was able to complete the remaining parts of the night on my own with mediocre results.<br /> Retrieving the hotel cost from him was the least of my worries. The bride was very upset about having no arrival shots. Her mother even moreso as she demanded a full refund of the entire payment. Thankfully I had written out a detailed contract that specified in the event of lost images, payment would still be required for images captured. She demanded a re-shoot at my expense and after much back and forth we worked out a settlement without involving lawyers or courts.<br /> I ended up making just a little more than my expenses. Bottom line is I took that small profit and immediately purchased Errors and Omission insurance. It was only about $400 a year which is a very small price to pay considering that if I had this coverage before, it could have saved me thousands. I've always had insurance on my gear but now I will never go without this professional liability coverage as well. Now matter how solid you think your contract is you have to have a plan B to protect your financial interests.</p>