Photography Insurance in Massachusetts

What is Photography Insurance?

Working as a professional photographer is rewarding work, but it’s not without potential risk. From injury-inducing accidents to loss of expensive cameras, photographers are exposed to a range of both property and liability perils. Photography insurance helps protect professional photographers in Massachusetts from many of the risks they face.

Photography insurance is a specialized kind of commercial insurance that’s crafted to meet the unique needs of professional photographers. Most policies are written as package policies, which means they come with several coverages that provide a web of protection.

What Businesses in Massachusetts is Photographer Insurance Right For?

The majority of professional photographers and photography studios in Massachusetts can benefit from the protections that photographer insurance affords. Some specific examples of businesses that might want this kind of insurance include:

Portrait studios
Wedding photographers
Wildlife and travel photographers
Photojournalists
Digital artists who take their own pictures

Additionally, videographers often also can find the protections they need through a photographer policy. An insurance agent who specializes in photographer insurance can help videographers check a policy’s coverages and terms to see whether it provides the protections they require.

What Protections Does Photographer Insurance Make Available?

The exact coverages that photographer insurance policies offer can vary, but there are many coverages that are commonly made available as standard or optional protections. A few of these are:

Equipment Coverage, which may protect cameras, backdrops, flashes and other gear
Inland Marine Coverage, which might protect gear while it’s being transported between locations
General Liability Coverage, which may protect against many common accidents and certain defamation lawsuits
Professional Liability Coverage, which might protect against lawsuits arising from errors in work
Employment Practices Liability Coverage, which may protect against employment-related discrimination suits
Data Compromise Coverage, which might protect against data breaches and online attacks
Business Interruption Coverage, which may protect against sustain revenue drops after covered disasters

In addition to these coverages, photography businesses might also need building coverage if they own a building and/or commercial auto coverage if they own a commercial vehicle.

What Photographers Do Businesses Need to Declare on Their Insurance Policy?

When a business purchases a photography policy, that policy is generally intended to insure all photographers who work for that business. To make sure everyone on staff is covered, businesses usually should declare all paid photographers and assistants when setting up a policy. If anyone new who uses company gear is hired, they normally ought to be declared at the time of hiring as well.

If there’s ever a question about whether a particular individual should be declared on a policy, an agent who’s familiar with these policies can check whether the individual in question needs to be declared.

Do Photography Policies Come with Workers Compensation Coverage?

Photography businesses that have paid employees generally are required by state law to carry workers compensation, which generally covers job-related injuries and illnesses. Additionally, sole proprietors and business owners might want the coverage for themselves if their health insurance excludes work injuries. Thus, there are many photography businesses that need this protection and perhaps even more that may want it.

Workers compensation, however, isn’t always purchased through a photography policy. Instead, it’s commonly obtained as a stand-alone policy that offers this one coverage. An insurance agent who’s familiar with photography policies can help businesses explore what workers compensation options are available to them.

How Can Massachusetts Businesses Get Photography Insurance?

For help finding photography insurance, contact the independent insurance agents at Roger Butler Insurance. Our team of agents can show you policy quotes from multiple insurance companies in Massachusetts, and they have the knowledge necessary to help you select a policy that provides robust protection.