Business insurance for Photographers

If you employ anyone at your photography business, you’re generally required by law to have employers’ liability insurance. You may also find clients ask you to have public liability insurance before doing business with you. This provides cover for accidents or damage involving your work with the public as a photographer.

Though not required by law or clients generally, photographers may find professional indemnity insurance useful in the event of claims relating to their advice or services. For example, if someone claims you breached their copyright or lost digital images.

Freelance photographers may find insurance helpful when dealing with unforeseen circumstances that could put them out of action.

Personal accident insurance could be a useful cover type to build into your policy. If you were to become injured and unable to work – even if the accident happens outside of work – you could receive financial support until you’re back on your feet.

Professional indemnity insurance can work for photographers by assisting with mistakes or disagreements, while legal protection insurance can step in with contractual disputes.

At Hiscox, we can work together to build a policy package to suit your status as a freelance photographer and help you get covered.

How much your business insurance costs will depend on a few factors – including the size of your photographers business, what kind of jobs you take on and how many types of cover you build into your policy.

The price of insurance will also depend on the cover limits you select for each policy. For instance, you may wish to have a higher limit on your public liability insurance if you focus solely on wedding photography, as they’re always busy occasions.

As policies can be tailored to suit individual circumstances, there’s no one exact figure for this. However, small business insurance quotes from Hiscox start at £7.85 a month*.

*Figures based on an average of all business insurance policies sold to at least 10% of our customer base between January 2025 and January 2026

Yes, if photography equipment is stolen from your vehicle, or damaged by a careless driver, it can be covered by your Hiscox portable equipment insurance.

However, the following must apply to ensure your equipment is covered in an unattended vehicle:

• The equipment must be completely hidden out of sight in the boot, trailer or in a vehicle storage compartment, ensuring it can’t be identified
• All security measures must be in full working order on the vehicle, or on the trailer when the theft takes place

Sometimes your kit needs to be left in a vehicle when you’re working, especially if there’s wet weather. You might even be on an extended location shoot and require separate equipment for different parts of the day. You’ll need to pack your portable lighting kit, for instance, which might feature plug-in studio lights alongside LED lighting panels to use outdoors. Portable equipment insurance could help to cover the costs of damages and support you if you need to replace anything.

It may be a good idea to check the terms of your policy in this instance to ensure they meet the requirements of your business.