Wedding photography, need an insurance???

[proes456]

Hi everyone,

This is my first post and hope I am doing this correctly...

One of my mates recently started his own business and yesterday we were talking about getting an insurance for all his gear, which sounds normal...
But here is the tricky question:
Does he need to get an insurance in case someone hires him and due to unforeseen circumstances all his pictures are lost,destroyed... This basically means that the customer gets nothing and usually you are not getting married every week Can the couple sue him and is he liable for this as a contract has been signed before hand?
I am not sure if this kind of insurance exists at all? Anyone has some information or unfortunate experience

Thanks in advance for all your advice

Cheers

[Swisstony10]

Most business-based insurance will have a part which covers your gear for loss/theft/damage, and another part which covers you if someone is injured by you or your gear (like a light stand falling onto someone, or even you walking backwards to get a shot and knocking someone over).

If he has a contract to shoot a wedding, and something happens which causes all the pictures to be lost, or if he isn't able to turn up on the day, or if he fails to provide everything that was detailed in the contract, then yes, the bride and groom can indeed sue him. In some places, suing would be a last resort, and in other places it'd be the first - depends where you live.

To cover that, it's also worth having what's called Indemnity Insurance, or Professional Indemnity Insurance, and it's there to help out if you're sued in a situation like the one immediately above.

The first bit of insurance that I mentioned (gear and liability) is absolutely essential, and the second part (indemnity) is very important. It's not mandatory here in the UK, and I don't know if it's optional where you are, but I reckon you'd be foolish to risk working without it.

Russ.

[Statto]

Hi,

When you say he started his own business, does this mean he has a limited company, or sole trader etc etc?

Basically what you are talking about is called 'Professional indemnity' insurance
Just ring round the insurance companies and tell them what you need to cover and they will give you a quote
BUT
Does your mate have any recognied professional photography qualifications? and is he a member of any groups/guilds whom only have members if the quality of work is of a certain standard?

The reason I ask this is because you are basically saying to an insurance company "Will you give me insurance for my skills as a photographer incase anyone decides my products are crap and wants to sue me"
If you are just a keen hobbiest whom is taking 'the next step' you aint gonna get insured

One insurance you definately need, which you havnt even mentioned is Public Liability Insurance
What this covers is any accidental damage to the public/public belongings which is your responsibility
For example, at a wedding, a 3yr old trips over your camera bag and breaks his leg, you may end up in court over this, if so and you are ordered to pay £50,000 compensation then its the insurance that pays out, not you personally
PLI Is an absolute must if you are gonna start dealing with people whom arnt family/friends

Hope this helps