Best Photography Insurance Companies Compared: Coverage, Cost, & How to Choose
Searching for the best photography insurance can be exhausting and time-consuming. We’ve done the heavy lifting to help you evaluate providers faster and choose the one that works best for you, with this guide.
Below are five of the most popular photographer liability insurance options, accompanied by a breakdown of costs, coverages, and pros and cons for each.
- Best overall: Full Frame Insurance
- Digital-first coverage: ERGO NEXT
- Flexible short-term coverage: Thimble
- Big-brand reliability: The Hartford
- Bigger businesses and professional association membership: Professional Photographers of America (PPA)
Note: Transparency is one of FFI’s core brand values. We created this guide with the most recent, verifiable information available at the time of writing to help our readers determine which provider is best for their business (even if it’s not us).
Top Photography Liability Insurance Providers
| Provider | Starting Price* | Coverage Included | Same Day COI / Buy 100% Online | Base Coverage Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Full Frame Insurance |
$12/month or $129/year |
General liability, personal and advertising injury, products and completed operations, damage to premises rented to you, medical expenses |
✅ / ✅ |
$2,000,000 aggregate (total amount for all claims in one policy period) |
|
NEXT |
$17.50/month (+$3.99 service fee for $21.49/month) |
General liability, professional liability, personal and advertising injury, products – completed operations, damage to premises rented to you, medical expenses |
✅ / ✅ |
$2,000,000 aggregate |
|
Thimble |
$24.38/month or $262.50/year |
General liability, personal and advertising injury, products – completed operations, damage to premises rented to you, medical expense, terrorism coverage, waiver of subrogation endorsement, primary and non-contributory endorsement |
✅ / ✅ |
$2,000,000 aggregate |
|
The Hartford |
$250/year or four payments of $62.50 |
General liability, personal and advertising injury, products and completed operations, damage to premises rented to you, medical expenses |
❌ / ✅ |
$2,000,000 aggregate |
|
Professional Photographers of America (PPA) |
$227/year (+$323/year for a PPA membership)** |
General liability, PhotoCare equipment coverage, personal and advertising injury, products – completed operations, medical expenses, damage to premises rented to you by fire, lightning, explosion; hired and non-owned auto coverage, blanket additional insureds, Certified Acts of Terrorism coverage |
Not specified / ✅ |
$2,000,000 aggregate |
Full Frame Insurance
| Starting Price* | Coverage Included | Same Day COI / Buy 100% Online | Base Coverage Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
|
$12/month or $129/year |
General liability, personal and advertising injury, products and completed operations, damage to premises rented to you, medical expenses |
✅ / ✅ |
$2,000,000 aggregate (total amount for all claims in one policy period) |
NEXT
| Starting Price* | Coverage Included | Same Day COI / Buy 100% Online | Base Coverage Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
|
$17.50/month (+$3.99 service fee for $21.49/month)
or
$210/year (+$47.88 service fee for $257.88/year) |
General liability, professional liability, personal and advertising injury, products – completed operations, damage to premises rented to you, medical expenses |
✅ / ✅ |
$2,000,000 aggregate |
Thimble
| Starting Price* | Coverage Included | Same Day COI / Buy 100% Online | Base Coverage Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
|
$24.38/month or $262.50/year
(+$50 one-time transaction fee) |
General liability, personal and advertising injury, products – completed operations, damage to premises rented to you, medical expense, terrorism coverage, waiver of subrogation endorsement, primary and non-contributory endorsement |
✅ / ✅ |
$2,000,000 aggregate |
The Hartford
| Starting Price* | Coverage Included | Same Day COI / Buy 100% Online | Base Coverage Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
|
$250/year or four payments of $62.50 |
General liability, personal and advertising injury, products and completed operations, damage to premises rented to you, medical expenses |
❌ / ✅ |
$2,000,000 aggregate |
Professional Photographers of America (PPA)
| Starting Price* | Coverage Included | Same Day COI / Buy 100% Online | Base Coverage Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
|
$227/year (+$323/year for a PPA membership)** |
General liability, PhotoCare equipment coverage, personal and advertising injury, products – completed operations, medical expenses, damage to premises rented to you by fire, lightning, explosion; hired and non-owned auto coverage, blanket additional insureds, Certified Acts of Terrorism coverage |
Not specified / ✅ |
$2,000,000 aggregate |
*To create an apples-to-apples comparison, online quotes were obtained at the time of writing based on a photographer residing in Ohio, operating a sole proprietorship with no employees and earning $50,000 per year.
**To qualify for any PPA insurance, you must be a PPA member.
FFI: Best Overall Insurance for Photographers
Cost:
- $12/month
- $129/year (save by paying upfront)
- $59/Event
Key Coverages Included
- General liability
- Personal and advertising injury
- Products – completed operations
- Damage to premises rented to you
- Medical expense
Add-Ons Offered
- Additional insureds
- Professional liability
- Camera equipment coverage
- Drone liability insurance
- Drone equipment insurance
- Cyber liability
Standout Features
- Instant coverage and Certificate of Insurance (COI)
- Drone coverage available
- User-friendly online dashboard
- Policy auto-renewal available (but not required)
- Customer service from licensed, non-commissioned agents
- Most affordable and transparent pricing with annual or monthly payment options
- Most consistent pricing, with base premiums the same in every state, unlike some other providers
- Short-term event and annual policies available
- Quick, simple online application
- Customizable add-on coverages
- Easy to file a claim online
- Online dashboard for 24/7 access to manage your COI, additional insureds, etc.
- No coverage for brick-and-mortar studios
- No mobile app
Based on our research, Full Frame Insurance offers the best photography insurance coverage option for most, due to its affordability, coverage customization, ease of use, and availability of both short and long-term policies.
FFI provides the most upfront and transparent cost information, so you have a clear picture of what you get and how much it costs. They also have the most consistent starting costs, with the same base rate available in all 50 states.
FFI’s variety of optional add-ons allows you to create a policy that only includes the coverages you want, so you don’t have to pay for coverage you don’t need. If you change your mind, you can update your policy anytime through the convenient online dashboard.
The online dashboard also makes it easy to access your COI, add additional insureds, or change your payment information. No customer service agent is required to make most updates, but they are still available should you want extra human help.
ERGO NEXT: Digital-First Coverage
Cost:
- $17.50/month (+$3.99 service fee for a total of $21.49/month)
- $210/year (+$47.88 service fee for a total $257.88/year)
Key Coverages Included
- General liability
- Professional liability
- Personal and advertising injury
- Products – completed operations
- Damage to premises rented to you
- Medical expense
Add-Ons Offered
- Additional insureds
- Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI)
- Commercial umbrella liability
- Cyber coverage
- Terrorism coverage
Standout Features
- Professional liability coverage included in base policies
- Policy management available online and through an app
- Several limit options available for most coverage types
- Monthly and annual payment plans
- Mobile app available for policyholders
- Annual policies only, no short-term options, compared to FFI’s single event and annual policy options
- Month-to-month payment plans include a monthly service fee charge
- Tools and equipment coverage (inland marine) is not directly available to photographers (compared to FFI’s camera equipment coverage, which is available on annual policies in all 50 states)
ERGO NEXT prioritizes a digital-first experience with a 100% online purchasing process and same-day Certificate of Insurance (COI), similar to FFI. The online app provides convenient on-the-go access to policy documents, your COI, and even claim submission forms.
ERGO NEXT is also one of the few providers to automatically include professional liability coverage in its base photographer policies. Most carriers, like FFI, offer it as an optional add-on coverage for photographers.
While equipment coverage (aka inland marine) is referenced on the website, it is not directly available for photographers through ERGO NEXT. Commercial property insurance is available, but this coverage is typically designed for equipment that stays with an insured building, and not for gear you take with you, like cameras and lenses.
Thimble: Flexible Short-Term Coverage
Cost:
- $24.38/month (+$50 one-time transaction fee)
- $262.50/year (+$50 one-time transaction fee)
Key Coverages Included
- General liability
- Personal and advertising injury
- Products – completed operations
- Damage to premises rented to you
- Medical expense
- Terrorism coverage
- Waiver of subrogation endorsement
- Primary and non-contributory endorsement
Add-Ons Offered
- Additional Insureds
- Professional liability
- Cyber insurance
- Customer property protection
- Business equipment protection
Standout Features
- Customizable short-term policy lengths (up to 30 days)
- Short-term policies
- Same-day coverage available
- Business Owner Policies (BOP) available
- No drone coverage options
- Final costs based on zip code
- Average cost of professional liability coverage is much higher ($43.33/month) than FFI ($8.33/month)
- Additional insureds cost $25 each (compared to FFI’s unlimited additional insureds for $30)
Thimble offers business owner policies (BOPs) for studio owners and long- and short-term general liability coverage. The customizable short-term policies are available on a per-month, per-week, per-day, or per-hour basis. You can even choose the exact hour for your short-term coverage to start and end.
On annual policies, however, Thimble has the highest transaction fees of all carriers compared. It also charges $25 per additional insured. With FFI, additional insureds cost $15 per individual or $30 for unlimited. On FFI event policies, unlimited additional insureds are only $5.
The Hartford: Studio Coverage and Big-Brand Reliability
Cost:
- $250/year
Key Coverages Included
- General liability
- Personal and advertising injury
- Products – completed operations
- Damage to premises rented to you
- Medical expense
- Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI)
Add-Ons Offered
- Professional liability
- Home-based business property insurance
- Unmanned aircraft (drone) liability coverage
- Unmanned aircraft (drone) property coverage
- Hired and non-owned auto coverage
- Commercial auto insurance
- Workers’ compensation
- Data breach coverage
- Waiver of subrogation
Standout Features
- Coverages designed for larger businesses and home-based studios
- High limits for medical expenses and damage to premises rented to you
- Higher damage to rented premises ($1 million) and medical expense ($10,000) coverages than other providers included in the base policy
- Offers a variety of optional coverages
- Multiple limit options available for most coverage types
- Only next-day coverage available, compared to FFI’s immediate same-day coverage availability
- Annual policies only, no short-term coverage, compared to FFI’s single event and annual policy options
- Must have business property insurance to get drone property coverage
- Nearly twice the cost of a similar FFI policy
In business for over 200 years, The Hartford offers a variety of coverage types, including drone liability coverage and Business Owner Policies (BOPs) for those with physical studios. Online price quotes are generally available for photographers, but unlike FFI, same-day coverage is not available.
The Hartford offers drone insurance, but to get coverage for your drone cameras and equipment, you must purchase home-based property insurance, which is typically more complicated and costly than FFI’s camera equipment coverage.
While The Hartford’s base policy cost is higher than most other providers’, it also includes higher-than-average limits for medical expense coverage and significantly higher limits for damage to rented premises coverage.
Professional Photographers of America (PPA): Bigger Businesses and Professional Association Membership
Cost:
- $227/year (+$323 PPA membership)
Key Coverages Included
- General liability
- Personal and advertising injury
- Products – completed operations
- Damage to premises rented to you by fire, lightning, or explosion
- Medical expense
- Hired and non-owned auto coverage
- Blanket additional insureds
- Certified Acts of Terrorism coverage
Add-Ons Offered
- Drone liability
- PhotoCare Plus (expanded equipment coverage that includes drone coverage)
Standout Features
- PPA is a professional organization and offers a variety of resources other than insurance
- Replacement cost equipment coverage for specified items (actual cash value for nonspecified items)
- Business owner insurance policies available
- Worldwide coverage
- Up to $15,000 in equipment coverage is included with PPA membership (requires activation)
- Upgraded equipment insurance can cover up to $100,000 and includes coverage for mysterious disappearances and theft from unlocked vehicles
- Not available in New York (compared to FFI’s availability in all 50 states)
- Only available to PPA members
- Standard PPA membership fees alone ($323/year) are more than twice the cost of a standard FFI policy ($129/year)
- Upgraded equipment coverage costs at least an additional $175/year
PPA is a membership-based professional organization that provides a variety of services and benefits to members, including insurance. Because it is membership-based, you must be a member to qualify for any of these benefits or insurance plans. Standard membership fees are $323 per year at the time of this writing.
PPA offers members equipment insurance, general liability, and business owners policy options in partnership with Lockton Affinity. General liability plans start at $227 per year, and adding equipment insurance that covers drones and offers higher limit options starts at $175 per year.
These member fees and liability coverage costs add up to $550 per year, without the expanded equipment coverage. PPA also offers a Full Plus membership plan, which includes general liability coverage, but it still starts at $428 per year. This makes PPA the most expensive option on our list.
If you have a bigger business expense budget, are looking for more involvement in a professional organization, or are already a PPA member, the extra costs of PPA + Lockton Affinity liability insurance may be worth it.
What to Look for When Comparing Photography Insurance Policies
Finding the insurance policy that best fits your business begins with determining your specific needs and conducting research before making your final decision. To get the most useful information, it’s crucial to compare options on an apples-to-apples basis whenever possible.
Here’s what to compare when deciding which photography insurance provider is right for you:
- Coverage limits: Are there minimum liability limits you need to meet contract or venue requirements? Most providers offer $1-$2 million aggregate coverage, and some offer excess liability coverage if you need higher limits
- Monthly vs. annual cost: Annual upfront payments typically save you money in the long run, while monthly payments break down your premium into smaller, budget-friendly installments
- Add-ons: You may need additional coverages to fill in the gaps that most standard liability policies don’t include, like drone liability insurance or coverage for your cameras and other equipment
- Exclusions: Some activities may be specifically excluded, meaning a claim involving them could be denied, so ensure all your services are covered by the policy
- Additional insureds: Most venues require you to add them as an additional insured, so the ability to add them for a low cost helps you meet those requirements without tanking your budget
- Accessibility: Online resources with 24/7 access to COIs and live customer support agents make insurance more manageable, especially if you have to file a claim
Top Questions About the Best Photography Insurance Options
Does Photography Insurance Cover My Camera Equipment?
Most photography business liability policies do not automatically include coverage for your camera and equipment. However, FFI does offer camera equipment insurance as an optional add-on coverage (as do several other providers).
FFI offers four tiers of camera equipment coverage, starting at $18.17 a month or $218 a year. Coverage limits range from $20,000 in aggregate coverage to $75,000. This coverage applies to essential items like your cameras, lenses, and even laptops. It does not include coverage for drone cameras.
FFI also offers drone equipment insurance, which includes coverage for drones and drone accessories, along with your cameras and other essential gear.
What Is an Additional Insured, and How Do I Add One to My Policy?
Additional insureds are typically venues, event organizers, and other businesses that ask you to add them to your policy, which extends your liability protection to them, in case a claim or lawsuit is filed against them in relation to your work.
You can add an unlimited number of additional insureds to your FFI policy for $30 per year at checkout or anytime afterward, from the convenience of your online account.
What Limits Do Venues Typically Require?
Most venues require photographers to have at least $1 million occurrence and $2 million aggregate general liability coverage.
The occurrence limit is the maximum amount a policy can pay for each individual claim within a policy period, and the aggregate limit is the total amount the policy can pay during the entire policy period, until the policy renews.
Some venues may require $2 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate coverage. Standard FFI policies come with $1 million occurrence limits, but you can upgrade your coverage to a $2 million occurrence limit anytime.