You might think that camera insurance is only for serious pros, but I’d make the case that more casual photographers should consider taking out a policy as well.
When you work as a photographer for a large corporation, as I did for many years, you’re usually covered by the company’s insurance policy for all sorts of things. But the big one is public liability – in case you cause harm to a third party, such as clients or the general public.
(This article refers specifically to insurance in the United Kingdom, but the general principles apply everywhere.)
It was reassuring to have the backing of a publisher such as Future PLC, when I was the deputy editor for PhotoPlus: the Canon magazine from 2019 until its closure in 2025. But when I stepped into the world of freelance last year, I knew that insurance needed to be something I sorted ASAP.
When my camera insurance was renewed recently, it got me thinking about how useful this would be not only for working pros, who often need to prove they’re covered before they can shoot at certain venues, but also for more casual photographers.
Would you be covered if somebody tripped over your tethering cable, if your light stand scratched an expensive floor or your tripod toppled over and smashed a priceless antique?
Insurance comes in all sorts of levels, from contents to fire and theft, accidental damage, professional indemnity and public liability. Public liability is the one that I think more casual shooters should consider.
When first starting out, the value of your camera and lenses may not be high enough to consider insuring, though if you’re particularly clumsy then accidental damage cover could be worth considering.
If you shoot any sort of events or wedding photography, either as a hobbyist or professional, you may find that many venues such as hotels or churches won’t allow you to operate on their property without providing proof of your cover – usually requiring at least £2 million of public liability insurance.
Producing such a policy is also a great way of showing your clients that you’re serious and helps give you credibility.
You may think that your home insurance policy covers this, and you’ll need to read the fine details to double-check. Many won’t, though, if your camera kit is over a certain amount, as it may need to be listed as a named item – and some brokers won’t cover items like cameras if they're used professionally, so you'll need special insurance for this instead.
Dedicated camera insurance from providers such as The Photographer’s Emporium or Photoguard offer varying levels of cover, ranging from public liability to professional indemnity to accidental damage, and the list goes on.
So my parting advice is, you may not need to cover the camera bodies and lenses themselves, but you should certainly consider public liability insurance to save you a headache if you get yourself into a situation on a shoot where it’s needed – it’s probably cheaper than you think and in my opinion is well worth it for peace of mind.
One final tip: the best resolution to theft or losing your camera kit is prevention – so be extra careful when you’re out and about in cities, use camera straps to keep them secure and place trackers like Apple Air Tags on your camera and in your camera bag to give you as much help as possible tracking down lost or stolen kit.
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