Photography Insurance

A deductible is the amount of a covered loss that you are responsible for covering before the policy will respond. A summary of the Westland online insurance program deductibles:

• Equipment deductible: $350 per occurrence 
• Photographer’s Enhancement Pack deductible: $500 per occurrence
• Theft from an Unattended Vehicle deductible: $2,500 per occurrence
• Outside Canada and the United States of America (“Out of Country”) deductible: $750
• General Liability deductible: $500 per occurrence

The deductible applies to any one incident, not per item. Only one deductible, whichever is highest, would apply per claim. Note: all prices are subject to change without notice.

Example: You drop your camera, and the repair costs $200. While this type of damage is covered by the policy, you’re responsible for the first $350 of the loss. In this case, the insurer wouldn’t cover the claim since the repair cost is less than $350. However, if the repair costs $500, you would pay the first $350, and the insurer would cover the remaining $150.

• No coverage is provided for equipment rented, leased, or loaned to others.
• Wear and tear, deterioration, inherent vice, and latent defects (manufacturing faults) are not insurable and should be addressed through product warranties.
• Loss or damage from theft in an unattended vehicle is excluded unless there is evidence of forcible entry or a hold-up. In such cases, a $2,500 deductible applies.

What many photographers don’t realize is that once you’ve received payment for your photography, your gear is classified as “commercial equipment.” As a result, your homeowners or renters insurance, which is designed to cover personal possessions, may no longer protect your photography gear.

Picture this scenario: You return to your car to find the trunk pried open and your camera bag missing. You immediately call your broker to report the claim under the homeowners policy you purchased. An adjuster is assigned to handle your claim. However, after conducting a web search, the claims adjuster discovers that you’ve advertised prints for sale. Because you occasionally sell prints, your camera gear is now classified as “commercial” equipment, which is not covered under a homeowners policy meant for “personal” camera gear used for non-commercial purposes. You explain to the adjuster that you’ve only sold a half dozen prints for less than $300 over the past year through a stock agency. The adjuster replies, “It doesn’t matter, even if you sell just one print for $5, your equipment is considered commercial and isn’t covered by a homeowners policy.”

No, mobile phones are not covered under this policy, whether used for photography or as office equipment. You may find coverage for your mobile phone through other insurance policies or product warranties.

The person or entity listed as the Applicant (Named Insured) will be designated as the Named Insured on the policy. This name should match the name used in rental contracts, location agreements, etc. The Named Insured has specific rights and responsibilities outlined in the General Rules of the policy wording.

Individual: If applying as an individual, enter your full legal name in the Applicant (Named Insured) box.

Partnership or Joint Venture: If applying as a Partnership or Joint Venture, include the full legal names of all partners or co-venturers in the Applicant (Named Insured) box.

Trade Name/Unincorporated Company: If applying as an unincorporated entity, list your full legal name followed by your trade name, including “dba” (doing business as). For example:

*Jane Doe dba ABC Production Company*.

Corporation: If applying as an incorporated entity, enter the full legal name of the corporation, including its designation (e.g., Inc., Ltd., Corp.) in the Applicant (Named Insured) box.

Note: Vendors (e.g., rental houses) or locations should not be listed as the Applicant/Named Insured. Upon purchasing the policy, you will receive a blank certificate of insurance that allows you to add loss payees and additional insureds as needed, per the policy’s terms and conditions.

Once you’ve purchased coverage, you’ll gain access to Westland Backstage, our self-service online portal. From Backstage, you can easily issue certificates of insurance to parties requesting to be added as a loss payee or additional insured.

A certificate of insurance serves multiple purposes: it proves you have insurance, adds a party as an “additional insured” (granting them coverage under your policy for your activities), or designates them as a “loss payee” (meaning they’ll receive direct payment for a covered loss that affects them, such as damage to rented equipment).

Certificates can be issued to:

• Municipalities/Cities for photography permits.
• Lessors of premises rented/leased for photography operations (excluding long-term leases).
• Equipment rental companies, but only for the operation or use of the equipment by the Named Insured.

However, certificates should never be issued to special effects companies, pyrotechnics, stunt coordinators, or similar organizations involving hazardous activities without prior written approval from our office.

We don’t require an equipment list for our records, but photography insurance clients must maintain one to provide to the insurer in case of a claim. How should you create this equipment list? There’s no single “official” or “correct” method. Simply make a spreadsheet and include any details you think are important to track your photography gear.

Cameras and equipment are covered on a replacement cost basis, meaning the cost to repair or replace the item with similar property of comparable material and quality, without depreciation.

Since replacement costs can vary, we recommend rounding up your equipment limit (e.g., if your total replacement estimate is $12,756 CAD, select $13,000).

Note: changes to your policy limits mid-term incur a $25 change fee. If you expect to acquire new equipment during your policy term, you may want to include its value in your limit. The equipment limit represents the maximum payout for a claim and should be enough to cover the replacement cost of all insured items.

If you have any questions about how your equipment is valued, please contact us.

If you have received over $10,000 in claims paid in the past five years, your application cannot be processed online. Please contact our office to discuss coverage options. You must disclose all prior photography and videography-related losses indemnified by an insurance company, as it’s your responsibility to acknowledge these claim payments. Failure to do so may result in denied coverage. If you purchase or renew online without disclosing your loss history, the insurer will cancel your policy effective immediately, and you will need to disclose this cancellation on all future applications, which may lead to increased premiums or denied coverage. Additionally, Westland will not provide alternative terms if you are canceled under this program.

This policy does NOT provide coverage for equipment that is loaned, rented, or leased to others. It is the insured’s responsibility to ensure that the third party has their own insurance for the equipment while it is in their care, custody, and control. We recommend having a rental agreement in place and requesting a certificate of insurance from the renter or borrower, naming you as a loss payee for the full replacement value of the equipment.

Please note that coverage for photo booths or photo walls/stations under this program is limited:

• Photo walls/stations must be temporary, not permanent rooms with self-contained walls.
• The station must always be attended and not left for guests to use on their own.
• The photo booth, including backdrops and props, is not covered under the Equipment section. To cover these items, you must purchase the Photographers Enhancement Package, which provides up to $15,000 for Props/Sets/Wardrobe. We do not offer higher limits for this coverage.

Not all types of photo booths are covered. Please contact us to discuss specific requirements.