(Updated August 1, 2023)
It should be obvious that insuring your camera equipment and your business is very important. Some customers and some locations may require that you show proof of insurance (i.e. a certificate of insurance). In some situations you may have to increase your coverage or temporarily add a customer or venue to your policy as an additional insured. Any such additional insurance costs should be billed to the customer.
Here are some Canadian companies that offer photo-related insurance. This is not meant as a recommendation.
Disclosure: I was insured with CG&B Insurance (aka. Unionville Insurance) from about 1985 to 2016. I’ve been insured with Front Row Insurance since 2016.
For annual insurance, I currently pay about $1.22 per $100 of equipment insured, plus $260 for $2M liability insurance, plus other insurance options, plus provincial sales tax. The cost may vary from province to province.
PhotoPac from Arthur J. Gallagher Canada is insurance for photographers and filmmakers. Photographers may recall PhotoPac from Unionville Insurance Brokers (late 1970s to mid-1990s). Then it became PhotoPac from CG&B Group (late 1990s to 2010s). It’s now PhotoPac from Gallagher which is part of an international insurance brokerage. Note that the provided link to stepinsure.com is correct but it doesn’t always work which isn’t reassuring.
Front Row Insurance is a brokerage that specializes in insurance for photographers, filmmakers, musicians and entertainers.
The Co-operators has small business insurance which *might* cover professional photographers. Other general insurance companies may also have small business insurance. This is included here only because I’ve been told that a few photographers have insured with The Co-operators.
AON in Canada seems to offer insurance for photographers but good luck finding any information on its site.
Harvard Western Insurance brokerage in Saskatchewan offers insurance for photographers.
TD Bank offers small business insurance for photographers but there’s very little information on its site. It’s possible that other big banks might also offer something similar.
Camera Insurance has a horrible web site but it’s operated by Holman Insurance Brokers which has been around for a long time. (Why do so many insurance companies, banks and other financial companies have such bland, impersonal, uninspiring web sites filled with cheap stock pictures?)
EasyCover provides liability insurance for photographers. The company is headquartered in Calgary and has been around for decades. Several of the previously mentioned insurance companies include liability insurance in their photo insurance packages. Many general insurance companies offer business liability insurance which may or may not be suitable for photographers.
Zensurance has photography insurance. It seems that many of these insurance brokers are selling the same or similar insurance packages that are underwritten by the same handful of large insurance companies.
From the comments below, (thank you, Scott), CameraPolicy is offered by Shephard Ashmore Insurance Brokers which started out as an insurance broker for musicians and entertainment events. But this photo policy seems to be expensive – I went through its online form and it was many hundreds of dollars more than my current policy.
For photojournalists, Insurance for Journalists offers what its name says.
UAV (drone) insurance is available and this type of insurance may require you to be licensed.
Most Canadian policies cover Canada and continental USA. Coverage in other countries may cost extra. Most photo policies do not automatically cover underwater or aerial use.
Some insurance companies no longer insure cellphones.
The insurance deductible for gear stolen from a vehicle is usually much higher than the deductible for gear stolen from any other location. To claim a loss from a vehicle, there must be obvious signs of forced entry. My general deductible is $350, the deductible for a liability claim is $500, and the deductible for a loss from an unattended vehicle is $2,500.
You may need to have proof of ownership of your insured equipment. Keep the original sales receipt. Whenever I buy something that I will insure, I photograph that item with the serial number showing, with the brand name or model name visible, and with the sales receipt next to it.
You may also need car insurance, health insurance, disability insurance, life insurance, property insurance, travel insurance, errors and omissions insurance, contingency insurance and, who knows, maybe even insurance for not having enough insurance.
Great piece.
What insurance company do you use?
I’ve been using CG&B Group for many years. But when my policy expires later this year, I’ll probably switch to Front Row since it will save me at least $400/year and the deductible is lower. CG&B’s PhotoPac policy is very comprehensive but there are many features that I don’t need yet I’m still paying for. On the other hand, the routine CG&B PhotoPac policy automatically includes studio contents and office computer systems (each up to $25,000) whereas the routine Front Row policy includes office contents up to $10,000 and that includes computer equipment. The routine Front Row policy automatically includes a laptop up to $5,000, (I forget how CG&B handles laptops). CG&B is probably much better if you run a studio.
Do you know of any companies that offer single day photography insurance? I only shoot part time on the side and i’m shooting a friends wedding. The venue requires that I need a certificate of insurance. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Aaron: Some insurance companies offer short-term contingency insurance and there’s usually a minimum fee. Contact some insurance companies and ask. Depending on how much camera equipment you have, you may find that there’s little difference between the minimum fee and a year-round policy.
Hi Warren, great article! I am currently looking for camera equipment insurance for a year long trip around south america and saw that front row only covers Canada and the US. Do you know of any decent international travel camera insurance for Canadian residents?
Michael: Some camera insurance companies offer worldwide (or almost worldwide) coverage if you ask for it. It’s an add-on option that, of course, costs more. When I was with CG&B, each year’s renewal came with a form offering coverage outside North America. When I renewed this year with Front Row, there was an option for worldwide coverage.
Hi,
Do know know of a good company that has low deductible and covers may be till 10k. I am asking because my friend is a hobbyist who has gear worth 2.5K and he is worried all the time about breaking something by mistake. He would not prefer to have a full fledged professional photography insurance policy with 1K deductibe and a montly premium of 30-50 dollars per month. DO you know any feasible options for him in Canada? He saw a lot of options in US market, but those companies unfortunately do not cover Canada residents.
@Dslrpundit: If the person is a *true* hobbyist then they can usually get coverage under their homeowner’s insurance. But a homeowner’s policy might have a commercial exclusion clause: if they find out you’ve been running a photo business, the insurance company may refuse a claim. Many pro insurance companies have a minimum fee of, perhaps, $100 to $250. Try some of the online quote services such as Front Row Insurance.
And if I might point out, $2,500 of camera gear is not a lot. Is it really worth insuring?
Thanks very much for putting this together Warren, it’s very helpful. :)
Do you think it is necessary to get professional liability insurance?
@Bill: Professional liability insurance is generally a good idea. It covers you when you break something that doesn’t belong to you :-)
Some customers such as municipalities and maybe other levels of government may require you to have liability insurance.
When I photographed at a large amusement park and had cameras on the rides, the company required that I have liability insurance and that they were a listed as a co-insured (i.e., they were covered under my policy). So if I injured someone in the amusement park and they sued me and/or the park, my insurance would try to cover all of it.
Note that liability insurance usually covers both the damages and your legal fees up to your insurance limit. Keep in mind that a major lawsuit can have huge legal fees as well as high damages.
Hey Warren, very helpful post. I’m also in the midst or renewing with CG&B and shopping around. I looked at Front Row back in 2016, got a quote about $300-500 less (depended on options), then asked CG&B for a re-quote. They got pretty close to Front Row, but over the years the premium has crept higher and higher. I’ll go through the process again this year… trying to reduce premium costs, trying to save some money in light of the massive drop in business due to Covid. CG&B is suggesting moving the majority of equipment to the policy’s non-mobile ‘studio contents’ classification, but it will only reduce the premium about 10%.
Related to Bill’s question, my understanding is there are at least two different types of liability coverage and it wasn’t clear which one he referred to.
1) Commercial General Liability (CGL) provides the coverage you described above: “cover your business against claims brought by third parties for bodily injury, death or property damage they suffer as a result of your business operations or actions/inactions of you and your employees” (as stated in EasyCover’s FAQs).
2) Professional Liability, also called Errors & Omissions: “protection from financial liability arising out of the professional duty you owe your clients related to the service or advice you provide.” I.e. being sued for not delivering a product meeting the client’s perceived expectations. Which is a bit scary because it gets into situations where you may not have made a mistake but the client believes you provided sub-standard service.
It appears CGL is the default type of liability coverage provided by commercial insurance policies and is what has been in all the policies through CG&B, probably because it’s likely a greater risk – accidental 3rd party bodily or property damage during a shoot. And it’s what some venues require. Professional Liability would cover a separate ‘can of worms’ that could potentially be very subjective and expensive to fight in court.
Aother consideration about professional liability is it can affect a business after operations cease. I.e. an unhappy client from the past decides to sue after the photographer retires.
Nice list. I have the same problem as you. I have used the CG&B group for years, and even though they cover lots they are quite expensive and their price goes up every year.
I will also be going with Front Row Insurance as you plan on doing.
I found another one that was not on your list. camerapolicy.ca/ , but they are also pricey.
The Co-operators claim they can add my equipment to my homeowners’ policy. It would be for approximately the same price that Front Row Insurance charges. It would not include liability insurance. The problem with the Co-operators though is that the policy does not spell out anything when it comes to camera equipment being used for one’s business. My broker says all is well, but I want it in writing. That makes me too nervous.
Thanks.
Thank you for this! I was able to secure a new policy online and in minutes! Brilliant recco for Front Row!
@Trish – Just to be clear, I am not affiliated with any insurance company and I do not get paid any remuneration if you buy a policy from any of the above-mentioned insurance companies. Front Row does have a referral program that offers a *chance* to win a $99 Amazon gift card, or a measly $15 Amazon card depending on your province, but I’m not part of that.
There are no affiliate marketing programs on my web site. I’m just happy to help other photographers :-)