Photography insurance UK: what cover a photographer needs and what it costs

TL;DR: Most UK photographers should start with public liability and equipment cover. If you take anyone on, read GOV.UK's employers' liability page first. Simply Business says 10% of its photographer customers paid £60.54 a year or less for public liability in the first half of 2026.

MoneySuperMarket says most venues will want you to have public liability.

1. Public liability. Covers you if someone is hurt, or their property is damaged, because of your work. A guest trips over your light stand. Your tripod scratches a client's floor. Simply Business gives that floor example on its photographer page.

2. Equipment cover. Covers loss, theft or damage to your kit. There are usually two kinds:

• Portable equipment: your kit while you're out at shoots.
• Business equipment: kit kept at home or in a studio.

Check the single item limit. Simply Business gives the example of a £2,000 single item limit and a £3,000 camera. You'd need extra cover for that camera.

3. Professional indemnity. Covers you if a client says your professional work caused them a loss. MoneySuperMarket's examples include claims about misusing copyrighted material.

4. Employers' liability. Covers your staff if they're hurt or made ill by their work. Before anyone works for you, read GOV.UK's employers' liability insurance page and ask your broker what you need.

These are broker customer figures, not a market survey:

• Simply Business: 10% of photographers paid £60.54 a year or less for up to £2 million public liability (1 January to 30 June 2026). 83% chose a £1 million limit.
• MoneySuperMarket (using Simply Business data for 2024): an average of £63.29 a year, meaning 51% paid that or less. The cheapest 10% paid £60.35 or less.

Simply Business also publishes two real example quotes from March to June 2026:

The jump from £67 to £420 is mostly the extra cover, especially equipment. That's normal. Your camera bag is often your biggest risk.

Simply Business tells the story of "Daisy (not her real name)". She walked backwards into her own camera. It hit the ground, the camera showed an error and shut down, and the lens couldn't focus. Her insurer paid £2,581.75. She paid a £100 excess.

Simply Business says its average photographer claim was £992, based on 49 claims between 1 September 2025 and 31 August 2026.

Step 1: List your kit with serial numbers and values. Bodies, lenses, flashes, laptop, drives, drone. Note what each would cost to replace today.

Step 2: Find your most expensive single item. Check it's under the policy's single item limit. If not, add it by name.

Step 3: Say where you shoot. Weddings, studios, clients' homes, outdoor locations, abroad. Each changes the risk. If you fly a drone, say so: Simply Business lists equipment "used in the air" as something to check.

Step 4: Ask each venue what they need. Some will want to see your public liability certificate and a minimum limit. Ask when you take the booking, not the week before.

Step 5: Decide about a second shooter. Ask your broker how they'd treat a second shooter you pay, and check GOV.UK's employers' liability page. If they're freelance, ask to see their own cover. Don't guess their employment status: GOV.UK's employment status pages explain how to check.

Step 6: Compare two or three quotes. Check the limits, the excess and any exclusions for unattended vehicles. The excess is what you pay towards each claim.

Insurance pays for a new camera. It can't reshoot a wedding. Keep two copies of every card before you format it, and carry a spare body to any job you can't repeat. Your contract should also say what happens if you're ill or can't deliver.

The Photographer Business Documents — Premium (£19.99) has 15 templates, including a Wedding Photography Agreement, Second Photographer Agreement, Liability Waiver, and Newborn Maternity Safety Consent. They're business records, not legal advice. The Photographer Startup Guide (£4.99) covers photography insurance, plus portfolio building, pricing your first shoots and finding your first clients.

MoneySuperMarket says most venues will want you to have it, and many photographers buy it as their first cover.

Simply Business says 10% of photographers paid £60.54 a year or less for public liability in the first half of 2026. Adding equipment and professional indemnity costs more. One real example with £20,000 portable equipment cover was £420.68 a year.

No. Public liability covers other people and their property. You need equipment cover for your own kit.

Ask your broker, and read GOV.UK's employers' liability page before they work for you. If they're self-employed, ask to see their own insurance.

All accessed 1 October 2026.

• GOV.UK, "Employers' liability insurance"
• GOV.UK, "Employment status"
• Simply Business, "Photographer insurance" (10% paid £60.54 or less, 1 Jan–30 Jun 2026; 83% £1m limit; example quotes March–June 2026; Daisy claim example; average claim £992 from 49 claims, 1 Sep 2025–31 Aug 2026; single item limit example)
• MoneySuperMarket, "Photographers' insurance" (venues want public liability; average £63.29 and cheapest £60.35 a year, Simply Business 2024 data)

This article is general information, not insurance advice. We don't recommend any insurer. Check the policy wording before you buy.