Our blog about the unfortunate professional wedding photographer whose hair caught fire whilst trying to capture the perfect shot of the blushing bride has really captured your attention.

It’s obvious that any professional photographer who looks into their viewfinder or screen narrows their attention to focus on the subject of the photograph.  Surroundings therefore becoming peripheral and it’s not surprising accidents can happen. 

What can professional photographers learn from the incident?

If the photographer had been unable to complete the wedding assignment then it’s most likely they would have lost the fee they were going to charge.  A worse case scenario would occur if a difficult bride and groom decided that they were so disappointed to miss out on professional shots that they were taking legal action.   It’s not beyond the realms that a court could decide the photographer had not taken adequate care and didn’t have a back-up plan.  This would lead to expensive court costs.  All photographers should have professional indemnity insurance to protect them for this.  This would meet the legal costs and any damages awarded to the couple.

Worse still, if a photographer is more seriously injured during a shoot and unable to complete future assignments, this could lead to a high loss in income and therefore difficulty in meeting financial commitments.  The photographer insurance cover needed to protect you from this loss of income is personal accident insurance.

Before you start a job, carry out a health and safety risk assessment.  If you don’t have the time for this, at least work out the slip and trip hazards, looking out for lit candles or any other obvious hazards.  If you have an assistant, make sure they’re briefed to be looking out for less obvious hazards during the shoot. Also, give the bride and groom the option of having a second shooter with attendant costs as a back- up plan. If they choose not to have this, put this in writing.

Call us at any time to discuss your professional photographer insurance policy or for advice on any other aspect of running your photography business.