How could I protect myself and equipment at a wedding?

It is always important to think about how you are protecting your images especially at a wedding. Some photographers use a plethora of cards and keep interchanging them to ensure they have lots of the same image, whilst some photographers either have a second shooter or use a second camera to make sure they keep the image safe. But is there a correct way to do it? What should you consider before you start?

Getting started
It is vital that you know the layout of both the church and the reception room before the big day - after all, you need to get a handle on when and where everything is plus the potential pitfalls like tripping over pews or even the font! It also gives you the opportunity to have a look at the way light falls into the church and reception rooms so you can avoid the possibility of a "happy couple" alleging that the photographs are not good enough!

Make sure you have a signed contract

Many Wedding Couples are now getting Insurance savvy. As with everything in life, it is now becoming commonplace to sign a contract. You do it when you get the new mobile phone, your subscription TV service so why not on what is regarded as the most important day of your life?

For photographers it is important you get this commitment from the Bride and Groom in writing, plus you can "limit your liability" if something goes wrong to the fee they have paid. Generally, this should help get rid of some of the most spurious claims, if something has gone seriously wrong it is not likely to protect you much - however, small amounts of protection are better than none at all!

Be aware that some insurance providers may expect you to use their contract. Aaduki do not and if you have our Legal Expenses Cover they will help you write your contract - alternatively you can contact The Societies and they should be able to assist you.

Insurance for the Bride and Groom

It is always worth checking if they are covered as well. They expect you to be fully insured so isn't it reasonable to expect them to be as well? If you were to fall over the Brides dress or the bridesmaid's handbag and broke your leg and couldn't work for 6 weeks shouldn't you be thinking about some sort of redress for your potential losses?

Some photographers like to offer a discount if couples provide a copy of the wedding insurance certificate to them. Your fee might be £1,000 to shoot the wedding and you discount it by £200 if they have this insurance - a win-win situation for all concerned. It is generally accepted that couples that wedding insurance are less likely to make a claim against a photographer and do seem to be more "risk aware" which is good news for everyone!

A second shooter or assistant

Many photographers forget the law surrounding this! If you are bringing along your wife / civil partner or son, daughter, brother, sister, mum or dad that is fine - they are immediate family and no additional insurance cover is needed. If however, you bring a girlfriend, boyfriend, uncle, aunt, cousin, friend OR ANYONE ELSE then it could be construed that you are "employing" them! If you are using a "friendly photographer" remember to exchange emails with them so you have a contract in force as a sub contractor and that they hold their own insurance. After all, if something goes wrong then you will get sued first and then your insurance company is likely to want to re-coop that money from your sub contractor. If they are not insured, then you need to be insured to cover for Employers Liability - remember if you need it and don't have it you commit a CRIMINAL OFFENCE, can be prosecuted and jailed for it!

If you are concerned you might need this cover and don't have it then check out our insurance page on the SWPP website: www.swpp.co.uk/insurance.htm and search for Employers Liability.

Taking care on the day

Watch out where you put your camera bag - you don't want it stolen if you can avoid it and similarly you don't want guests or even the priest falling over it! Try and keep it out of sight when not in use preferably somewhere you can keep an eye on it. Insurers that cover professional wedding photographers will understand that you cannot keep t to hand everywhere but remember you do have a "duty of care" to ensure you look after the equipment and do a good job on the day.

If you are staying late into the evening then make sure your UVE (unattended vehicle cover) allows you insurance past the hour you are leaving or arriving home. Some of the biggest claims come from photographers who load all their equipment in the car and then go back to shake hands with the bride and groom and wish them luck. As they are doing that someone is removing the equipment from the car! This can cause more problems than just the loss of the equipment - the images you have shot tend to go as well so it is always worth taking out the digital cards and keeping them separate from the rest of the camera bag. If you are able, it is even worth backing up onto a laptop or hard drive as you go along at the wedding!

By following these few simple steps you should be able to keep yourself safe and avoid some of the traps that wedding photographers fall into. Of course, after you get safely home, the hard work really starts with all the post production!

Aaduki Multimedia Insurance is online at www.aaduki.com/ or 020 3633 2280 Mon - Fri from 9am - 5pm