Duties: Provides photographs for insurance and legal documentation and business transactions, such as real estate sales, accidents, personal injury suits, estate matters, and other matters; may appear in court as an expert witness
Alternate Title(s): Business Photographer, Personal Injury Photographer
Salary ranges: $40,000 to $65,000+
Education or Training ? Bachelor?s degree in photography recommended
Experience ? Several years of experience as a freelance or staff photographer; prior portrait photography or photojournalism experience helpful
Special Skills and Personality Traits ? Digital camera expertise; knowledge of color-enhancement programs and design software (i.e., Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator); deadline-oriented and organized; diplomatic; excellent communication and people skills, particularly if photographing for personal injury or medical malpractice suits
Position Description
Insurance and Legal Photographers provide photographs that support claims of such things as property damage due to storms, floods, and fires or poor construction materials or design flaws; personal injury and medical malpractice; not-at-fault automobile accidents; and other legal matters. Home and car owners, individuals who have been physically injured or scarred, as well as insurance providers, lawyers, builders, building owners, and others hire Insurance and Legal Photographers when they need visual evidence to substantiate their cases in court trials.
Photographs often lead to uncontested claims. Insurance and Legal Photographers can help property owners, estate heirs, and others secure recourse on losses. Their photographs assist in showing the location and extent of damage to homes, such as the conditions of roofs, drainage pipes, windows, stairways and steps, porch construction, foundations, beams, and more. Insurance and Legal Photographers also help owners create timelogs of their homes, providing a series of photographs from the date of purchase onward. They help document excessive wear, paint deterioration, termite damage, molding and hardware details at the time of acquisition, and other relevant conditions. Their photographs may also help establish arson as a source of a fire and may equally prove accidental fires from overloaded electrical connections. Insurance and Legal Photographers also photograph landscape and structural details when designs, materials, or construction differ from what was originally commissioned and agreed upon.
In addition to photographing evidence to support legal claims, Insurance and Legal Photographers may also appear in court to testify about the photographs. Professional photographers themselves may even need to file suits on occasion and will require expert testimony. For example, a professional photographer hired an Insurance and Legal Photographer to testify to the worth of damaged slides. The case concerned the loss of 50 slides made during unusual and unrepeatable trips into Brazil?s jungle. The slides were color close-ups of rare vegetation that were to be delivered to and explored by a drug company. The slides were organized and stacked in photo trays on a tabletop and left over a weekend in a locked room. During that weekend, a slow leak from the ceiling caused irreparable damage to the slides. In the courtroom, the Insurance and Legal Photographer testified to the stock value and future worth of these images. This testimony led to a settlement that included full compensation for the travel expenses to Brazil, the estimated value of the 50 slides, and compensation for the losses.
Insurance and Legal Photographers keep detailed records of the photographs they create and retain negatives, digital files, and clear prints for their clients. They may be called upon to provide enlargements for presentations in courtrooms, corporate meetings, and school auditoriums. They travel and work in all conditions outside at accident scenes, inside homes documenting damages, and in their studios photographing individuals.
Salaries
Insurance and Legal Photographers can earn salaries ranging from $40,000 to $65,000 or more. They are contracted for service on a day to day, per-photograph basis or on a monthly fee basis. Photographers salaries may be augmented when their photographs become critical evidence in court cases and they are called into courtrooms to testify about the details surrounding the photographs. Because they are freelancers and their time is valuable, they typically negotiate their rates in advance of their court-appearance dates.
Employment Prospects
Most Insurance and Legal Photographers work independently. The field is small and employment prospects are only fair because there are more photographers than there are jobs to fill. Insurance and Legal Photographers who are well networked through law firms and insurance agencies will have greater opportunities to find work.
Advancement Prospects
Established Insurance and Legal Photographers can advance by increasing clientele, expanding services and raising fees, or adding staff and growing the studio. They may also enhance their careers by speaking at conferences, teaching workshops, and writing articles for trade and mass publication. They may also create agreements with insurance brokers and law firms to be the exclusive photographers for their clients. Other creative advancement options include establishing studio space within the insurance or law firms offices, helping to increase the client base while reducing overhead costs. A selling point is that photography prior to property loss is like health care prior to illness. Each step provides individuals with a more stable base to operate from, with increased likelihood of faster resolution when issues arise.
Education and Training
A four year degree in photography, with business course-work, is usually a solid foundation for most Insurance and Legal Photographers. Familiarity with law and real estate practices and business management is also helpful in this industry. on the job training in a commercial or portrait studio, with regular use of digital cameras and design software, is recommended.
Experience, Skills, and Personality Traits
While it is by no means necessary, Insurance and Legal Photographers who have a basic understanding of and appreciation for the elements of law may connect better with their clients. They will understand the cases better, the purpose of the photographs will be clearer, and their communication will be facilitated with claimants, insurance agencies, real estate agencies, builders, building owners, contractors, and law firms. Three or more years of prior experience as a professional photographer in a portrait or wedding studio is beneficial, particularly when photographing individuals who have been injured in accidents or during medical procedures. To do this kind of work, Insurance and Legal Photographers must be organized and deadline-oriented. They often work on an on-call, as-needed basis and must be prepared to photograph the details of accidents thoroughly but quickly. If working with individuals, Insurance and Legal Photographers must have diplomacy, tact, and sensitivity. They must know how to make people feel comfortable and safe, as well as provide them with clean, appropriate studio spaces for their photography sessions.
Unions and Associations
There are no unions or associations specifically committed to insurance and legal photography. Insurance and Legal Photographers can join the Professional Photographers of America for access to educational conferences and workshops, industry-related publications, discounts from various service providers, networking opportunities, and business management advice.
Tips for Entry
1. Contact those lawyers you may know in the family or through friends. Ask them whom they hire when they need photographic services. Contact these photographers and set up an informational interview to discuss their experiences in the field and to learn of any recommendations they may have for you.
2. Contact insurance brokers, law firms, and real estate agencies to find out if they hire photographers and if they are currently in need of one. Set up informational interviews and network as much as possible. 3. If you are a freelance photographer and aiming to expand into this business, advertise your services at real estate, law firm, and insurance offices, in their publications and on their Web sites, and in newspapers and magazines.
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