Hey everybody,
I recently had an encounter where I was wading the waters and lost my 600.00 smart phone to the lagoon. It got me thinkin what if I had fallen and dropped my gear AHHHH That would be a big problem. Can anyone suggest a good company to have insure my gear? Thanks
Posted by Eva McDermott on March 30, 2011 at 8:36 PM
I have heard from Sandy Richards as well as several others that NANPA offers the best insurance for photographers. http://www.nanpa.org/equipment_insurance.php I recently had my Lenovo work station laptop(~$4000) and external hard drives (~$1000) stolen from my car on moving day in December 2010. I was covered by home owners insurance for replacement costs (with special rider) which was OK in my case since I make less than $500/year on my photography. While I finally did get my insurance check, I had to prove I was not a professional photographer, which I am not. I will be joining NANPA shortly just for more assurance on insurance.
Posted by Luke Ormand on March 30, 2011 at 9:00 PM
Eva - you said it was because you make less than $500/year. Did you mean $5000 which is usually the standard? It's pretty easy to make $500 as an amateur!
Posted by Brian Gatlin on March 30, 2011 at 9:00 PM
Cheryl, I have a renters (or personal property) insurance policy through the same company I have my car insurance with (USAA). It's reasonably priced and covers all my personal property, from camera gear to computers to furniture or clothes (I choose the $$ amount that the policy covers and the premium is based on that). I pay the deductible and they pay the rest (less depreciation, hmm, wonder if they cover appreciation as lenses go up in price?). I've thought about picking up a rider for my camera gear that would have no deductible but don't think that it's worth the money.
Posted by Eva McDermott on March 30, 2011 at 9:08 PM
I meant $500 Luke. At $600 I get a W2 (or some such IRS document) from my website. While I have been doing photography for 35+ years, I am an amateur based on my income from my photos. I have to do real work to support my family (sons in college etc).
Posted by Luke Ormand on March 30, 2011 at 9:08 PM
What Eva said!
I joined NANPA, really, only for the ins. ($500 or so for $30,000 worth of stuff, including computers) but have found MANY more great benefits since joining - including discounts on equipment and photo magazines, travel and health ins, and a lot more.'
.
Check out the site: (and David Chauvin's image is the Image of the Day today, incidentally)
http://nanpa.org/
Sandy
Posted by Eva McDermott on March 31, 2011 at 6:56 AM
Be careful with riders on home insurance. Many stipulate that the insurance is only valid.if equipment is used for non-business related activity. ....and with $25K+ amount of equipment, it is difficult to prove without tax returns etc. All they have to do is type your name in on Google to find your website and other places you post your photos.
Posted by Carol Nichols on March 31, 2011 at 9:23 AM
Also, many riders on home insurance only cover theft. A policy such as the one mentioned through NANPA would also cover operator error, such as your example of a dunk in the lagoon.
If you don't make anything, then a personal articles policy may work. I was covered under one with State Farm for several years, but they dropped me after determining that even my minimal income from photography was too "professional" for them.
I'm now with TCP Insurance, which handles policies for a lot of professional photographers. A ton of sports photographers I know swear by them, and I've had no issues so far.
Max
Posted by Dan Borzynski on March 31, 2011 at 7:37 PM
Having worked in actuarial for many years and having read the policy terms for many companies:
If you are placing camera gear on a homeowners/tenant/condo policy, you need to ask some very specific questions and GET THE ANSWERS IN WRITING. If you make any money from your photography, is the gear still covered? If so, are there any limits? What is covered - cameras, lenses, peripherals such as computers and drives? Is the coverage for replacement cost or for like equipment? Think a new 300 f4 vs a used 300 f4 where the company determines what yours was worth (which may be lower than what you can by a used copy for). What type of losses are covered? Lost, stolen, mysterious disappearance, dropped, went swimming in the local pond, just stopped working, etc.
And get everything in writing!
I'd probably consider the NANPA insurance as well. A bit more expensive but they specialize in this type of insurance line.
Discussion
11 repliesI recently had an encounter where I was wading the waters and lost my 600.00 smart phone to the lagoon. It got me thinkin what if I had fallen and dropped my gear AHHHH
I joined NANPA, really, only for the ins. ($500 or so for $30,000 worth of stuff, including computers) but have found MANY more great benefits since joining - including discounts on equipment and photo magazines, travel and health ins, and a lot more.'
.
Check out the site: (and David Chauvin's image is the Image of the Day today, incidentally)
http://nanpa.org/
Sandy
I'm now with TCP Insurance, which handles policies for a lot of professional photographers. A ton of sports photographers I know swear by them, and I've had no issues so far.
Max
If you are placing camera gear on a homeowners/tenant/condo policy, you need to ask some very specific questions and GET THE ANSWERS IN WRITING. If you make any money from your photography, is the gear still covered? If so, are there any limits? What is covered - cameras, lenses, peripherals such as computers and drives? Is the coverage for replacement cost or for like equipment? Think a new 300 f4 vs a used 300 f4 where the company determines what yours was worth (which may be lower than what you can by a used copy for). What type of losses are covered? Lost, stolen, mysterious disappearance, dropped, went swimming in the local pond, just stopped working, etc.
And get everything in writing!
I'd probably consider the NANPA insurance as well. A bit more expensive but they specialize in this type of insurance line.