When photography equipment is damaged or stolen what do you do? Ultimately your camera equipment insurance policy should provide the necessary coverage to replace your equipment; however it can take weeks, to get insurance claims paid out. So what do you do in the meantime?

If you intend to continue your business, you need to resume operations as quickly as possible, and that work requires new equipment.  Newly acquired equipment coverage provides reimbursement for any costs that you incur to replace gear that has been stolen or damaged. Newly acquired equipment coverage is not automatically included on a photographer insurance policy. Make sure your photography equipment insurance policy includes extra expense newly acquired equipment coverage.

Does your current policy provide this coverage?

Front Row now offers on line camera insurance: https://photographer.frontrowinsurance.com

Insure your gear for as low as $10 (plus a fee). Get a quote in 1 minute. A policy in 5 minutes. Worldwide coverage. Protect your gear against: theft, breakage, fire and more. Liability is also available.

Click now for a free, no obligation online quote:  https://photographer.frontrowinsurance.com

Theft from a vehicle: Is my equipment covered?

For professional photographers, the world is their workplace. They need to be able to pick up and go wherever—and whenever—the light is magic. That means they’re travelling with valuable equipment, and that means, theft from a vehicle is a serious concern. Did you know some insurance policies don’t cover theft from a vehicle? Crazy, right? At Front Row Insurance, our Photographers insurance program WILL cover your equipment if it is stolen from an unattended vehicle, but with some important conditions.

• The vehicle had to have been locked.
• There needs to be visible evidence of forced entry.
• You need to file a police report.

“Hold-up” (as in, “stick-‘em-up!”) is also covered under our policies, so if someone forces you to unlock your vehicle using threat of violence, you will still be covered. But again, you need to file a police report. Understanding these conditions prepares you to understand how your Photographer’s insurance policy will (or won’t) respond in the event of a theft from a vehicle.

Remember, even with camera gear insurance, it’s better if your gear never gets stolen in the first place! Insurance is just one tool you have to protect your business from losses, but you should also be practicing good risk management.

• Don’t leave your gear in an unattended vehicle if you can help it.
• Use good judgment when choosing locations and parking spots.
• Keep your gear in the trunk or out of sight.
• Travel lean – only bring with you the gear you know you will need.
• Unload your gear into your residence

At Front Row Insurance, we offer 12 month prior policies that cover you worldwide, except in countries subject to trade restrictions. All your equipment is covered for replacement cost, and coverage for rented equipment is also available. Plus, as part of your policy you automatically get:

• $5,000 in Laptop Coverage + $10,000 Office Contents Coverage
• $10,000 of coverage for newly acquired equipment for up to 30-day
• $7,500 in Library Stock (Portfolio) coverage
• $15,000 in Money and Securities coverage
• $350 deductible per occurrence for gear

You can also purchase Commercial General Liability with our Photographers policies. Photographer liability covers property damage and bodily injury that you cause while shooting on location or in a rented studio. It can pay for legal fees, too. You can get a quote online in 2 minutes that ensures industry-low prices. Click here to get started.

Regardless of whether you are renewing or purchasing photography business insurance for the first time, you should consider the following to ensure the best price and protection:

1. What are the limits for your gear and liability?

Limits that are too high cost you unnecessary premium dollars. Have you updated your inventory of gear and determined a current replacement cost value? If your replacement cost value is higher than the limit on your policy, you are under-insured and should purchase a higher limit of coverage.

The minimum general liability coverage you should purchase is $1,000,000. The general liability will protect you from lawsuits that result from property damage or bodily injury that you, or your employees cause while shooting. The liability policy will pay the legal costs for your lawyer and the judgement costs up to the liability limit that you purchased.

Will your current liability policy provide enough protection if you end up in court defending a lawsuit from  well-paid programmer’s husband after you permanently disabled her when your pelican lens case was knocked off your rooftop shooting location onto the sidewalk below? A programmer that is 40 years old making $200,000 a year could sue for 20 lost years of future earnings – or $4,000,000.  Additional limits of  liability coverage typically go down in cost for each million over 1 million that you purchase. For instance, The Front Row Insurance online photographers program prices general liability for photographers as follows: $160 for 1mil, $215 for 2mil, $370 for 5mil.

2. Is the process to buy the coverage you need fast and simple to understand?

Is there an online option that asks for only necessary information in a clickable format? Are the drop down boxes that explain the coverage clear and comprehensive?  There should be no need to scan paper applications back and forth.

At Front Row we have created an 5 minute on line insurance solution.

Available to Canadian photographers 

The policy term is for 12 months and coverage is available in most countries worldwide except those subject to trade restrictions. Or, for a lower premium, you can choose Canada/USA only coverage.

Rental equipment coverage is also available. All equipment is covered for replacement cost for:  theft, damage, fire and loss of use. 

3. Does my gear policy include any enhancements such as office contents coverage or Portfolio coverage?

4. What do I have to do to make a claim?

You have the coverage and now all your equipment has been stolen. Should you call the broker or the insurance company when you first hear about a claim? Call the broker.

Claims Reporting Procedures

• All claims should report the following: Date of Loss, Description of Loss, Names and phone numbers of persons to be contacted.
• All incidences should be reported promptly. If you are not sure there is coverage, call your broker.

Is it possible to take immediate action to make repairs if further damage to the property is likely?

As long as the claim is covered, the reasonable cost of temporary repairs made to prevent further damage is money well-spent and, therefore, reimbursable, subject to all policy terms and conditions. Documentation in the form of bills, receipts and photographs should be retained in order to verify damages and repair costs.

About: Front Row Insurance Brokers Inc. is an independent  insurance broker that works on behalf of the Canadian arts and entertainment industry to provide insurance for the lowest possible cost. Should a claim occur, Front Row ensures that clients receive the money they are owed per the insurance policy, as quickly as possible. Front Row has offices in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Nashville and Los Angeles.

To achieve the best premium for your camera and photography gear insurance consider the following:

• Choose a higher deductible. A deductible is the specified amount of money that you must pay before an insurance company will pay a claim. The higher the deductible, the lower the  premium. As long as you choose a deductible that you can still afford in the event your camera equipment is lost, stolen or damaged, you can save on your camera gear insurance cost. The fixed deductible on the Front Row on line quoting program is $350 for equipment. If you currently have a deductible of less than $350 you will likely save money by obtaining a quote here: https://photographer.frontrowinsurance.com   Note: our online quoting tool does not offer a higher deductible that $350.
• Buy equipment and liability coverage at the same time as a bundle. Combine your coverages and purchase at the same time: this could result in a lower package premium.
• Do your own risk management and Increase your security measures.  Measures might include: installing a security system, converting a closet to a safe room with deadbolts,  investing in high quality travel cases that lock such as Pelican cases.  Ask your specialized photography insurance broker for recommendations.
• Always compare quotes. Prices tend to vary from insurance company to insurance company – that’s why it’s always a good idea to shop around and compare quotes. Additionally, look for brokers that specializes in  insurance for photographers.
• Make sure your policy covers commercial activities. This is a difficult, pricey lesson that is better learned before there is a loss. Our experience tells us that many professional photographers assume they are covered by their homeowners policy when in fact they are not. If you sell your prints , check your policy and make sure your coverage is appropriate.

At Front Row we have created an 5 minute on line insurance solution.

Available to Canadian photographers at https://photographer.frontrowinsurance.com

The policy term is for 12 months and coverage is provided in most countries worldwide except those subject to trade restrictions.

Rental equipment coverage is also available. All equipment is covered for replacement cost for:  theft, damage, fire and loss of use. The online link ensures industry-low prices:

• $10,000 equipment coverage: $75 CAD,
• $2,000,000 location liability coverage: $200 CAD; $5,000,000: $350 CAD. Liability covers property damage and bodily injury that you do  while shooting on location or in a rented studio. Pays legal fees too.
• $350 deductible for gear

The online program for photographers follows Front Row’s lead earlier this year into online offerings for short term filmmakers and musicians. “We wanted to make the insurance process easier, faster and cheaper for photographers,” said David Hamilton, President of Front Row “Given that there is no need to speak to a broker and an insurance company underwriter is not involved, the cost to process a camera insurance policy is much less on line and we have passed the savings onto the photographer. Although the camera policy is online, we are still available to answer questions by e mail or over the phone if required.”