Insurance: How much do you pay?

Tomorrow I'm going to go talk to my parents homeowners agent. I'm wanting to know what you all pay so I know if I get a good deal or not. I'm also going to shop around but just wondering.

I'm looking for liability insurance and equipment. What else should I get?


Just ballpark it if you don't want to give exact numbers... thanks!

Do you really need liability insurance? what kind of photography do you do?

I have an insurance policy on my personal equipment that is $35 a year for $2500 of equipment. It's a no questions asked policy...covers accidents...stoopid things that I do (like leaving a camera bag at a fireworks show..)..

If I remember right...it was around $400 a year for liability insurance, up to million, I think..I will be getting liability next year if I open a studio.

ShotByTom wrote in post #11532592
Do you really need liability insurance? what kind of photography do you do?

I have an insurance policy on my personal equipment that is $35 a year for $2500 of equipment. It's a no questions asked policy...covers accidents...stoopid things that I do (like leaving a camera bag at a fireworks show..)..

If I remember right...it was around $400 a year for liability insurance, up to million, I think..I will be getting liability next year if I open a studio.

I have close to $10,000 in camera gear. I'm just starting and I want to do everything right. I don't have a studio but I will be doing a lot of on site shooting. I don't want a strobe to catch fire to some building or fall onto someone. We all know about the hot coffee lady at McDonald's.

I'm a poor college student and I don't want to be in debt for my entire life.

I want to do portraits and sporting event coverage, high school and college.

BLD_007 wrote in post #11532616
I have close to $10,000 in camera gear. I'm just starting and I want to do everything right. I don't have a studio but I will be doing a lot of on site shooting. I don't want a strobe to catch fire to some building or fall onto someone. We all know about the hot coffee lady at McDonald's.

I'm a poor college student and I don't want to be in debt for my entire life.

I want to do portraits and sporting event coverage, high school and college.

Poor my ASS!!!! just kidding....but not really...

I found that State Farm was pretty good at the equipment insurance, but not so much on the liability side. I haven't looked into it much, but I wouldn't think the cost of insurance will break you. My equipment insurance can cover more, I just chose that amount..

ShotByTom wrote in post #11532723
Poor my ASS!!!! just kidding....but not really...

I found that State Farm was pretty good at the equipment insurance, but not so much on the liability side. I haven't looked into it much, but I wouldn't think the cost of insurance will break you. My equipment insurance can cover more, I just chose that amount..

I have insurance on my equipment "camera and lenses" through B&H. It doesn't cover theft though =/

ShotByTom wrote in post #11532592
Do you really need liability insurance?

Doesn't matter what kind of photography you're doing, if you're shooting anywhere be it in a studio or on location then you should have it, especially working with people. Even landscapes if you tear something up and someone wants to go after you, done.

Approx $750/yr through The Hartford buys:

Replacement cost guaranteed on $50,000 worth of bodies, glass, lights, stands, bags, cards, backgrounds, grip equipment, etc, etc, etc...

$1,000,000 liability / $2,000,000 aggregate. $10,000 medical for other persons. Miscellaneous coverages for computers, data, printers, paper, ink, toner, monitor, modem, tablet/pen, External Hard Drives, etc...

I also carry an additional $1,000,000 personal umbrella policy that goes over the top of everything else so even if I prang someone's P-51 or P-38, I'm covered!

Only thing I don't carry yet is O&E coverage (Errors and Omissions) but I don't work with contracts or the expectation levels in the same manner that say, wedding shooters do. If I get to the point where I'm being hired first and then shooting, we'll probably look into the O&E thing. As it stands, most of my current income is derived from shooting first and selling later or making arrangements through connections that come from just generally being at aviation events.

Though if you total one I don't think this would buy a new engine

One off payment, 12 months covering a long overseas holiday for most kinds of loss was $300 AUD with the only company that covered mugging. This covered it anywhere for almost everything bad, me and my two bodies and three L lenses. May have found a better deal, but $300 is about 1/4-1/6 of one of my Ls.

FlyingPhotog wrote in post #11533067
Approx $750/yr through The Hartford buys:

Hartford, and there famous, Johnny Dollar
( now there's an old radio show )

I have insurance with S.F., 620ish. Year.

I pay $250 for liability and $200 for my equipment up to $10k thru state farm

Erie Insurance covers my equipment and liability for around $360.

Insured for roughly 20k in gear, liability and a bunch of other stuff runs me 800 a year

Make sure you talk with your agent about personal (via homeowner's) vs. business policies. Be truthful even if it results in you needing a business policy at a much higher price. If you are the least bit untruthful and the carrier finds out about it, they will not hesitate for a second to deny a claim.

I have an inland marine (business) policy, about $19K of equipment, costs about $450/yr.

ShotByTom wrote in post #11532723
Poor my ASS!!!! just kidding....but not really...

Well now we know why he is poor