As natural disasters like wildfires, hurricanes, and floods become more frequent and intense, photographers face increasing risks of losing their valuable equipment. Many assume that their homeowner’s or renter’s insurance will cover their cameras, lenses, and computers, only to find out too late that their policy doesn’t extend to business property. That’s why specialized photography insurance is crucial in protecting your livelihood from unpredictable disasters.
Why Homeowners Insurance Won’t Cover Your Photography Equipment
If you rely on your photography gear for income, your homeowner’s insurance likely won’t protect it. Most policies exclude business property, meaning that even if your home is insured, your expensive cameras, lighting setups, and computers may not be covered. A separate photography insurance policy ensures that you are protected from losses due to fire, floods, or other natural disasters.
Real-World Disasters: Lessons from Wildfires & Hurricanes
Recent disasters, such as the Los Angeles wildfires and hurricanes across the East and Gulf Coasts, have left many photographers devastated. Some lost entire home studios and years of work, only to realize their standard insurance didn’t apply. Many photographers never had the chance to retrieve their gear before evacuating. Those who had photography insurance were able to file claims and recover financially much faster.
Wildfires: The Growing Risk for Photographers
Wildfires can spread rapidly, forcing evacuations with little warning. Photographers who store their gear at home or in a studio must consider the risk of total loss due to fire damage. Even if your home survives, smoke and water damage can destroy sensitive equipment.
Key considerations:
- If you live in a wildfire-prone area, check your insurance coverage for fire-related losses.
- Keep a fireproof safe for small, essential items like memory cards and hard drives.
- Have a backup storage plan for your photos in the cloud or an off-site location.
- Understand how photography insurance can help you recover quickly after a wildfire.
Flood Damage: What Many Photographers Overlook
Flooding is another overlooked risk. Standard homeowners and renters insurance does not cover flood damage. If your home studio, office, or storage space is affected, you could face a complete loss.
Important facts about floods caused by a severe weather event:
- Flooding can occur due to storms, burst pipes, or even poor drainage.
- Water damage can ruin cameras, computers, prints, backdrops, scrims, battery packs, and more.
- Photography insurance can cover replacement costs if your gear is lost due to flooding.
- Consider waterproof storage solutions to reduce risks.
How Photography Insurance Protects Against Fires and Floods
A comprehensive photography insurance policy can help safeguard against financial losses due to natural disasters. Here’s what our policies offer:
Equipment Coverage: Protects against accidental loss or damage from fires, floods, and other disasters.
- Off-Site Protection: Covers gear that is stored at a studio, in a secured vehicle, or on location.
- Worldwide Equipment Protection: Ensures your equipment is covered even when traveling beyond the United States. While most countries are covered, please check coverage prior to travel.
- Theft Protection: Equipment insurance ensures you can replace stolen items without financial setbacks.
- Damage from Natural Disasters: Whether it’s a sudden downpour, fire, or an earthquake, RVNA photographer equipment insurance protects against accidental damage. Even your studio or office equipment including laptops, monitor, and hard drives are protected under Equipment insurance.
- Replacement Cost Coverage: With RVNA’s Pro Photographer Insurance high-end gear can be replaced with comparable new models instead of just receiving the depreciated value.
- No Per-Item Limit: RVNA’s equipment coverage allows photographers to choose an overall coverage amount with no per-item limit, so high-end gear is protected.
Emergency Assistance Plus® (EA+)
No matter where you are, severe weather and natural disasters can create unexpected risks—not just for your equipment, but for you as well. Whether you’re traveling out of state for a wedding shoot, working on location, or simply caught in an emergency while on the job, medical emergencies can happen.
RVNA has partnered with Emergency Assistance Plus® (EA+), a service that provides vital support during medical emergencies. EA+ is designed to assist photographers who face a medical emergency requiring hospitalization while away from home, ensuring they get the proper medical care and safe transportation home if needed.
- Medical Emergencies: Photography work can pose physical risks, from unexpected falls to accidents on the job. Emergency Assistance Plus provides access to highly skilled professionals to coordinate necessary medical care, including air ambulance transportation home if required.
- Expanded Evacuation: Add an additional layer of protection in the event of a natural disaster. This optional add-on provides additional evacuation services on top of the emergency medical evacuation services included in your selected EA+ plan.
- A Card You Keep With You: EA+ membership goes beyond just protecting the photographer. With a Premiere membership, if a photographer is traveling with family or a pet and needs medical evacuation, EA+ arranges and covers transportation home for their companion, including minor children or a pet.
View more details about Emergency Assistance Plus
Disaster Preparedness: Reducing Your Risk
- Taking proactive steps can minimize the impact of a natural disaster on your photography business
- Store gear safely: Use fire-resistant cases and store essential items in waterproof containers.
- Create a grab-and-go kit: Keep a backup camera, batteries, and memory cards in a small, easily accessible bag.
- Have cloud backups: Store your work in a secure cloud service to prevent data loss.
- Review your insurance policy: Make sure you have adequate coverage for fires, floods, and other natural disasters.
- Use surge protectors: Protect your electronic equipment from power surges that often accompany storms and wildfires.