You're standing in a parking lot after a wedding shoot, loading your gear into your car. Two camera bodies, five lenses, three flashes, a drone, your laptop—easily $30,000 worth of equipment. You grab coffee at the gas station across the street, gone for maybe four minutes. When you get back, your rear window is smashed and everything's gone.
This scenario happens more often than you'd think. Photography equipment is expensive, portable, and highly desirable to thieves. And here's the thing most photographers don't realize until it's too late: your homeowners insurance won't cover it. Neither will your auto insurance. If you use that gear for business, you need specialized equipment insurance—and that's where inland marine coverage comes in.
What Is Inland Marine Insurance for Photography Equipment?
Despite its confusing name (it has nothing to do with boats or the ocean), inland marine insurance is essentially coverage that follows your equipment wherever it goes. It's called a "floater" policy because the coverage floats with your gear—whether you're shooting at a client's office, a wedding venue, on the street, or in another state entirely.
This type of coverage protects your camera bodies, lenses, lighting equipment, drones, tripods, and other photography gear from theft, accidental damage, fire, vandalism, water damage, and more. It covers your equipment when it leaves your studio and travels with you to job sites—which is exactly when your gear is most vulnerable.
The average cost runs between $130 to $519 per year depending on your total equipment value and the coverage limits you choose. Some insurers offer basic coverage starting at just $10.83 per month for photographers adding it to an existing business insurance policy.
Inland Marine vs. Commercial Property Insurance: What's the Difference?
Here's where photographers often get confused. If you have a studio, you might already have commercial property insurance. That policy covers equipment and furniture at your studio address—your industrial printer, your desktop computer, your backdrop stands. But the moment you pack up your camera bag and head to a shoot? That property coverage stops.
Commercial property insurance is location-based. It covers a specific address listed on your policy. Inland marine insurance is equipment-based. It covers specific items no matter where they are. If you shoot on location—which most photographers do—you need both types of coverage. Property insurance protects your stationary studio equipment, while inland marine protects the gear you take with you.
Your homeowners or renters insurance also won't help. Those policies specifically exclude business equipment or have such low limits for cameras that they're essentially useless for professional photographers. If you're using that $3,000 lens to make money, your personal insurance won't cover it.
Scheduled vs. Blanket Coverage: Which Do You Need?
When you buy inland marine insurance, you'll choose between scheduled coverage, blanket coverage, or a hybrid approach. Understanding the difference can save you money and ensure you're properly protected.
Scheduled coverage means you list each valuable item individually on your policy—the make, model, serial number, and appraised value. This is typically required for items worth more than $2,000 to $5,000 (depending on your insurer). So your Canon R5 body, your Sony 70-200mm f/2.8, your high-end drone—these would each be scheduled. The benefit? You get the exact replacement value you documented, and there's usually no per-item sublimit. The downside? You need to update your policy every time you buy or sell a major piece of equipment.
Blanket coverage provides a total limit for all your smaller gear without itemizing each piece. You might have a $15,000 blanket limit that covers all your accessories, lighting equipment, memory cards, camera bags, and lenses under $2,000. This is easier to manage and perfect for the dozens of smaller items you accumulate. The catch is that blanket policies usually have a per-item maximum—often $2,500 or $5,000—so you can't claim a $7,000 lens under blanket coverage.
Most photographers end up with a hybrid approach: schedule the expensive stuff individually, and use blanket coverage for everything else. This gives you maximum protection where you need it without drowning in paperwork for every battery and diffuser you own.
The Fine Print: What's Covered and What's Not
Photography equipment insurance is broad coverage, but it's not unlimited. Understanding the exclusions can prevent nasty surprises when you file a claim.
Most policies cover theft, but with an important caveat: your equipment can't be left unattended. If you leave your camera bag in a locked car and it's stolen, many insurers will deny the claim. You need to have your gear with you or secured in a way the policy defines as acceptable. This is why photographers who work alone at events often keep their backup body on them at all times.
Accidental damage is generally covered. Drop your camera while changing lenses? Knock over a light stand onto your laptop? Spill coffee on your camera? Covered. But wear and tear isn't. If your shutter mechanism fails after 200,000 actuations, that's a maintenance issue, not an insured event.
Rented or leased equipment typically isn't covered under your policy—you'll need to take the rental company's insurance or have a separate hired equipment endorsement. And if you're shipping equipment, check whether your policy covers loss or damage in transit. Some policies do, some require you to use specific carriers or packing methods.
Typical deductibles range from $250 to $350. This means you'll pay the first $250 of any claim out of pocket. For a $500 lens repair, you'd pay $250 and insurance covers $250. For a $10,000 total loss, you'd pay $250 and get $9,750.
Job Site Coverage: Protection Where You Actually Work
One of the biggest advantages of inland marine coverage is that it protects you anywhere you work. Wedding at a vineyard? Corporate headshots in an office building? Real estate shoot in a construction zone? Your coverage goes with you.
Many commercial clients and venues require proof of insurance before they'll let you shoot on their property. They want to see general liability coverage (which protects them if you damage their property or someone gets injured because of your work), but savvy clients also verify you have equipment coverage. Why? Because if your gear isn't insured and it gets stolen or damaged on their property, you might try to hold them responsible.
Good inland marine policies offer worldwide coverage. If you're a destination wedding photographer shooting in Mexico or a travel photographer on assignment in Iceland, your equipment is still protected. Some policies have limitations on international coverage duration (like 90 or 180 days per year), so check if you regularly work abroad.
How to Get Started with Equipment Insurance
Before you shop for coverage, create a detailed inventory of your equipment. For each item worth over $2,000, record the make, model, serial number, purchase date, and current replacement cost. Take photos of everything. Save receipts and appraisals. This documentation will speed up your application and claims process.
Calculate your total gear value honestly. It's tempting to underinsure to save on premiums, but if you have $40,000 in equipment and only insure $25,000, you're gambling that you'll never lose everything at once. Many photographers update their coverage annually as they acquire new gear.
Look for insurers that specialize in photography coverage. Companies like Full Frame Insurance, Package Choice, and professional organizations like PPA offer policies designed specifically for photographers. They understand your unique needs and their claims adjusters know what a Sony A1 is worth versus a Canon R5.
Ask about bundling. Many insurers offer package policies that combine equipment coverage with general liability, professional liability (errors and omissions), and even data breach coverage. Bundling often gets you a discount and simplifies your insurance management to one policy and one renewal date.
Photography is a gear-intensive business, and that equipment represents both your livelihood and a significant investment. For less than most photographers spend on memory cards in a year, inland marine insurance gives you the peace of mind to focus on your work instead of constantly worrying about your gear. Whether you're shooting your first wedding or your thousandth, having the right equipment coverage means one less thing standing between you and the images you create.
