A person, not a company, hires you.

One of the most important things to understand is this: a person hires you—not a company.

If John Smith hires you to photograph a project while working at Coke, your client isn’t Coke—it’s John Smith.

I worked for Georgia Tech a few years ago, and the issue of who would pay for the photography came to my attention in a very messy situation.

The Research Institute, a separate part of the Georgia Institute of Technology, had asked our department to photograph a project. Since I was the only photographer on staff, they hired me to shoot a research project.

The research was done at the College of Engineering at Georgia Tech. It would be best if you noticed this is a different department. The Research Institute had built an incredible reputation for getting work published in major popular news and science magazines such as Popular Mechanics, Business Week, and others.

The Research Institute’s writer contacted me, and they paid for the photography.

Unknown to me at the time, the College of Engineering had contacted my department to help promote the project. When I had been to the researcher and shot the project, the writer in our department went to our files, pulled the images, and sent them out with his story.

This was when we had a very messy situation. The writer who had his department pay for the photography didn’t get to use the photos first, and the other writer not only scooped the story and got a feather in his cap but also used photos that another department had paid to produce.

New Policy

After that fiasco, we put a new policy in place. Whichever department paid for or initiated a project could use the photos first, and anyone wanting to use them had to have permission from that department.

Since this was all funded by tax dollars, it technically belonged to the state, not a department. However, we realized we needed to address this or have another solution. The problem was that if a department was using its budget to create something and another department didn’t spend any money, it would create ill will.

My Policy

No matter who requests photos, I always tell them I am more than willing to help. However, I told them it was not my call and encouraged them to contact my client. I am more than willing to help once my client has approved the use.

The Politics

The more you know about the company and the organizational structure, the easier it is to handle these requests.

When you know the client’s boss is making a request, I can handle it very differently than when it is just another department.

Handling a request

Take the request: When someone comes up to you while you are working and requests something, I usually hand them a business card and ask them to contact me by email and put their request in writing. I explained that I would love to help them, but I am currently shooting.

Often, the request disappears because they do not follow up. This is a great way to handle most photography requests. Usually, someone asks for a favor for free rather than wanting to compensate you for the work.

This will give you time to respond to them properly by email or by phone. I find that taking time to think through something without having to actively listen is the smartest thing you can do for any request. 

Let the client know of the request: Before responding, inform your client. Ask them whether they would prefer to handle the request themselves or have you handle it.

Usage Rights: When creating a contract with the client, you need to address image rights. Are you giving them one-time, exclusive, or unlimited rights, for example? It would be best if you addressed the time limit for these rights. I cannot think of a situation where a client has hired you that you would not need to wait until they use an image before selling it on the open market.

Wedding Photography

If the bride’s parents are paying for the photography, this is important to note when considering their requests. The dynamics change significantly when the bride and groom pay, and then the bride’s mother asks for memorable photos outside of the agreement with the bride.

In summary, you need to know that just because a person at a large company hired you to shoot something for them and even if you have given them unlimited usage, this does not mean that if another person from the company asks for the photos, that you give them to that person.

You will gain this client’s trust as long as you honor the client relationship. How you handle requests from others in the company can help them see you as a professional with ethics and solid business practices.

A few days ago, I posted a blog about camera insurance. It was inspired by what happened to some of my friends covering the Olympics in London.

A few days later, I realized that there is a group out there that is the most vulnerable. These are college students.

First

Before you head off to college, it’s essential to have a conversation with your parents about their homeowners’ insurance. Do not assume that your friends’ insurance covers the same things as yours. Instead, listen to what their insurance covers and consider whether it aligns with your needs. Every insurance company operates differently, and even the same company has numerous variables to consider when writing various policies.

You want to know about the fine print in your policy, so talk to the agent about some possible scenarios to be sure you are covered.

Possible Scenarios

• The amount of gear you have is it covered, or do you need more coverage
• If you work for the college newspaper, will this affect your being considered a student or a professional?
  • Some colleges pay their staff, and this could affect your insurance
• Renting of equipment. Can y u rent something and still be covered?
• You live in a dorm versus at home.
• You live in an apartment off campus.

Since these are all possibilities, don’t hold back. Ask them to identify areas where you are not covered. Your idea is to know now before anything happens. You would hate to have all your belongings destroyed by fire, stolen, or damaged during a football game, only to find out they aren’t covered. 

Renters’ insurance

It may be the best option for your family to have a separate policy. The odds of you being robbed on campus may be higher than for others. Once you file a claim, it may make it more difficult for your parents to find an insurance carrier.

Renters’ insurance is similar to a homeowners’ policy, but it only covers the contents of the apartment, not the structure itself. Some insurance companies may allow you to have this policy while you are a student and add your camera gear to it.

Professional Organizations

As I mentioned in the first article on camera insurance, you may be better off buying camera insurance. As a student, you can join the professional organizations at a lower rate than pros and still get access to some of the benefits, like insurance.

What to insure

It is recommended that you take pictures of all your gear, keep copies of all the receipts to show the purchase price, and record the serial numbers. I would recommend making a spreadsheet to show:

• The name of the gear 
• The price of the gear (either paid or replacement cost)
• The serial number
• date purchased

Most policies that specialize in photography will also include your computer gear. For your computer gear list, things like:

• Computer
• External hard drives
• Software
  • Adobe Lightroom
  • PhotoMechanic
  • Microsoft Office
  • ftp software
  • Adobe PhotoShop
  • Final Cut Pro
• Monitor Calibrator
• Card Readers

Think of your computer as a digital workstation and list everything you bought to work on it. If it is stolen, you need to replace all that software and hardware.

Worst Situation

The worst situation to be in is having all your gear stolen and not knowing what is covered. Call today to find out what is covered; you may need to purchase a separate policy.

I woke up to sad news this morning, that two of my friends were robbed in London in the basement of a church behind two locked doors. All of their camera gear was stolen. Dennis Fahringer was the photography instructor for Youth With A Mission, and his student Xiao Dong Yu from China had his gear and Chinese documents stolen. Keep them in your prayers, and if you can help, contact them. 

They are doing this as a mission outreach for YWAM. If you want to support Tom and Dennis, you can donate here: http://dennisfahringer.com/DennisFahringer/Partners.html. Please specify that the funds are intended for Tom. This is Dennis’s account. When Tom canceled his credit card, his PayPal account was unusable.

This email prompted me to write today’s blog.

Camera Insurance

There are many ways to ensure your cameras are secure, and I would like to outline three basic categories that I am aware of. I would recommend knowing your situation and whether you are adequately covered.

Homeowners Insurance

If you do not generate any income using your equipment, a standard homeowners or renters policy should cover you against theft and fire, even when your equipment is outside your home. This typically covers what most people would own, rather than all the gear a hobbyist might own.

If you accidentally damage your gear, most homeowners’ policies will not cover this.

If you are not using your gear for commercial purposes, the homeowner’s basic policy can be expanded through a floater. Here, you can buy an “all risk” policy that will cover the gear for anything except those things they would exclude, which often include acts of war.  So, you would be covered if you are out boating and the gear falls into the water.

For the Pro

If you are making money with your camera, a homeowner’s policy will likely not be sufficient. You will need a commercial inland marine policy. This is better than the “all-risk” policy in that it removes the exclusion of professional activities and usually has even more tailored riders, such as covering you if someone trips over your tripod.

Since this is a commercial insurance policy, you can expect to pay a higher premium. The premium is typically $1.75 to $2.75 per $100 of gear, with a deductible ranging from $250 to $1,000 per claim.

Additional coverage available on a commercial policy includes general liability, commercial property, workers’ compensation, commercial automobile coverage, and umbrella liability.

Insurance: A reason to join a professional organization

One of the best reasons to join a professional organization is for its benefits, such as exceptional healthcare and camera insurance. One of the best reasons to use their insurance companies is that they understand your needs, having worked closely with the organization.

Lesson Learned

A few years ago, I read on a photography forum that people were getting great deals through their State Farm Insurance representative. I was with State Farm for my house and cars then, so I called them.

I explained that I do not have a studio. I work in locations all over the country and occasionally travel overseas. I received a quote for about one-third of what I had been paying. I jumped on that and had the policy for more than two years.

On the same photography forum, I later read that someone had a problem with State Farm’s policy and discovered that it does not cover what was typical for what was being done. I copied and pasted the forum post and asked my agent if they covered me or if this was correct.

They investigated and confirmed that I was covered through the end of the policy; however, the forum post was correct, and they would not renew my policy.

I suggest finding an organization like NPPA, ASMP, PPofA, or another professional photographer’s group and contacting the vendors with whom they have established deals. After calling around, I called all the insurance companies and finally settled with the ASMP’s vendor, Tom C. Pickard and Company, or TCP (http://www.tcpinsurance.com/).

Final Question

Do you know if you are covered if your gear is stolen? If you drop your gear, are you covered? Does this exclusion apply to your coverage if you are traveling overseas?

You need to know the answers to these questions. Contact your insurance representative and find out today, before it’s too late.