Could I do a wedding?

[Mark McCall]

Ditto on what Chasity says about PPA's insurance.

I had a camera stolen from my Tamrac Rolling Studio case during a wedding about 3 or 4 years ago....with all the wedding images inside.
PPA stepped up and covered the entire thing. The Indemnification Trust keeps an entire legal firm on retainer and they'll do all the communications for you with the client and/or their attorney if it gets to that point.

Best of all, the coverage is free with your PPA Membership.
I don't WPPI has anything like it.

[jfklein13]

Originally Posted by Mark McCall

Ditto on what Chasity says about PPA's insurance.

I had a camera stolen from my Tamrac Rolling Studio case during a wedding about 3 or 4 years ago....with all the wedding images inside.
PPA stepped up and covered the entire thing. The Indemnification Trust keeps an entire legal firm on retainer and they'll do all the communications for you with the client and/or their attorney if it gets to that point.

Best of all, the coverage is free with your PPA Membership.
I don't WPPI has anything like it.

Actually the current form shows it is $50 more to get the indemnity insurance, if I'm reading it correctly:
http://www.ppa.com/pdfs/member2011_web.pdf

We actually signed my wife up for her PPA membership at WPPI a few weeks ago. PPA was running a promotion where you got the indemnity insurance at the "regular" price, but maybe they do this promotion a lot, making it free?

Separate question, what happens or happened to the client in this case where the images were stolen? Obviously nothing in the world can replace the original images, but are they covering a reshoot type of situation? Retaining a private eye to track down the thief? Or is it simply providing a shield for the photographer against legal troubles?

[Chasity]

Originally Posted by jfklein13

Actually the current form shows it is $50 more to get the indemnity insurance, if I'm reading it correctly:
http://www.ppa.com/pdfs/member2011_web.pdf

We actually signed my wife up for her PPA membership at WPPI a few weeks ago. PPA was running a promotion where you got the indemnity insurance at the "regular" price, but maybe they do this promotion a lot, making it free?

Separate question, what happens or happened to the client in this case where the images were stolen? Obviously nothing in the world can replace the original images, but are they covering a reshoot type of situation? Retaining a private eye to track down the thief? Or is it simply providing a shield for the photographer against legal troubles?

Yes it is $50 to add the indemnity insurance. Worth every penny!!!!!

Mark can fill you in because he has been involved in having a camera stolen at his wedding.

PPA does set up the wedding scene for a reshoot. Again, PPA ROCKS!!!!!

[Mark McCall]

I've been a member of PPA for over 15 years so I was unaware of the $50 insurance upcharge for new members.

My particular case was heartbreaking, for both me AND the client.
After the tears all dried up, we had to talk business.
The client felt that I should be held accountable for the stolen images. The PPA Trust Attorney felt differently.
We mailed photos of all the items missing from my case, including serial numbers to every pawn shop in Lubbock and surrounding area. Nothing ever turned up.
I dealt with the family to find a resolution until I came to the conclusion that it would be best if I let the attorneys handle it. And they did.

The family had paid me about $4,000 to photograph the wedding, if memory serves.
It's been awhile so I'm not sure I remember all the details, but here's what I remember:
The PPA Trust paid to restage the wedding for photos. They rehired the cake decorator, had all the dresses cleaned, rerented tuxes, decorated the reception hall, rented the church. Another photographer volunteered his services to provide photography.
I didn't have to lift a finger or assist in any way. PPA did it all.

I think the bill came to $13,000.
I was out a whopping $200 deductible.

To anyone who takes the stance of "what could possibly go wrong" at a wedding, I'm here to say there's alot of things outside your control. Protect yourself.

[wildmaven]

Mark, thank you for explaining all that you had gone through! This is why I love the Camel. So many people willing to give us glimpses of their trials.