Originally Posted by wildviper I would offer a word of caution against using the home policies for these needs. Sometimes, it is worth paying the piper...and in this case, it certainly is. As we all know, insurance companies will take any avenue open to them to deny your claim when you actually need it. More importantly...what exactly do you want covered? Your gear or the liability that you may have? I would say liability is more an exposure than your gear that you need account for. I went on a "free" baby photo shoot when i started and the baby fell and bumped her nose and had cuts on the face. This was not my mistake, but, you can imagine my heart stopping...not only cause of the baby but also thinking.."Oh shit!". Do you really want to trust your "agent" that your home owner's policy with special coverage will be there for you? I highly doubt it. There is a reason why there are special policies created for special needs...this time, don't cheap out. And they are not expensive..I am paying $900 a year for full coverage that is very specific to my photography needs. They know that i do this part time and they know the risk with kids photography and wedding photography. I had mine reviewed by a risk management specialist whose job is to understand the lingo...he told me to stay far far away from home policies. As they say, trying to save 10 cents may actually end up costing you 100!

Originally Posted by wildviper I would offer a word of caution against using the home policies for these needs. Sometimes, it is worth paying the piper...and in this case, it certainly is. As we all know, insurance companies will take any avenue open to them to deny your claim when you actually need it. More importantly...what exactly do you want covered? Your gear or the liability that you may have? I would say liability is more an exposure than your gear that you need account for. I went on a "free" baby photo shoot when i started and the baby fell and bumped her nose and had cuts on the face. This was not my mistake, but, you can imagine my heart stopping...not only cause of the baby but also thinking.."Oh shit!". Do you really want to trust your "agent" that your home owner's policy with special coverage will be there for you? I highly doubt it. There is a reason why there are special policies created for special needs...this time, don't cheap out. And they are not expensive..I am paying $900 a year for full coverage that is very specific to my photography needs. They know that i do this part time and they know the risk with kids photography and wedding photography. I had mine reviewed by a risk management specialist whose job is to understand the lingo...he told me to stay far far away from home policies. As they say, trying to save 10 cents may actually end up costing you 100!

Good advice. I searched for a while for what's known as 'personal liability insurance' that basically covers anything you do above and beyond what your other policies do. But I couldn't find anything at the time. I also looked for 'web publishing' and most agents look at me as if I was from outer space. The best thing I've discovered is to just stay away from anything that induces risk. Know your exposure and just stay away from it. A good policy helps for sure, but it's never a substitute for just being prudently cautious.

I do need to re-visit the insurance realm again. I'm sure I can find a policy that fits everything now.

I looked into a business policy with State Farm and have chosen to go with them. Their business policy is $41 per month for $1 million liability coverage and $10,000 in equipment coverage which should be fine for me at this point in the game.