Any advice on where to get insurance if you dont want it through your home insurance

After reading about some of the members dealings of late I am guilty of not having any insurance. I do not know how to go about doing it as my wife does not want to do it under the home insurance as she is afraid that a claim or two will get us dropped and unable to pick up another insurance. Does anyone any advice where to start? good insurance places? and do you say that you are a professional ?

After reading about the same concerns your wife has, I talked to my home insurance agent and he wrote a seperate policy for the camera equipment. It is quite reasonable. This is for non-pro photographers only though.

If you're selling images, better to be up front. There's usually an exclusionary clause of some sort on gear used professionally but insured as amateur.

We get our insurance coverage through Professional Photographers of America or PPA, but other photo orgs such as Wedding and Portrait Photographers International or WPPI and North American Nature Photographers Association or NANPA also have insurance programs, to name a few more possibilities. PPA is quite expensive to join at $300/yr, but the others are less.

I'd survey organizations offering services that meet your needs, then evaluate their onboard insurance programs. For example, we belong to PPA (and others) because they offer the best services to our business, plus their insurance program matches our coverage needs (liability for our studio, liability for us while on the job, E&O, plus gear insurance at home and on the road). Your interests and needs almost certainly are different than ours, but I bet you can find a good match through an association.

I've heard that PPA is the best for photographers and know a photographer that joined just for that.

I have liability insurance and gear insurance through American Family. The rates are very reasonable and service has been good, though I haven't filed any claims.

State Farm offers what is called an Inland Marine Policy. I use that for my photography business. It is separate from my home owners policy, but since both are with State Farm I still get a multi-policy discount.

I too have a policy from State Farm. It is a personal articles policy covering only my camera equipment. It is very resonable and I have always had good service when I needed to file a claim. When I started making money through my photography they I had to tweak the policy, I pay a little more for it now, but it still covers all of my listed gear. The couple of claims I have made, have more than made up for what I pay for the premium.

Another vote for an Inland Marine Policy through State Farm.

I checked with my homeowner's insurance company a little while back. As long as my income from photography is minor compared to other income, my gear is covered under my insurance. It covers loss of theft, fire, etc., but if I drop it, it is not covered.

Harley's coverage is the normal coverage you get for any personal property under a homeowner's policy. It's probably best to go with an Inland Marine if you want broader coverage (any insurance company within your state will offer the same policy, rates may be different though). The Inland Marine policy gives "all risk" coverage, so if you drop your equipment, or simply lose it travelling or something, it's covered. Be sure to tell them if you use the equipment for business because professionally used equipment is either limited or not covered at all.