Warning, paradox ahead...

It turns out that at least some insurance underwriters will only consider you if you've been in business for at least three years. And yet they expect you to somehow have been insured for that time in order to do business for those three years!

It's maddening, I tell you, maddening!


Our State Farm agent had me going for a while, saying I could get liability and equipment coverage for less than $300 a year, through a home office adjustment and riders. Turns out that she had been talking to two underwriters and the final answer turned out negative -- just not an option.

So you can imagine my concern when other insurance brokers talked of policies costing at least $2000 and one who said it would be in the five digits! Yowza!

One place has a reasonable-cost policy of a few hundred, but they won't cover going to places owned and operated by their owners. If the owners leased the place to me, then their plan would cover. I cannot very well lease a ship or historic building, so no joy on that one.

One place finally clued me in. They called me a "freelance photographer," which is really the case, although I had not used those terms so far. The problem is being so mobile with the equipment in so many locations that a lot of underwriters think the risk too great to issue policies, or charge high premiums if they do.

But the clue helped. Good ol' Google found me a place a little north of here that specializes in freelance photography insurance! And get this: the price will be about $150 a year! How sweet is that?

I don't know how they do it, but I'm tentatively rather happy about that. I have to apply, and I will read their policy in full, and look for comments about them on the web, but all looks legitimate with preliminary steps in that direction. They cover people in all 50 states, and lots of photography sites link to them.

Of course working outside of the U.S. is a whole nother can o' worms, to be burned when we get to it.