Without going into the long, drawn out details, I need to firmly emphasize to read all find print in the insurance policy you purchase for your camera equipment. Many photographers who work full-time yet enjoy photography as a side business, small business, sell a print once in a while or hope to someday sell a print so they advertise their work will be considered commercial photographers by an insurance company. The rider you add to your homeowner's policy, or even just your homeowner's policy, will NOT cover the loss of your camera gear, whether through theft, burglary or damage, if you are a commercial photographer. I found this out after the fact.

I am not an insurance salesperson, an insurance adjuster or a lawyer, so I am only providing this tip as advice from my own experience. When you purchase an insurance policy for your equipment - and I highly recommend you do if you have any significant value invested in the equipment - make sure you ask the right questions.

I recently explained it to a fellow colleague like this. In the movie I, Robot, Dr. Alfred Lanning, played by James Cromwell, says to Will Smith's character, Del Spooner, "That is not the right question," when Spooner tries to figure out why Sonny the Robot is different. Eventually Spooner gets an enthusiastic, "That, Spooner, is the right question."

Working with insurance companies is kind of like that - you must ask the right questions to get the answers you need.