Contracts. To who and when?

[AndrewWilliam]

There are some situations that I am unsure about when it comes to contracts. If I were to take photos of an entire sports team but want keep ownership of all rights, I am a little unsure. Do I need to have model releases for all kids and coaches? If so, can just the coach sign it? Do I need each and every parent of the kids to sign? Can I just simply sum it all up in one contract for the person in charge to sign? How does this all work?

 

[CCericola]

If you want to sell the pictures to a third party you will need a model release for each person in the photo. If the athletes are under age, their legal guardian must sign, not the coach.

If you want to just use them in your portfolio you do not need a release. Displaying them on the web is a gray area. I err on the side of caution and get a release for anything I display on the web.

Here is a god reference if you do not want to pay to talk to a lawyer

U.S. Copyright Office

 

[tirediron]

You need to learn the differences between a contract and a model release as well as gain a basic understanding of US copyright and IP law. Google is your friend.