For this do I need to bring 100's of releases?

[photographyfanatic]

I am from Wisconsin where Harley Davidson is also from. Friday is International female biker day. The women will be on a ride that ends at the Harley Davidson Museum. There will be a band there that I have permission to shoot. My question is with the random riders and bikes that will be there. If I shoot the bikers and bikes, do I need releases from everyone I happen to shoot? There will be hundereds of people there, if not thousands. How does one handle situations like this with huge amounts of people? After the shoot I plan on sending Harley a link to my stuff to see if they want to use anything. I would also shop the bike photos around. So do I need a release for every single person and bike?

 

[Big Mike]

Technically, you probably don't need a release for everyone in the photos...but most companies/agencies won't buy an image without signed a signed release.

 

[Seefutlung]

Not to shoot ... as long as the 1,000s are on public property or you are on public property (sidewalk, street, park, et al).

Not to publish on the internet.

Only if you use an image in a commercial enterprise (advertisement, marketing, endorsement, et cetera) will you need a release. Essentially, if you make money from the image you'll need a release. The exception being an artistic endeavor.

Gary

 

[Overread]

If the event has officail organisers then would it not be possible to get a release from them for the sale of images of the event?
That would be a more practical method otherwise your just not going to get all those signatures

 

[bdavison]

Model Release Primer

 

[KmH]

If the event has officail organisers then would it not be possible to get a release from them for the sale of images of the event?
That would be a more practical method otherwise your just not going to get all those signatures

Not in the USA. A model release is used to protect the rights of the people in the image and the publisher of the image. The event organizers can't sign away someone's right to.

As Big Mike said. Companies/agencies usually won't buy your image with people in it if you cannot also provide a properly executed model release signed by those people, even if the use will be editorial. Today most editorial users, if they have to pay for an image, want the option to use it in ways beyond editorial use.

A model release is not required if an image will be used in an editorial context. An article written about the event could include images of people who attended the event but that did not sign a model release with no ones rights being trampled on.

You also do not need a model release if the image is used as Art and in this senario the photographer could sell prints of the images without having model releases because that is not publication or advertising.