model release

[user3977]

is there an online generic release? i have found a few in pdf but i can not edit them, anyone know of them in word or open office?

 

[Robin Usagani]

you can copy and paste from PDF. Or if you have adobe acrobat PRO you can edit them. Generally it is a bad idea to download a .DOC because they may have a virus on it.

 

[Robin Usagani]

Also, 90% of people who think they need a model release form, they dont really need it.

 

[user3977]

Also, 90% of people who think they need a model release form, they dont really need it.

minors at a skate park. im being invited by the owner and well just dont know what to do. i will be posting them on skate and bmx sites to get ideas on the photos and will be selling them back to the people there if they are interested.

 

[Robin Usagani]

Nope... you dont need it. Please correct me if anyone disagrees.

 

[DC-Photog]

To answer your question, this guy has a good one in Word: What is a model release? – Download a Generic Model Release | Yuri Arcurs

It's good to have a model release for every person you photograph.

In fact, you will need one if you decide to use these photographs for your marketing purposes. Maybe someday down the road a publisher will want them for a magazine?

What if one of these kids turns out to be the next big thing? You will have great photos of his early stuff, but you won't be able to license them without a release.

Maybe you end up with a huge library of photos in this specific genre, and you decide to sign up with a stock agency to sell them.

So many possibilities. If you're photographing minors, their parents need to sign the forms.

 

[user3977]

To answer your question, this guy has a good one in Word: What is a model release? – Download a Generic Model Release | Yuri Arcurs

It's good to have a model release for every person you photograph.

In fact, you will need one if you decide to use these photographs for your marketing purposes. Maybe someday down the road a publisher will want them for a magazine?

What if one of these kids turns out to be the next big thing? You will have great photos of his early stuff, but you won't be able to license them without a release.

Maybe you end up with a huge library of photos in this specific genre, and you decide to sign up with a stock agency to sell them.

So many possibilities. If you're photographing minors, their parents need to sign the forms.

i was looking at sites like istockphoto.com and well would i need to use the one they have? or would my existing one be good enough? i imagine that if i dig really deep in the TOS for them it says but have you ever tried to read that.

 

[DC-Photog]

Each stock agency has its own releases for guaranteed acceptance. Many agencies accept other types of releases, such as the one in the post, but the agency ultimately decides what it will accept after the photographer uploads the release.

I've heard that this release is sufficient, but I don't sell through istockphoto, so I can't confirm that as fact.

 

[KmH]

An online photography forum is not a good place to be seeking legal advice, including what follows. Model release law specifics vary by state.

I would refer you to the inexpensive book: A Digital Photographers Guide to Model Releases, by Dan Heller. www.danheller.com

How an image will ultimately be used determines if a release is needed. So in a situation where ultimate usage hasn't or can't be determined, it's a smart move to get a well written release signed.

As noted you will need the parents of minor children to sign the release, just like minor children cannot legally sign contracts.

States require the model be adequetely compensated to make the release effective. They vary on what is considered 'adequete compensation'.
Another pitfall is each states laws regarding the 'Right of Publicity'.

The circumstances under which an image was made also has bearing if a model release may be needed.

When it comes to self-publishing and self-promotion: When you put your images on the Web, in a portfolio, or in a catalog for self-promotion, or to make the images available for sale or promotion, it is not considered a form of commercial use requiring a release from the subjects of your images.

Which brings us to the cicumstances regarding how the photo was made. Was it a public setting, like at a skatepark during normal business hours, or was it a private photo shoot? If it was a private shoot or if it the image was made under controlled conditions, get model releases signed.

Also be aware that an image used editorially usually does not require a release.

A model release protects the model and the publisher of an image. The photographer is usually not the publisher of an image, but can be.

As noted, publishers see more value in images that are accompanied by a properly executed release, but may still license an un-released image. That is up to the publisher.

As you can see it's not very cut-and-dried. Additionally, you need to be able to keep the model releases associated with the relevant images.

 

[DC-Photog]

Always get a model release. It's not a question of whether or not you need it. Always get it.

If you license or publish an image in the future, and the subject discovers it and does not want it published, the subject can try to sue you.

Having a signed release will help you cover your butt. Without a release, you have nothing to help your case.

Whenever you license an image, the photo buyer almost always wants you to indemnify them against lawsuits. In other words, you carry all of the risk if you don't have a release.

Also - if you wish to take it to the next step, make sure you copy the driver's license of the person signing the release.