Model Releases - A Must in a Litigious Society
Posted: May 18, 2010
Lawsuits are a dime a dozen, but are costly challenges to photographers. The purpose of model and property releases is to help protect photographers/videographers from legal nightmares. The American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) offers detailed information on the need for releases and provides samples.
Lawsuits are a dime a dozen, but are costly challenges to photographers. The purpose of model and property releases is to help protect photographers/videographers from legal nightmares. The American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) offers detailed information on the need for releases and provides samples.
A photo release is a written agreement between photographer/videographer and the person being photographed, or the person who owns the property being photographing. Releases help protect photographers from future lawsuits the person might file for claims such as defamation and invasion of privacy.
A model release says the person being photographed has given consent to be photographed and to the use of the images captured. It doesn’t just apply to professional models or situations where people know they are posing for photos. ASMP believes photographers/videographers should seek to get a signed model release any time photos/film contain recognizable images of people, unless you are certain that you will never want to use them for anything other than editorial purposes.
Review the full article, Property and Model Releases, on model releases on ASMP's website.
ASMP also offers a battery of additional documents related to releases, including sample releases:
21st Century Worries: Digital Editing, Sensitive Subjects
What's in a release (the language of law)
Frequently asked questions about releases
Frequently asked questions about privacy and libel
Model release for a minor child