# model release



## user3977 (Sep 28, 2010)

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?


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## Robin Usagani (Sep 28, 2010)

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.


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## Robin Usagani (Sep 28, 2010)

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


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## user3977 (Sep 28, 2010)

Schwettylens said:


> 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.


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## Robin Usagani (Sep 28, 2010)

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


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## DC-Photog (Sep 28, 2010)

To answer your question, this guy has a good one in Word: What is a model release? &#8211; 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.


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## user3977 (Sep 28, 2010)

DC-Photog said:


> 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.
> 
> ...


 
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.


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## DC-Photog (Sep 28, 2010)

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.


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## KmH (Sep 28, 2010)

DC-Photog said:


> 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
> 
> ...


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## DC-Photog (Sep 28, 2010)

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.


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