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Dear Ashley,
If I am working with a model and a makeup artist, should I ask the MUA to sign a model release or have something special for them?
Here is my response:
Release's
Release's are a topic that both a model and photographer should familiarize themselves with earlier in their careers to avoid any future disastrous situations. The model release is a legal document signed by the subject of a photograph to grant permission of publishing. Currently in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals there is a hot debate whenever or not "publishing" actually is defined to even putting a picture up on the web like your website or even places like facebook/twitter without a signed release which can result in civil liability for whoever publishes the photograph. So as you can see releases are very important to the daily life of a model or photographer.
The basic types of releases you should have on the go fly are 1. adult release (TFP & client) 2. minor release (TFP & client) 3. Group (TFP & client). Now within the those three you can vary to granting usage rights for print, web, publishing, profit or distribution to fit the needs or you and whomever you are photographing. I suggest that prior to shooting you discuss with your client or your TFP muse for the day so when it comes time for signing their is no hesitation or misunderstanding and if need be re-detail the release once the shoot is complete if any extreme variations have taken place. Ask them if they have signed release's before, you'd be surprised as many models have not or do not understand what it is they are signing. Don't forget if you are shooting nudes to grab a copy of ID or snap a close up of it with your camera. This is a great point to handle the transaction of money by marking the end of the shoot.
Release's are a topic that both a model and photographer should familiarize themselves with earlier in their careers to avoid any future disastrous situations. The model release is a legal document signed by the subject of a photograph to grant permission of publishing. Currently in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals there is a hot debate whenever or not "publishing" actually is defined to even putting a picture up on the web like your website or even places like facebook/twitter without a signed release which can result in civil liability for whoever publishes the photograph. So as you can see releases are very important to the daily life of a model or photographer.
The basic types of releases you should have on the go fly are 1. adult release (TFP & client) 2. minor release (TFP & client) 3. Group (TFP & client). Now within the those three you can vary to granting usage rights for print, web, publishing, profit or distribution to fit the needs or you and whomever you are photographing. I suggest that prior to shooting you discuss with your client or your TFP muse for the day so when it comes time for signing their is no hesitation or misunderstanding and if need be re-detail the release once the shoot is complete if any extreme variations have taken place. Ask them if they have signed release's before, you'd be surprised as many models have not or do not understand what it is they are signing. Don't forget if you are shooting nudes to grab a copy of ID or snap a close up of it with your camera. This is a great point to handle the transaction of money by marking the end of the shoot.
When shooting with models you don't want to forget your creative team by falling short on not giving a release to the make up artists, hair stylists, body paint artists, stylists, designers and possible venues that make some shoots even possible. Do you want them to be able to submit your work for publication? Do you want them to be able to print the pictures? What about use for their website? Can they sell the images and vice versa? What size images are you giving them? Web size or high resolution? Will they have logos? All of these possible questions should be address in any TFP shoot.
** Special note to models, as a model myself I believe that anytime you are doing TFP you should own 50% of the rights to the images and usage rights for publication. Also, are you satisfied with websize and logos or high resolution. I can personally contest to missing out on a major magazine print feature because of shooting once with a photographer and not having high resolution images non logo'd. Once the photographer learned the magazine wanted to publish their images they wanted the magazine to pay them. It was extremely unfair to me as a model because verbally we had agreed to both own the rights for publication yet without a release I was stuck without the taresheet.
These are just the basic's but if anyone has more questions about releases or help putting one together may contact me for more on this topic!
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