MODELS BEWARE!

If you can stop laughing that is...

  An experienced model can work confidently with any photographer, secure in her knowledge of the model release

Remember, that all photographs accompanying this blog are Copyright (All Rights Reserved) and may not be used for any purpose whatsoever without written permission from the photographer. 

Was shown a  ¨Model  Release¨ yesterday presented to a model acquaintance for signing by a ¨photographer¨ I didn´t know very much about.

Being experienced the model took one look, laughed and walked away from the shoot, but the document is indicative of much of the nonsensical paperwork floating around shoots in recent years.

Obviously cobbled together from ¨stuff¨¨garnered from interent forums and their resident experts, knowledgeable mates , and a bit of home spun ¨fairness¨  thrown in for good measure, the release consisted of  4 to 5 pages ( yes! really!) of psuedo legalistic terms and phrases , paragraphs compeletely contradicting the one before it, and  a liberal sprinkling of demands, obligations and ¨rights¨ for everyone involved.

I stopped reading when I reached a large section ( almost a full page) devoted entirely to the make up artist (?)...therefore I don´t know whether the studio cleaner, or the tea lady featured in the remaining two and half pages.

Part release, part contract, part ¨agreement to shoot¨ ( who uses those anymore? ), part control-freak egotism, and part utter nonsense, the whole document became all of them and none of them simultaneously, couched in meaningless gobbledegook.

However after interpreting the confusing and almost illiterate language of the very first statement, the penny dropped:

Basically it translated as  ¨This Release covers photographs taken for NON COMMERCIAL purposes ONLY¨

Are releases like these the result of complete ignorance, plain stupidity, or the overwhelming desire of people masquerading as photographers to appear as if they know what they are doing?

As the sole reason behind needing a ¨Model release¨ is to permit images to be used for Commercial purposes, why even attempt to bamboozle models, especially those with little or no experience, with such time wasting, energy sapping and delusional rubbish?

But then again it could be just an aversion to proper research by the photogapher into the accepted workings of his chosen profession.

In that case just how much does this aversion to knowledge about the necessary paperwork vital to their profession correlate with their knowledge and skill, in relation to techniques, creativity and marketting of their actual photography?

So Models, please dont encourage them.

Instead, check out what a  standard, and acceptable model release looks like, and what it needs to contain, and when and why it is necessry to sign one.

And if the one you are presented by certain photographers, varies too much from the norm, have an experienced  professional photographer check it out for you.

There is probably no need to go to the expense of a solicitor looking it over, because the concept of a model release is so simple that legal advice should not be necessary.


Then you too can confidently enjoy the thrill of laughing and walking away, when you need to.




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