Stock images-People

[MitchellB]

OK so your on the boardwalk and you see a great image of a couple on a park bench.

Do you

1-capture the moment then aproach them after
2- ask permission first

Then

What do you say?
How do you ask someone for permission to sell their faces?
Do you have releases handy? What do they say?

Any info would be great.

[Mike Panic]

you capture the moment, hopefully before they see you... if you like how it looks, shoot it, if you ask them first, they will know you are there and its hard to look natural.

then, approach them, introduce yourself and let them know you are a freelance photographer. let them know you are not trying to sell them anything. have a quality looking business card handy to give them. let them know you took what you think to be a great shot of them from over there and you would like to give them an 8x12 (or 8x10) printed copy (use a real lab, not inkjet, it costs like $3) of the print in exchange for them signing a model release form. when asked, explain that the model release form is needed for you to "publish" (make the quotes w/ your fingers if you have to) the photograph and that even putting it on your website to simply show others can be considered "publishing".

let it go from there. do not give them more information then they need, answer questions that they have to ask. if you go on and on for 5 full minutes they will think you are really up to something sneaky. be short, up front and honest. you do not have the mention the words "selling, stock, profit" at all.

if they agree: get their name / address / phone number / email information on the spot (you should always have a notebook handy) and let them know they can expect to receive their print in the mail in 7-10 business days. Also let them know that you would be happy to sell them more prints (of different sizes) at a discounted rate should they wish and that you are available for events, functions, weddings, whatever else you do. have them sign the releases (yes you should have them w/ you)

if they say no, try to get their email address anyway. if they won't give it to you, ask them to email you and you'll be happy to send them a web sized, watermarked image so they can at least look at it to see if they change their minds about it. make sure they have your business card, thank them for their time and excuse yourself.