stock question

[simmonsrandal]

looking at some photos on alamy, there are a lot of shots with people in them but there is no model release. ie, a park with people in it and you can identify 2 people in it.

would there be a buyer for these types of photos? if so, how would they be used?

[Anke]

I would presume these people were in a public place and the shots had restrictions in place for Editorial use only.

[amfoto1]

Yes, editorial use:

That includes news publications of course.

It also includes fine art prints, galleries and museums, personal portfolios, limited online display (this latter might eventually get a bit tricky, simply because there haven't been many court cases defining it as yet).

Note that a model release generally might not protect against libel or slander and that you can still get sued for this even in situations where a release isn't required. If, for example, you showed someone in a very degrading way and displayed the image publicly.

There are also some editorial situations where a release is a darned good idea.

Check out www.danheller.com and buy the book "The Law, In Plain English, for Photographers".

These pertain to US law, things can differ in various countries.

I ain't no lawyer, just a photographer.