Street Photography model release

Hi,

I am going to India and then South Amercia in the coming year and I am hoping to build up my stock photography. I am aware of the polite "Can I take your picture" or maybe even a small token ($$) side of the approach but I wanted to her some pro's comments on images of street people that may end up in publication.

As these people where never offically models and not likely to ever see the pictures does this mean I dont need to get a signed form?

I am concerned about scaring some poor street lady off by asking her to sign a form written in english.

Maybe I am being paranoid, but whats the policy here?

Many thanks
Andyh

andy - that is one of the most ignorant statements i have ever heard - as these people where never offically models and not likely to ever see the pictures - is NOT an excuse for you to not treat them as equally as you would on any street in america. if you plan on selling them as stock, you WILL need a release from them. perhaps it would behove you to type up your model release in several different languages and take it with you

Speak plainly my friend wont you... as will I. Frankly I CANT believe that every professional sits down with every street model they shoot on the street and asks them to sign. My reasons are a) You might not know the shot is useable until after the event, b) its not always possible to communicate effectively your intensions.

I would want to do my best by anyone, colour greed, location or nationality.

Simply put if your a travel photographer that is not on location but travelling around a forien country snapping away at many sights and people do you factor in the model release every time you take a persons photo. If so I am going to need a bigger photo bag for all the paper work!

Also I understand that Release forms only apply to non media photos, if my work is to be used in a magazine or news media I dont need one.

Andyh
www.studiohallett.co.u​k

Hi Andy, nothing wrong asking and infact it's great being candid because this is how we all learn. First I do agree with Mike to some degree. I don't believe that you asking would be an "ignorant statement". You are simply asking for information and should not be blasted for finding what is right and wrong. This is only my personal opinion. As to the question, I agree with Mike that you should treat everyone equally and should get a signed form. As as Journalist, you can get away with this because they have use it for news reporting. Different countries may have different rules. You can try checking with consulates or embassey's to see if there are special forms that can be filled out. You are correct about you cannot possibly ask everyone to fill out the form. Example, some smaller town or tribal group you can get a blanket form filled out by their leader and you can go nuts photographing everyone and be under one signed form. As to asking question, you may want to rephrase or word it differently because some people may take it the wrong way.

Hope this helps.

wow... politically correct picture taking... the new frontier.
and no, i dont think its ignorrant to ask weather or not someone might et scared of signing a form written in a forign language they dont (or might not) understand. What if someone from another country walked up to you on the street, handed you a paper and pen and motioned to you to sign it and you couldnt read it? would you? I sure as heck wouldnt!
I think the guy asked a valid question. I dont see the ignorance of it..... unless i'm ignorant....AHhhhhhhhh​h!
lol.
-zacker-

Good question, I like learning stuff like that too, since I am a noob. Don't see why someone would say he's ignorant for asking. I want to learn more stuff like that, thanks for asking the ?

I have been on the streets for 40 years and always carried but seldom needed a release form. Why, because I am working in a fine art genre. I have many portraits without releases but I am not trying to sell them for profit. If you are then you definately need a release in the language that the model can read and sign. English will get you into trouble in different countries...think about it like this...you make an image and it could sell for good money, you get a release in English but the model doesn't speak or read English, even tho they sign your English release, it could be disputed in a court room....It happened to my friend now living in Paris....better safe than sorry....if your in doubt...check out ASMP...they are the forerunners on copyright law......don

http://www.danheller.c​om/model-release.html#7.11
http://www.danheller.c​om/tech-tourism

Dan Heller wrote:
If you are not from the USA, or are on vacation to countries outside the USA, there are different issues involved. You may want to read my article, Photographing People on Location, for a discussion on situations when payment for photos is advisable and when it's not. US laws aren't necessarily identical in other countries, although many are based on the same ideas. Licensing images to foreign publishers tends to be pretty safe because of pragmatism: the audience tends to be pretty separate, and laws are often restricted to US companies anyway. Similarly, US-based publication of photos of people from other countries isn't straightforward either for the same reasons.

Assuming you are in a country that is legal to ask for signatures, to save yourself further trouble and offer incentive, keep the form simple and in their language.

Thanks people, some great feedback. I still stuggle with the fact that I have to have a form in the local langauge. For example in India they have many dialects and a written language I would not know where to begin or how to write it.

Interesting stuff.

Andyh
www.studiohallett.co.u​k

Andy001z wrote:
Thanks people, some great feedback. I still stuggle with the fact that I have to have a form in the local langauge. For example in India they have many dialects and a written language I would not know where to begin or how to write it.

Interesting stuff.

Andyh
www.studiohallett.co.u​k

I would advise hiring a local to help you out with the lingo etc. It may cost a bit but will certainly loosen your headache. Many people there should be willing to help but don't get ripped off and do some homework before arriving.

Many years ago, I was traveling in a third-world country. The villagers were extremely poor people and mostly illiterate. One evening, as my group stopped to camp, a little girl from the next farm wandered over to the edge of our camp. She was maybe seven or eight years old, and she had her baby brother (maybe one year old) on her back. She was dressed in dirty tatters, but typical of those native people. She had classic facial features of those people.

I immediately sensed a photo op. I walked over and smiled and said a few calm words, but there was a total language barrier. So, I just smiled more, then held the camera up and shot away. I knew I got the shot. I was so joyed that I felt I should reward her in some fashion. I reached into my pocket and got out a small coin, and I believe it was the equivalent of one cent or so. I knelt down and offered the coin out to her. She didn't budge. I made some motions about putting the coin into her hand. Finally, she took it. Then she looked at the coin so carefully, turning it over and over. She had never seen money before!

A model release would have been meaningless. Payment was equally meaningless.

The photo is still hanging on my wall.

---Bob Gross---

Touching storey Bob!

Andy, also be aware if you are getting model releases from alot of different people, you are going to need some way of keeping track which releases belong to what image. If you arrive home with 5,000 images and 400 releases, and no way of matching the two together, then what?

Perhaps you could use a digital release, on a PDA - similar to what UPS and that lot do, make them sign the screen. It means less paper, and you could just select what language on the screen.

HTH.

I would say that if image is used in advertising then a release is always needed, but in fine art: take it if you can.

I sometimes record names to camera (1D has audio recording) - I wonder if audio recording giving a release is enough in court?

Oooh that was Pekka's 5,000th post!


Sorry for OT.

When you record audio does it name it the same as the last image, so you know what photo what audio relates to?