Model release forms are a very important part of photographing portraits and something that we all need to make sure to collect from every shoot. What is a model release form and why are they needed?

A model release is simply a legal document giving you the permission to use the photo for commercial use or other marketing use as specified in the contract. Normally you would get a model release form signed in order to receive consent from someone and is important to protect yourself if you want to use that in the future for commercial or marketing reasons. There are a few different types of model release forms:

Adult release (person over 18 years old)
Minor release (usually a person under 18 years old, to be signed by a parent or legal guardian)
Property release (this can be for private property or photographs taken within buildings that require permission from the owners)

A model release is essential to give you protection for any future use you might need, and we need to make sure to have all clients sign a model release. For my own business I have my model release as part of my wedding agreement and for portrait clients have a separate app they sign at the time of the shoot The cool thing is there is an app for that for all of you iPhone and iPad app owners. I used to always keep paper copies in my camera bag for model releases but now with apps you can carry a model release in your pocket.

I have the photographers contract app that is a universal app. It’s a great app that has 4 default model releases and gives you the ability to create your own or customize the templates. Once you have your releases saved you can very quickly enter in your models information (which can be imported from your address book) and have them preview the model release. They can sign right on your iPhone and once signed you can email a copy to yourself and/or your clients. The contracts are all archived on your phone and you can customize the contract by adding your logo to it. I would suggest just like anything else backing these up so I always email them to myself and save them on a client drive which is backed up. Overall its a very useful app and can be nice to keep you organized by having all of your releases in a digital format.

The app is only $2.99 and you can get it in the iTunes store here photographers contract maker