A model release is a short document where the person in your photos gives you permission to use their likeness. It’s not the same as your contract. The contract is with whoever pays you. The release is signed by whoever is in front of the camera.
I shoot a lot of product and food work, and the moment a hand model, a chef, or a staff member shows up in a frame the brand will use in an ad, I want a signed release. Below are two versions you can copy: one for adults, and one for minors, signed by a parent or guardian. Both are based on the model release built into Edit.
One note first: I’m a photographer, not a lawyer, and this isn’t legal advice. Release and publicity laws differ by state and country. Have a lawyer in your state review your final version once.
When you need a model release
- Commercial use of a recognizable person. Ads, packaging, product pages, brand websites, billboards, and paid social all count. If someone could look at the photo and say “that’s me,” you want a release. A face isn’t the only way to be recognizable: a distinctive tattoo or birthmark can count too.
- Stock photography. Stock agencies won’t accept photos of recognizable people without one.
- Your own advertising. If you’ll use a client’s photo in a paid ad for your studio, get a release, even if your contract allows portfolio use.
Editorial use, like news, commentary, and education, usually doesn’t need a release. Neither does a client using photos of themselves that they hired you to take; your contract’s usage section covers that. When you’re unsure, get the release. It takes a minute, and it’s much harder to track someone down later.
What a model release should cover
- Use: what the photos can be used for, such as advertising, marketing, packaging, editorial, portfolio, and social media.
- Media: where they can appear. “Any media now known or later developed” is standard for broad releases.
- Territory: where in the world. Most releases say worldwide.
- Duration: how long. Most say perpetual. If the model wants a limit, write the end date in.
- Compensation: what the model gets, whether that’s a fee, images, or nothing beyond the session. Writing it down is part of what makes the release hold up.
- No approval right: the model agrees they don’t get to approve the final images or how they’re used.
- Name use (optional): whether their name can appear with the photos, like in a caption or a testimonial. Many people are fine with their face and not their name, so give them the choice.
Model release form: adults
Everything in the box is the release. Replace each [BRACKETED] item with your details.
Model Release
This Model Release is between [YOUR BUSINESS NAME] (“Photographer”) and [MODEL’S FULL NAME] (“Model”) for photographs taken on [DATE] at [LOCATION] for [PROJECT OR CLIENT NAME].
Permission
In exchange for [COMPENSATION: FEE AMOUNT / IMAGES / NO PAYMENT BEYOND THE SESSION], I grant Photographer, and Photographer’s clients, licensees, and assigns, the right to photograph me and to use, publish, and republish the resulting images of my likeness, in whole or in part, with or without alteration.
Use, media, territory, and duration
The images may be used for advertising, marketing, promotion, packaging, editorial, portfolio, social media, and other commercial purposes, in any media now known or later developed, worldwide, with no time limit. [OPTIONAL LIMIT: use is limited to [MEDIA OR CLIENT] until [END DATE].]
Approval and compensation
I give up any right to inspect or approve the finished images or how they are used. I will not receive any payment beyond the compensation stated above.
Name
[ ] Photographer may use my name with the images.
[ ] Please do not use my name.
Release of claims
I release Photographer and Photographer’s clients and assigns from any claims arising from the creation or use of the images, including claims of defamation or invasion of privacy or publicity.
Age and signature
I am at least 18 years old and have the legal right to sign this release. I have read it and understand it. I agree that an electronic signature counts the same as a signature in ink.
Model: [PRINTED NAME]
Email or phone: [CONTACT]
Signature: ________________ Date: ________
Photographer: [PRINTED NAME], [YOUR BUSINESS NAME]
Signature: ________________ Date: ________
Model release form: minors
For anyone under 18, a parent or legal guardian signs on the minor’s behalf. The terms are the same. Only who signs, and what they confirm, changes.
Model Release (Minor)
This Model Release is between [YOUR BUSINESS NAME] (“Photographer”) and [PARENT OR GUARDIAN’S FULL NAME] (“Parent or Guardian”), on behalf of [MINOR’S FULL NAME], age [AGE] (“Model”), for photographs taken on [DATE] at [LOCATION] for [PROJECT OR CLIENT NAME].
Permission
I am the parent or legal guardian of the Model and have the legal authority to sign for them. In exchange for [COMPENSATION: FEE AMOUNT / IMAGES / NO PAYMENT BEYOND THE SESSION], I grant Photographer, and Photographer’s clients, licensees, and assigns, the right to photograph the Model and to use, publish, and republish the resulting images of the Model’s likeness, in whole or in part, with or without alteration.
Use, media, territory, and duration
The images may be used for advertising, marketing, promotion, packaging, editorial, portfolio, social media, and other commercial purposes, in any media now known or later developed, worldwide, with no time limit. [OPTIONAL LIMIT: use is limited to [MEDIA OR CLIENT] until [END DATE].]
Approval and compensation
I give up any right, for myself and for the Model, to inspect or approve the finished images or how they are used. Neither the Model nor I will receive any payment beyond the compensation stated above.
Name
[ ] Photographer may use the Model’s first name with the images.
[ ] Please do not use the Model’s name.
Release of claims
For myself and for the Model, I release Photographer and Photographer’s clients and assigns from any claims arising from the creation or use of the images, including claims of defamation or invasion of privacy or publicity.
Signature
I have read this release and understand it. I agree that an electronic signature counts the same as a signature in ink.
Parent or Guardian: [PRINTED NAME]
Relationship to Model: [PARENT / LEGAL GUARDIAN]
Email or phone: [CONTACT]
Signature: ________________ Date: ________
Photographer: [PRINTED NAME], [YOUR BUSINESS NAME]
Signature: ________________ Date: ________
One release per person
Every recognizable person gets their own signed release. Get it signed on the day, before you shoot, while everyone is in the room. For a group, send each person their own copy instead of passing one page around.
Send it for e-signature
Edit has this model release built in, along with an image release and a print release, on every plan. Send it from the project to the model by name and email, and they sign online from a link on their phone, no account needed. Clients on Studio and Agency can also sign from their client portal. For a minor, the parent or guardian is the signer. Add every person who needs to sign, see who’s done, and the signed version is locked and kept with a full signing record.