Focuspuller wrote:
Is it necessary to get a release from a model for EVERY shoot, or is one standard release per model sufficient for all sessions? The situation has come up and I never thought about it.

The more precise the less questions. Date, place and at least a rough description what kind of pictures are shot. So nobody can come afterwards and claim: "This release is for the fashion pics only. The nudes we shot were intended to be just for fun!"

TomFRohwer wrote:

The more precise the less questions. Date, place and at least a rough description what kind of pictures are shot. So nobody can come afterwards and claim: "This release is for the fashion pics only. The nudes we shot were intended to be just for fun!"

Most model releases are written to specifically allow the photographer to use the photos "for any purpose whatsoever" such as included in the ASMP Simplified Model Release.  A lawyer would probably tell you that since the agreement already grants permission for any use, that adding any sort of description or qualifier of the use is an unnecessary restriction, may cause ambiguity and differences of interpretation, is and is fundamentally not in the photographer's interest.   It is simply a bad idea to modify legal documents without real legal expertise.

The ASMP Simplified Model Release does include a field for "Today's Date" and needs to be filled out for every new shoot date.

Focuspuller wrote:
Is it necessary to get a release from a model for EVERY shoot, or is one standard release per model sufficient for all sessions? The situation has come up and I never thought about it.

Thanks,

-Alan D

Each shoot date should have its own release.

Eyesso wrote:
Many would say "yes", since you never know. 

Personally....I only use them if I'm planning on selling prints or if there is money exchanged.

Plans change, and often a rls is later required even if no money changed hands.

A major California case, Louder v. CompuServe, cost the perps the better part of  $ Million even no money changed hands as to most of the photos, and no prints were sold.

Focuspuller wrote:
Is it necessary to get a release from a model for EVERY shoot, or is one standard release per model sufficient for all sessions? The situation has come up and I never thought about it.

Thanks,

-Alan D

Hi Alan,

I have a personal policy of treating every shoot as an individual act, even if it's part of a larger collective work.  It leaves no chance for imterpretation or disagreement.  A model release protects you, the photographer, but should be fair and non-exploitive at the same time.  Just because you create the image, remember it couldn't have been done without the model. 

I've always been of the mindset that if you're making money from a shoot, so should your model.  All of that should be explained in a contract separate from the model release, though I do have a simplified release I use for TFP that states neither party will use the images for profit.  It was written by a lawyer and is reviewed to ensure it remains current as the laws change. 

The best advice I can offer after 20+ years is to ensure all releases and contracts meet the standard of the law.  The only way I know of doing that is to contact a lawyer who is familiar with what you're using it for.

Best of luck in all you do.

Eagle Rock Photographer wrote:

Plans change, and often a rls is later required even if no money changed hands.

A major California case, Louder v. CompuServe, cost the perps the better part of  $ Million even no money changed hands as to most of the photos, and no prints were sold.

The details of this case are important:   http://www.a-w.org/louder-crowder-stark … serve-inc/