With that being said, here was my thought process. Street photography made me think of Sandy Foster, who’s street photography images are stunning. Which made me think she needs to get signed model release forms which reminded me of a class Jack Reznicki and Ed Greenberg taught on model release forms. That made me download Jack and Ed’s simple model release form which made me think of a post Larry Becker did on “Invite Models to Your Pad”. The pad being your model release forms made into a pad from an office supply company. While editing the form in Adobe Indesign, I thought of a class Terry White did at Photoshop World that taught us how to use conditional text so the forms can be changed on the fly. Now you have a glimpse of what’s inside Vanelli’s  head when he prepares for a project!

So to recap before I explain what I did… Street photographers (Sandy Foster) need model release forms (Jack Reznicki and Ed Greenberg), and it would be convenient to have the forms on a pad (Larry Becker) that can be designed (Terry White) so other photographers could use them too! Whew that was a lot of thought to prepare for one photography class (Joe McNally and Moose Peterson).

The Model Release form

Jack and Ed drilled into our heads the importance of  having a signed release form. Even if you don’t think you are going to use the images in the future, it’s a great safety net that can protect you if you change your mind. I am not a lawyer, so the best advice I can give you is to take their class or watch it on Kelby Training.com. This way you are getting first hand information. I asked Jack if I could share the Limited Model Release form and he was more than happy to let me share it with you.  Keep in mind, this is a generic form. Each state has their own laws.

Limited Model Release

I give Robert Louis Vanelli (“Photographer”) and designees and those acting with Photographer’s authority permission to use the photographs created or made on _____________ for the sole purpose of fine art gallery shows and exhibits, photography books and video tutorials, and for use in photographer’s portfolio, self-promotion, lectures, and books.

I waive any right to inspect or approve the finished images, or other printed matter that may be used in connection therewith. Except as stated above, I do not give permission for the use of my name or said photographs for the purpose of advertising or endorsing any goods or services.

Model acknowledges that he/she has read this release and has received a copy of this release.

_______________________________________         _______________________________________
Model’s Name                                                                                    Model’s Signature

_______________________________________         _______________________________________
Address                                                                                                Date

_______________________________________         _______________________________________
Witness Signature                                                                            Witness Address

If you plan to use this form, please send Jack and Ed a simple thank you email.

Designing the form

I wanted to keep the form small enough to carry in my bag yet big enough for the model to fill out. I chose to use legal size; 8.5 x 14, paper and print 4 to a sheet. The final form size is 6.5 x 3.75. Using concepts from Terry White’s conditional text tutorial, I made the Photographer’s name, address and phone number conditional text. Now I can print the form for other photographers without changing my design.

Creating the Pad

Larry Becker’s post, “Invite Models to your Pad” gives great advice about creating a pad for your model release forms. After reading it, I went to Staples to have them make a pad for me. The only problem, Staples has a 3 day turn around. I called Office Depot and they have a one day turn around. My last call was to Kinkos. They have a 4hr turnaround! I went there and the staff was great. I explained what I needed and they suggested an alternative option. For 30 cents a sheet they can print the form on a carbon paper. At first this sounded expensive but then I realized I’m printing 4 forms to a sheet. The cost would be $5.00 for a total of 80 forms or 6 cents a form. The downside, the forms would be individual not a pad. I decided to stick with my original plan  and have them make a pad for me. The cost is about $9.00.

Street Photography

I can’t wait to go on the NAPP Photo Safari with Moose and Joe. I really can’t post anything on the actual shoot until we go. Look for my review later in the week.

Moral of the Post

Integrate lessons you are taught by different instructors!

I admit I don’t have all the answers, but I know who and where to find them. Continuing my research on the legal side of photography took me to, you guest it, kelbytraining.com. Like my other post, I write these articles as basic notes to myself and to share them with friends. I encourage you to sit through the 90 minute video class with Jack Reznicki and  Ed Greenberg.

For those who don’t have time but need the information, I’m outlining what I interpreted from the class. The benefits from watching the video enables you to hear advice from the experts and download any materials they have. Keep in mind, because you have these rights doesn’t mean you have to exercise them, but they are good to have!

To copyright your work, go to copyright.gov NOT .com

1. Why Do You Want to Register (02:54)
2. Benefits of Registration (10:54)
   • you have the rights to your image
   • when you pass on, your estate inherits your rights
   • enables you to file a claim if someone uses your image without permission
3. What Are Your Copyrights? (06:50)
   • control over reproduction of your work
   • you can license your image for use DO NOT sell them
   • right of derivative (you have the right to make changes to your work)
4. Right of Distribution (06:35)
   • you decide where your work appears example: billboards, ads
   • right of display example: only in color, black and white, cropped or uncropped
   • the right to say NO if you don’t want the image to be viewed
5. Rights with your Registration (07:56)
   • the right to sue if your rights are violated
   • compensatory damages (the amount you would have charged)
   • statutory damages (court awards an amount)
6. Rights with your Registration, Part 2 (08:58)
   • having your lawyer fees covered
   • you may order an injunction
   • leverage
7. Starting the Registration Process (02:23)
   • don’t send the full size image to the copyright office
   • resize your image to a small jpg (about 700px by 700px with 5 compression) that could be presented in court
8. Registration Process Step by Step (05:53)
   • you can send the unedited version of the image (any retouching would be covered as a derivative)
   • make sure you have your copyright information in the meta data (use lightroom or photoshop)
   • http://www.copyright.gov
9. Copyright (11:02)
   • visiting the copyright web site gives you a wealth of information
   • Firefox user need to change tab settings to accept new pages open new windows
   • Safari web browser doesn’t work
   • use the web sites back and forward buttons not the browsers
   • electronic copyright takes about 3 months to receive your certificate
   • images are recognized as copyright the day you upload them
10. Registering a New Claim (10:26)
    • register your work as visual arts
    • give a reasonable title relation to the work
    • select unpublished if it’s on your web site or has been shown then published
    • narrow your registration to the same year, month or quarter
    • copyright your photos in your name but check with your account for their opinion
11. Limits to Claim (06:13)
    • click next button don’t limit your work
    • rights and permission should be all about you
    • corespondent again should be you
    • DO NOT click anything in “special handling” unless you talk to your lawyer
12. New Claim Certification (07:54)
    • first process will take awhile once you get use to it, it should take about 5 minutes
    • review your application, once you click submit, it’s a legal document and can’t be changed
13. Registering a New Claim After your Payment (05:00)
    • accept an email confirmation
    • don’t click done until you upload your images
    • upload a zip file of your images
    • limited to 30 minutes per upload you can have more than one upload
14. Wrap Up (01:46)
    • MYTHS that are NOT true
    • • if you put your photo in an envelop and mail to yourself it’s copyrighted
      • if you change a percentage of a photograph or art it because yours
      • you can use an image as long as you don’t make a profit from it
    • copyright your work!

I hope this gave you insight on copyrighting your work. I encourage you to watch the video if not for the knowledge, but for the shear entertaining value of Jack and Ed!

Remember Benjamin Franklin old saying “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”!

In short:

• You ALWAYS need a model release form.
• Complete the form, leave no blanks.
• Laws change from state to state, know your state law.
• Have a witness sign (preferable someone with no vested interested)
• A new release needs to be signed for each shoot.
• Get a copy of the model’s driver’s licenses.
• Give a copy to the model
• Keep your signed copy FOREVER.