Comments on: Photographing Strangers – New Assignment

By: Gail Storrs

Gail Storrs — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 19:21:19 +0000

Where can I get a generic model release form? Do random people on the street react ok to signing such a form? How can I help them feel comfortable about this?

By: Katie Baird

Katie Baird — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 23:47:06 +0000

For me the matter of obtaining model releases, and in fact securing their permission to take their photo, is more about honoring a person’s dignity.

True that you will miss many great photo ops if you must have permission. Despite that sacrifice of great art, my personal practice is to only make an image after asking for permission. And then that’s followed up with a model release form if appropriate (which it almost always is – you never know if you’re going to want to use it somewhere commercially when you take the shot).

I think I began to get over the phobia of asking permission when it was assigned in an early photo class.

By: shroticg

shroticg — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 15:20:09 +0000

PS. stock agencies ask for model release in terms of recognisabe faces. this they do not clarify whether on road u must have taken hundreds of photographs of beggers, folk singers, roadside shop owners who again come or not. if it is a human face they want model release, could it be possible for u to go rounds and rounds to get a model release signed of the person u photographed 5 yrs back, 2 yrs back etc. i think what u will get from the sale, will u get back the time, petrol, energy which may go in thousand and lakhs of dollars for getting model releases, while u will get pretty less sum from the agencies. except in the studio and outside the few known persons, u will never get a MR. so it is a question unsolved – the agencies are afraid of sueing problems, and the photographer looking the stock of such unapproachable people lying on his table with a grim face. in our places, many foreigners come and take thousands of photos of such people and never saw them getting a MR signed on the road from the hawkers, snakecharmers, baloonwalls and many more categories and i am sure they on return get the photos published in ane corner of the globe. responsibility shd be put on photographers if anything happens after publishing of the photographs, he will face the problem, by putting a clause in their licence agreement, otherwise no way for thousands of photographers wasting their material which could earn them money online. very strange and confusing.

By: shroticg

shroticg — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 19:39:27 +0000

this is not a difficult topic, though a strange one. normally when we are out with the camera, this is the only specie we encounter and to photograph them a ton heavy task. when we talk of a stranger, means a third person unknown to us but turning the camera at their side is to take a greater risk of yr life. besides this genre covers a lot of people, from child to the grandpa, when the term photographing them comes in between. cajoling, requesting for permission etc sort of many hurdles are to be faced. lord forbid, except candids it looks me a task unseemingly unbearable because every cannot nod at you. thanks, i will again think on this topic.

By: SusanDara

SusanDara — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 16:55:21 +0000

I remember reading somewhere in an old issue of Peterson’s PhotoGraphic about getting a release from people that you photograph, but I can’t recall all that they spoke about. Does the apply only if I want to publish a picture? Would I need one if I wanted to enter the picture that I take for this forum in a competition? I have read the article you suggested on Travel Photography, but what about photos taken in the good ole US of A? Do you have suggestions about what I should include?

How do you approach this?

Thanks in advance
Susan