When do I need a model or property release?

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You need a model release when an identifiable person appears in a photo or video that will be used commercially: in an ad, on a product page, in a brand's social feed, or licensed as stock. You need a property release when recognizable private property is a central part of a commercial image, such as the inside of someone's home or a distinctive building or artwork. Editorial use, such as news, journalism or commentary, generally needs neither. Commercial or editorial The question is how the image is used, not how it was taken. The same portrait can run in a magazine story without a release and still need one to appear in a skincare ad. Because you often do not know where an image will end up, the safe habit is to get a release whenever a person is recognizable and the client is a business. What a release covers Who is giving permission, and their signature. The shoot or images it covers. How the images can be used: advertising, social, print, stock, all media. How long the permission lasts, often for good. Payment, if any, even if it is nominal. For anyone under 18, a parent or guardian signs. For property, the owner signs, or someone authorized by the owner, not just the person who let you in. Stock and brand clients Stock agencies will not accept commercial submissions without releases. Brand clients increasingly ask for them before they pay. Having them on file makes the image licensable later, which is money you lose if the release was never signed. What to do Get a model release from every recognizable person on a commercial shoot. Get a property release for private homes, venues and artwork that are central to the frame. Have a parent or guardian sign for minors. File releases with the images, labeled by shoot.

When do I need a model or property release?

Commercial or editorial

What a release covers

Stock and brand clients

What to do

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