Dan Heller's take on model releases

More on model releases.

My favourite photographic-business writer Dan Heller argued that there are many myths regarding model releases. They say you need one anytime you want to sell a photo. They say you need one if you print a photo of someone in a book. They say you need one if you just put them on your website.

Heller argued that there are four elements in determining whether a model release is required:

Are the people identifiable?
What's the use of the photo?
How was the photo taken?
Was there compensation?

Interesting to note his suggestion that many of the stringent release requirements by stock publishers were borne entirely from fear of litigation, rather than any genuine legal requirements for the photographers.

The beauty about Heller's document is that it has links to relevant legal precedents (most of them US, but it is the land of litigations after all)

Read more here.