The fact that you’re reading this blog post means you’re at least semi-interested in family photos. Am I right?
Now, I can talk about the beauty of documenting families until the cows come home (I mean, I really can, it’s one of my favourite topics) but we all know that it’s hard to imagine what it looks like without seeing the results.
This is why it’s vital for me to be able to show the work I create for my client.
But…
I understand that not everyone is comfortable having their photos online – especially of their children. As much as it sometimes pains me to share my work – usually the sessions I know I’m not allowed to publish include some of my all-time favourite photos – I will always ask for a model release before sharing any of your photos to make sure you’re ok with it.
What’s a model release?
A model release states what kind of permission you give me in terms of sharing your photos. In the past, this was purely a yes or no question – you either let me share them use them to promote my work to attract other parents like you or you don’t.
However, I changed this process recently where you can specify what I can and cannot do with your images. In case your answer isn’t a clear all-or-nothing statement, you’re able to differentiate between social media, website, online and offline usage as well as defining whether your choice relates to all images or a selection.
Breaking this down means you can let me use your photos on my website but keep them off social media. Or use them in print products and other offline promotion only.
Once you book a photo session with me, you’ll get a model release form sent via email that you can fill out before or after your session to let me know what I’m allowed to do with your images. The release form looks like this:
By the way, when I send you this form and you don’t fill it out and send it back to me, I will assume that I’m not allowed to share your photos. I will never use them anywhere without your explicit permission.
So if you’re happy with your images and want me to share them with the world, please make sure you return this form back to me so I know what I’m allowed to do!
Please know that even though I give you the option to distinguish between different online and offline usage, I never expect to be allowed to use your photos. And I will never ask for a reason why you may not want your family photos shared online.
So if one of the reasons why you’ve been hesitant to book a photo session is that you don’t want your family photos published online, then you can be assured that that won’t happen without your consent if you work with me.
Would you like to have a chat about what we could do to document your family life? Get in touch by clicking the button below!
