Model Releases

By Paul Sanderson for CARFAC Ontario © 1985, except the long form Model Release, which is Copyright 1981 by AMPHOTO, a division of Watson-Guptill Publications. Reproduced with permission.

What is a Model Release?
The Term "model release" is widely used in the arts community but is seldom defined and not always clearly understood. The word model is used here to mean "a person who poses for an artist," rather than a "precedent" (as was meant in CARFAC Ontario's 1982 publication Model Agreements for Visual Artists, by Paul Sanderson and Judy Gouin). A release is an agreement or contract, often just a simple one-page form that is meant to release an artist from legal liabilities. Sample releases are shown below.
A release may be oral, or implied from the conduct of the parties. Although such oral arrangements may be legally binding, it's better to put it in writing. (For more about why agreements should be in writing, see Artists' Contracts: Agreements for Visual and Media Aritsts.)

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Model Releases