A Digital Photographer's
Guide to Model Releases: Making the Best Business Decisions with Your Photos of
People, Places and Things
Reviewed by Dr. Eric Flescher
![](digitalguidemodelreleases_files/image003.png)
Author: Dan Heller
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
111 River Street
Hoboken, NY 0703
Released: March 31, 2008
Pages: 288
$30 USD, $33 CND
ISBN-10: 0470228563
ISBN-13: 9780470228562 |
![](digitalguidemodelreleases_files/image007.jpg)
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Strengths: Comprehensive information about model releases. Full color and additional
hints abound through the book. Excellent model photographshighlight nice examples.Vertical tabs at the side of each
page highlight main part of the section. Nice yellow like sticky notes are
strategically placed throughout the book and the pages, to portray tips and
highlight specific concerns or ideas that are relevant to the chapter/ pages
or text.
Weaknesses: None.
Novice/Intermediate/Advanced |
Introduction
Taking photos of people,
places and many types of visuals for publication, is
commonplace. However, in
many lines of work, the necessity and use of model release forms is
misunderstood, to say the least.Sometimes the nuances are not quite understood or well defined in many
cases, by photographers or the places of business themselves. The book, "A Digital Photographer's Guide to Model Releases", helps to clarify the meaning
of much of the process and update advanced in print media and more in recent
years.
The author has been a
freelance photographer and photo industry analyst. His works have been featured
in publications from news and business media to fine arts books. This book is
the result of over five years of his research to model releases. He is well
versed in the changing trends that have transformed books, the press, music and
much more,in recent years.His knowledge is transmitted to this
book in a very readable and understandable way.
The seven-part book covers a
wide range of important topics within its 288 pages. The titles of the parts of
the book highlight the necessity of model releases. These are: Everyone’s doing
it; So what’s wrong; What’s a model release; Understanding “use”; Analyzing the
need for a model release;Dealing
with photos of property; The business of Licensing. The book makes it much
easier to clarify when releases are needed and not needed.What buyers need in the way of model
releases, and those who don't need releases are summarized. Also included is
information for marketing and licensing all your photos, whether they have been
released or not. Also the author does the best he can in accumulating years of
information and distilling helpful information in one book.
The book is relevant to those
in the United States and abroad. The author helps to define in clear terms,
what should be initiated and followed through, under many situations and
circumstances. He is clear and concise so that misinformation does not occur
and clarity of the releases are understood. The well-illustrated text is a very
comprehensive book available on the subject, covering everything you would to
know about model releases. The releases pertain to people, places and
additional circumstances. Much has changes in light of a photographer's role in
the creation of photographs that may be uses on or in conjunction with the
Internet, with digital photography. newspapers, books and magazines.
Conclusions
This important book is both
insightful and a pleasure to read and understand. The book is useful for
everyone from professionaphotographers, whose work involves photography, to those amateur
photographerswho take vacation
pictures on vacation, take photos of at their children' s teams/games, schools
or more. This book also includes information about models themselves and what
they can learn about their rights concerning how they can protect themselves
and when that is not possible.
The importance of this book is highlighted by
the fact that a well known technology firm “stole” (or should we say “did not
secure properly”), music from my daughter’s business/ firm. Whether it was on
purpose or not, she had to set them straight and went through the proper
channels. This was an interesting event and it served to highlight what should
and needs to be done. In addition, a firm in Africa wanted to use one of my
photographs for their greeting cards. To make a long story short, I had to
findthat person and that firm
after they used my photographs,as
the individual did not forward my payment. If I would have had the information
from this book, I would have known the proper course of action to protect the
transaction.
This book would have let me know in advance, the proper
procedures, so that the situation would have not occurred. Now I am better
prepared. And you will be too if you read this well-prepared book.
Whether you are in business, work with
photographs at your home, business or use photos for personal use or involved
in possible interactions with businesses, schools or more, this book is well
worth reading. There is something to be said for knowing and understandingyour rights, as well as the rights of
clients and businesses and anything that relates with and dealing with
photography and photorgaphs.That
way you can make the best decision about your photographs that possibly will
end up in businesses, books or elsewhere.