The legal side of things...
The photographer, being the creator, becomes the copyright owner for the pictures.
The model, being the subject of the pictures, holds a personal right for the pictures.
Basically that means neither of the two can legally publish the pictures without the consent of the other!
That explains why we need some sort of legal contract to be able to do anything with the pictures apart from gazing at them home alone. This contract is usually called a "Model Release" and can come in varying forms - depending on the form of collaboration between model and photographer. We will never do any shooting without such a Model Release in written form.
We will try to dig a bit further in this in the following paragraphs. But be aware: This is not legal advice and not meant to be taken as such. We just want to give you hands-on simple explanations.
Case 1 - The photographer pays a professional model for a shooting
The contract will basically allow the photographer to publish the pictures - but not the model
The use case for this collaboration is usually magazine, catalog or any other form of commercial imaging work. In this case the photographer will usually pay ALL the expenses for the shooting (travel, catering, studio & equipment rentals, make-up artists/stylists, assistants etc.) plus the model's fee.
Therefore the photographer is granted the right to publish the pictures - optionally with certain restrictions on location, usage, media type and duration in place. The model being purely a service provider in this case will not receive any pictures and consequentially may not publish the pictures on his/her/their own behalf.
This is a form of collaboration that we are using to a certain extent.
Case 2 - The model pays a professional photographer for a shooting
The contract will basically allow the model to publish the pictures - but not the photographer
A typical scenario for such a collaboration would be wedding photography or the like. In this case the model/subject will usually pay MOST of the expenses for the shooting (travel, catering, make-up artists/stylists etc. but not studio & equipment rentals and such) plus the photographers and assistants fees.
Therefore the model is granted the right to publish the pictures - optionally with certain restrictions on location, usage, media type and duration in place. The photographer being purely a service provider in this case may not publish the pictures on her own behalf. (Often he or she will be granted a limited right to showcase the pictures on her website, in her shop etc.)
We are happy to offer you this form of collaboration.
Case 3 - No one pays any money! TFP-Shooting (Time for Prints/Pictures)
The contract will basically allow the photographer & model (in restricted ways) to publish the pictures
In this case the model and photographer decide to collaborate to gain a certain result together - great pictures. (More often than not without a pre-determined commercial use of the pictures.)
The model does not pay for the photographer, while the model's fee is paid in pictures.
The photographer is granted the right to publish the pictures - optionally with certain restrictions on location, usage, media type and duration in place. The model receives a specified number of pictures and is granted the right to publish those pictures in a limited way, e.g. on their social media or for their sed card etc.
This form of collaboration is driven by the desire to create something beautiful together - while having fun doing so. Therefore we are happy to do TFP-shootings. Contact us with your ideas!
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