Model Release. You have probably heard the term many times before and it is perhaps something you are already very familiar with. Or maybe it is something you are not familiar with at all, but you feel you should be.

Either way, the recent advent of digital model release apps has revolutionized a process that was often challenging for commercial photographers to stay on top of in the past.

So what is a model release and why do we need to even bother with them in the first place?

A model release is simply a granting of legal permission (also known in photography as “rights”) to commercially publish a photograph you have taken of another person or group of people. And without the other person(s) signing over the right to publish their photo then you, as a photographer, have very limited rights as to what you are permitted to legally do with the photograph even though it is legally your photograph and your copyrighted work.

Legally speaking, your rights without a signed model release signed by the subject(s), only permits you to use the photograph for editorial purposes in books, newspapers and magazines. Editorial meaning publishing a photograph to illustrate an article in a newspaper or magazine or as journalism, tell a story through imagery, or maybe just to show the image in a photography book.

What you can’t do with the photo though is publish the photo in any way as to present, sell, or advertise a product or service, which is also known as commercial usage. So without the right to use the photograph commercially it is far more limited in its use and is less valuable as an image in general.

But once the subject signs a model release then pretty much all forms of commercial use are usually granted to the photographer as long as use of the imagery does not defame the subject appearing in the photo. So, typically, most photographers who shoot in public places or on the go where they come across candid photo opportunities with people in them, will usually carry some type of blank model release form in their bag just in case they snap something of interest and a person happens to appear in the photo. Then, if the photographer wants the right to use the photo commercially in the future, they can use the image anytime if they have that signed model release on hand for that photo.

But carrying around model release forms can be tedious. Often photographers forget to bring them along, they run out of forms in their bag, they get lost, destroyed, or misplaced after being signed by the subject, and etc.

I can also remember times in the past taking someone’s photo, not getting a model release signed by the person at the time, and then later thinking I wish I had gotten a model release signed for the photo so that I could use it now for a particular purpose. And often the person in the photo can be someone who you won’t know how to contact again in the future (even if you wanted to) to ask them to sign a model release later. So it is always best to get a model release signed right when you capture the photograph.

Nowadays, none of that is a worry anymore though. Companies have created smart phone and tablet based model release apps which already are pre-configured with standard forms and wording and where you can preload all your own personal details into the app so that it is quick and easy to use on the go.

And if you have one of these apps then all you have to do is put in the person’s details and have the subject sign their name with a digital stylus pen either on your smart phone or tablet screen and you are done. Then you just email a copy of the completed form to both yourself and the subject from the digital model release app and everyone has an instant copy of the signed form on file.

Personally, I don’t do so much shooting outside the studio these days where I really need to use model releases on the go like before, but digital model release apps are also very handy to use to quickly have a model sign one in the studio during a shoot as well.

The particular app I use on my iPhone is called Easy Release, which can also be used on an iPad. Plus, Easy Release is also available for Android based smart phones and tablets. I chose this digital model release app because it is generally accepted by most photo agencies, the forms are pretty comprehensive with industry standard wording, and the app can display the form in a selection of languages. But if you look around you will find a number of other model release apps are also available and in various price ranges and formats to choose from.

The great thing is if you have an app like this on your smart phone like I do then you will always have a model release in your pocket ready to go at any moment and you will never be caught without one again.