Ethics & Model Releases

Gideon Mendel, Florence Abraham, Igbogene, Bayelsa State, Nigeria, November 2012

...in response to today's conversation about ethics and model releases:

Firstly, here is a link to a simple, easily modified Model Release:

• Pocket Model Release

...and here is another template, along with a helpful article about copyright and privacy:

• Model Release Form Template

Finally, here is a general guideline for Ethical Behavior for Image-makers (borrowed from Amy Finkel, with thanks!). It's geared towards filmmakers in particular, but is just as applicable to still photographers and time-based media artists:

ETHICS / RECORDING HUMAN BEHAVIOR

• A filmmaker is representative of the social, political and economic interests of others
• Should represent others with sensitivity to their own ideas of identity
• There should be informed consent, consider how much your subjects know about your project
• How much input and control do they have over their own representation
• What does it take to record human behavior in a way that most successfully reveals the truth?
• Prepare carefully, select the crew and the equipment that will do the best job
  careful prep should lead you to a location where you have a high probability of shooting the behavior you're seeking
• Trust & credibility (with subjects & audience)
• The ability to discard preconceptions & plan for the unexpected
• An understanding of how what is being shot relates to the edited film that will be made
• The ability to be inconspicuous, non-interfering
• To allow people to act differently in different situations (this is more naturalistic, their behavior will remain consistent with their beliefs about themselves and their place in the world)
• Don't worry about behavior that happens off camera, shrug off a missed shot
• Be active in the process of selection and decision making
• What you point the camera at
• How you shoot the subject matter (angle, framing, lighting)
• When you turn the camera off and on

...and as an industry-specific counterpoint, take a look at the National Press Photographers Association Code of Ethics, found here.

It's an important conversation and I appreciate your openness to having it.