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Model releases for spouses


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I suspect I know the "correct" way forward here... but I'll ask what other people do anyway...

 

I only tend to ask model releases from family or very close friends. Photos of other people I tend to leave unreleased and therefore licensed as RM for editorial use. I use a little app on my iPad (Easy Release) to generate model releases. The app needs the model to sign and then someone to countersign (although I think you can turn this off). With my own children (who are young), I sign as their parent on their behalf and my wife countersigns. But when it comes to photos of my wife, she obviously signs for herself.. but as the photographer, I shouldn't be the one to countersign (in theory). As I tend to do Alamy uploading, keywording and the likes in an evening after my day job, I don't tend to think about getting these model releases sorted out at other times when there might be someone else available to countersign my wife's photos.

 

So my question is essentially, how much do people "bend the rules" with regards to countersigning model releases for images of a spouse? I'm very happily married (yes, we have our ups and downs.. but don't all couples?) ... so I would like to think that whatever life has in store for me and my family, we would never find ourselves in a position where my wife was about to sue me for the use of one of her images.

 

So what do other people do.. stick rigidly to "the rules" and get a third person to countersign their spouses photos or bend the rules and not worry too much about the countersigning?

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Why shouldn't you countersign? You're the photographer.

 

I thought countersigning as the photographer was a no-no. It kind of makes countersigning a bit irrelevant... if it was "allowed", why wouldn't I countersign for every model release for one of my own images regardless of who the model is? ... meaning that essentially then only the model's signature becomes of any relevance.

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Get a model release. You have no idea how quickly your spouse can become your worst enemy in case of a divorce. I was happily married for a number of years, then I was fighting him in court for another number of years. You never know.  :( Be on the safe side.

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I use Alamy's suggested form for model releases and there is no space for countersigning. There is just space for the model and photographer to sign. So Alamy don't need it countersigned.

 

You said you think you can turn that option off, so I'd be tempted to do that.

 

Geoff.

Maybe getting releases countersigned is a good idea?

 

http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/national/woman-suing-chipotle-for-more-than-2-billion-over-use-of-photo

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