So... here is a cautionary tale for you! Model releases are not just nice to have, they are in fact, essential. Here is a perfect example… when I was doing a series of covers a while back for DC Comics, I needed to cast a young Leonardo da Vinci. I went to agencies, health food restaurants, etc and could not find the perfect long haired man. At the time, the climate was much more about short hair for men. Just as I was about to give up, I remembered my old upstairs neighbor from college. I found the negatives and ran him by DC. They were immediately impressed and gave me the go ahead. Unfortunately, that is WAY before I cared about anything as trivial as a model release . So at that point, the photograph was worthless, legal would NEVER run the image without it! Fortunately, I was able to track him down from the school's Alumni office and he agreed to sign. I was VERY lucky and it all worked out but many photographer's have NOT been this fortunate. They have resorted to everything from forging a model's signature, to lying about securing a release. Do NOT put yourself in this kind of a position! Not securing a release can cost you everything from being included in an exhibition, to having your work published. Bottom line, get one… even if you don'y think you will ever need it!
Here he is, twenty years later and nowadays... with Photoshop compositing, you never know what you might use in the creation of your art !
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