Photo release form template

When to use it

Use this release when you photograph or film an adult who can be recognized and you plan to publish or sell the result: a portfolio shoot, staff photos for a website, a customer story, a video interview, pictures from a workshop. Get it signed before the shoot or at the latest before the first use.

As written, the form gives broad permission: any medium, edits allowed, no end date. If you agreed on something narrower, for example only your own website for two years, write that into the sections on where the Materials may be used and on duration before you send it.

What to fill in before you send it

The signer can only add a signature, their full name and the date. Every other blank has to be filled in by you before you upload the PDF. Use any PDF editor, or copy the text into your own document and save it as PDF.

• Your name or business name, address and email (the Requester).
• The shoot or event, its date and place, so it is clear which photos are covered.
• Limits on where the Materials may be used, or leave the line empty for any medium.
• What the person gets in return: a fee, copies of the photos, or nothing.
• How they want to be credited, if at all.
• An end date, if any, and the email address for requests to stop using the Materials.
• The country or state whose law governs the release.

Delete clauses you do not need rather than leaving them blank.

Fields to place in SignClearly

Upload the filled-in PDF (see how to send a PDF for signature) and place three fields on the lines at the end of the form:

• Signature on the Signature line.
• Full name on the Full name line.
• Date on the Date line.

SignClearly fills in the full name and the date at the moment of signing. The signer draws the signature, reviews the final PDF and confirms. The certificate page at the end of the signed file records their email address and the time and IP address of each step.

When it matters who signs, add an access code and give it to the person by phone or chat, not by email. They enter it before the form opens.

You can also require an ID check. The signer shows an ID document and takes a selfie, the name on the ID must match the name you entered, and the result is an advanced electronic signature (AES). See SES vs AES vs QES for the difference.

What it does not cover

• Children. A person below the age of majority usually cannot give this permission alone. Use a version written for a parent or guardian to sign.
• Several people in one shoot. Each person signs their own copy: SignClearly sends each document to one signer.
• Buildings, venues and artwork. Permission to photograph someone's property or work is a separate question.
• A paid modeling job with detailed terms. Use a full contract for that.
• Data protection. In the EU and the UK, data protection law may give the person more rights over their image than the form states, such as withdrawing consent.