Image releases in a photographer's work
When you need consent to use someone's image
Every publication of a photo in which a person can be recognised is dissemination of their image. A portfolio on a website, an Instagram post, a photo in a flyer or at an exhibition all require that person's permission (Polish Copyright Act, Art. 81(1)). This also applies to a session the client paid for: the payment goes from the client to the photographer, so the exception for people who were paid for posing does not apply.
You do not need consent when the person is only a detail of a larger whole (a participant in a gathering, a passer-by in a landscape) or when they are a well-known person photographed in connection with a public role. In client work these exceptions almost never come up, so it is simpler to always have consent.
What a release must contain
Who gives it and to whom, which photos it covers (date and place of the session), the purposes the image may be used for, for how long, and whether it is paid. The more specific it is, the fewer disputes: "portfolio on the website and Instagram" is better than "all promotional purposes".
An image is personal data, so the release needs a GDPR notice: who the controller is, the legal basis for processing (Art. 6(1)(a)), for how long, what rights the person photographed has, and that consent can be withdrawn. This generator inserts that clause automatically.
Image release for a child
A parent or legal guardian signs for the child. Publishing a child's image is often treated as a significant matter, so when there are two parents it is safer to get both signatures. A teenager can also sign, which builds trust, but this does not replace the parent's signature.
For newborn and children's sessions, leave the option to publish without a name ticked and do not add commercial purposes. A parent who sees a short, specific release signs it more willingly than a broad clause.
Image release and the photography contract
The session contract governs the service: date, price, number of photos and the client's licence. An image release is a separate declaration by the person photographed and can be part of the contract or a separate document, for example when the photos show people who did not sign the contract (family, guests, a model).
Store the release with the photos. In Picvelo you can save it in a note on the client, next to the session gallery, and know years later which photos you may show in your portfolio.