A Collection of Free Sample Legal Forms for Photographers

Michael Zhang

If you’re looking to make money from your photography, it’s important to have the correct legal forms signed by the correct people, whether it’s releases by models that pose for you or contracts with gallery owners who will sell your work. To get you started in figuring out what your contract needs to say, legal contract service Docracy offers samples of some of the most common and important legal forms that photographers use.

The documents were written by professional photographers, photography associations, and lawyers for photographers in the United States.

While you might need a lawyer’s help in polishing and customizing the forms for your specific purposes, each one contains basic drafts of three critical agreements: the services you’ll be providing, the amount you’ll be paid for those services, and who owns the copyright of the photographs produced.

Here’s a list of the forms offered. Click each screenshot to be taken to the full printable form:

Model Release

This is a sample Model Release used in connection with a sales/marketing campaign for an e-commerce website. Photographer/Company friendly,

Minor Model Release

This is a model release for a minor to be signed by his/her parent or guardian, granting rights to the model’s image as specified.

Portrait Photography Agreement

This is an agreement between a photographer and a client for portrait photography to be shot during a session or an event.

Contract for Wedding Photography Services

An agreement used for wedding photography services.

Music Artist Portrait Session

This is a contract between a photographer and a major recording artist, with the photographer hired to take photographs of the artist for a specific publication. Warning: This contract has several photographer unfriendly clauses

Gallery Contract for Sale of Photography

This is a contract between a photographer and a gallery in which the photographer consigns to the gallery certain works and the gallery agrees to offer the works for sale.

Contract for the Sale of Fine Art Photography

This is a contract between a photographer and a buyer for the sale of fine art photography to the buyer.

Licensing Contract to Merchandise Images

This is a contract through which an artist grants an organization or person the merchandising rights to an image or artwork belonging to the artist for use in specified types of merchandise.

(via Docracy via Reddit)

Image credits: Just Sign This Release by garryknight, Model Release signed – “before the shoot” by Vox Efx

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