How to fill in a model release that stock agencies accept

1. What a model release is and when you need one

A model release is the document in which a person who appears in your photos or videos authorises their commercial use. Without it, agencies reject the content for commercial use or, at best, accept it only as editorial.

You need one for every recognisable person: by their face, but also by a tattoo, their silhouette, distinctive clothing or the context. Shutterstock even requires one for self-portraits and warns that partially visible faces or silhouettes may count as identifiable.

2. What details a model release includes

Each agency has its own form, but almost all ask for the same:

Some forms add optional boxes (for example ethnicity or gender). They are voluntary: the model decides whether to fill them in.

3. Step by step at the shoot

1. Pick the agency's form. The safest option is each agency's official form in the model's language.
2. Fill in your details and the shoot details before you start, so the model only completes their own.
3. Let the model read the whole text before signing. It's their authorisation: they need to understand what they grant.
4. The model completes their details and signs, legibly and without leaving required fields empty.
5. You sign and, if the form asks for it, so does the witness. Signatures must be dated.
6. Take the reference photo if the form has that box.
7. Keep a copy and send another to the model. When you upload, attach the release to each image in the agency's portal.

4. Mistakes that cause rejections

• The shoot date doesn't match the photo dates. Shutterstock requires the dates on the release to match the photo dates.
• Empty or illegible fields (name, date of birth, signature).
• One release for several people, or several releases stitched into one image. Adobe Stock doesn't accept them.
• Undated signatures.
• The witness is the model or the photographer on forms that require a witness.
• A minor without a parent's or guardian's signature.
• Wrong upload format. Shutterstock asks for each release as a JPEG of up to 20 MB, one per file.

• One release per person: complete, legible, with dated signatures and the same shoot date as the photos.

5. What each agency asks for

Shutterstock

• A release for every recognisable person, self-portraits included.
• All fields filled in legibly and accurately; dates that match the photos.
• Upload as JPEG (up to 20 MB), each release separately.

Adobe Stock

• One release per person; no group releases or digitally combined forms.
• Clearly dated signatures.
• The witness can't be the model or the photographer.
• Minors: a parent or guardian signs; when possible, the other parent signs as witness.

iStock / Getty Images and others

• Use the agency's form and complete every section, including the witness and reference photo when the form has them.
• Depositphotos, Pond5, Dreamstime, Vecteezy, 123RF and Alamy have their own forms with similar requirements.

Requirements change: before uploading, check each agency's contributor help (Shutterstock, Adobe Stock). This guide is for information only and is not legal advice.

6. Models under 18

If the model was a minor when the photos were taken, their parent or legal guardian signs, with their name and relationship to the minor. Several agencies have a dedicated minor release form. If you photograph your own child, you sign twice: as the photographer and as the parent.

7. What about property releases?

A property release is the authorisation from the owner of a recognisable place or object (a house, an interior, an artwork, an animal…). It includes the description and address of the property, the owner's or authorised representative's details and signature, and your details and signature. For editorial content without commercial use, iStock also has an editorial consent form.

8. FAQ