Tip #14
Photo releases
When should you use a photo release?
Not everyone in this class will be working on sites that are part of University of Arizona webspace. The policy I am describing here relates to University of Arizona persons, but if you are with another university, you might want to see if they don't have a similar policy.
We will be covering graphic basics in Lesson 4. A common type of graphic put on websites are photographs. If you plan to put up "work related" websites, not a personal homepage, there is a University of Arizona policy that photos of people where the face is clearly recognizable and the person is not a public figure (like the University President) should not be used in printed materials nor on a website without permission of the person.
If you are going to use a photo of a person in which the face is clearly recognizable, the University's Attorneys' Office advises that you get a photo release signed by the individual, or by the guardian if the person is under 18 years of age. If possible, try to indicate how the photo will be used, i.e., in a department newsletter, in a college publication, on a website, or word the release to indicate various ways the photo could be used. It is especially important to get a written photo release if you plan to use photos of University of Arizona students, minors, or non-employees, but it is a good practice even for photos of University employees.
Why all the fuss about photos? The University here has been sued at least by students who had their photo used in a printed document without the students' permission. That I know for a fact. I don't know if there have been cases based on web photo uses, but it makes sense there could be. So this is a precaution, but a precaution you need to take seriously.
| These are examples of photos where individual faces are not clear. | ||
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These are photos showing the face of at least one person. It is advisable to get release forms for such photos, particularly if they are photos of students, minors, or non-employees. |
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These are copies of the release forms, recommended by the University of Arizona Attorneys' Office:
Why use photo releases?
Perhaps more as a matter of community courtesy than of law, we should extend to our students, coworkers, volunteers and community contacts the opportunity of knowing in advance where their image will likely appear. This is even more important now, due to the potential for repeated use of stock photos for other purposes, and because of the possibility of distribution of a particular photo on the web, with wider distribution than the individual subject would have imagined. Web photos, unlike photos in printed documents, can be downloaded and more easily reused by third parties. It is best practice, therefore, that any identifiable use of an individual photo through institutional publications or promotional efforts include use of a signed written release. These releases should be kept on file in your office. When in doubt, the best rule of thumb is to seek consent before using a photo of a readily identifiable individual.
These tips are created as part of a class on Dreamweaver Basics.