I am pleased to have a guest today who is NOT a photographer. John Corcoran is a lawyer, writer, podcaster, and former letter writer at the White House and the California governor’s office. He specializes in helping small business entrepreneurs grow their businesses on his site Smart Business Revolution.
Photography and the law – protecting yourself
Have you ever wondered about any legal aspects of doing photography? John answers many of these questions and more in the video:
- When is it okay to take a photo? When it is NOT okay?
- Differences between public and private property?
- Do you need a model release if you just put photos on facebook?
- What is the difference between commercial use and editorial or fine art?
- Can you sell photos if you don’t have a model release?
- What are your liabilities as an amateur photographer? What sort of dangers could you be opening yourself up to?
LINKS MENTIONED IN THE INTERVIEW
Apps for making a model release on a smart phone
The one I use is iPhone Contract Maker – gives you a few basic templates and allows you to import text from your own contracts if you already use paper ones. It’s simple to use and set up and will email a copy of the release to you and your model after it is signed.
There are a few others available (I haven’t used them so can’t comment):
- Release Me by Joey L
- Easy Release
- Top Model Release by Catherine Hall
A recent discussion I had with some photographers about watermarking photos
How to Watermark your photos – if you want to add them to help protect and label your images online as yours
Here’s a link to my Peru fundraising efforts that I talked about. With the help of my calendar and my Blurb book I was able to send over $500 back to Peru to help the kids there.
About John Corcoran
John Corcoran has worked in Hollywood, in the Clinton White House, as a Speechwriter to the Governor of California, and is now an attorney working with small businesses and entrepreneurs in the San Francisco Bay Area. He frequently writes about the interplay between politics and business, and his writing has appeared in Forbes, The Huffington Post and The San Francisco Chronicle. He is also the creator of Smart Business Revolution where you can learn how to network like a politician and other entrepreneurial skills.
Where to find John Corcoran online
- Google Plus
- Smart Business Revolution website
- Smart Business Revolution podcast
- Twitter @johncorcoran
If you have questions for John you can reach him via any of the above links, or post your question in the comments section below and I’ll make sure they get answered.
Cheers, Darlene
