Getting Permission to Use Photos

To use a photo for your chapter’s public website or promotional material such as flyers, you need to get a release (a form of written permission) from the photographer and each person in the photo. The release can be requested and granted via email; no physical signature is required.

Some chapters create Facebook pages to recruit singers and to promote their services. If you plan to post photos of chapter activities that include pictures of members, please get their written approval before doing so. You may want to ask for written general approval for posting pictures of members on social media, rather than asking each time you want to post. Please respect the wishes of those who decline. (NEVER post photos of clients or their families.)

Here is some suggested text that you can send in emails to the photographer and people in photos. Attach a copy of the specific photo to each email.

Photographer’s Release

I grant Threshold Choir permission to use this photographic image that I made, or any modification of this image, on the thresholdchoir.org website, brochure, and any other Threshold Choir promotional materials without restriction or compensation.  I hereby release Threshold Choir from all claims and liability relating to this photograph. My affirmative reply to this email message shall constitute a valid signature.

Photographic Model Release

I grant Threshold Choir permission to use this photograph of me, or any modification of this photograph, on the thresholdchoir.org website, brochure, and any other Threshold Choir promotional materials without restriction.  I hereby release Threshold Choir from all claims and liability relating to this photograph. My affirmative reply to this email message shall constitute a valid signature.

When releases are granted, save them in a permanent record, so they can be referenced in the distant future.

We will archive releases for photos actually used on the website. We can also help you find photos that don’t need permission, such as those collected in Wikimedia Commons. If you want to use a photo by a commercial photographer, we can also work with you and the photographer to find out what their conditions of use are. Just contact us by email.