Hi everyone,

How does the typical relationship work between models and photographers - is it typical to sign an agreement before working together? How do you ensure you are legally protected and you will be paid?

Or Is everyone just trusting in good faith of people?

Thank you!

I'll suggest a couple of answers...

1)  Personally, for small scale shoots I have the model do the ID and related paperwork, including the model release (but WITHOUT signature) right before the shoot starts.  That ensures there are no unexpected surprises at the end related to the model release, proof of age / ID, etc.  Then once the shoot wraps, the model is paid when she signs the model release.

I.E.  No one can use the photos if she's not paid and, after the shoot, she won't be paid without signing the model release.  This arrangement is often, but not always, used for small scale shoots.

2)  As has been previously pointed out by a number of people (when this question has been asked), things certainly change if it is a larger scale shoot.  That's one with a larger team, and/or commercial interests at play, etc.  Often the model will be asked to sign everything before the shoot, to make sure that once major expenses and commitments are involved, there's no last minute change of heart or sudden demands "for more money", etc, before signing a model release at the end.  Plus payment methods are likely to change if there's an agency involved, etc.

In summary, there's no single "general" answer.  Different people handle it differently, and the "norms" often vary depending on what area you are in and what the situation is.

However, no matter what the situation, you'll discover that there's still a certain amount of "Two Way Trust" required.  There are just too many ways that either party can come up with that can mess up the other.  So when you're asked to work with somebody new, do your homework and, of course, listen to your gut when something just doesn't feel right.

At the beginning of the shoot, on site. Payment at the end of shoot.

Its not optimized for satisfying everyone without trust, its optimized for "not forgetting". its way worse to forget to do a release form at all. So pushing that to the front, and some people pushing that far before that, are what they are reacting to.

Some people will waste your time, try to avoid that by getting inputs from other people in the industry (references). Its not a perfect process.