I posted this on the DT forum but haven't had any responses. Would love to hear the opinions of folks here...
I was having a discussion with a photographer yesterday evening that does a lot of model work. I expressed my general concerns with model releases, sensitivity issues, usage, etc., etc. and he had in interesting idea.
It appears that this particular photographer includes a buyout clause for his models on his releases. He obtains a release as any photographer would, but he includes a paragraph in the release that each photo produced can be taken off the market should the model decide to change his/her mind about the release. The standard price to purchase all rights (copyrights included) to each image is $1,000 per photo as compensation for the time it took to initially take the photo, post-process, etc., etc. Naturally, if the image has already been sold, then the model understands s/he has no control over that.
I thought this was an interesting concept and have been thinking about it a lot. On one hand, there is an "out" for the model. On the other hand, I wonder if from a legal standpoint, the buyout clause can be construed as a form of blackmail towards the model.
Would love to hear about any opinions or experiences anyone has relating to the idea.
Thanks.