Usage rights in modeling: meaning, example and tips

How it works

The same frame can be used very differently: only in an online shop, on social media, on billboards or in a TV advert. The broader the use, the higher the fee, so on advertising jobs it often exceeds the day rate itself.

Usage is described in three dimensions: channels (online, print, outdoor, TV), territory (one country, Europe, worldwide) and time (one year, for instance). When the term ends, the client must stop using the material or pay for an extension.

Digital replicas, where new images are generated from a model's pictures with artificial intelligence, are a separate matter. They need separate written consent and separate payment.

In practice

E-commerce pictures are agreed for use only on the client's website for one year. Six months later the model sees her picture on a poster in a shopping centre. She photographs it and sends it to her booker. The agency contacts the client, the client pays an extra fee for outdoor use, and the model receives it after commission.

What to watch for

The confirmation should state channels, territory and term.
If you see your picture somewhere that was not agreed, tell your agency.
"Unlimited" means you are selling the rights for good.

Related terms

Money and rightsBuyoutA buyout is a one-off fee with which a client buys in advance the right to use the pictures in set channels, a territory and a period.Money and rightsModel releaseA model release is a document signed by the model that allows the photographer or client to use pictures of them in the stated way.Money and rightsDay rateThe day rate is what the client pays for a model's working day, usually eight hours; the half-day rate covers four.Money and rightsDigital replicaA digital replica is a computer-generated or AI-enhanced version of a model that can be used to create new pictures or video without the model.Types of work and modelsCampaignA campaign is a brand's seasonal advertising: pictures and video used in stores, online, in magazines and on billboards.

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

01What happens when the usage period ends?

The client must stop using the material or agree an extension and pay for it.

02Is usage paid on a magazine shoot?

Usually not: editorial pictures are used only in the publication and its channels. Using them in advertising is a separate agreement.

Usage rights