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Photo release form template

Ask before you publish anyone’s photo: a yes or no for each place it could appear, whether to name them, and a parent’s signature for under-18s.

11 questions · about 2 min · logic · e-signature · prefill from the link

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Name of the person in the photos (required)

Is this person under 18? (required)

Class, group or event (required)

What you get back

Every response lands in your results the moment it is sent. Turn on email notifications and each one arrives like this, and the same answers become a row in your spreadsheet.

From PulseFormCreator

Subject New response to Photo and video release

Name of the person in the photos
Leo Martin
Is this person under 18?
Yes
Parent or guardian’s name
Sarah Martin
Your relationship to them
Parent
Class, group or event
Year 4 – Ms Okafor
Email
sarah.martin@example.com

and 3 more answers

A sample email with made-up answers.
submitted_atName of the person in the photosIs this person under 18?Parent or guardian’s nameYour relationship to themClass, group or event
2026-09-22T09:41:00.000ZLeo MartinYesSarah MartinParentYear 4 – Ms Okafor

The first 6 of 25 columns. Export to CSV or Excel, or send each response to Google Sheets, Notion, Airtable, Slack or a webhook as it arrives, all on the free plan. The answers above are made up.

What this form asks, and why

The last column shows how many of the 30 real photo release forms we read ask the same thing.

Question Why it is there Real forms
Name of the person in the photos Required Staff match the answer to a face before anything goes out. 26 of 30 forms
Is this person under 18? Required Opens the parent questions only for children, instead of a date of birth. 4 of 30 forms
Parent or guardian’s name Required Only when “Is this person under 18?” is Yes 67% of forms have one. In New York, a child’s picture in advertising needs a parent’s written consent. 20 of 30 forms
Your relationship to them Required Only when “Is this person under 18?” is Yes Shows the person signing has the authority to. 20 of 30 forms
Class, group or event Required Tells the office which list the answer belongs to. A link with ?event= fills it in. 7 of 30 forms
Email Required Where a change of mind comes from. 10 of 30 forms
Where may we use photos and videos of them? Required One yes or no per place, not one blanket grant. 15 of 30 forms work this way, almost all of them British. 15 of 30 forms
May we use their name with a photo? Required Only when “Where may we use photos and videos of them?” is yes Face and name are separate permissions; 19 of 30 forms deal with naming. Hidden when every place is a no. 19 of 30 forms
Is there a reason they must not be photographed at all? Lets a parent flag a custody or safeguarding issue quietly. Only 1 of 30 forms asks directly. 1 of 30 forms
Your choice Required An unticked box the signer ticks. 2 of 30 forms still count an unreturned form as a yes. 17 of 30 forms
Signature Required 26 of 30 forms are signed. The response records when. 26 of 30 forms

What we left out

  • A release of all claims. 9 of 30 forms include one, all North American. It belongs on a model release, not on a consent people can withdraw.
  • Home address and phone. 8 of 30 forms ask for an address and 11 of 30 forms for a phone. Neither is needed to record consent.
  • A date beside the signature. 26 of 30 forms have one. Every response is stamped with the time it was sent.

What 30 real photo release forms ask

In September 2026 we read 30 photo release forms that organisations use today (UK 15, US 13, Australia 1, Canada 1) and recorded every field. This is how often each one appears. It is part of the Form Field Index.

  1. Date beside the signature 87% (26 of 30 forms)
  2. Name of the person photographed 87% (26 of 30 forms)
  3. Signature line or e-signature 87% (26 of 30 forms)
  4. Parent or guardian details 67% (20 of 30 forms)
  5. Whether the person is named 63% (19 of 30 forms)
  6. Consent statement 57% (17 of 30 forms)
  7. Where the images will appear 57% (17 of 30 forms)
  8. A yes or no per use 50% (15 of 30 forms)
  9. How long consent lasts 50% (15 of 30 forms)
  10. How to withdraw 47% (14 of 30 forms)
  11. Cites a privacy law 43% (13 of 30 forms)
  12. How images are stored or deleted 37% (11 of 30 forms)
The 30 forms we read
  1. White Pass School District · school district, US
  2. U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration · federal agency, US
  3. HOSA-Future Health Professionals · student organisation, US
  4. After School Kicks (Pinellas Park, FL) · after-school programme, US
  5. Burlington Infant and Nursery School (New Malden) · primary school, UK
  6. Highfields Primary School (Leicester) · primary school, UK
  7. Oak Bank School · school, UK
  8. Trumps Green Infant School · infant school, UK
  9. Wembrook Primary School · primary school, UK
  10. St John's C.E. Primary School (Stockport) · primary school, UK
  11. Australian Science Teachers Association · professional association, Australia
  12. Federal Bar Association · professional association, US
  13. St Michael's CE (C) Primary School (Lichfield) · primary school, UK
  14. City of Dallas Park and Recreation Department · city parks department, US
  15. University of Southern California · university, US
  16. California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) · state agency, US
  17. Momentum Children's Charity · children's charity, UK
  18. LiveWest Homes Limited · housing association, UK
  19. Museums Worcestershire · museum service, UK
  20. Barts Charity · hospital charity, UK
  21. University of Michigan Children on Campus · university youth programmes, US
  22. The Janus School · private school, US
  23. Nevada Volunteers (Governor's Commission on Service) · state service commission, US
  24. de Stafford School (GLF Schools) · secondary school, UK
  25. Sport for Life Society · nonprofit, Canada
  26. Motor Neurone Disease Association · charity, UK
  27. Warwick District Council · local council, UK
  28. Royal Horticultural Society · charity, UK
  29. William & Sheila Konar Foundation · foundation, US
  30. Edgenuity Inc. · education technology company, US

How the form changes as people answer

Most people see a shorter form. These questions and screens only appear when an answer calls for them.

  1. When “Is this person under 18?” is Yes

    shows “Parent or guardian’s name”, “Your relationship to them”

  2. When “Where may we use photos and videos of them?” is press:yes

    shows “A note”

  3. When “Where may we use photos and videos of them?” is yes

    shows “May we use their name with a photo?”

  4. When “Where may we use photos and videos of them?” is not yes

    shows the “We have recorded that no photos of … will be used” ending

  5. At the end

    shows one of 2 thank-you screens: “Thanks, your answers for … are recorded”, “We have recorded that no photos of … will be used”

Make it yours

  1. One link per event

    Add ?event=Sports day to the link and the class or event box fills itself in, so each answer lands in the right list.

  2. Keep the list staff check

    Export CSV or Excel from your results: each place gets its own column, so staff filter out the No answers before posting.

  3. See refusals the day they arrive

    Turn on Email me in the Connect tab and the office gets every response, not only the yeses.

Good practice and the law

This is general information, not legal advice. Rules differ by country and state, so check anything important where you operate.

  • UK

    Silence, pre-ticked boxes and inactivity are not consent, and withdrawing must be as easy as agreeing. ICO, what is valid consent

  • UK

    Photos a school takes for its prospectus are likely to fall under data protection law; photos parents take for their own family do not. ICO, taking photos in schools

  • US

    In New York, using someone’s picture for advertising or trade without written consent (a parent’s, for a child) is a misdemeanour. New York Civil Rights Law §50

  • Australia

    The Privacy Act covers a photo when the person can be identified, for organisations with annual turnover above $3 million, and some smaller ones. OAIC, photos and videos

Questions about this template

Do I need a photo release to post on social media?

If people can be recognised and you post for an organisation, yes, with social media as its own yes or no, so a parent can say yes to a corridor display and no to Instagram.

What if a parent never returns it?

Treat it as a no: the ICO says silence is not consent. Compare your class list with your responses and chase the gaps.

Can one form cover brothers and sisters?

Use one response per child, so each answer can change on its own.

Do adult volunteers need one?

If you feature them in your own channels, yes. Pick “Adult or event” above the preview: no parent questions, and a box for what they are wearing.

Which form do you need?

The photo release form is one of the consent & release forms. If it is not quite the job, one of these may be.

Start with the photo release form template

Open it in the editor, fill in the first paragraph and send the link before the event.

Use this template

Updated 22 September 2026. Evidence read September 2026 from 30 real forms.