Do I Need Permission to Use Photographs in Presentations?

Calculate the costs before photographing strangers for your presentations.

Businesses and organizations use presentations to educate, entertain, persuade and empower their audiences. Photographs enrich your presentations by emphasizing key points. However, before you add them, check each photograph to see if you need special permission.

General Rule

You do not need permission to use photographs of public places in PowerPoint or any other business presentations. Photographers can take pictures of anything they want as long as it is in public, such as on sidewalks or streets and in public parks. Permissible subjects include children, celebrities, residential and commercial buildings, transportation and industrial facilities, accident and fire scenes and bridges and other infrastructure.

National Defense Exceptions

Commanders of military installations can ban photographs of specific base areas to protect national security. The U.S. Department of Energy has similar restrictions on photographs in nuclear facilities.

Copyrighted Images

Whether online or in print, photographs fall under U.S. copyright laws. You can freely use these images if your presentation is for criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship or research. For any other purpose, contact the webmaster or publisher for permission to use the photograph.

Property Release Form

You need permission to use pets and residential building photographs in your presentations. Contact the owner and have him sign a property release form. Keep this on file for as long as you have the pictures.

Model Release Form

An individual will need to sign a model release form if you plan to do fundraising presentations. The release protects you against lawsuits for defamation of character or invasion of privacy.

References

• Krages; The Photographer's Right; Bert P. Krages, Attorney at Law
• America Society of Media Photographers: Business Resources - Property and Model Releases
• Photography Bay: Photography Laws
• Microsoft at Work: 12 Tips for Creating Better PowerPoint Presentations
• U.S. Copyright Office: Copyright Law of the United States; October 2009