Nude photo shock for woman

Lincoln Tan

A Takapuna businesswoman wanted to have nude photographs taken professionally for a personal memento.

However, Olga Ovsyannikova, 35, was shocked when she was asked by the photographer to sign an Advertising and Illustrative Photographers Association (AIPA) model release form, giving him full permission to use the pictures in any way he wants.

She walked away from the shoot, and found another photographer — who did not require her to sign her rights away — to do the nude shoot, but said the incident left her feeling “vulnerable and used”.

The association said it was “absolutely standard procedure” for models to sign a release form, but this has to be aligned with the model’s expectations.

The Privacy Commission is warning people to read the fine print before signing any contract.

Ovsyannikova, an event organiser, was approached by the photographer on Facebook asking if she was interested in posing for a “beautiful edgy portrait”.

The photographer said he was “currently working on creating extraordinary photos that tell a story and evoke emotions”.

After a two-hour phone conversation, Ovsyannikova said they agreed to doing a series of artistic nude photographs in an arrangement where neither paid for each other’s services.

“I wanted the photographs as a personal memento, and I thought he would be doing it just for his portfolio,” she said. She spent about $500, including getting a spray tan, hair cut and professional make-up in preparation for the shoot.

She said it was “my worst nightmare if my images ended up on some porn site or used to promote some escort service and there’s nothing I can do about it”.

AIPA president Nick Tresidder said it was not unusual for a photographer to reach out on social media to suggest a shoot.

“It is absolutely standard procedure that model releases be signed by model and photographer as a written agreement as to how the photos will be used by mutual agreement,” he said.

“It is not standard procedure to present a model with a usage agreement that does not align with the model’s expectation of how the photos would be used.”